GrowingGreen_042926

Growing Green 2026 Art out of the trash

Fresh ar t from old and discarded things

By JILL WAGNER Contributing Reporter

Actively participating in Ear th Day, artists in Forest Park gathered for a public exhibit of art made from repurposed items Reimagining waste from our daily lives was the challenge set by Commissioner Michelle Melin- Rogovin after recently completing the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) training. This event was used to spread the lessons and connect community to engage with community members on a small scale.

C3 teaches leaders about sustainable agriculture, food access, waste reduction, and the aim to support green-living projects throughout Chicago and near suburbs In addition, leaders have access to more resources and connections to scale up local change.

Leaning on the strong arts and environmentally conscious networks in Forest Park, Melin-Rogovin partnered with the village’s environmental commission and the Forest Park Arts Alliance to spread the word in a call to artists

The call was answered and the show featured 10” x10” art that was made with a variety of materials including plastic caps, paper scraps, a record, plastic bags, objects tucked away in drawers, and items found on the sidewalk during a walk.

“Something now exists where there was nothing,” said Melin- Rogovin “Something that was considered to be of no value has been transfor med by art into something of value.”

See ART on pa ge B4

Record Mandala by Pat Williams created from a discarded and damaged record, paint and paint markers.

PHOTO BY ALEXIS ELLERS

Keep Oak Park Beautiful cleans up village collaboratively

Program an umbrella for four separate e or ts to remove litter, gra ti

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

Tom Nor they will be the first to tell you that he has a passion for litter

But let’s be clear: The Oak Pa rk resident’s passion focuses on removal, not distribution.

“Litter has been the bane of my existence since I was a little kid,” Nor they said. “My dad would take us for a walk and I’d come back with an ar mful of trash. This was the 1960s (and I thought) how does this happen? How do you address this?”

As he got into his late high school and early colle ge years, he became familiar with the broken window theory.

“It says, if you let broken windows and graf fiti and litter exist, that’s where other antisocial behaviors start,” he said. “Take care of the little stuf f and it will take care of the big stuf f.

“Everybody is looking to solve big issues, but what if we solved the little things?”

For residents of a certain age, the commercials for Keep America Beautiful, with the tearful indigenous American, also had a profound effect on him, and he’s ke pt all of those things close to his heart for decades.

Now, he’s a driving force locally for Keep Oak Park Beautiful, an extension of Keep America Beautiful and an umbrella program for the village for four ef for ts: the Neighborhood Clean-Up, Adopt a Block, Green Block Party and Graf fiti Re porting and Removal.

GROUND LEVEL: Keep Oak Park Beautif ul volunteers clean up a stretch of Madison Street near Ridgeland.

According to Christina Waters, Oak Park’s village clerk, these ef for ts are specific to various areas of the village For example, in Adopt a Block, residents and business owners work together to keep their chosen adopted block clean. For Neighborhood Clean-Up, Nor they’s prime focus, the village provides black plastic bags for garbage and clear plastic bags for re cyclables, litter pickers, gloves and pink

TBD; Nor they is working that detail out with Publican Quality Bread at 211 Har rison St. Re gistration is easy; go to https://www.oak-park.us/Events-directory/Neighborhood-Clean-Up-Days on the village website.

y 15 that businesses talk Oak comes to garbage and recyclables and consider the long-ter m consequences

“That gum is never going to disinte grate,” he said. “Put it in a receptacle.”

Resident and local artisan, Meghan Hunt used the mesh netting that is used to package purchased fruits and vegetables to create her “For the Love of Flowers.” Her reflections ofthe simple fruits and vegetables which are born from the earth then enter the global marketplace. This includes far mers, harvesters, migrant workers, packers, packaging, shipping, storage, showcasing and all the additional connections and micro plastics introduced along the way before coming to her home. She reshaped the vibrant colors ofthe mesh bags from onions, avocados, sweet potatoes and garlic into flowers. “The flowers are surrounded by packing paper from shipping boxes that reflect how things come to us.”

Susan Baus re purposed cereal boxes and other packaging to create a woven tablecloth for her “Forever Still Life.” Reimagining six-pack yokes as flowers, alongside colored dried allium and sage grass were part ofthe focal point. Mimicking lily-inthe-valley in the vases with egg cartons, re-

Sponsored by Riverside Township

using pill bottles, and an embellished ruffle from candy wrappers made a maximizing impact at the base. Showing her whimsy and charm, she set a small table for a guest beetle to enjoy a glass of wine.

Sponsored by Riverside Township

found objects and Forest Park trinkets in a wooden frame. Rethinking uses for old plates, bowls and cups Deb McNichols designed a clever bird feeder and craftsman

Steve Metro re purposed wood into a stunning checkered board.

Sponsored by Riverside Township

Louis Rivera created an interactive piece sending people to the village website included using fragments from his art,

Sponsored by Riverside Township

Embracing beauty and hope was a common theme throughout the exhibit. Participants

were awarded upcycled cardboard “ribbons,” Nature Museum passes and gift cards to WasteShed, a non-profit reuse art supply center. Connecting with other community members gave an additional layer of optimism to access for experience to take action in sustainability principles and practices in daily living in town.

Saturday, May 2nd 9:00 am –Noon

GARMAN PAINTING

Saturday, May 2nd 9:00 am –Noon

Riverside Masonic Lodge parking lot 40 Forest Avenue, Riverside

Saturday, May 2nd 9:00 am –Noon

This FREE event is only for Riverside Township residents and only for personal, confidential documents. No business shredding, magazines, or junk mail. Each household is restricted to no more than 3 boxes of paper.

Riverside Masonic Lodge parking lot 40 Forest Avenue, Riverside

9:00 am –Noon

Riverside Masonic Lodge parking lot 40 Forest Avenue, Riverside

This FREE event is only for Riverside Township residents and only for personal, confidential documents No business shredding, magazines, or junk mail. Each household is restricted to no more than 3 boxes of paper.

This FREE event is only for Riverside Township residents and only for personal, confidential documents. No business shredding, magazines, or junk mail. Each household is restricted to no more than 3 boxes of paper.

This FREE event is only for Riverside Township residents and only for personal, confidential documents No business shredding, magazines, or junk mail. Each household is restricted to no more than 3 boxes of paper.

This FREE event is only for Riverside Township residents and only for personal, confidential documents. No business shredding, magazines, or junk mail. Each household is restricted to no more than 3 boxes of paper.

Your documents will be securely destroyed on site by American Mobile Shredding and Recycling.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of your car; place the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and then simply pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of your car; place the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of lace the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

Your documents will be securely destroyed on site by American Mobile Shredding and Recycling.

Please bring a non-perishable, unexpired food item to donate to the Riverside Township Food Pantry!

Your documents will be securely destroyed on site by American Mobile Shredding and Recycling. , this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

Please bring a non-perishable, unexpired food item to donate to the Riverside Township Food Pantry!

For more event info, call Riverside Township at (708) 442-4400 or visit our website: www.riversidetownship.org

Please bring a non-perishable, unexpired food item to donate to the Riverside Township Food Pantry!

As always, this will be a drive-up event. No need to get out of your car; place the documents in your trunk, follow the signs at the event and then simply pop the trunk. We will remove the documents from your vehicle and shred them for you.

For more event info, call Riverside Township at (708) 442-4400 or visit our website: www.riversidetownship.org

Please

For more event info, call Riverside Township at (708) 442-4400 or visit our website: www.riversidetownship.org

PHOTO BY ALEXIS ELLERS

Art by Susan Buss

PHOTO BY ALEXIS ELLERS

Art by Meghan Hunt

PHOTO BY ALEXIS ELLERS

Art by Louis Rivera

Growing Green 2026

At 25 years, Seven Generations Ahead focuses on connections

Seven Generations Ahead works to connect villages, schools with climate solutions

By HEC TOR CERVANTES

Contributing Reporter

As Seven Generations Ahead marks its 25th anniversary, founder and executive director Gary Cuneen says the organization is entering a critical new phase, expanding its role as a connector between communities and climate solutions.

Rooted in local and regional sustainabil ity, Seven Generations Ahead has emphasized climate, equity and long-ter m impact throughout its work Looking ahead, organization aims to connect public private institutions with initiatives lower expenses while achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets, creating community benefits, and advancing wider sustainabil ity goals

“It’s really about identifying resource connecting our institutions with par operating in the clean energy and broader sustainability space, and driving these lutions forward. We’re in this interesting period, of course, with the federal go ment funding cutbacks, which requires to dig in stronger and harder at the level. There are tremendous opportunities for mainstream institutions to take action, Cuneen said.

He said part of the organization’s r to connect institutions with suitable ners and projects tailored to their need while also helping them access the resources necessary to carry those projects out.

“Our current federal administration denying climate change, so they are providing funding resources. I think pa our job, honestly, is to parse out what is still available. We’re doing that with respect to federal incentives and funding programs established in previous administrations, and helping our institutions take advantage of those opportunities,” Cuneen said.

lenges is that there is a lot of information out there and many different types of projects and approaches We are working with institutions that, by nature, are designed to do what they are intended to do for K–12 schools, that is, to educate children,” Cuneen said.

Cuneen said local gover nments are tasked with numerous responsibilities, including public safety and yd services such

ing ways to strengthen partnerships across neighboring communities, as well as with gover nment agencies, nonprofits, and private companies. Building on the concept of public-private partnerships, the founding team came together through shared connections and a mutual interest in collaborative, community-focused work.

“W beli that ould ha eater

a grant through the EPA, Cook County, the state, or any other organizations that would be appropriate, he looks at where that grant would make the greatest impact,” Scaman said.

Many institutions do not have sufficient staff to consistently track advances in sustainability, particularly in underserved arand Se en Generations Ahead steps in gap by serving as an extended director across communities , they deliver information and opthat support local residents and

CONNEC TED: Gary Cuneen of Seven Generations Ahead and his sta at the Microbrew Review on August 17, 2024.

laborative efforts across the region.

for support in this venture,” Scaman said.

onnecting youth to some of the inidoing with adult leaders in our community institutions and also providwith the capacity to advocate for solutions in their local schools and That’s a big piece for us moving forward.” Cuneen said. ed what success looks like for Generations Ahead over the next dereal impact will be measured, it will be reflected in the voleenhouse gas emissions reduced egies related to energy effilean energy, and composting, among

hoping to expand the number of in our cross-community cliollaborative. … We want to get more ed,” Cuneen said.

Even as federal tax incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act phase out onsite solar tax credits by July of this year, institutions still have viable pathways forward, said Cuneen. Battery storage credits remain available and can be combined with solar projects to generate high retur ns and meaningful cost savings.

“It’s putting some of these opportunities in front of our municipalities now, as well as community institutions One of the chal-

One such effort is the initiative known as C4, which began around 2022. Building on the concept of public-private partnerships, the founding team came together in collaborative, community-focused work C4 is led collaboratively by the mayors of Broadview, Oak Park and River Forest, along with the Urban Efficiency Group and Seven Generations Ahead. This coalition deepens coordination among communities, gover nments, nonprofits and private sector partners.

Oak Park Village President Vixki Scaman said when C4 began it started explor-

According to Scaman, when a community joins C4, the first step is meeting with Cuneen and Urban Efficiency Group CEO Dar nell Johnson to assess where it currently stands. She said they meet communities where they are, whether they are just starting sustainability efforts or have been engaged for years and help them develop a roadmap based on their specific needs and goals.

“We also work to have everyone report back regularly so that we’re able to track our progress with the C4 initiative Gary is primarily the grant writer So if he identifies

ommunities have signed a memounderstanding to collaborate on equity and sustainability. The goal participation by bringing more ommunities into the initiative equipping them with the tools to take action. This includes supporting not only municipal gover nments but also other institutions in implementing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as electric vehicle infrastructure, onsite solar, onsite geother mal, and the procurement of clean energy from projects developed in Illinois.

“There are so many different organizations that are advancing solutions and working in these different spaces and I would encourage people to get connected to those organizations. There are many ways to volunteer, do inter nships, and support existing organizations and initiatives and we have a lot of that in the Chicago metro area that have been working on these issues for quite some time, like us,” Cuneen said.

TODD BANNOR

Portraits of stewardship: West Side Earth Keepers at BUILD

The exhibition showcases gardeners and land stewards using green space as a tool for care and identity

By HEC TOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

Since opening on April 3 at BUILD, the “West Side Ear th Keepers” exhibition has showcased the stories and portraits of West Side gardeners whose stewardship sustains both community and future generations

Kesiah Bascom, manager of Austin Grown, a program from BUILD helped shaped the “West Side Earth Keepers” exhibition by leading interviews and community engagement, while Kenn Cook Jr., a West Side photographer and culture keeper, created the project’s portraits documenting local gardeners and land stewards.

Cook said the project grew out of meeting Bascom last year, which sparked his curiosity about the rise of community gardens and urban farming in Austin. As he connected with her and other West Side Ear th Keepers, he be gan lear ning more about the work and was inspired to explore and document it.

Growing Green 2026

“We want to say, ‘Hey, we see you, we honor you and we want you to know that the work you’re doing doesn’t go unrecognized.’”

KENN COOK Photographer for projec t

“I lear ned that Austin has 26 community gardens that have developed over the last few years, and people started recommending books for me to read. From there, we be gan discussing a potential project to honor those doing this work, because I realized I

didn’t know much about it,” Cook said.

The vision behind the West Side Ear th Keepers art exhibit is to uplift longtime community members doing this work and place them at the center of attention, according to Bascom. The exhibit aims to reco gnize and celebrate their contributions by putting them on display.

“We want to say, ‘Hey, we see you, we honor you, and we want you to know that the work you’re doing doesn’t go unrecognized.’ We would love for other people to share in our pride in the work that you’re doing. I feel like Kenn really played an important role in bringing that to life and exceeded my expectations of what it could be, so it was a really fun project,” Bascom said.

Bascom described how a mother and daughter participated in the project together at Harambee Garden, being both interviewed and photographed side by side. The ex-

perience highlighted the intergenerational nature of the work, as the mother passed down her care for the earth while the daughter inter preted it in her own way.

Cook said when people came to see themselves on the walls, it became a powerful moment, bringing families and friends together to honor them and reco gnize the importance of caring for the land and for one another.

“While we often think of memory and archives as records in past tense, I’ve always seen my work as bridging the gap between generations. When I’m making these images, I feel like I’m in the presence of history and also creating it through these photographs, because these are people who are continuing to shape the West Side and the culture we live in,” Cook said.

There was a reflection on the historical connection of Black people as stewards of the earth, noting how land

Growing Green 2026

care has long been a significant part of Black culture and movement. This relationship was also acknowledged as being shaped by history, including enslavement and its impacts.

“I think that natural connection to land is just who we are. But also, as an act of resistance, these earth keepers are taking spaces that would otherwise be empty in our community and turning them into something beautiful. They are inviting people into this culture of resistance that doesn’t depend on large companies or chain stores to produce our food; instead, they’re trying to give people the skills so they can survive. With that, I think there is a lot of resistance built in there,” Cook said.

Bascom said the team sat down to be intentional about the questions they were asking participants, aiming to capture a

range of perspectives depending on each person’s background.

“The easiest way to a gardener’s heart is to just ask them what’s growing in their backyards, or what they’re most excited about in nature for the growing season. Not everybody was a farmer, but people are doing this work not to make money or anything like that, they’re doing it because they truly love it. It’s their passion,” Bascom said.

The interview questions were shaped around themes of advocacy, people’s relationships to nature and what they personally enjoyed in the natural world.

“I love that having these photographs and stories will continue that le gacy for future generations to see and hear what we’ve been doing, and to understand why we feel so passionate about protecting our earth,” Bascom said.

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