Hosted By EcoShip:
Join us on Saturday, March 29th between 10am-3pm as we welcome Earth Month. We'll be hosting a neighborhood clean-up and 8 sustainable organizations and businesses based in Chicago who will be sharing their missions. Enjoy complimentary light bites and N/A beverages throughout the event and enter for a chance to win some goodies!
A book club for anyone who wants to learn about degrowth. Join us for coffee, tea, and a discussion about the economic and social movement that might just change the world!
Degrowth is an economic and social movement that advocates for shrinking economies to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.
Make spring cleaning more sustainable! Our event partners will be collecting electronics, prescription drugs, books, musical instruments, bikes, clothing and more. The first 25 donors receive a free, “Don’t be Trashy” t-shirt. Grove 6.
The Green Teacher Gathering on April 5 seeks to bolster the environmental and sustainability education movement in the Chicagoland area. Our mission is to expand participants’ knowledge through engaging workshops and networking opportunities. The theme for this year’s Gathering is Cultivating Connections with Nature which reflects our vision of a future where schools and communities are interconnected, sharing knowledge and resources for a sustainable tomorrow. Our aim is for attendees to feel empowered, motivated, and inspired.
From Repair Cafe Oak Park:
Toss it? No way!
The Oak Park Repair Café is meeting on the first Saturday of each month, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., at Fox Park in Oak Park. We will be in the Community Center in the park, at 624 S. Oak Park Avenue. Free, on-street parking.
Volunteer coaches will be on hand to work with you, helping you fix those household items you’ve been meaning to take care of – everything from toasters to radios, to clocks or torn clothing. Given a huge increase in visitor volume, repairs will be limited to one item per guest.
We respectfully request all guests be masked during their visit.
For more information about the Oak Park Repair Café, please go to www.repaircafeoakparkil.org and to learn more about the international Repair Café movement, check out www.repaircafe.org.
Hosted in partnership with One Earth Local, Climate Ready Community Outreach Oak Park (COOP), and the Village of Oak Park.
Join us for this Earth Month Community Kickoff event for all ages in alignment with Earth Day 2025’s theme of Our Power, Our Planet. Come to learn, play, and connect with community groups working in the sustainability space while enjoying local treats.
Registration is encouraged; walk-ins are welcome.
Bozho and welcome to Trickster Cultural Center's Intertribal Youth Council!
We are thrilled to have you participate in creating a special space where young people from our community can come together to celebrate their culture, learn from one another, and engage in meaningful activities.
This group is open to all youth ages 10 and up who are interested in exploring and celebrating Indigenous culture. We will be learning all about advocating, developing and implementing policies and services in outreach engagements, coalitions, and government in a range of self steered youth related issues. Bring your enthusiasm, your questions, and your spirit of adventure!
See what your Oak Park neighbors are doing to power their homes cleaner, safer, cheaper, and greener! Check out heat pump HVAC and hot water systems, induction stoves, solar arrays, and more. Homeowners will be on hand to share their experience and answer your questions. Three different houses will be open on each of two days:
Sunday, March 9, 2-4pm
Sunday, April 6, 2-4pm
This event is free, but registration is required and space is limited! Presented by Oak Park Climate Action Network.
Be a Food Waste Hero during Food Waste Prevention Week 2024 and save the day, one meal at a time. Don't be fooled by waste—join the mission to rescue delicious meals and be the hero our planet needs.
Join us for a 3.4-mile walk observing the blooming wildflowers, listening for animals and taking in the smells of spring’s arrival. Perfect for families.
Celebrate Earth Day by helping clean up litter in the Forest Preserves. Litter picks and supplies will be available to check out.
Join the American Indian Center on a hike through the woods to identify trees and plants, discuss sustainable practices, and learn how Native people view plants as relatives. Grove 13.
Celebrate Earth Day by helping clean up litter in the Forest Preserves. Litter picks and supplies will be available to check out.
Join us for the 2025 Climate Action Hero Awards, an inspiring evening dedicated to recognizing the individuals, businesses, and organizations leading the way in climate action. Hosted by the Climate Action Museum (CAM) this annual event highlights those making a tangible impact through education, advocacy, innovation, and direct action.
Unite, celebrate, and help build resilient communities and a healthier planet!
Be a part of the 14th One Earth Film Festival official launch on April 22nd, 2025 at Chicago’s thoughtfully modern Sarabande–located steps away from the Chicago River. It’s the perfect time on our planet and the perfect party backdrop to celebrate the power found in unity, as we rally around our essential yet endangered natural resources.
Celebrate! Yes there IS cause for celebration–even amidst great challenges.
Together, in unity, we are helping create more resilient communities and a healthier planet.
The Hills Film Description: When the steel mills on Chicago’s Southeast Side closed decades ago, they left behind toxic sites that look harmless to the naked eye. Deriving its title from a deserted 67-acre hill made up of slag that Republic Steel/LTV dumped there during the 1950s–80s, The Hills is a place-based documentary where contaminated land, water, and wildlife play a leading role alongside the voices of community members. Easily mistaken for gravel, slag is a byproduct of steelmaking and contains arsenic, chromium, lead, and other toxins. Recently declared a superfund site by the EPA, the abandoned Schroud property has long attracted heavy recreational use and toxins from the slag continue to leach into the adjacent Indian Creek.
Film Description: The documentary about a Los Angeles woman who has made it her life’s mission to rehabilitate injured hummingbirds has a gentle sweetness that feels like a balm. Terry Masear, the subject of writer-director Sally Aitken’s film, has a no-nonsense demeanor, but her affection for these tiny creatures is unmistakable. She gives them names like Raisin, Cactus and Wasabi. She assigns them narratives as she observes their behavior. She painstakingly builds them elaborate aviaries and lovingly feeds them from a syringe. And she devotes every inch of her sprawling Hollywood Hills property, inside and out, to their care. Winner of the Nantucket Film Festival Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Film Making Award
Film Description: BAD RIVER, narrated by Quannah ChasingHorse and Academy-Award nominee, Edward Norton; written and directed by award-winning filmmaker, Mary Mazzio; and produced by Grant Hill (Owner of the Atlanta Hawks) and Allison Abner (writer for Narcos, West Wing and descendant of the Stockbridge Munsee Band), is a new documentary film which chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band and its ongoing fight for sovereignty, a story which unfolds in a groundbreaking way through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience, which includes a David vs. Goliath battle to save Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in America. As Eldred Corbine, a Bad River Tribal Elder declares: “We gotta protect it… die for it, if we have to.” Winner of the EMA (Environmental Media Association) 2024 Best Documentary Film Award
Film Description: SLAY is a feature documentary film exploring the interwoven harms caused by fashion’s use of fur, leather and wool. Following investigative filmmaker Rebecca Cappelli as she travels the world uncovering some of fashion’s best kept secrets, a harrowing story of greenwashing, environmental destruction, unjust treatment of workers, and animal exploitation unravels. SLAY asks an important question to the public, and the fashion industry itself: Is it acceptable to kill animals for fashion? Winner of the 2022 International Vegan Film Festival’s Best Vegan-Themed Feature Film
In August 2024, IL Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation requiring Illinois public schools to educate students on climate change starting in 2026. The law requires that students learn about the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities while also studying solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change. After helping pass this legislation, Climate Education for Illinois, It’s Our Future and Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) sought out a partnership with the nonprofit SubjectToClimate (StC) to support teachers in implementing these updated educational requirements, beginning with the creation of an Illinois Climate Education Hub.
alt_ [Alt Space Chicago] is marking its 5th anniversary with a grand opening event from April 25-27 at our new location, 5645 W Lake St [Corcoran Pl]. The event will showcase the organization's mission through three key pillars: art, community, and faith.
Film Description: Plastic is vital in so many ways to our modern way of life and well-being—but not all forms of it. In search of why more and more single-use plastic debris enters the ocean despite all efforts to recycle, SINGLE-USE PLANET goes upstream to where millions of tons of raw plastic are being made amidst the ruins of America's bygone steel industry in Pennsylvania. Further upstream, we see the economic and political realities that have boosted the new industry—realities reaching all the way to rural Louisiana where plans are laid to build the biggest plastic plant in the world. Can the powerful industry be persuaded to temper their production of single-use plastic? Our search leads to Washington D.C.—where a federal bill to regulate the industry remains stalled—and finally to France, where the prohibition of campaign donations by corporations may provide a key to the effective reduction of plastic pollution.
Film Description: Companies and organizations are increasingly leading the way to a United States economy driven by renewable energy and sustainability. In this series comprised of short documentaries, CEOs and upper management at a variety of companies, non-profits and government agencies will present their science based solutions and visions for the future. We also focus on young leaders that are making those visions of the future a reality. They will present the challenges that lie ahead, and how they are endeavoring to solve big problems and make a difference through their work. Government can set the policy agenda, but for real change to occur the private sector must be incentivized and fully engaged. Companies and organizations are in a unique position to innovate and have a significant impact in a shorter time. An educated and motivated work force is a critical part of affecting change from within every industry. We want to infuse this series with a sense of hope to empower all people, and instill in them a call to action to join the country's move toward a more sustainable future.
Film Description: Cafeteria Man takes a behind the scenes look at Tony Geraci’s sweeping, tenacious efforts to kick start school lunch reform in Baltimore’s schools, a large urban district that serves 83,000 students, and later in Memphis schools, with 200,000 kids. As the newly hired Food and Nutrition Director of the Baltimore’s public school district, Geraci hatches an ambitious, multi-faceted plan to feed students healthy, locally-sourced meals, teach them nutritional awareness, and offer them training and vocational opportunities in the world of food. His bold vision includes a 33-acre teaching farm, school vegetable gardens, student-designed meals, and meatless Monday’s. Cafeteria Man follows Geraci as he partners with a dedicated group of parents and students to overhaul a long-established, dysfunctional lunch program and battle the entrenched bureaucracy behind it. The film profiles Baltimore’s experience as it becomes recognized as part a burgeoning national movement, and includes appearances by food author Michael Pollan, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass.
Film Description: From the makers of the international proclaimed films Why We Cycle and Together We Cycle. When We Cycle is a feature-length documentary considering different developments in society and the role of cycling in these possible futures. It takes a look into the great unknown, asking whether the fast and efficient cyclist gets priority or are other scenarios conceivable? In the documentary, various experts and everyday cyclists take you on this journey through different imaginable futures for cycling.
Film Description: Food, Inc. 2 is a 2023 documentary that examines the food industry's corporate consolidation and its impact on consumers and the environment. The film is a sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. This movie, directed by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo, picks up where the first one left off in exposing the at-times mind-bogglingly unwholesome practices of America’s corporate food concerns in manipulating us to consume that which is bad for us. But it begins by sharing the ostensibly good news, which is that increased food consciousness is making healthy and still delicious options more available to us.
The Grab will be preceded by One Earth’s annual Earth Day Action Fair, from 11:30A-1P in the Chicago Cultural Center GAR Rotunda. Details are forthcoming and will be shared to this page.
Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-action-fair-chicago-cultural-center-gar-rotunda-tickets-1284791659439?aff=oddtdtcreator
Celebrate the 55th anniversary of Earth Day by taking action for our planet! Join One Earth Film Festival, the City of Chicago's Office of Climate & Environmental Equity, and partners working on environmental and climate justice initiatives. Visit with groups to learn about and plug into their work, opportunities, and events. Enjoy community and fellowship with other environmental advocates.
Film Description: The film outlines a global warming reaction by several nation states, where the powerful use force, economics and illegal mercenaries to take control of food and water stocks. The narrative begins with the 2014 purchase of US-based Smithfield Foods by Chinese WH Group, which the filmmakers say gave away control of a quarter of all pigs in the US. It then follows other hard-to-explain deals, such as the purchase of arid land in Arizona by a Saudi company. Russians hiring American cowboys to work in a region too cold for farmland. And Blackwater deals to secure land in Africa. All these strange commercial arrangements are linked by "following the money", a phrase heard several times in the film, which identifies connections between governments, commercial enterprises and legal and illegal military actors such as mercenary companies. The filmmakers ultimately draw the conclusion that it is all planned responses to changes stemming from climate change.
Film Description: Innovative women are redefining our relationship with carbon by repurposing living materials, reengineering waste into valuable chemicals that clean the climate, and driving decarbonization in our built environment. They share life/work challenges while thriving in male-dominated industries. Their collective wisdom comes together to form a singular belief and purpose to restore, protect and ultimately preserve the planet. The secret lies in the Earth itself. Told through a feminine lens, the story delves into the minds and spirits of dedicated, driven and dynamic 21st century trailblazers whose work is placing them at the core of decarbonization, human health and economic opportunity.
Join an Illinois Solar for All: Bright Neighborhoods event to learn more about this limited-time initiative that allows residents in select Chicago West Side Neighborhoods, Waukegan, and the Carbondale-Marion area to save on electric bills!
The Bright Neighborhoods initiative helps income-eligible participants in selected communities save money on electric bills by installing solar panels with no upfront costs.
Act fast and sign up for Bright Neighborhoods by April 30, 2025. To get started, visit illinoisSFA.com/Bright.
International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated during the first full week of May throughout the US and internationally. The goal of ICAW is to work together to raise public awareness on why we all should be composting our organics and using compost to create healthier soil.
Bring in your gently used books and leave with some new-to-you books! Books can be any genre and reading level; nature-themed books encouraged.
Hosted by Bank of America Chicago 13.1:The Bank of America Chicago 13.1 worked with West Side residents to introduce wellness-based activities to the race weekend experience. Activities including a family-friendly 1.31-Mile Wellness Walk, youth running events and a community pop-up featuring West Side businesses and organizations aim to support, advance and celebrate health, wellness and movement on Chicago’s West Side.
Hosted by Bank of America Chicago 13.1: The Bank of America Chicago 13.1 offers runners a unique experience, bringing a world-class half marathon to the neighborhoods of Chicago’s West Side. The 13.1-mile course weaves through the historic parks and boulevards of the West Side, starting and finishing in Garfield Park with scenic loops through Humboldt and Douglass Parks.
Join Tina Muir for a pre-race plogging event at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 22 in Grant park after The Mile at the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. Plogging is a combination of the Swedish term plocka upp (to pick up) and the English word jog. Individuals who join us for the 3K/1.86-mile run/walk will learn more about plogging and how we can pair our passion for running and walking with environmental stewardship to enhance our communities. As we look for more ways to take care of the planet and the people on it, this is an easy and fun way to do our part.
A book club for anyone who wants to learn about degrowth. Join us for coffee, tea, and a discussion about the economic and social movement that might just change the world!
Degrowth is an economic and social movement that advocates for shrinking economies to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.
Join us at The Plant for this semiannual event that provides opportunities to repair clothing and household items, safely dispose of tricky-to-recycle materials, and donate bicycles, old sneakers, and more—all while bringing attention to strategies that redefine waste and improve environmental conditions!
Join Oak Park Climate Action Network, Seven Generations Ahead, Bike Walk Oak Park, and It's Our Future at a candidates forum for the Village of Oak Park Board and President; on March 10, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Community Recreation Center in Oak Park.
See what your Oak Park neighbors are doing to power their homes cleaner, safer, cheaper, and greener! Check out heat pump HVAC and hot water systems, induction stoves, solar arrays, and more. Homeowners will be on hand to share their experience and answer your questions. Three different houses will be open on each of two days:
Sunday, March 9, 2-4pm
Sunday, April 6, 2-4pm
This event is free, but registration is required and space is limited! Presented by Oak Park Climate Action Network.
On Sat., March 8: from 5-8:00 pm from the edges of the world, come explore polar photography and learn about conservation efforts at a community event to support Polar Bears International and honor International Women's Day with women leaders. Held at Aglaïa Coffee & Tea Co., 925 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago with street parking or close public transportation.
What does it mean to imagine and implement climate justice? This interdisciplinary symposium is driven by the urgent need for a range of interventions and tools: critique, experimentation, imagination, pragmatics and policy. Bringing together thinkers from Europe and the U.S., speakers explore climate, energy, and infrastructure across networked urban and regional scales: from city to region to nation to planet. The symposium stages a conversation among scholars and practitioners who too rarely are in conversation, but have much to learn from each other.
What does it mean to imagine and implement climate justice? This interdisciplinary symposium is driven by the urgent need for a range of interventions and tools: critique, experimentation, imagination, pragmatics and policy. Bringing together thinkers from Europe and the U.S., speakers explore climate, energy, and infrastructure across networked urban and regional scales: from city to region to nation to planet. The symposium stages a conversation among scholars and practitioners who too rarely are in conversation, but have much to learn from each other.
Are you a homeowner? Join us to learn more about solar & other ways to save on your electric bill!
Income-eligible households may benefit from this program through the installation of solar panels on their property. Hear from homeowners who have gone solar with Illinois Solar for All.
Learn about free solar job training programs as well.
To register, please email mminic@citizensutilityboard.org or call 312-292-5847. Walk-ins are also welcome.
The event is on March 6th, 5:30-7 pm at Austin Town Hall Park.
Please save the date for the fourth annual Illinois Soil Health Week, March 3rd - 9th, 2025. Events are free and open to anyone that wants to learn more about soil and will feature educational opportunities including a home pantry garden and compost demo, Getting to Know Chicago Soil and Hempology 101, among others.
A book club for anyone who wants to learn about degrowth. Join us for coffee, tea, and a discussion about the economic and social movement that might just change the world!
Degrowth is an economic and social movement that advocates for shrinking economies to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact.
Research shows that people are more persuaded by personal stories (especially from young people) than by data.This year we will have a "Story Jam" with youth activists followed by a youth-led workshop where you can craft and share your climate story. Your story can be used to write Letters to the Editor, persuade elected officials or even family members!
Bozho and welcome to Trickster Cultural Center's Intertribal Youth Council!
We are thrilled to have you participate in creating a special space where young people from our community can come together to celebrate their culture, learn from one another, and engage in meaningful activities.
This group is open to all youth ages 10 and up who are interested in exploring and celebrating Indigenous culture. We will be learning all about advocating, developing and implementing policies and services in outreach engagements, coalitions, and government in a range of self steered youth related issues. Bring your enthusiasm, your questions, and your spirit of adventure!
As part of the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan, we are committed to designing a Community Land Trust that ensures residents are able to continue staying rooted in their community. Community Land Trusts (CLTs), provide affordable housing options for residents by separating the land ownership from homeownership. Interested in the development and planning process for this initiative? Attend one of our information sessions to learn more about The Community Land Trust model and Why this is important for Austin and how you or your organization can partner with us.
Wild Things 2025 will offer another exciting lineup workshops, presentations, and sessions from regional and national experts, plus meet & greets, video content, exhibitors, sponsors, and more! Tickets for Wild Things 2025 are now on sale and the full conference program will be announced soon.
Join us for an exclusive screening and discussion of Farming While Black, a feature-length documentary film that examines the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States and the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership to land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.
Join us for a night of fun, community, and purpose at our Black History Month Trivia Night! Come show off your knowledge, connect with like-minded changemakers, and most importantly, help us continue uplifting and creating opportunities for our youth.
📅 Date: Thursday, February 27th
📍 Location: Rhythm & Blues Café (21+ Event) 7522 Madison St
Forest Park IL, 60130
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Invite 3 friends interested in meeting new people and/or passionate about supporting our youth. Every ticket, every moment, and every conversation helps us invest in the next generation. Don’t miss out—RSVP today and let’s celebrate Black history while building a brighter future!
Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN) is a volunteer group of Oak Park, Illinois, residents working to eliminate our community’s contribution to the global climate crisis through equitable policies and practices.
OPCAN advocates for the timely implementation of the goals of Climate Ready Oak Park, the climate action plan adopted by the Village of Oak Park in 2022. We also advocate for more climate-friendly policies with other local taxing bodies, residents, businesses, and organizations.
This is an educator exchange event that invites teachers to share resources connecting students to biodiversity in the classroom. Join EarthEcho International and SciStarter as we share resources focused on biodiversity and community science, leading to student action. During this virtual share-a-thon, learn how to bring biodiversity resources to life in your classroom and inspire your students to participate in community science. Be sure to bring your favorite biodiversity resources to share!
As part of the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan, we are committed to designing a Community Land Trust that ensures residents are able to continue staying rooted in their community. Community Land Trusts (CLTs), provide affordable housing options for residents by separating the land ownership from homeownership. Interested in the development and planning process for this initiative? Attend one of our information sessions to learn more about The Community Land Trust model and Why this is important for Austin and how you or your organization can partner with us.
Climate Ready Community Outreach to Oak Park (C.O.O.P)
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
6-7:30 pm
Via Zoom
COOP is an outreach project around the Village of Oak Park’s Climate Ready Oak Park sustainability plan. COOP is a place where Oak Park-area residents can collaborate on projects that spread the word to residents about ways to act locally on climate change. Membership is not limited to green groups-- you can be from ANY group that comprises people from the area. If you would like your Oak Park-area, community based organization to be a part of COOP, please contact:
laurie@oneearthcollective.org
Join Trinity Lutheran Church for an insightful presentation by the Sierra Club, where they will discuss the growing concerns regarding plastics in our environment and explore ways to reduce our plastic footprint.
From Forest Preserves Cook County: Build your own walking stick using buckthorn, an invasive species. Ages 12-17 w/adult. Ages 12 & up.
Hosted by Oak Park Conservatory: Children and their caregivers will be delighted with stories, lessons, and hands-on crafts led by our Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory education volunteers. (Ages 18 months-5 yrs)
Register Here: https://app.amilia.com/store/en/park-district-of-oak-park/shop/programs/101251?subCategoryIds=5299733
Join an Illinois Solar for All: Bright Neighborhoods event to learn more about this limited-time initiative that allows residents in select Chicago West Side Neighborhoods, Waukegan, and the Carbondale-Marion area to save on electric bills!
Illinois Solar for All is hosting an in-person educational workshop for residents of Chicago’s West Side neighborhoods to learn more about solar energy and the Bright Neighborhoods initiative! This meeting will be co-hosted by the NAACP and AAABNA.
As part of the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan, we are committed to designing a Community Land Trust that ensures residents are able to continue staying rooted in their community. Community Land Trusts (CLTs), provide affordable housing options for residents by separating the land ownership from homeownership. Interested in the development and planning process for this initiative? Attend one of our information sessions to learn more about The Community Land Trust model and Why this is important for Austin and how you or your organization can partner with us.
Join us for an open discussion on climate change and other environmental topics. You are invited to share an article, book, podcast, or film related to environmental issues that you'd like to discuss. Because this meeting is virtual please feel free to have a link to your recommendation ready to share with the group. Registered participants will receive the zoom link by email.
Join an Illinois Solar for All: Bright Neighborhoods event to learn more about this limited-time initiative that allows residents in select Chicago West Side Neighborhoods, Waukegan, and the Carbondale-Marion area to save on electric bills!
Illinois Solar for All is hosting a virtual informational meeting for eligible residents to learn more about this initiative and get their questions answered by a program representative!
Bozho and welcome to Trickster Cultural Center's Intertribal Youth Council!
We are thrilled to have you participate in creating a special space where young people from our community can come together to celebrate their culture, learn from one another, and engage in meaningful activities.
This group is open to all youth ages 10 and up who are interested in exploring and celebrating Indigenous culture. We will be learning all about advocating, developing and implementing policies and services in outreach engagements, coalitions, and government in a range of self steered youth related issues. Bring your enthusiasm, your questions, and your spirit of adventure!
Please join us for "Rare and Showy Plants of the Chicago Region and the Habitats that Support Them" with Christopher Benda, The Illinois Botanizer, on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 2:30 pm (Central Time).
