Green Parent Chicago™

August Chicago Kidical Mass "Garden Ride"

This month saw the August edition of a Chicago Kidical Mass ride take off. This month’s ride was a “Garden Ride”.  We rode our way around the greater Logan Square neighborhood and made stops at two community gardens to meet the gardeners, wander through the greenery, sample kale and other fresh garden goodies, and enjoy the flowers and the beautiful day.

As always, we all met up in Palmer Square, and kicked things off by riding two loops around the square.

I"m getting ready to ride around Palmer Square (photo courtesy of Chicago Kidical Mass)

Then we  headed off towards our first stop, the Whipple-Dickens Community Garden.

The garden was lovely – all sorts of vegetables, herbs, flowers, you-name-it, was growing in this neighborhood plot.   It was fun to just walk around and discover all that was growing.

Eventually we loaded everyone back up on the bikes.

You can bring your friends along on a Kidical Mass ride

And we headed off to our next stop the Altgeld – Sawyer Corner Farm.

Wandering through Altgeld-Sawyer Corner Farm

As always with a Kidical Mass ride, there were a wide variety of kids bikes, cargo bikes, bike trailers, trail-a-bikes, and so forth for folks to ride around the city sans car with their kids.

Box bikes, bucket bikes, baskets and baby seats

And some folks wanted to take our Yuba Mundo out for some test rides. We happily obliged.

Eventually we tore ourselves away from the farm and rode off to our final stop, Unity Park.

Once at the park we parked our bikes again and set the kids free to run, scream, climb, play, and have a good time.  The adults managed to have some fun too.

A big kid in a bucket bike

 

Our family pile O' bikes

The Chicago Kidical Mass group rides the second Saturday of the month for most of the year. You can find us here on Facebook  or on our group page on the chainlink.   Come out and ride with us!

-Samantha
This article originally appeared on Samantha's family biking blog Ding Ding Let's Ride where she writes about everyday biking in the city, family biking, and adaptive biking for special needs children.

The June Chicago Kidical Mass Bike Ride & Cupcakes!

We have a great Kidical Mass ride almost every month of the year in Chicago, on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Generally the ride departs from Palmer Square to a location not too far away, usually one that ends at a park or playground.  This month’s ride had a bonus stop scheduled so everyone had two playgrounds to check out.  Our household was a little late getting out the door though, so we headed off to a playground on the west side of Humbolt Park that was to be the final destination, to meet up with the rest of the ride.

Riding around the lagoons in Humbolt Park, towing a bike with our Yuba Mundo

It also happened to be my birthday weekend, so Andrew surprised me with a couple of dozen (!!) delicious cupcakes from Bleeding Heart Bakery to share with everyone at the ride!  I put the cupcakes in this awesome picnic basket that we own,  to transport them to the park.  I must have subconsciously bought this basket years ago in anticipation of owning this bike because they looked so lovely together.

 

After we had arrived and unloaded, the parade of bikes started to arrive!

 

We Have a New Bike! Welcome the Yuba Mundo!

We weren’t really planning on buying another bike, but we have been trying to figure out how we were going to continue to ride everywhere we want as a family.  With Little Ding riding his own bike instead of being towed in the bike trailer, we’ve been enjoying family rides in which we all ride together, but have been frustrated because now we can’t ride as far- he is not able to put in the same miles that we can.  We loved riding to the zoo for example, but that’s too far for him.

We had already considered a variety of  family cargo bikes but we’ve been limited by price as well as by storage. We live on the 2nd floor and do not have garage space.   No bakfiets, Madsens, Christianias, or other sorts of box-style cargo bikes would be suitable for us.  At a couple of the Kidical Mass rides we watched as one parent pulled up on an Xtracycle with her’s child’s toddler bike tucked into one of the side pockets. Brilliant!  But Little Ding’s bike is larger than a toddler bike, and has the two extra fat-tire ‘training’ wheels, and we weren’t sold on the Xtracycle for various reasons.

The Big Dummy wasn’t too bad, but a little pricey and not as upright a bike as Mr. Ding wanted – his wrists are having a harder and harder time with his hybrid.    Overall we wanted something solid that could haul a heavy rider as well as lots of cargo,  allow a disabled rider to ride in the back, tow a kid’s bike, and not be too expensive. Then someone reminded us that J.C. Lind Bike Company here in Chicago was now carrying Yuba Mundos! Ding Ding!

The blue Yuba after Mr. Ding's rainy test ride

 

We stopped by the bike store on Wells street on a rainy Saturday afternoon and checked out some of the bikes in the store and Mr. Ding headed out for an initial test ride.

Mr. Ding takes a Yuba Mundo out for a test ride while the Van Moof bike looks on

 

The Yuba is 6ft 9 inches long – not your standard-length bike.  A steel bike made to haul 440 lbs of cargo plus a rider, it is the strongest in terms of the load it can carry,  of all the longtail cargo bikes.  The rear rack can hold 2 child seats, along with grocery bags on each side.   Here’s one in the store configured with two different kinds of child seats for riders of different ages.

 

A Family Bike Ride Along the Fox River

This past weekend some friends of ours invited us to bring our bikes out to their place near Aurora Illinois. They live near the Fox River and wanted to take us on a bike ride along the river trail and check out the local Wine on the Foxfestival.  Biking, prairie paths, good friends, and wine? How could we say no? We were considering taking the train out their way, but the logistics didn’t quite work out, so we loaded up our bikes  on the bike carrier– including Oma! — and drove west.  After some lunch we headed down to the Fox River Trail near their house and were on our way.

 

The first part of the trail wove it's way between the trees in the woods along the river. Right away we had to cross over the Fox River on this impressive bike bridge.  It was a challenge for Little Ding to ride up and across it but he persevered.

 

Pedestrian and bike bridge over the Fox River

 After we turned off the bridge, we rode through the park, and spotted a few families of geese.

The trail wasn’t very crowded even with the festival going on, so we were able to ride at our own pace and circle back around the younger riders when needed.

We rode about 1.5 miles to the park in downtown Oswego where they were hosting the wine fest.  I have to say it’s a pretty nice festival.  The park is nicely situated along the river, with a really great playground in the center.  They placed the wine tents around the playground on two sides so the kids could play and we could sip wine.  It worked out well. They also had a few bands that played, sold some food, and had a water give-away tent for designated drivers.

Wine on the Fox at Hudson Crossing Park

We actually rested Little Ding's bike cross-wise over our bikes and locked all three bikes together with my ABUS chain lock. It's a heavy beast of a lock, but it sure comes in handy sometimes.

By the way, all the lights in the parking lot were these cool solar/wind-powered lights.

Eventually we had to turn around and head back, while the kids still had enough energy left to ride.  There were a couple of inclines that we tackled that were big ‘hills’ for Little Ding so he got in some good practice going up and going down hills.  It’s not as easy for him to stand up on the pedals as with other kids so we’re thinking his next bike will probably need to have some gears.

Heading back down the trail

At the end of the ride we had to cross back over that bridge, and it actually has quite an incline.  Little Ding made a valiant effort, but he was pretty worn out riding hard and playing hard while lugging around those leg braces, so he asked for a few “Turbo Pushes” to help him get over the bridge.  I happily obliged.  And yes, that is a girl in a prom dress you see in the background. Apparently it was Oswego’s prom that night, as we rode by a few picture-taking sessions as well as an enormous Hummer limo on the brief section of the trail that overlaps a residential street.

Turbo pushes for LD. (and a girl in a prom dress in the background)

All in all, it was a banner weekend! The rain stayed away and we had a great time with some great friends.  If you ever have a chance to check out any part of the Illinois Prairie path system, I highly recommend it.  Mr. Ding and I have ridden the section from Oak Park to Lombard and it was equally as lovely.  And you now have proof that at least on the Fox River Trail, you  can ride it on a Dutch bike!

-Samantha This article originally appeared on Samantha's family biking blog Ding Ding Let's Ride where she writes about everyday biking in the city, family biking, and adaptive biking for special needs children.

 

The Green Stork Recommends: A Bon (and light) voyage

For years, I have watched mums shlep their children across airports looking like missile laden pack mules traversing the Hindu Kush. And each and every time I thought, “not me.” Oh, how my mum friends would smile with that all too familiar “wait until it’s your turn” look that is half patience and half schadenfreude, when I would tell them how ridiculous I thought it was that women travelled with so much…stuff. Having been raised by a dad who insisted that even longer trips to Europe required no more than carry on – I am a master clothes roller and light packer. And no child was going to change that.

Money. Meet Mouth.

Tomorrow, during Alden’s first nap time, I will be piling him into a Green Limo, which conveniently is a car service that provides a car seat to go to the airport. The above 1 piece of carry on, 1 nappy bag and stroller are ALL I’m taking.

Yes, incredulous mum – ALL I’m taking. For 8 days in Miami!

I know what you are thinking. That I could not possibly be taking enough clothes for either of us. Rubbish. I am taking several outfits, twelve books, a rabbit, a toy car, crayons, three bottles, a bento box for the airplane snack, toiletries, nappys, wipes, bananas, avocados, kiwis, organic food pouches, powdered goats milk, books for mama and other stuff. Including a purse within my nappy bag.

In fact, green mamas actually have to take MORE, as we don’t allow our children restaurant or airplane food. Here is the high water content fruit (hydration) bento box that is currently in our freezer that I have prepared for Alden for the flight…

(This bento box is, incidentally, BPA, Phthalate and nasty bit free.)

Plus – I’m taking all this organic fruit, which needs to just get us through to lunch on Monday, when we are going to the Coral Gables Whole Foods.

Yes. I am taking ALL of that! I have heard nightmares about airport delays, so I wanted to be sure.

I am also taking powdered milk, as I don’t want to have issues with overzealous airport agents.

And these are just a FEW of the outfits that we are taking to see his great-gran…

The requisite seersucker, with linen…

 

A nice check…

 

One must have madras in Mijami…

 

And more linen and sailor stripes…

 

And  a couple of suits…

Plus, all of mummy’s clothes.

And all of it,  every single rollable piece, fit into my standard overhead sized duffel. The nappy bag is just for the baby things that I have to have on hand.

Oh, and my travel stroller – the G-lite – weighs less than 11 pounds! So that is easy!

In case you are wondering about his carseat and pack-n-play. I shipped them ahead, as I didn’t want to rent them – which is what most savvy light traveling parents do in major cities around the world.

I’ll buy more diapers, drinks and food at Whole Foods – rather than take a wholes week shop with me. Which is foolish. And for conventional mums – they need not even worry about that! So exactly what ARE they carrying?

Oh. A girlfriend asked me about “toys”. My poor, deprived son doesn’t watch telly or videos – so I am bringing coloring books and crayons for his airplane entertainment. I also like him to explore his surroundings – so we’ll have to find “toys”, or things to amuse, on the plane and at the hotel.  (Having grown up in Florida, I am hoping that the lizard chasing and catching is as good at as is used to be.)  His mama, a new environment and his curiosity should be all the “toy’s” that he needs.

So.

That’s the idea. Now. Whether I am completely delusional or not, I won’t know for a few days.

But.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can….

-"The Green Stork" Claire Douglass is a first time Chicago mom, concerned with ever increasing data connecting childhood health issues from asthma to autism to exposure to common household toxins, chemicals and air quality – seeks to detoxify her nest, and create as green a nursery and playroom as possible.Without driving herself, or her husband, crazy. The former is going far better than the latter.

 

 

Chicago Kidical Mass: The April Ride

Finally the stars aligned for the House of Ding and we were able to make it to a Saturday Kidical Mass Ride here in Chicago.  I’ve been anxious to get the guys out on the ride not only for the fun family bike riding, but to introduce them to some of the women I’ve met on the bike brunches as there is a bit of overlap.  

Little Ding had not been on his bike all winter and was showing the typical kid mix of enthusiasm and indifference before the ride.   It was a cloudy morning, but the weather was supposed to steadily improve, sunshine was supposed to come out, and it was going to get into the 70s by the afternoon.  All good omens for a great bike ride.

The Chicago version of Kidical Mass meets the 2nd Saturday of the month most of the year.  This past Saturday, like most Saturdays, we all met up at near the Bunny Park in Palmer Square.  We don’t live too far from there, but we weren’t sure that Little Ding could make the ride up there, do the ride, then head back home, so we loaded up the bikes and drove to Palmer Square.  When we arrived, everyone was hanging out and getting ready to ride.

 

There was some singing and filming going on for a “Bike Friday” YouTube video, and then we loaded up the bikes and headed on out through the park to the streets of Logan Square.  Yep, that’s Little Ding riding in front of me in this picture.

We rode through the neighborhood and headed down one or two ‘typically’ bumpy and pot-hole-scarred Chicago streets (good practice for our young riders)  and of course rode under some El tracks.

 

And we cut through one park that had a lovely basketball court that no one was using, so we all rode around a few times in circles.

 

 

We had all sorts of riders with all sorts of bikes – tandems, kid carriers, some kids with training wheels,  Little Ding and his adapted bike,  me on my Omafiets, and even a Madsen bucket bike with two lovely ladies in pink!

 

We ended the ride at another park. The sun came out, the fleece jackets came off, and the kids ran around and played and had a great time.  We decided that Little Ding could probably ride back to the starting point, and eventually got ready to head out.  However,  since the Kidical Mass “trolley’ (recumbent bike pulling a custom-made trailer/bench/stereo system) was heading back to the starting point as well, Little Ding and a new Kidical Mass buddy got to ride back in style! They were even able to ‘tow’ Little Ding’s bike off the back of the trolley.  So we had a smaller bike parade back to the starting park in Palmer Square.

 

If you’re a bike-riding family in Chicago you should definitely head on over to the monthly Kidical Mass ride in Palmer Square -  Little Ding highly recommends it! Or start your own neighborhood ride!  Check out the facebook page for our local Kidical Mass or find the group on thechainlink.org as well.

-Samantha This article originally appeared on Samantha's family biking blog Ding Ding Let's Ride where she writes about everyday biking in the city, family biking, and adaptive biking for special needs children.

Keeping Hopes and Dreams Alive: Blackstone Bicycle Works

Our congratulations to Blackstone Bicycle Works for becoming the first ever Seattle's Best Brew-lanthropy award recipient. The program based out of Experimental Station on the city's southside, allows neighborhood kids and teens to learn bike repair, safety, and business and life skills while saving old bikes from being tossed away in landfills.

As evident from this beautifully shot video highlighting BBW, its staff and its young participants, there's a lot you can learn about yourself and your world when you know you're accomplishing something meaningful.

via www.youtube.com

-Christine

Been to a C3 Event in Your 'Hood? Check Out Their New Green Workshops

If you've never heard of C3, it's the city's Chicago Conservation Corps program now entering its 5th year of helping Chicagoans and their neighbors collaborate on, learn about and spread sustainable practices around the city.

The program, which trains Chicago residents to be environmental leaders in their home communities, has successfully provided workshops on worm composting, gardening, rain barrel usage, home energy conservation and related eco topics for Chicago residents.

Leaders are based in various neighborhoods througout the city and many hosted events and workshops are free or low-cost to attendees.

A sampling of upcoming events sponsored by C3 leaders include:

Cyclelogical: a festival of biking in Clarendon Park on April 2.

and

Green Living Workshop in Chatham at the Carter G. Woodson Library April 3.

Find more information on becoming a C3 leader and a list of more upcoming C3 workshops here.

-photo credit: Lucy A Little, flickr

 

 

On Becoming A Car Free Family

A little over 4 months ago, we lost our car to an accident. We could have replaced it, by taking the total loss check from our insurer and signing ourselves right up into another car loan. But we had just finished paying off our now demolished 2002 Honda Civic after some 7 years, including several years leasing it.

My husband and I figured we could use a break from the auto insurance payments and any car payments at all, not to mention the feeling of throwing our money away on fuel.

Despite our family's advice to the contrary, we talked it over and went with it. We know plenty of families personally who don't own a car and we knew it was possible for us. What were the obstacles? I made a list. They just didn't convince us:

What if one of us needed to go to the hospital?
We live across the alley from a hospital.

What if my husband needed it for work?
He doesn't travel for work and his commute is a 20 minute bus ride either direction.

What if we needed it to run errands?
We'd been planning to upgrade my bike and get one for my husband. He wound up riding my old men's bike and I bought a new one for a good deal. There are plenty of grocery stores convenient to the train.

I haven't always had a car anyway. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 23 years old, I just didn't need it growing up in Chicago. Besides my parents weren't in any position to buy me one and they didn't have an extra one for me to borrow. I finally got my first car when my sister and her husband gave me their old '87 Nissan Sentra right around that time. The 5 speed manual one with the vinyl bucket seats, roll down windows and tiny push-out triangle windows in back.

So, how's it been since going carfree? How have our kids, 10 and 5, adjusted to being a carfree family? Pretty good, I'd say. First of all, there's no bickering from the backseat to deal with. They get plenty of exercise walking to and from the bus stop and especially the train station, which is a good 4 blocks from our house at least. My husband and I bike and walk more and have both dropped a few pounds because of it.

We have the option of going downtown or other highly congested neighborhoods without the hassle of dropping loads of cash on parking or worrying how long we can stay in our parking space. More importantly, we're lessening the amount of pollution we are creating. In the long term, our kids are learning a lot about street safety, the people in their neighborhood and the city and being exposed to  different experiences that will help shape who they become and what they think when they become adults.

Now, this all sounds so convenient and simple doesn't it? No fights about it, no whining, no late night snack runs, no buses off schedule, no tired legs. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that of course we've experienced all of these. But, I'll take them anyday to gridlock, being on the receiving end of road rage, or an accident caused by a driver more interested in social networking than the steering wheel in front of his or her face.

So, for now, we'll stay carfree thank you very much, and face the new challenge of winter in Chicago without a car...with kids. I'll let you know how that goes in a few months.

 

-Christine

Green Kids and Family Highlights of This Weekend's Green Festival Chicago

Another year, another weekend full of Green Festival excitement begins tonight. Kicking off the weekend will be The Green Carpet Gala, hosted by Mindful Metropolis magazine at The Marmon Grand. For green moms and dads looking for a great date night, this gala will include food, music, drinks and more to celebrate all that is green and eco-friendly in Chicago.

The Green Festival, now in its 4th year in Chicago will run Saturday and Sunday at Navy Pier's Festival Hall with another outstanding lineup of speakers, workshops and exhibitors showcasing local non-profit organizations, sustainable products and eco-friendly businesses, and green information and education.

Kids and teens age 18 and under are FREE at the Festival and parents with young kids will definitely want to check out the Green Kids Zone. This year's programming is organized by The Green Parents Network, an online community of green families from across the U.S. and internationally. 

Some of the Green Kids Zone activities over the 2 days will include: storytelling, a traveling bug show, recycled craft projects, rescued animal exhibits, a family sing along and yoga for kids. 

For newbie parents, grandparents or moms and dads wishing to learn more about the philosophies behind green parenting, The Green Mama's Cecelia Ungari will present Green Parenting 101 on Sunday at noon. Download a full schedule of speakers and the complete Green Festival guide here.

For the full schedule of kids programming visit: http://www.greenfestivals.org/chicago/kidszone/