Green Parent Chicago

World's Largest Rooftop Farm Opens in Pullman neighborhood of Chicago

Brooklyn-based Gotham Greens has announced the opening of their fourth greenhouse, a new facility located on Chicago's South Side in the historic Pullman neighborhood.

 

The rooftop of the Method Products manufacturing facility is the site of the new 75,000 square foot Chicago greenhouse, powered by 100% renewable energy. The greenhouse employs over 50 workers, including many from the Pullman community.

 

Gotham Greens, is a producer of pesticide-free produce grown through urban agriculture. The company's growing method is said to yield up to 30 times more crop per acre than field production, enabling the Pullman greenhouse to produce yields equivalent to over 50 acres of conventional field production.

 

The company also recycles 100% of its irrigation water, and aims for a lighter environmental footprint by growing locally.

 

-Christine

 

 

Chicago Farmers Markets Open For The Season

Kick-off will take place at the Daley Plaza Farmers Market Thursday May 14 at 11:30 a.m. The Daley Plaza market is the longest running Farmers Market in Chicago.

See the complete schedule of Chicago Farmers Markets in neighborhoods all over the city with details on which markets accept the LINK card here.

photo credit: flickr, Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications, Inc

Cargo Bike Week 2014 & Cargo Bike Roll Call This Sunday!

In celebration of the upcoming Roscoe Village Kidical Mass bike ride and Cargobike Roll Call this Sunday, I”m kicking off another Cargo Bike Week here at Ding Ding Let’s Ride!

First.. let’s make sure you have all the info for the Sunday event:

So what kind of cargo bikes can you expect to find at the Roll Call this weekend? Well, since we’ll be there,  you should expect to find at least one Yuba Mundo, a long-tail style of cargo bike.

Three Yuba Mundo cargo bikes with slightly different configurations at a March 2013 Kidical Mass ride in Logan/Palmer Square.

The organizers have stated they’ll have at least one WorkCycles brand bike there, and with the addition of my bike, that should make at least two of the Dutch-style utility bikes in attendance.

My WorkCycles Dutch utility bike, called am Omafiets. (Obviously this photo was taken in much Spring-i-er times.)

Sounds like this this WorkCycles FR8 cargo bike will be there too. This bike can haul some very heavy loads.

They’ve also mentioned that they’ll have a Bullitt cargo bike at the Roll Call ….

Getting a delivery via Bullitt cargo bike right to our front door.

and a Bakfiets!

A baby in a Bakfiets at the November 2013 Roscoe Village Kidical Mass ride.

Who knows what other bikes will be at the ride!?  Come join everyone for a short family bike ride/parade and stick around to look at cargo bikes!

-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, bike activism, family biking, and adaptive biking for special needs children.

KidSnips: The Fun, Family Salon

Editor's note: This is a featured sponsored post. However all opinions are the author's own.

Leave it to moms to create an easy, effective method of getting an uncooperative child to do something necessary. A child's first haircut ranks pretty high up on the list of parenting milestones. Whether your baby was born with a full head of hair (like mine or bald and beautiful, at some point, they will need a haircut. What's worse to babies and toddlers than a stranger wielding a strange object near them? Not much else.

Enter KidSnips: one of the pioneering kid friendly salons in the Chicagoland area with 9 locations in the city and suburbs. KidSnips, the creation of two local moms, debuted in 1997. Their stylist make haircuts for kids painless and actually quite fun. For the little ones they have car and train-shaped stylist chairs to sit in and children get to pick a video game or a DVD to watch while getting their snips. The pièce de résistance is getting to pick out a little toy treat from the treasure box at the end.

My first experience with KidSnips was 13 years ago with my eldest. Having a full head of thick hair as a one year old was cute on him until it started growing to adult proportions. I had tried a couple of times to cut it myself with him watching one of his favorite shows and plying him with strategically offered "M&M's" timed at intervals. It was all very scientific, ....and it took forever.

Our visit to KidSnips made this experience so much quicker and easier. My son still complained but it was over in a jiffy and he was back to his handsome self and not a little shaggy pup anymore.

The stylists at KidSnips are trained to cut the latest styles. Most importantly, they know how to work with cautious children. During my recent visit with my daughter, a toddler boy was, shall we say, not excited to be getting his haircut. The stylists let him sit in his mom's lap, spoke to him soothingly and another stylist who was without a client for the moment, came over to help blow bubbles in the air to distract him. All this while getting the job done really quickly!

In addition to kids cuts and styles, KidSnips also offers services for teens and adults. Their selection of hair accessories and hair grooming products is quite vast and they are also a toy store featuring unique and creative toys, games, puzzles and gifts.

During our latest visit to KidSnips, I brought my girl in for a trim, she's 8. Although, she's worn mostly long hair with bangs since she was a toddler, now that she's getting to be a more style-conscious big girl, she's been asking for a short, pixie haircut. I think she's tiring of winter static and brushing daily, too.

Our KidSnips stylist was very knowledgeable and friendly to my girl, who happily opted to watch "The Lady and The Tramp" from the salon's large DVD collection while getting her haircut. As you can see, my girl and I were very pleased with the cute and carefree result. 

To find a Kidsnips in your area, view this map. 

-Christine 

 

 

 

Things to Do Today in Chicago: Instead of hitting the mall

Green Festival This Weekend, GPC Readers Can Get Free Admission, Here's How:

If it's May in Chicago, then you know it's time for the mama and the papa of eco living events: Green Festival Chicago.

For one weekend only at Navy Pier, this Saturday and Sunday, the Green Festival will host DIY workshops, discussions and speakers, a Green Marketplace with the latest sustainable businesses and vendors, an Organic Beer and Wine pavillion, test drives of electric and hybrid vehicles, vegetarian and vegan food, and a Green Kids Zone with free activities for all ages of kids.

Definitely bring the kids and teens to Green Festival because 18 and under are free.

I'm very excited to check out the Green Festival this year, as I learn something new each year as I get discover all the great new local eco offerings around the Midwest and the country.

I'm also thrilled to tell you that Green Parent Chicago readers can get a special FREE weekend pass to the Green Festival. Just visit the festival website here and enter GREENPARENTCHICAGO for a free weekend pass good for both days. (A $20 value!) But, don't wait, it's a limited offer.

-Christine

 

Bellwether Fest June Lineup and Schedule Announced

Organizers for the new Bellwether cultural fest just announced the performer line-up and schedule for the June date of the 2-weekend fest, and dropped a few hints about which vendors, workshops, and demos to expect.

Local drink vendors include Revolution Brewing, Death's Door, and Oliver Winery among others.

Workshops and demos will include terrarium-making classes from Logan Square's Fleur, a make-your-own sculpture table workshop by Rebuilding Exchange, and yarn-spinning classes hosted by Michigan based Videnovich Farms.

The June 8 and 9 Bellwether fest will feature performances outside The Hideout and in the street plus DJ sets. Full line-up is posted here (times subject to change).

On Saturday, in The Hideout’s back room, film footage from the Chicago Film Archives will be screened, as well as "rarely-seen amateur sound shorts" from the vault. Saturday night's after-hours programming from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. includes sketch comedy show "NED Talks" and a special unannounced film screening. Sunday features the kid-friendly "Adventure Sandwich" and the adult-friendly "Drunken Spelling Bee."

Sunday morning, Bellwether will host an additional beer and brunch feast at Ada St. Restaurant with Revolution Brewery pairings. A limited number of feast tickets will go on sale May 21.

ADMISSION: For day hours June 8 and 9: suggested is donation $10, kids under 12 are free. For June 8 after-hours: $10 suggested donation.

Sunday feast: limited number of $50 tickets for sale online on May 21.

LOCATION: Outside The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, along Wabansia (Elston to Throop) and N. Ada St.

WHEN: June 8 from noon to dark with after hours 8 to 10 p.m., and June 9 noon to dark.
 
WEBSITE: http://followbellwether.com

photo credit: Hideout Chicago

The Green Parent Chicago Green and Local Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mothers Day is a pretty big day at my house, not just because I believe that parenting is one of the most important jobs an adult can take, but also because I get a day to celebrate being a proud mom to my two wonderful kids. Whether we decide to picnic just the 4 of us, or I take a day off to read, nap, knit, draw, write, etc, it's sure to be a break from the norm for me and that's always just the thing a busy mama needs.

So, when thinking about what type of gifts I would most appreciate for Mother's Day and what I could recommend for our Green Parent Chicago Mother's Day Gift Guide, I thought along those same lines: something out of the ordinary. Then, I realized there are a number of incredibly awesome local businesses around the city that sell and create the most unique items: things I would actually buy for myself.

It's exciting to see local manufacturers and designers popping up around town, especially those that promote ethical manufacturing and supply chains, as well as local artisans and crafters.

Po Campo, headquartered in Chicago, is an innovative maker of bike bags, yoga bags, travel bags, and diaper bags founded by Chicago designers Maria Boustead and Emily Taylor. I especially like their line of bike bags that look so chic and work so practically. Their multi-function "Connect" system attaches their bags to strollers, bikes, yoga mats and luggage without any ugly bulky hardware. Check out their assortment of great styles, like this much needed update on the fanny pack, yes you heard me fanny pack.

If you love Chicago like I do, then you love its sights and sounds. But, do you love the smells of Chicago? Not Chicago style dogs, deep dish pizza or the lake breeze, how about spring flowers and plants grown right here in Chicago? Well, now you can have a fragrance grown from those very gardens.

Tru Blooms, is a new limited edition perfume created by plants and flowers grown in Chicago's public gardens. A partnership between Tru Fragrance, the City of Chicago and several local nonprofit organizations, the first edition of the perfume is now available for sale and the second edition will be made from the "oils and essences" of flowers grown throughout the city of Chicago in spring/summer 2013. Since the growing conditions and the gardens themselves can never be "perfectly duplicated" each edition is said to be "one-of-a-kind", according to manufacturers.

For a further assortment of entirely local gift options this Mother's Day, check out Local Goods Chicago, a new store in Edgebrook. I was so thrilled to learn how Local Goods Chicago promotes artisans in and around the city with their wide assortment of handcrafted foods, coffee, soaps, confections, art, home decor, toys and more.

I recently got in touch with the owner of Local Goods, Laura Guenther, to learn more about the history of her store. Here's what she said:

"...I was working in a completely different area of work as a mobile app designer.  Whenever there was a holiday, birthday or even as a treat for myself, I'd head over to my old neighborhood, Lincoln Square or down to Ukrainian Village to shop for gifts at the small independent stores. Shopping small and shopping local have always been important to me and I found it challenging to find locally made gifts.  

I also was frustrated that my current neighborhood, Edgebrook on the NW side was lacking a nice little shop to pick up a gift. Hence, I became obsessed with opening a shop in Edgebrook with locally made handcrafted goods.  After nearly a year of planning, I opened Local Goods Chicago in December 2012.  We now have over 75 local artisans selling in our shop - both food and craft artisans....in addition to the local goods, our artisans also teach workshops such as card making, canning, knitting."

Local Goods Chicago is currently having a Mother's Day Wish List event now until Saturday where moms can fill out a card of items they like in the store. They are entered for daily prizes and the store keeps their wish list handy in case anyone (hint, hint, dads stumped for what to get their wives) stops in to shop for them.

So, this Mother's Day, don't forget to remember your mamas and grandmas and give them your appreciation for all the hardwork, support and love they've given you. If you're still looking for a little special something to make their day, how about making it a local and green gift this year. Happy Mother's Day!

 

-Christine

Bellwether fest to showcase "greatest hits" of local Chicago food and culture

Combine food, farm, vintage, collectors, crafters, and artists and what do you get: Bellwether, a new cultural fest and the brainchild of the folks behind local indie favorites The Vintage Bazaar and The Renegade Craft Fair.  

Organizers of the fest, to be held on 2 separate weekends at 2 locations describe Bellwether as "a roving Market + Happening + Feast all in one that brings together the finest purveyors, pickers, makers, and doers, as well as curated films, live performances, killer DJs, and food gatherings." 

Date, locations and hours for the all-day event are:

The Hideout
June 8 and 9
noon to dark
after hours: 8-10 p.m.

Garfield Park Conservatory
September 21 and 22
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
after hours: Saturday 6 to 9 p.m. 

Book Review: "Clean Your Kitchen Green"

With the bright light of spring now shining in our windows, it's no wonder we feel the urge to do a little nest maintenance. Have you spotted that greasy mass of dust bunnies hiding behind your oven all winter yet?

How about that freezer filled with Tupperware® from last spring or that cabinet of spices you haven't organized since you moved in?

What better place to begin than in your kitchen. If your home is like mine, your kitchen is your command center. It's also where you need to prepare healthy meals for your family. I personally like to feel confident that it's clean and safe.

Yvonne Maffei, author of the popular halal cooking blog, "My Halal Kitchen", has written "Clean Your Kitchen Green" to help you freshen and organize your kitchen once and for all from top to bottom in a green, non-toxic and economical way.

This concise little volume is perfect for tucking in your apron pocket and guiding you through a series of step-by-step checklists in your quest for a sparkling kitchen.

In addition, Maffei includes her recipes for making your own stock of green cleansers; ones you can use without any dangerous fumes, chemical residue or second thoughts about safety. A helpful list of Maffei's favorite eco-friendly cleaning ingredients and products is included at the conclusion of the book with links and information on where to buy.

"Clean Your Kitchen Green" is available in print at My Halal Kitchen. 

-Christine