On Wednesday, September 24, ICA GreenRise celebrated the launch of 485 solar panels. We organized the event, ‘GreenRise Goes Live,’ included over 30 Uptown organizations, local food trucks, and the Old Town School of Music’s jam band. ​ This event was a more localized version of the Sharing Approaches that Work Conference, gathering Uptown organizations to connect with one another. Over 30 organizations spanned various services, including health, social justice, intentional community, and more. Prior to the event itself I also worked with ICA Staff to install raised beds on the rooftop. The installation was a joint effort with Greenroof Solutions.

This forum looked to bridge the gap in dialogue between grassroots community based organizations, resource providers, and policy makers. The day began with an imaginal exercise around energy. Participants then broke up into three different tracks: reduce, reinvent, and transform. Each track engaged participants through panels, ignite sessions, and facilitated dialogue around those three key themes. Read the Agenda here.  The event ended with a remarkable speech from keynote listener Jamie Ponce of the City of Chicago and C40 initiative, capturing what transpired throughout the day, followed by a conversation reflecting on what participants felt were the key emerging energy…

The culmination of 18 months of exploring and uncovering sustainability initiatives was a Share Fair event that aimed to both showcase and connect initiatives, organizations, and individuals from each of the 77 communities. In this day-long event at Truman College, participants were able to network, learn about local and city-wide resources available to them, and learn about the city’s plan to promote sustainability. Over 400 people attended the event with over 150 local organizations and initiatives showcasing their work.  Sharing Approaches That Work​community interaction to learn from each other’s experiences Keynote Address​Karen Weigert, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago Connection…