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 […]
Carl Von Linné Elementary School is Thri
Seven Generations Ahead’s Zero Waste Schools (ZWS) program is celebrating another successful launch at a local school. The ZWS team oversaw what was actually a relaunch of the zero waste program at Carl Von Linné Elementary School, a Chicago Public School (CPS) with 648 students. Von Linné has been a part of the program since […]
It’s Our Future Supports Climate Advocac
Photo courtesy of E-town Sunrise Facebook page By Milo Slevin, ETHS student As youth climate advocates, our connections with other young people are an important way for us to create greater impact. It’s Our Future (IOF), a youth-driven program that empowers Chicago area high school students to advocate for just climate solutions in their schools […]
Lincoln Park High School Launches Zero W...
On March 14, 2023 Lincoln Park High School (LPHS) in Chicago Public Schools, a school of 2,060 students, officially launched its zero waste program in the lunchroom and kitchen. According to Gary Cuneen, Seven Generations Ahead’s (SGA) Founder and Executive Director, “This launch is part of SGA’s work to support CPS in establishing food scrap […]
Going Green at School with Go Green Illi...
The latest Go Green Illinois meeting was on all things green schools, and SGA’s Becky Brodsky was there to talk zero waste schools with dozens of attendees from 25 communities around Illinois, as well as a fantastic lineup of other speakers. Presenters covered a wide variety of ways schools can become more sustainable, from waste […]
Baby steps: Changing the way we live and...
by Jennifer Nelson In my last newsletter article, A climate in crisis and how our food choices make a difference, I closed with “We all need to do more faster…and hold each other accountable for making these changes happen.” While change is needed, and needed now, knowing where to start can be hard, and actually […]
West Suburban Partners Receive Major Gra
For Immediate Release: July 14, 2022 Contact info: Liz Lukehart, SGA Communications Director connect@sevengenerationshead.org Oak Park – Seven Generations Ahead (SGA) is pleased to announce it has received a significant grant to support the work of the Cross-Community Climate Collaboration (C4) project. SGA’s partners on the grant include the Cook County Department of Environment […]