Green Parent 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. 

Happy Birthday to Us! We turned 5 years old this month :)

Hello dear friends,

I hope you all celebrated a marvelous Earth Day yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We here at Green Parent Chicago are really excited to let you know that we are back from our brief hiatus and will be bringing you lots of new, regular content again each week. (If you are wondering why you are reading this important message today instead Earth Day, find out here.)

As founder and editor of Green Parent Chicago, I hope that our message of being "eco-friendly and off the mainstream" continues to inspire you to live your lives with respect for the Earth and one another.

We've spruced up our look and made our "Things To Do" events calendar much more reader friendly. There you'll continue to find tons of fun, informative and unique events and activities going on in and around Chicagoland for all ages. If you have an event you'd like us to see on our calendar, don't hesitate to send it to us or add it yourself. You can do this right on the calendar page itself, just scroll down and click the "add event" buttom on the bottom of the calendar.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be rolling out many new regular features that highlight the local organizations and businesses that are helping make Chicago one of the greenest cities in the world. We'll also unveil lots of fun, how-to articles and videos about everything from raising chickens in the city to brewing your own beer.

We began this adventure together in April of 2008 and while lots of changes have occurred in the world since then, and within my own family (I'm now parenting a teenager (!) and my youngest is no longer in training pants), I continue to be amazed at all the creativity and green innovation emanating from this great metropolis we call Chicago.

However, you and I both know that there are still many ways in which your actions and your family's actions, whether at home, at work or at play can make a significant impact in delivering us from our collective dependence on big oil and big money and return our local communities to a more self-sustaining and earth-sustaining way of life.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your 5 years of loyal readership! We here at Green Parent Chicago look forward to a brighter future bringing you more news, events and activities you can use to help you and your family live the eco-friendly way, naturally.

If you have suggestions, comments, would like to write for us, or have a new exciting project you think our readers would enjoy hearing about, don't hesitate to shoot me an email or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

-Christine

 

 

Open Streets Chicago: A No Cars Allowed Party in the Street for All Ages

Ever wanted to take a nap in the middle of State Street? Me, neither. But, this weekend you'll get the chance to do this and much more at Open Streets Chicago. From chillin' on a "pop-up lawn" to testing your skills on a climbing wall or a mobile skate park, making chalk drawings, playing human tic-tac-toe or taking a two wheel spin with a free hour-long bike rental, there will be plenty of activities for all ages at Open Streets Chicago. 

The first of two separate events will take place in the Loop on State Street and Monroe Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The second will take place on Sept. 16 in Wicker Park/Bucktown on Milwaukee Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by the Active Transportation Alliance, the Chicago Loop Alliance and the Wicker Park & Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, as well as local and regional businesses, the event aims to promote community culture, safe, car-free public space, and provide a chance for families to experience the city in a new way.

For more information and a schedule of activities on State Street this weekend click here: http://openstreetschicago.org/loop/activities/

For more information and a schedule of activities on Milwaukee Avenue Sept. 16 click here:
http://openstreetschicago.org/wpb/schedule/ 

-Christine

Lolla with kids? Of course! Here's how it all went down.

Never a fan of huge, crowded events or places, I knew that going to Lollapalooza in a Chicago August would be feat of patience, tolerance...a good sense of humor, and lots of hydration. 

So this year, now that my kids are 12 and 7, they're way more adaptable. My youngest is less apt to take to "r-u-n-n-o-f-t", and my eldest is, like most 12-year-olds, really getting into popular music. He requested we check out French boy wonder of EDM, Madeon, on Friday night and Avicii Saturday.

My husband and I had a few requests too, that didn't pan out, but next year, we decided we'll probably reserve one day for adults only. 

Illness struck and we never did make it to see Avicii Saturday night. We also didn't get stuck in the big storm evacuation either. Which friends of ours smartly waited out at the nearby movie theatre, watching "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" until the show was back on. What a great idea!

Sunday we stopped by to check out Kidzapalooza, the fest within a fest, which was perfect for my youngest and really the 8 and under crowd in general. All kids 10 and under are free at Lolla with a ticketed adult. Set amidst cool shady trees, it was the perfect spot on a beautiful Sunday after the humidity broke. There were plenty of tots and kids and picnic blankets bathed in rock music. Little tents offered free tattoos, rock star hairdos, instrument petting zoos, and more. 

So relaxed was the vibe, we spotted plenty of child-free couples there too. 

My oldest suggested we check out the Playstation tent. We followed that with a short walk through Green Street: a nice gesture toward sustainability, but somewhat less effective than the hordes of volunteers picking up recyclables and junk continuously throughout the park. 

For an introvert like me, Lolla is a well organized and reasonable event, seriously. If you can get past being surrounded by packs of scantily clad young folks smoking, cigarettes et cetera and acting goofy (Kidzapalooza is smoke-free), there's always some spot on the periphery to chill out and no shortage of good music, both well known and newer artists.

Remember it's Grant Park, so it's enormous. Bring water (you can refill at several stations throughout the fest with free, filtered water), sunblock, something to sit on for the kids, and your most comfortable sandals for plenty of walking. 

For more tips from veteran music fest moms, check out our previous coverage of Lolla here and see more photos of our day here:

-Christine

Our Chicago Spring Eco-Fest Roundup

Get your home and garden ready for spring and summer with these upcoming eco festivals for the month of April and early May.

The Green Metropolis Fair returns this Saturday April 14. This free family friendly event is sponsored by Green Parents Network and The Green Exchange and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. What can you find at the fest? Here's a sample:

• Hands on family-friendly activities: farm animals, Johnny Appleseed performance, gardening activities
• Over 100 local businesses and organizations
• Retail market with sustainable business vendors
• Food market with local restaurants and chefs
• Presentations from local experts throughout the day on gardening and sustainability topics.

The 20th annual Green & Growing Fair is a free urban gardening festival organized by GreenNet: Chicago's Greening Network and takes place from from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 28 at Garfield Park Conservatory. The event will showcase a variety of vendors, workshops, demonstrations, and family activities to "get your rusty green thumb up and running." The fair will also host the unveiling of  the winning seed in the  One Seed Chicago contest, which hopes to link thousands of the same community gardens, yards and window sills across Chicago in a season long celebration. This year’s seed "candidates" are herbs: basil, cilantro, chamomile.

Green Festival

The mama of all Chicago green festivals, sponsored by Green America and Global Exchange, returns May 5 to 6 at Navy Pier. Hours for the event are noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Featuring multiple stages of demonstrations, speakers, film screenings, a kids zone with family friendly activities and fun, vendors galore and much, more. Tickets are available online in advance and at the door.

Who's free?
• Youth 18 and under
• Bicyclists using the festival's bike valet
• Green Festival Volunteers
• Green America and Global Exchange members
• Union members with card

Social justice and environmental issues are expected to be the focus of this year's Green Festival with keynote speaker Rev. Jesse Jackson and other speakers to include: Laura Flanders, Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!; Jeffrey Smith; William Ayers; Bernadine Dohrn; Greg Palast and local leaders Naomi Davis of "Blacks in Green"; Bianca Alexander of "Conscious Living TV" and Karyn Calabrese.

-photo credit: roman.petruniak., flickr

Goodwill to All...

 

-credit: Bludgeoner86, flickr

The Green Stork Recommends: I now pronounce you…Baptized….

My eldest son had three “costume changes” for his baptism. Above, was the a bit too white Christening gown that I bought him based exclusively on the fact that it had the most lace (I’m Cuban.)

Below was the outfit that he wore to begin the baptism. It’s The Family Gown. All Cubans have one of these and all grandmothers will feign heart problems if the child does not wear it for at least half the baptism. Cuban grandmothers are second only to Jewish ones for chest clutching. (Important note: The cross my son is wearing was worn by my grandfather as he landed on Omaha Beach the day after D Day – and the same one that protected him on his march to Munich – from said bloody beach, with shrapnel in his legs. My son is blessed with his eyes – and lets hope – his astounding sense of courage, duty and family.)

After wearing the same gown his grandpapa wore and the lace concoction mummy bought him – it was time for the “luncheon” outfit…

 

(Tia Pat and Uncle Jess holding their great-nephew.)

And then. Like any good Cuban man – it was off with the shirt – but never naked, as he was in gold and a hat. (How did we NOT have a cigar for this shot?!)

Yes. Our men wear bracelets.

All in all, it was a wonderful, tradition and family filled day. Exactly as it should be.

I packed away my sons Baptism gown and didn’t think I would think about again until my grandchildren were born.

SURPRISE!

I got pregnant.

Had the Angel Gabriel woken me up with a warm Chai and bagel, I couldn’t of been more shocked.  In fact, I didn’t even realize my “situation” for 3 months. Imagine.

So. Once again, as a Catholic, I had to decide: What will he wear after The Family Gown?

Having not been perfectly pleased with Too White dress that my eldest wore and wanting my second son to have his own gown, I scoured the internet looking for something antique or vintage that would suit. Something with lace and the natural patina of time.

Not as easy as I thought.

I searched Italian, French and English sites – and found nothing. There was lace – but with bows or pink accents. There was silk, but without enough lace. There was old – but too Victorian and cotton. There just wasn’t what I wanted.

And then, on Etsy, I found a lady in Canada that converts old wedding gowns into baptism gowns. Hmmmmm….

I liked the idea – but didn’t have my grandmothers gown on hand. So. I bought someone elses.

There are simply scads of old (affordable) wedding dresses at vintage stores across the country. And most of them are simply dripping in lace. After a few weeks I found an old, tea colored by time, Edwardian dress that I thought would be perfect.

Someones size 0 grandmama looked rather fetching sometime in the 20′s wearing this. And she liked lace too.

I ordered it immediately.

I then sent the dress, which smelled of mothballs and time, to Erika Mills at Petite Parfait. And this is what she returned to this Jane Austin loving mama…

Closeup shots…

and…

And…

Classic, reeking of age and timelessness, I now have exactly what I wanted: a dress worthy of a prince with SOUL.

Perfect for generations of grandsons or granddaughters, my newest son and heir will be wearing something that is both almost 80 years old – and yet brand new and never seen before. Its green. Its classic. Its an heirloom twice over. And I could not be happier.

Rather than buy a gown that is made by the hundreds or thousands (which material has been doused in chemicals), consider re-purposing that too small to ever be worn by modern woman wedding gown that is crumbling in the attic – or at your local vintage store. I’m sure that Erika would be happy to convert it into the perfect Christening gown for you.

Mazel Tov!

-"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.

 

The Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown

Top vegan chefs from around the city will compete in the first ever Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown to win the coveted title of "Best Vegan Chef", while raising charitable funds for farmed animal protection.

The contest will be held Saturday July 23 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Funky Buddha Lounge at 728 West Grand Ave. The all ages event is open to the public. There is no admission fee, but there is a $1 suggested donation for each sample. Funds raised will go to benefit Mercy for Animals, a Chicago based animal advocacy organization.

The event is being organized by Upton's Naturals, a locally based producer of all natural foods specializing in vegan/vegetarian meat alternatives. Twenty individual chefs, or teams of chefs (three people maximum per team) will face off for the Best Vegan Chef title.

Each chef, or team, will be expected to create a dish using Upton’s Naturals seitan. The winner will be determined by the people's choice: whichever chef or team sells the most samples, wins. The top three chefs will also win products from Chicago’s favorite vegan-friendly restaurants and businesses.

There is a $25 entry fee per chef or team of chefs, and entry to the competition closes July 7. Each chef or team will be provided with complimentary Upton's Naturals seitan, but must provide the other ingredients and methods to keep their food warm or cold.  For more information or to enter to compete, email nicole@UptonsNaturals.com.

-photo credit: Upton's Naturals

Book Review: The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

Austinite blogger Kate Payne's new book "The Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking" (Harper Design 2011) is a fun and easy read for anyone looking to add a bit more fancy to their frugality and learn some simple DIY skills for "decorating, dining and the gratifying pleasures of self-sufficiency on a budget".

The author tackles topics like simple hand sewing, bread making, canning, eco-friendly house cleaning, cooking, entertaining, gardening and fix-it projects around the home. Whether that home is a spacious bungalow or a tiny high-rise studio, it's important to celebrate that space. As Payne writes:

"it's cool to have a cool house. It's damn gratifying to throw down a loaf of homemade bread with your own home-preserved blueberrry jam. Because feeling in control in your own house does wonders for every instance when you're not under that sweet roof."

This book would make a great gift for a wannabe domestic goddess (or god) looking for advice on how to outfit a first apartment or someone seeking to impress their friends with all their new found knowledge of how to reuse, revamp and recycle thrift, vintage and flea market finds.

Even a more experienced modern "homemaker" looking for fresh ideas and inspiration should certainly find something useful in Payne's no-nonsense, straightforward guide filled with plenty of interesting projects, links and resources.

-Christine