Repair Cafe
Aug
2
10:00 AM10:00

Repair Cafe

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.

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2025 Solar Farm Summit
Aug
4
to Aug 7

2025 Solar Farm Summit

  • McCormick Place Lakeside Center, East Building (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

2025 Solar Farm Summit aims to elevate the solar energy + agriculture renaissance to the next level August 4-7 in a new location on Chicago’s magnificent lakeshore: McCormick Place!

The 2025 Solar Farm Summit (SFS25) is set to return to Chicago this summer in a new location for another deeply enriching and difference-making experience. Join us along Chicago’s magnificent lakeshore August 4-7 at McCormick Place to plug into the next evolution of the solar energy + agriculture revolution during the 3rd edition of North America’s Agrivoltiacs Expo, the continent’s 1st dedicated dual-use development conference and agrivoltaics exhibition, brought to you again by returning title sponsor—American Farmland Trust.

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Austin Eats Presents:  Movie at the Farm
Aug
6
6:00 PM18:00

Austin Eats Presents: Movie at the Farm

As part of Austin Eats' efforts to bring healthy food resources and lively discussion around local food access to the Austin community, this event is intended for those who live, work, play, volunteer, study, or worship in Austin.

Bike Vessel (2024) by Eric Seals (56 min)

BIKE VESSEL is a feature documentary following Donnie Seals Sr. and his son and filmmaker Eric as they cycle from St. Louis to Chicago. Bike Vessel also utilizes archival footage/photographs and animations to take viewers to Seals’ previous unhealthy life and health complications, while giving audiences an intimate look inside a Black working-class family living outside Chicago in Wheaton, IL.

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Chicago Climate Connect
Aug
20
6:00 PM18:00

Chicago Climate Connect

Join Chicago Climate Connect for an evening of connection and conversation with Manuela Zoninsein, Founder & CEO of Kadeya, as we explore how reuse infrastructure can drive meaningful systems change.

From her work advancing closed-loop beverage solutions to her advocacy around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy in Illinois, Manuela brings a sharp perspective on what it takes to shift industries toward circularity.

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Earth Lounge: An Environmental Book Discussion: "Walkaway"
Jul
16
6:00 PM18:00

Earth Lounge: An Environmental Book Discussion: "Walkaway"

  • Oak Park Public Library: Main Library Small Meeting Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In Walkaway by Cory Doctorow, Hubert, Seth, and their ultra-rich heiress friend Natalie are getting a little old to hang out at the "Communist parties, " techno-raveups in abandoned industrial spaces, full of insta-printed drugs and toys. And Natalie was finished, years ago, with her overcontrolling zillionaire dad. And now that anyone can manufacture food, clothing, shelter with equipment comparable to a computer printer, there seems to be little reason to stick with the world of rules and jobs.

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Storytime & Touch a Recycling Truck!
Jul
14
10:00 AM10:00

Storytime & Touch a Recycling Truck!

  • Oak Park Public Library: Maze Branch Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Storytime and a recycling truck! Participate in fun storytime activities while learning about recycling. Then, get a tour of a Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) truck from a real-life driver and a copy of the LRS book The Big Sort: Aluminum Adventure With Fran the Can to take home.

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Upcycled Filament Workshop: Collage By Number
Jul
10
6:00 PM18:00

Upcycled Filament Workshop: Collage By Number

  • Oak Park Public Library: Main Library Creative Studio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Unwind and create while collaging with the leftover multi-colored and many-shaped filament scraps we’ve been collecting from 3D printer projects. Choose from one of four collage-by-number templates made by library staff (printed on reused paper and glued to packaging cardboard), or create your own freeform masterpiece using the filament scraps and hot glue.

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Red, White, & Blue Nature Walk
Jul
6
10:30 AM10:30

Red, White, & Blue Nature Walk

  • Trailside Museum of Natural History (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Get outside and enjoy a festive nature walk to kick off your 4th of July celebrations early! Wear your patriotic colors and explore the trails with us — fun for all ages!

🎉 FREE family-friendly event

🌳 Explore local wildlife & plants

📸 Great photo ops in the preserves!

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Repair Cafe
Jul
5
10:00 AM10:00

Repair Cafe

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.

View Event →
WEJA: June 2025 Meeting
Jun
17
6:00 PM18:00

WEJA: June 2025 Meeting

  • Garfield Park Conservatory (Glass Dome) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Hello Westsiders!

WEJA (Westside Environmental Justice Alliance) is a group for people who live, work, volunteer, study, and worship on Chicago’s Westside (roughly Ashland to Austin) to come together over our mutual interests of improving the air, water, soil, and health of Westsiders.

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Optimist Con 2025
Jun
7
11:00 AM11:00

Optimist Con 2025

Calling all comic fans, young creatives, families, and community champions!

Join us for Youth Comic Con 2025, an unforgettable day of creativity, community, and fun — where kids are the stars!

This isn’t your typical comic convention. At Optimist Con, every artist in Artist Alley is a student who has written, illustrated, and published their very own comic book through our arts education programs — including our signature Comics in the Classroom initiative! You’ll get to meet these rising stars, collect their work, and be part of the movement that’s changing how young people tell their stories.

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Hike in Spanish
Jun
7
9:30 AM09:30

Hike in Spanish

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming community "Hike in Spanish" event that we will be partnering on with the Lake County Forest Preserve District this upcoming Saturday, June 07th from 9:30 am to 10:45 am at Fort Sheridan, 1275 Gilgare Lane, Lake Forest, IL, 60045. Join us and explore a new local forest preserve with an environmental educator.

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Bank of America Chicago 13.1
Jun
1
7:00 AM07:00

Bank of America Chicago 13.1

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.

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Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Wellness Walk
May
31
7:00 AM07:00

Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Wellness Walk

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.

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Bike Checkup: Keep your Bike Working with Working Bikes
May
18
1:00 PM13:00

Bike Checkup: Keep your Bike Working with Working Bikes

  • Oak Park Public Library: Main Library Outside Plaza (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Hosted by Oak Park Public Library:

Wish you knew more about how to keep your bike operating smoothly between bike shop checkups? Bring your bike to this drop-by family friendly event in celebration of National Bike Month to learn more about the ABCs of basic bike maintenance. Volunteers from Working Bikes will be on hand to show you how to do basic upkeep of your air, brakes and chain. Keep an eye out for cameo appearances from other friendly local bikes and organizations.

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Idea Box Open House: Crossing Paths: Migrating Birds & You
May
10
2:00 PM14:00

Idea Box Open House: Crossing Paths: Migrating Birds & You

  • Oak Park Public Library: Main Library Idea Box (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Hosted by Oak Park Public Library:

In celebration of World Migratory Bird Day, drop by the Idea Box for tours of the exhibit CROSSING PATHS: Migrating Birds and You, led by Oak Park Elementary School District 97 students in the Brooks Environmental Action Team (BEAT). 

Learn more about their process and about the human-made obstacles birds face as well as inspiration for actions people can take to help them on their journeys.

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Trashy Mother Earth Market
May
10
11:00 AM11:00

Trashy Mother Earth Market

Join this junky jamboree to celebrate MOTHERS of all kinds: Mommas of humans, Mother of our Earth, and all the mother-junking artisans who transform materials into one-of-a-kind wonders.
There is no other market that offers a "Participatory Production" experience! What does that mean? Not only can you shop for upcycled home goods, art, planters, fashion, body care, and oddball stuff, you can also drop off household supplies to the artisans for their future creative projects. Plus, other hands-on activities.

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Freshwater Forum
May
8
6:00 PM18:00

Freshwater Forum

Our premier event of Chicago Water Week, the Freshwater Forum, will bring together water industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers for an evening of inspiration and collaboration. We'll highlight the momentum behind Chicago’s growing water innovation ecosystem, with a focus on the role of strategic industry partnerships in scaling bold water solutions. You can register here with the promo code FINALFRESH75 to get your ticket at no cost. 

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How to Poison a Planet – Film Screening & Panel
May
5
7:00 PM19:00

How to Poison a Planet – Film Screening & Panel

  • Jones College Prep Theater in the South Building (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Earlier in the week, we’re partnering with the World Water Film Festival to screen How to Poison a Planet, an award-winning documentary that exposes the global impact of PFAS contamination. Free tickets are available here!

Following the screening, Alaina from our team will be moderating a solutions-focused panel featuring:

  • Rob Bilott, environmental attorney who first exposed PFAS contamination

  • Gary Douglas and Rebecca Newman, lead counsel in the 3M PFAS settlement

  • Dr. Junhong Chen, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory

  • Michael Strande, father of late activist Amara Strande, who is featured in the documentary

  • Mark Ruffalo (virtually), if his schedule allows. We hope to know this week if he’s able to participate!

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International Compost Awareness Week: May 4-10, 2025
May
4
to May 10

International Compost Awareness Week: May 4-10, 2025

  • Google Calendar ICS

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.

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Idea Box: Crossing Paths: Migrating Birds & You
May
1
to May 12

Idea Box: Crossing Paths: Migrating Birds & You

  • Oak Park Public Library: Main Library Idea Box (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Hosted by Oak Park Public Library:

Did you know that Chicago is a major flyway for over 200 species of migratory birds that fly from Central and South America to breed in the northern United States and Canada every year? This exhibit in the Main Library Idea Box celebrates the incredible migration paths these birds travel. 

And, because bird populations have plunged due to habitat loss and human actions, this exhibit also spreads awareness of how we can protect these birds as they fly through our community in spring and fall. 

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