If January is any indication, this will be a good year for making schools more sustainable. Our Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) program had not one but two launches in January. The ZWS team was at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy and Deer Path Middle School to help reduce cafeteria and kitchen waste and get processes in place […]
Farmers and School Buyers Connect at Eve...
Where better to connect local farms to schools that want to source local food than at the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Everything Local Conference? It took place January 17th – 19th this year in Springfield, and featured keynote speaker Chef Rick Bayless. But Illinois Farm to School Network’s program manager, Diane Chapeta, wasn’t there for the […]
Forest Park Condo Shows how to Go Green
The Grove, photo by yooperann on Flickr “There’s no issue involved in solar or sustainability that can’t be addressed with a little bit of diplomacy. You just have to be patient and love people,” said David Gulyas. He should know, as he’s helped oversee numerous sustainability projects at The Residences at the Grove, a condominium […]
Serving Up Sustainability in the Kitchen
Seven Generations Ahead’s Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) Program Manager Becky Brodsky presented on the work of ZWS to reduce waste in schools at Illinois Green Alliance’s October webinar, “Serving Up Sustainability: From Restaurants to the Home Kitchen.” Brodsky presented alongside four other panelists whose presentations also centered around the mission to increase sustainable practices in […]
Collaboration is Key in Food Waste Reduc...
On October 25th, The Wasted Food Action Alliance (WFAA), a group of organizations based in Illinois dedicated to reducing food waste, had their monthly meeting. Jen Nelson of Seven Generations Ahead, a core member of the WFAA, was one of the meeting’s facilitators. The group was joined by Jeff Hake who runs Funks Grove Heritage Fruits […]
Bringing Solar Power to Suburban Chicago...
Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for residential customers. But what do you do if you want to get your energy from solar, but you live in a multi-unit building or can’t put solar panels on your roof for other reasons? That’s where community solar comes in. A subscriber to a community solar project directly […]
Don’t throw away good food, share it
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that almost one-third of the world’s food goes uneaten. Most of this food waste goes to landfills, helping to fuel climate change. While there are many industries that contribute to this large-scale problem, schools are a major player. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that, on […]
C4 and Cook County Composting and Recycl...
Recent heat, drought, and air quality issues in the Chicago area underscored the vital importance of this year’s GreenTown: Climate and Equity conference. Held on June 22nd at Triton College, the conference brought together sustainability advocates from communities throughout Chicagoland and beyond. Among the topics of the day were renewable energy, active transportation, and decarbonization. […]
Heineman Middle School’s Roadmap to Zero
What do you do when you want to reduce lunchroom waste at your school, but your waste hauler can’t provide composting service? You make a roadmap! Seven Generations Ahead’s (SGA) Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) program is excited to pursue a new project that guides schools through the process of waste reduction at the source – […]
Oak Park’s New Rec Center Leads the Way
From left to right: Park District of Oak Park Executive Director, Jan Arnold, Seven Generations Ahead Executive Director, Gary Cuneen, and Park District of Oak Park Superintendent of Parks and Planning, Chris Lindgren at a preview of the new Community Recreation Center On Sunday, May 21st, the Park District of Oak Park held a ribbon […]