Renewable Oak Park
Renewable Oak Park is a project of Seven Generations Ahead within the Village of Oak Park designed to provide education, support, and resources for the development of ecologically sound practices, projects, policies, and planning that align the Village's economic, ecological, and social values.
To date, Seven Generations Ahead has worked within the Village of Oak Park to:
Support Village staff and elected officials with information about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for new building development and major renovations, including:
- Case examples of LEED-certified buildings
- Local, state, and federal LEED policy initiatives
- Resource linking with LEED practitioners and design funding resources
Facilitate the procurement of a $100,000 LEED Design Grant through the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation resulting in the design of Oak Park’s new $30 million Public Works Facility in accordance with LEED Silver standards.
Craft new LEED policy, in collaboration with Village trustees and the Environment & Energy Commission of Oak Park that incorporates LEED certification into a list of compensating benefits connected to the Village’s planned unit development process.
Advocate minimum LEED certification standards for municipal and publicly-financed private building projects.
Collaborate with Village elected officials and a5 Inc. on the application of Cradle to Cradle principles to a municipal context and cultivate a project partnership with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC).
Educate municipal leaders about community sustainability indicator initiatives, including:
- Case examples of Sustainability Indicator Projects
- Sample indicators
- Innovative processes and best practice features of specific indicator initiatives
Conduct forums to educate residents about household sustainability practices and strategies, resource conservation, and the environmental, health, and local economic benefits of consuming local and sustainably raised food.
Collaborate with Wonder Works, a Children’s Museum of Oak Park, to conduct Earth Day activities featuring local farmers and eco-friendly living strategies.
Facilitate the acquisition of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market’s first local organic and sustainable farmers beginning in 2003, resulting in six new certified organic/sustainable farmers at the market.
Propose legislation, passed in April 2005, to allow certified organic/sustainable local livestock farms to sell meat and egg products at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market.
Establish and support 16 local farm buying hubs within the Village, including CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) drop-offs, local café buying hubs, and school-based Market Basket hubs.
Connect Oak Park adults and children to local farms via annual farm tours to farms across the state.
Link Oak Park food establishments to local organic/sustainable farm products for incorporation into menus and food offerings.
Implement Fresh from the Farm, a school-based healthy eating program serving Oak Park District 97 schools that combines farm tours, classroom food tastings, curriculum activities, farmer classroom visits, school garden development, parent workshops, and pilot Fresh from the Farm healthy lunches with education and advocacy work to transform the Oak Park District 97 school lunch program.
Conduct Healthy School Lunch forums and PTO fundraiser Fresh from the Farm lunches, leading to the creation of the District 97 2006-07 Healthy Pilot Lunch Program at Beye and Irving Elementary Schools.
