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

Freebie of the week: Get started canning with this free guide

It's time to get ready for the garden season. Whether you plan to grow your own produce or take advantage of local farmers' markets, canning and preserving is a great way to extend the harvest and continue to eat local throughout the year. 

Offered by Chicago's Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and available for download in your choice of colors, check out this handy-dandy canning guide perfect for beginners.

photo credit:Rachel Tayse, flickr

Creative Eco Gift Ideas for Everyone On Your List

Still have a few specials things to buy on your holiday gift list? Concerned about making your purchases count toward helping the planet? Not looking to spend on something unnecessary or impractical? Here are my favorite picks to help you check off those last few "to do's" on your list, while being a more mindful consumer.

My favorite cleaning and disinfecting products are those that are safe for children and the environment. Cleanwell products are made from natural ingredients for those times when you really want to do away with the nasties in a non-nasty way. How about a green cleaning basket full? With 30% off it's a great time to try CleanWell cleaning products!  

For the green bookworm, one of my favorite independent publishers is Chelsea Green Publishing - the leading publisher of sustainable living books since 1985. For sustainable living, eco advocacy, environmental politics, homesteading, urban homesteading, gardening and simple living, look no further. For 35% off their entire selection, simply use the code CGS13 at checkout from now until the end of the year.

Chronicle Books is an independent publisher specializing in lifestyle, children's, art, pop culture, and food books. Their selection is so playful, with great titles highlighting the newest trends and showcasing amazing artwork. Whether you're shopping for yourself or others, these books inspire creativity and are just simply fun. These are definitely not just coffee table books! (I especially love their collection of journals for different tastes and interests, like "My Museum" a journal for sketching and collecting your experiences at your favorite museums.) 30% off + FREE shipping at ChronicleBooks.com! Use promo code GETBOOKS

Prefer a one-stop shop for natural and organic products for you and the family? At Abe’s Market, you'll find yummy treats, natural beauty products, gifts for children, gifts for pets, home wares, and fashion. They have a great selection of natural and organic items continually curated by their discerning staff, so you are sure to find something special you might not find anywhere else. Free Shipping on All Purchases over $49 at Abe's Market!

Art supplies you can eat? Yes. Wee Can Too Art Supply makes art products so natural, they're actually edible. What a great idea especially for toddlers! They make paints, crayons, sidewalk chalk, veggie egg paint and more. How cool is that?

How about a little something for yourself or a mama friend? You know being creative is a great way to relieve stress and renew your sense of accomplishment coming into the new year. Craftsy is like a crafty mom's dream: you select a class (cake decorating, knitting, crochet, quilting, digital photography skills, etc.) and you can watch the class whenever you please (hint: when the littles are asleep or occupied) and ask questions of the instructors whenever you need. It truly takes the fear out of beginning new projects and skills.  To get you started with supplies for your next project, check out the Craftsy 80% Off Yarn Flash Sale through 12/16 or the Craftsy 65% Off Fabric Flash Sale through 12/16

Green Kid Crafts makes eco art projects and science discovery projects for kids a breeze with award-winning activity boxes you select for monthly delivery, short term delivery or to purchase individually. Each Discovery Box contains 3 to 4 Creativity Kits, fun extras, extension activities and a 20 plus page themed Green Kid Activity Guide. Shipping is free!

Magic Cabin toys foster imagination and play through drama, art, crafts, outdoor activity and nature. I've been very pleased with the toys we've purchased through them. I have a little nature lover at home, and they have such a great assortment of nature themed items that promote open-ended play. In addition, they have a huge variety of exclusive items for non-plugged in, back to basics, good old-fashioned play. Holiday Savings! $4.99 Shipping on Orders $49+ Use Code: LSMC499

After all the gift giving and receiving is done, let's not forget thank you cards. If you're like me, you sometimes don't manage to send out Christmas or holiday cards on time. But wouldn't it be nice to send an updated photo of the family or kids to say hello and Thank you or Happy New Year to family and friends? I think so.

I've really enjoyed using Simply To Impress for our personalized holiday cards. They offer excellent customer service and their designs are super affordable. So, why not flip through those great candid shots you took this year of the kids and select a few choice ones to show off.  Buy Holiday Cards and Holiday Photo Cards- Save 20% From SimplyToImpress.com!

-Christine

 -This post contains affiliate links for companies that I have partnered with who offer great products that are both useful and ethical. All opinions are my own and I only offer an opinion on products I believe are good for our planet and for people. If you purchase through these links, I receive a small percentage of the sale and this helps me get compensated for my work to bring you Green Parent Chicago on a regular basis. Thank you.

Friday Reading List: Fresh, Sweet and...Chemical Free!

 

This spoof ad above was created by Women's Voices for the Earth in response to this one by S.C. Johnson. Please share it, then take action to ask S.C. Johnson to disclose their ingredients.

Learn 10 steps you can take to reduce your family's exposure to chemicals that are linked to breast cancer, infertility, birth defects, asthma, and other serious illnesses.

If you have a child who loves to pretend with makeup, but you're worried about lead, chemical fragrances and other nasties, 3 Girls Holistic has a nice line of eco-girl and eco-kid friendly products called "3LittleGirls" that you can feel better about.

My 8-year-old recently tried their "Pretty Flower Perfume" and "Orange Pop Lip Gloss". Both are packaged in easy to apply containers (the perfume comes in a roll-on, how convenient!) and the lipgloss is in a tube. Made with natural ingredients like apricot kernal oil, grapefruit essential oil and lavender, the perfume is litely citrusey and sweet and not at all overpowering or too long lasting. My daughter loves to dab it on, and even with her very sensitive skin, she's had so problems with it.

The Orange Pop lip gloss is, of course, orangey flavored naturally, and made with moisturizing coconut oil among other natural ingredients like beeswax and honey. My daughter, who is known to dislike lip gloss, even lip balm in winter, said about the gloss, "you know how some lip glosses smell funny? I like it because it doesn't, and it doesn't taste bad if you swallow some of it."

Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for reading!

-Christine

 

Fall's Garlicky Goodness and How to Put Your Garden to "Sleep" for the Season

The weather may still be reasonably warm in most parts of the country, but for gardeners, now is the time to think about your fall garden plans, if you haven't already begun.

Today I headed out to the garden to decide which plants will stay in my 3 foot by 4 foot garden box bed, and which ones have seen better days. I realize I am already behind on my late summer seed planting, although I do have some squash I planted in late July that I hope to harvest in several weeks.

My starter eggplant, (above) which I also planted in July, is growing now quite steadily. In my experience, eggplant often don't produce as well in the heat, but wait until more mild temps. 

Something I might try for the first time this fall, although it looks like it's a summer harvest, is garlic. We Grow Garlic is written by a family in Wisconsin that grows and sells garlic and hosts a garlic growing blog with tons of information on growing garlic througout the, cold, cold Midwestern winter.

Garden Clean up

When fall arrives, I'm usually pretty busy with our shifted schedule of work and classes, but I do like to take some time now to remove any remaining weeds, rocks, or debris in the soil, not to mention dropped leaves or squashed fruits. 

I will be removing my green beans and cucumbers for sure in these next few days. My sugar baby watermelon looks nice, as you can see in the first photo. But only one of them is close to harvest size and I've been told that sugar babies aren't ripe until the stem dries up or at least looks dried up. Not so for mine, so this looks to be a failed experiment. Watermelon love heat and this past summer in Chicago, for the most part was a cooler one, especially early in June.

Cover crops

If you are not growing more vegetables for fall, but hoping for a better harvest next season, you could get the garden ready for next growing season with a cover crop, also known as "green manure" because of the beneficial nutrients that they add to your garden soil. These can be worked into the soil after they are mowed down or cut down, rather than harvested and will also help prevent soil erosion.

I will definitely try my hand at these. Not to mention they will add a bit of green to my garden bed before the frost hits. Wondering which cover crops are best for your garden's needs? Read more here about plants best used for cover crops.

-Christine

 

 

 

EarthTalk: Avoiding Environmental Cancer Triggers

Dear EarthTalk: I know that some of us are genetically predisposed to get cancer, but what are some ways we can avoid known environmental triggers for it? -- B. Northrup, Westport, MA

Cancer remains the scourge of the American health care system, given that four out of every 10 of us will be diagnosed with one form or another during out lifetime. Some of us are genetically predisposed toward certain types of cancers, but there is much we can do to avoid exposure to carcinogens in our environment.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit working to protect public health and the environment, a key first step in warding off cancer is lifestyle change—“stopping smoking, reducing drinking, losing weight, exercising and eating right.” The American Cancer Society reports that smoking and poor nutrition each account for about one-third of the 575,000 U.S. cancer deaths each year.

But smoking and obesity are obvious and other cancer triggers aren’t so easily pinpointed. In 2010 the President’s Cancer Panel reported that environmental toxins play a significant and under-recognized role in many cancers, causing “grievous harm” to untold numbers of Americans. And EWG reports that U.S. children are born “pre-polluted” with up to 200 carcinogenic substances already in their bloodstreams.

Given this shocking fact, it may seem futile to try to reduce our bodies’ chemical burden, but it could be a matter of life and death. EWG lists several ways anyone can cut their cancer risk. First up is to filter our tap water, which can include arsenic, chromium and harmful chemicals. Simple carbon filters or pitchers can reduce contaminants, while more costly reverse osmosis filters can filter out arsenic or chromium.

The foods we choose also play a role in whether or not we get cancer. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is healthy, but not if they are laden with pesticides. Going organic when possible is the best way to reduce pesticide exposure. And when organic foods aren’t available, stick with produce least likely to contain pesticides (check out EWG’s “Clean 15” list of conventional crops containing little if any pesticide residue). EWG also suggests cutting down on high-fat meats and dairy products: “Long-lasting cancer-causing pollutants like dioxins and PCBs accumulate in the food chain and concentrate in animal fat.”

Eliminating stain- and grease-proofing chemicals (Teflon, Scotchgard, etc.) is another way to cut cancer risks. “To avoid them,” says EWG, “skip greasy packaged foods and say no to optional stain treatments in the home.” And steer clear of BPA, a synthetic estrogen found in some plastic water bottles, canned infant formula and canned foods. “To avoid it, eat fewer canned foods, breast feed your baby or use powdered formula, and choose water bottles free of BPA,” reports EWG. Personal care products and cosmetics can also contain carcinogens. EWG’s “Skin Deep” cosmetics database flags particularly worrisome products and green-lights others that are healthy.

Another cancer prevention tip is to seal wooden outdoor decks and playsets—those made before 2005 likely contain lumber “pressure-treated” with carcinogenic arsenic in order to stave off insect infestations. Of course, avoiding too much sun exposure—and wearing high-SPF sunscreen—when using those decks and playsets is another important way to hedge one’s bets against cancer.

CONTACTS: EWG, www.ewg.org; President’s Cancer Panel, http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: [email protected]. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

The Story of Our Toxic Food System

Via Column Five for Healthy Child

Weekend Reading List: Summer's Nearly Here Edition

You know, the great thing about social media is that it gets people thinking about things, even if briefly, puts it into their minds. Such is the case with the recent March Against Monsanto this last weekend, which you may have seen on Facebook, or perhaps, posted about to your non-eco-activist friends and family.

I've written about this monster before, more than once. so you know my opinion. Now the movement is gaining traction among folks who wouldn't necessarily read up on these actions.

This Frankenstein's monster has a long and insidious reach and among other places, its grasp delves straight into our U.S. Congress. Who are the politicians getting funded by Monsanto? Nation of Change just posted a nice list of the top in each party here.

Thinking about these kinds of things, I get eco-fatigue. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's basically a case of hopelessness about what's going on in the world with respect to climate change. In those times, it's better to think action, instead of dread. If you have some spare pocket change or coffee money left over this week, how about planting some trees with me via Earth Day Network? Here's an easy way to donate and plant trees where they are most needed in the world and in our own backyard.

Good news: we're only days away from summer in Chicago, and the weather is reminding us daily of what a typical Chicago summer looks like. What's the best thing to do when you're cooped up in the Chicago heat and creeping humidity? Get your booty outside and into the water. Well, you can do both and tons more at Millennium Park.

It's free, spacious, and you can't go wrong with a beautiful concert under the stars and a dip into the Crown Fountain whether you are young or old.

Check the season-long schedule of FREE activities, events and performances here.

Freebie of the week:

How about this downloadable pattern for an easy breezy summer blouse/or dress. It's peasant style, made from cool, crisp fabric and easy to sew, has that seaside resort feel to it, too!

Thanks for reading!

-Christine 

EarthTalk: Chlorine is in our tap water, but is it okay to drink?

Dear EarthTalk: I was wondering how toxic chlorine is, because my well water was just chlorinated yesterday and today the smell is still strong. I have a 4-year-old daughter and I’m concerned. -- Rose Smith, via e-mail

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chlorine levels of four parts per million or below in drinking water—whether from a private well or municipal reservoir—are acceptable from a human health standpoint. Inexpensive home drinking water test kits (from $5 on up) that can detect levels of chlorine and other elements in water are widely available from online vendors. Administering the tests is easy and can provide parents with a way to involve kids in science for a practical purpose right at home.

Chlorine was first used in drinking water to reduce waterborne infectious diseases in Jersey City, New Jersey more than a century ago. It was so effective at destroying potentially harmful bacteria and viruses that the practice soon spread far and wide. Today some 98 percent of water treatment facilities in the U.S. use some form of chlorine to clean drinking water supplies. The American Water Works Association (AWWA), a trade group representing water utilities across the country, credits the presence of chlorine in drinking water with a 50 percent increase in life expectancy for Americans over the last century. Indeed, some consider the chlorination of drinking water to be one of history’s greatest public health achievements.

But others aren’t so sure that any chlorine in drinking water should be considered safe. Opponents of chlorination point to studies linking repeated exposure to trace amounts of chlorine in water with higher incidences of bladder, rectal and breast cancers. The problem lies in chlorine’s ability to interact with organic compounds in fresh water to create trihalomethanes (THMs), which when ingested can encourage the growth of free radicals that can destroy or damage vital cells in the body. Besides cancer, exposure to THMs has been linked to other health issues including asthma, eczema, heart disease and higher miscarriage and birth defect rates.

Those with their own private wells who are skittish about chlorine have other options for disinfecting their water. One baby step would be to replace chlorine with chloramine, an ammonia derivative that doesn’t dissipate into the environment as rapidly as chlorine and has a much lower tendency to interact in bad ways with organic compounds in the water. However, traces of chloramine in the water may not be to everyone’s liking either, because it causes rashes after showering in a small percentage of people and can apparently increase lead exposure in older homes as it leaches the heavy metal off old pipes.

Another option, though somewhat costly, would be to purchase a machine to purify the water. Ozonation units, which disinfect by adding ozone molecules to water and leave no residues, start at around $9,000. Another choice would be a UV light treatment machine—at $6,000 or more—which cancels out viruses and bacteria by passing the water through UV light rays. The Clean Water Store is a reputable vendor and good online source for such water treatment equipment.

Perhaps the most sensible and affordable approach is to filter the water at the faucets and taps. Carbon-based tap- or pitcher-mounted filters can work wonders in removing impurities from drinking water. They can even be installed on shower heads for those with sensitive skin.

-photo credit: iStockPhoto

CONTACTS: AWWA, www.awwa.org; The Clean Water Store, www.cleanwaterstore.com.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: [email protected]. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.