Millions of birds migrate through Chicago every spring and fall on routes as far north as Alaska and as far south as South America. But many birds never reach their destination because they collide with buildings, particularly along the lakefront.
A local group finds about 4,000 birds a year on sidewalks and streets in just one square city mile. More than half of these birds are dead but many are just stunned according to the group, whose 70 volunteers monitor the east end of Randolph Street from the river to Congress Parkway.
"Tens of thousands (of birds) are killed or injured as they pass through the city," said Annette Prince of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, a non-profit that has tracked and rescued birds since 2003. There is a "huge variety," she said, about 120 species including neo-tropical birds, yellow rails, warblers and humming birds.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/volunteers-rescue-thousands-of-migrating-birds
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Every day products, every day toxins, report says
Potentially toxic chemicals are entering our bodies from every day items such as tin cans, water bottles, shower curtains, electronics, sofa cushions and other textiles. These are the surprising results of a biomonitoring project released last week that found all three types of industrial chemicals being studied in participants from seven states, including Illinois.
Environmental organizations and health professionals tested participants’ hair, blood and urine samples for evidence of the chemicals. They released the report, Is It In Us?: Chemical Contamination in our Bodies, which included test results and recommendations for fixing what they called a "broken chemical safety system.”
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/every-day-products-every-day-toxins-report-says
(c) Keri Lynch 2008
Environmental organizations and health professionals tested participants’ hair, blood and urine samples for evidence of the chemicals. They released the report, Is It In Us?: Chemical Contamination in our Bodies, which included test results and recommendations for fixing what they called a "broken chemical safety system.”
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/every-day-products-every-day-toxins-report-says
(c) Keri Lynch 2008
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Beach clean-up: Chicago & 'round the world
Beaches around the world received a makeover over the weekend as volunteers gathered with gloves and garbage bags to clean up trash and debris.
Besides cleaning up items that could pollute or harm wildlife, organizers of the annual event hope to inspire people to stay involved in their local waterways.
On Chicago's North Side, about 200 people signed up to lend a hand at Montrose Beach, including teachers and students from several area high schools, families with children of all ages and members of local environmental groups, such as Sierra Club and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/beach-clean-up-day-chicago-and-round-the-world
Besides cleaning up items that could pollute or harm wildlife, organizers of the annual event hope to inspire people to stay involved in their local waterways.
On Chicago's North Side, about 200 people signed up to lend a hand at Montrose Beach, including teachers and students from several area high schools, families with children of all ages and members of local environmental groups, such as Sierra Club and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/beach-clean-up-day-chicago-and-round-the-world
Thursday, August 23, 2007
John Perkins Interview
Part of my interview with author/environmentalist John Perkins appeared this month in Conscious Choice and its sister publications. Some Q&A did not fit in the magazine. The magazine part is here: http://consciouschoice.com/2007/08/conversations0708.html
Introduction:
I caught up with John Perkins, trained shaman, environmentalist and former “economic hit man,” at the Chicago Green Festival on Earth Day. After leading trips to the Amazon and Andes to work with indigenous peoples for 15 years, Perkins now travels to meet with world leaders - and shakers.
Through books and lectures, Perkins shares shamanic techniques and stories - with five books under his belt on these subjects. In recent books, he exposes the inner workings of the modern American empire. His latest book, Secrets of the American Empire, followed his best-selling Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
Q: Do you miss the trips and visits with indigenous people?
I miss doing trips very much. I still go to Latin America a lot. I spent New Years Eve 2007 with Eva Morales, the President of Bolivia. I was just in Nicaragua with President Ortega’s people and I’m going to Ecuador and meet with President Correa. I’m still very involved in Latin America but Confessions of an Economic Hit Man opened up a new arena. My roots are still very much with the indigenous people and indigenous people have played a major role in the Bolivian politics and Ecuadorian politics.
So it’s been natural for me to move into this arena along with them. The shamanic work I started in the 60’s was when shamanism was pretty ‘out there.’ Even in Ecuador and Bolivia, shamans were outside the mainstream economy and mainstream politics. Since then, both they and I moved into looking at a global picture: the political picture and the governmental picture. I think there is a certain synchronicity and magic in that shamanism believes in the power to transform, to shape-shift individuals and cultures, which is really what we need to do now, shape-shift culture.
To read more, go to my other blog: http://chicagocatalyst.blogspot.com/2007/08/john-perkins-q-continued.html
Introduction:
I caught up with John Perkins, trained shaman, environmentalist and former “economic hit man,” at the Chicago Green Festival on Earth Day. After leading trips to the Amazon and Andes to work with indigenous peoples for 15 years, Perkins now travels to meet with world leaders - and shakers.
Through books and lectures, Perkins shares shamanic techniques and stories - with five books under his belt on these subjects. In recent books, he exposes the inner workings of the modern American empire. His latest book, Secrets of the American Empire, followed his best-selling Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
Q: Do you miss the trips and visits with indigenous people?
I miss doing trips very much. I still go to Latin America a lot. I spent New Years Eve 2007 with Eva Morales, the President of Bolivia. I was just in Nicaragua with President Ortega’s people and I’m going to Ecuador and meet with President Correa. I’m still very involved in Latin America but Confessions of an Economic Hit Man opened up a new arena. My roots are still very much with the indigenous people and indigenous people have played a major role in the Bolivian politics and Ecuadorian politics.
So it’s been natural for me to move into this arena along with them. The shamanic work I started in the 60’s was when shamanism was pretty ‘out there.’ Even in Ecuador and Bolivia, shamans were outside the mainstream economy and mainstream politics. Since then, both they and I moved into looking at a global picture: the political picture and the governmental picture. I think there is a certain synchronicity and magic in that shamanism believes in the power to transform, to shape-shift individuals and cultures, which is really what we need to do now, shape-shift culture.
To read more, go to my other blog: http://chicagocatalyst.blogspot.com/2007/08/john-perkins-q-continued.html
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Public Outcry Leads to Pollution Summit
BP America's plans to dump more pollutants into the Great Lakes resulted in an unprecedented gathering of environmentalists, a company executive and public officials from several states and levels of government in Chicago this week.
They faced a "virtual firestorm of concern" over a new permit that allows BP to discharge increased levels of ammonia and sludge into Lake Michigan from its Whiting, Ind., oil refinery, said a top federal environmental official who convened the summit.
"As the agency with ultimate responsibility for protecting the Great Lakes, we feel it is time to get beyond these headlines and the emotions, no matter how justified, and begin a more practical discussion," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Mary Gade
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/public-outcry-leads-to-pollution-summit
They faced a "virtual firestorm of concern" over a new permit that allows BP to discharge increased levels of ammonia and sludge into Lake Michigan from its Whiting, Ind., oil refinery, said a top federal environmental official who convened the summit.
"As the agency with ultimate responsibility for protecting the Great Lakes, we feel it is time to get beyond these headlines and the emotions, no matter how justified, and begin a more practical discussion," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Mary Gade
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/public-outcry-leads-to-pollution-summit
Uptown Community Gardens
Community News story posted on 6/18/07:
Community Gardens Growing in Uptown
Bird calls mix with the loud cheers of baseball fans in the Ginkgo Garden in Uptown. This productive plot is tucked between condo buildings less than a mile from Wrigley Field. Despite its urban location near the "el" tracks, this garden really grows.
The first harvests, in May, are mostly herbs, radishes and a few greens. As summer arrives, the baskets, bags and bins start filling up - with tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, beans, tomatillos, squash and assorted greens, plus plums, pears, apples, grapes and raspberries.
Every Saturday, an all-volunteer crew arrives at 4055 N. Kenmore Ave. and works from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. They weed, stake plants, harvest and pack up the van. The all-organic goods are delivered to GroceryLand, a local pantry that provides food to low-income people with AIDS.
For full story: http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/community-gardens-growing-in-uptown
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
Community Gardens Growing in Uptown
Bird calls mix with the loud cheers of baseball fans in the Ginkgo Garden in Uptown. This productive plot is tucked between condo buildings less than a mile from Wrigley Field. Despite its urban location near the "el" tracks, this garden really grows.
The first harvests, in May, are mostly herbs, radishes and a few greens. As summer arrives, the baskets, bags and bins start filling up - with tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, beans, tomatillos, squash and assorted greens, plus plums, pears, apples, grapes and raspberries.
Every Saturday, an all-volunteer crew arrives at 4055 N. Kenmore Ave. and works from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. They weed, stake plants, harvest and pack up the van. The all-organic goods are delivered to GroceryLand, a local pantry that provides food to low-income people with AIDS.
For full story: http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/community-gardens-growing-in-uptown
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
Green Roofs on Rise
Community News story posted on 7/11/07:
Green Roofs on the Rise in Chicago
More than 20,000 plants and countless birds and bees live 11 stories above the busy city streets and sidewalks of Downtown Chicago. About 150 varieties of hearty and mostly native flowers, grasses and vines grow on this rooftop garden most residents have never seen. But the garden's green impact is beginning to spread well beyond the Loop.
Funded through a $1.5 million settlement with Com Ed, the 20,300-square-foot City Hall rooftop garden is both a showcase and a pilot project for Mayor Daley's efforts to encourage green building and design. Since its completion in 2001, the number of green roofs continues to grow.
"Seven years ago, it was a novel idea (green roofs)," said Mark Farina, spokesman for Chicago's Department of Environment. "Now there are over 300 green roofs in Chicago, in various stages. That's how much we have grown."
Although it's one of the highest-profile roof gardens in the world, access for the general public is very limited. This is partly due to the landmark status of the building, Farina said, which is not accessible to persons with disabilities, and also for security reasons.
Besides not having a fence, visitors must walk through a mechanical room to get onto the roof, after taking an elevator to the 10th floor and walking up another flight of stairs. Occasionally, the Department of Environment will arrange tours for small groups of 10 to 15 people with a guide, such as Farina.
"This is an elaborate green roof that gives us an idea what we can do elsewhere," Farina said.
Currently, 60 percent of all roofs in Chicago are dark-colored, according to the city's rooftop garden guide, and these surfaces absorb - or trap - heat. This raises the temperature of the surrounding area and requires more energy to heat and cool buildings. Urban areas are warmer than outlying areas due to this "heat island" effect, which also creates more smog.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/green-roofs-on-the-rise-in-chicago
(c) Keri Lynch
Green Roofs on the Rise in Chicago
More than 20,000 plants and countless birds and bees live 11 stories above the busy city streets and sidewalks of Downtown Chicago. About 150 varieties of hearty and mostly native flowers, grasses and vines grow on this rooftop garden most residents have never seen. But the garden's green impact is beginning to spread well beyond the Loop.
Funded through a $1.5 million settlement with Com Ed, the 20,300-square-foot City Hall rooftop garden is both a showcase and a pilot project for Mayor Daley's efforts to encourage green building and design. Since its completion in 2001, the number of green roofs continues to grow.
"Seven years ago, it was a novel idea (green roofs)," said Mark Farina, spokesman for Chicago's Department of Environment. "Now there are over 300 green roofs in Chicago, in various stages. That's how much we have grown."
Although it's one of the highest-profile roof gardens in the world, access for the general public is very limited. This is partly due to the landmark status of the building, Farina said, which is not accessible to persons with disabilities, and also for security reasons.
Besides not having a fence, visitors must walk through a mechanical room to get onto the roof, after taking an elevator to the 10th floor and walking up another flight of stairs. Occasionally, the Department of Environment will arrange tours for small groups of 10 to 15 people with a guide, such as Farina.
"This is an elaborate green roof that gives us an idea what we can do elsewhere," Farina said.
Currently, 60 percent of all roofs in Chicago are dark-colored, according to the city's rooftop garden guide, and these surfaces absorb - or trap - heat. This raises the temperature of the surrounding area and requires more energy to heat and cool buildings. Urban areas are warmer than outlying areas due to this "heat island" effect, which also creates more smog.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/green-roofs-on-the-rise-in-chicago
(c) Keri Lynch
State Not Doing Enough to Recycle
Illinois is taking steps to reduce global warming emissions, but much more could be done to improve the state's recycling programs, say members of the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council, managed by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.
"Current practices are detrimental to total recycling," said Marc Miller, senior policy analyst for Quinn, who coordinated the council's quarterly meeting in Chicago in late June. "This is the view, voiced numerous times, of this council."
In Springfield, where thousands of state workers are based, only cardboard is recycled from paper waste, said George Vander Velde of the Illinois Waste Management Research Center, a division of the Department of Natural Resources that analyzes waste issues. "The current status of recycling is inadequate."
At the council's last meeting, agency representatives announced that a new five-year recycling contract was signed for state offices in Springfield that maintains the current program. This prompted Quinn to ask if the Thompson Center - where his office is located and where the meeting was held - and other state buildings in Chicago were recycling.
Council members agreed that this contract - and Illinois' recycling programs in general - needs to be reviewed on a broader level.
"It's embarrassing," Quinn said.
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/state-not-doing-enough-to-recycle-illinois-officials-say
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
"Current practices are detrimental to total recycling," said Marc Miller, senior policy analyst for Quinn, who coordinated the council's quarterly meeting in Chicago in late June. "This is the view, voiced numerous times, of this council."
In Springfield, where thousands of state workers are based, only cardboard is recycled from paper waste, said George Vander Velde of the Illinois Waste Management Research Center, a division of the Department of Natural Resources that analyzes waste issues. "The current status of recycling is inadequate."
At the council's last meeting, agency representatives announced that a new five-year recycling contract was signed for state offices in Springfield that maintains the current program. This prompted Quinn to ask if the Thompson Center - where his office is located and where the meeting was held - and other state buildings in Chicago were recycling.
Council members agreed that this contract - and Illinois' recycling programs in general - needs to be reviewed on a broader level.
"It's embarrassing," Quinn said.
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/state-not-doing-enough-to-recycle-illinois-officials-say
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
It's Easy Being Green
Community News story posted 6/13/07:
It's Easy Being Green, Experts Say
It's easy being green - that's what a recent event announcement proclaimed. With environmental issues at the forefront, many Chicagoans are wondering what they can do to reduce global warming and live more sustainably. A June 7 event, part of an Illinois Humanities Council series hosted at the Chicago History Museum, gave residents some ideas about how to lead a greener life.
The city's newest green building, the Center on Halsted, grabbed much of the event's spotlight. Center Chairman Robert Kohl spoke proudly of the building at 3656 N Halsted St. - for both its design and purposes.
"When we began planning and designing the building, we knew of (Mayor) Daley's fondness for green," Kohl said, and thought "how cool it would be to have a green roof."
One center advocate understood the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) codes and knew that "a lot of grant money was available," Kohl said. "And because we had significant commitments from city and federal government, it felt like good stewardship for us as leaders of our communities to do this green building."
The center earned a silver rating in the LEED program, which provides points for design, construction and operation. The five areas evaluated are: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor-environmental quality, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which established the rating system.
In Illinois, there are more than 300 LEED-registered projects, according to the U.S. Green Building Council project list dated April 12, 2007. These projects include government and office buildings, libraries, schools and non-profit organizations. Slightly more than half of the projects are in Chicago.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/it-s-easy-being-green-experts-say
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
It's Easy Being Green, Experts Say
It's easy being green - that's what a recent event announcement proclaimed. With environmental issues at the forefront, many Chicagoans are wondering what they can do to reduce global warming and live more sustainably. A June 7 event, part of an Illinois Humanities Council series hosted at the Chicago History Museum, gave residents some ideas about how to lead a greener life.
The city's newest green building, the Center on Halsted, grabbed much of the event's spotlight. Center Chairman Robert Kohl spoke proudly of the building at 3656 N Halsted St. - for both its design and purposes.
"When we began planning and designing the building, we knew of (Mayor) Daley's fondness for green," Kohl said, and thought "how cool it would be to have a green roof."
One center advocate understood the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) codes and knew that "a lot of grant money was available," Kohl said. "And because we had significant commitments from city and federal government, it felt like good stewardship for us as leaders of our communities to do this green building."
The center earned a silver rating in the LEED program, which provides points for design, construction and operation. The five areas evaluated are: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor-environmental quality, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which established the rating system.
In Illinois, there are more than 300 LEED-registered projects, according to the U.S. Green Building Council project list dated April 12, 2007. These projects include government and office buildings, libraries, schools and non-profit organizations. Slightly more than half of the projects are in Chicago.
For full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/it-s-easy-being-green-experts-say
(c) Keri Lynch 2007
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