An innovative collaborative effort has launched in the Village of Oak Park to build a more sustainable community. The Cross Agency Sustainability Exchange (CASE), a project funded by the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation’s PlanItGreen initiative, brings together Oak Park River Forest High School District 200 (D200), Oak Park Elementary School District 97 (D97), […]
Everything Local 2025: Fertile Ground fo...
The Illinois Farm to School Network (IFSN), a program of Seven Generations Ahead’s (SGA), has been hard at work making it easier for farmers and schools to connect so they can get sustainable and healthy food in more school cafeterias. This year’s Everything Local Conference proved to be fertile ground for growing farm to school […]
Lake Michigan School Food System Innovat...
For Immediate Release Contact: Colleen Feeny , Senior Operations and Program Director, Seven Generations Ahead colleen@sevengenerationsahead.org Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Opens Grant Applications in Illinois to Revolutionize Our Region’s School Food System Application opens on February 14; interested grant applicants can now register for launch event Oak Park, IL, Jan. 30, 2025 — […]
Zero Waste Schools in Action
The Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) program has had a busy fall working with numerous school districts across the Chicagoland area to help move composting, recycling, and other waste reduction initiatives forward. Recently, the ZWS team has been everywhere from lunchrooms to baseball fields with the goal of providing education and increasing waste reduction practices. […]
Bellwood Shines Bright with Community So...
The Village of Bellwood is committed to expanding access to renewable energy for its residents and building a greener future for the community. Through active participation in community solar programs, Bellwood residents are embracing clean energy and reducing their carbon footprint. As a part of the Cross-Community Climate Collaborative (C4), Bellwood is demonstrating why community […]
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in B...
Contact: Becky Brodsky, becky@sevengenerationsahead.org Release Date: September 26, 2024 Bellwood, IL – On Thursday, September 19th, 2024, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Bellwood took going green to the next level. They launched a composting program that will help them significantly reduce food waste in their cafeteria and kitchen. This is the next step in their […]
A ‘Core’ Memory: The Great Apple Crunch
Imagine the roar of the crowd at Wrigley Field, but this time it’s not for a home run. It’s the collective crunch of hundreds of students biting into crisp apples for the Great Apple Crunch! On Wednesday, September 18th, Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) spent the day at Wrigley Field, along with representatives from the USDA, […]
Preventing and Reducing Food Waste in Sc...
At the most recent Wasted Food Action Alliance meeting held on August 28, SGA’s Zero Waste Schools team presented about share tables and Offer vs. Serve (OVS) to a group of food waste reduction enthusiasts. While the strategies presented were school-specific, they can be adapted to a variety of institutional kitchen and cafeteria settings. Share […]
Students and Farmers Celebrate Apple Sea...
Teachers and students from around Chicagoland will celebrate the beginning of the school year and Illinois orchard season with fun and educational programming before the afternoon Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field Wednesday, September 18, as part of Education Day.
Illinois Sees Four Organizations Receive...
Illinois Sees Four Organizations Receive Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Grant Building More Local, More Nourishing, More Loving School Food Systems in Illinois Oak Park, Illinois – Four Illinois organizations received funding from the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub to create more local, nourishing, and loved school meals across the Lake […]