Category: Chicago

Eden Place Founder Michael Howard Addresses the Resilience Studies Consortium on Environmental Justice

Mr. Michael Howard, CEO and co-founder of Eden Place Farms and Nature Center in Chicago IL, will address the Roosevelt and Resilience Studies Consortium (RSC) communities on Tuesday, 26 Oct 2021, at 11am CST on the topic of “Sustaining Environmental Justice in a Pandemic.” Please join the faculty and students of SUST 350 Service & Sustainability at Roosevelt University and ENVS 397 Environmental Justice at Western Colorado University as they host Mr. Howard’s virtual presentation and a Q&A session. This presentation is made possible by the generous funding of the RSC — thank you!

Michael Howard’s life passion is to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Fuller Park community on Chicago’s South Side, both financially and environmentally. As Founder and CEO of the Fuller Park Community Development (FPCD) organization in the 1990s, he has worked to address housing, education, and environmental issues that have kept this generally African American and low-income community in poverty and disrepair.

In the late 1990s, Michael and his wife Amelia Howard led the effort to clean up a three-acre vacant lot near their Fuller Park residence that was piled two stories high with illegally dumped waste. With help from many in the community, the site was cleared of debris and restored into a thriving green space called Eden Place — still the only nature center on the entire South Side of Chicago. In the early 2010s, Eden Place opened its farm operation about a half-mile south of the nature center. They host community events, market their produce to local restaurants and farmers markets, and provide ecology, urban farming, and nutrition workshops to citizens of Fuller Park and beyond.

Since 2014, students in Roosevelt University’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class have volunteered one morning a week in a multi-year service project at Eden Place, helping with farm chores, repairing and painting structures, building trails, planting and harvesting crops, and organizing events to support the organization’s mission. In return, Eden Place has taught them much about the process and importance of community organizing, the rigors of urban environmental conservation and farming, and the challenges of fostering sustainability and community resilience in this era of social and economic stress.

Zoom Login Info:

Topic: Michael Howard on Environmental Justice for RSC
Time: Oct 26, 2021 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/97714968242
Meeting ID: 977 1496 8242

For More Information:

Contact Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Professor & Director of Sustainability Studies, Roosevelt University

The Resilience Studies Consortium, of which Roosevelt is a charter member, is a network of small liberal arts Institutions dedicated to sustainability and community resilience, place-based educational experiences, and shared academic and co-curricular offerings in ways that empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

SUST 350 Students Organize Concert & Fun Fest @ Eden Place Farm (Fri 10/15) & Nature Center (Sat 10/16)

Dear RU community — The students of Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class have dedicated this past week to planning two pop-up events to help our longtime community partner non-profit org, Eden Place Nature Center and Farm, survive and thrive in these difficult pandemic times.

  • Friday 10/15 Music! “Farm Aid” benefit concert (6:30pm, doors open at 6pm) to save Eden Place Farms (live in person at 4911 S. Shields Ave., Chicago). Live concert is free to attend in person, with suggested donation and mandatory vax proof; make any online donation for livestream access.
  • Saturday 10/16 Family Fun! “Family Fun Fest” event at the Nature Center the following day, Sat 10/16, from 12-4pm to connect with the community and help raise funds. Details below.

Here’s how you can help with Saturday’s Fun Fest!

Where: Eden Place Nature Center (4417 S. Stewart Ave.) — 10min walk from the 47th St station on the Red Line, or EP staff can pick you up at the station if needed

When: Set up from 9:00am-12:00pm , event at 12:00pm-4:00pm , clean-up 4:00pm-5:00pm

What: Looking for at least 1-2 people to manage the raffle/pumpkin pick-up booth and a wristband seller at the entrance during 12-4pm event. Also looking for raffle donations from local businesses, saleable clothing items and/or plants in small pots.

Activities: Train ride and pumpkin/plant pot painting (wristband activities), bake sale, raffle, thrift and houseplant sale, and free games such as jumbo Jenga, basketball, cornhole, etc.

RU Contact People:

  • Alyssa Spleha (aspleha@mail.roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 student event organizer (main student contact for volunteering at event)
  • Gabriel Gonzalez (ggonzalez25@mail.roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 student thrift sale organizer (for dropping off gently used clothing @WB today or Friday)
  • Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 prof (for general questions)

Eden Place Contact Person:

  • Michael Howard (michaelhow@msn.com), Eden Place executive director and co-founder

If you have some time this week to contribute to this effort, please get in touch with Alyssa or Gabriel to find out how you can help and discuss logistics. The most pressing need is for a couple extra people to help work the entrance and booths at the Fest. However, if you can bring some clean articles of clothing to WB for the thrift sale, that’d be great too. Sorry about the short notice, but we’re doing the best we can on a tight deadline!

All off-campus volunteers would need to complete the RU Travel Waiver Form. Return to me (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) prior to the event. 350-98 RU Waiver Forms 2021Fall.pdf

Peace and thanks to all,
The SUST 350 Service / Eden Place Team

Help Save Eden Place Farms! Benefit Concert this Friday 10/15

Dear lovers of good music and supporters of urban agriculture in Chicago: this Friday 10/15 at Eden Place Farms, local musicians Wyatt Waddell and Headed Home will perform at 6:30pm in a livestreamed benefit concert. Located in the heart of the Fuller Park community at 4911 S. Shields Ave., Eden Place Farms is an iconic family-run urban farm on Chicago’s South Side.

To view the concert and support Eden Place, please make a donation at this link. After your donation, you will receive a link for the livestream event. No donation is too small! If you prefer your live music in person, admission is free and donations are accepted/encouraged; just be sure to bring your mask and proof of vaccination. Doors open at 6pm at the Farm.

The story of Eden Place is as inspiring as it is improbable. Eden Place Nature Center was founded on the site of an illegal waste dump by community activists Michael and Amelia Howard, who built a Nature Center in the late 90s and established their Farm about 15 years later. Eden Place has been a longstanding community hub and green oasis in the Fuller Park neighborhood, and is seeking to raise money to help recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and continue its mission to provide fresh organic produce and environmental education to its community. Though it has experienced setbacks this past year, Eden Place is a resilient and high-impact institution known throughout the US and beyond for its urban conservation work here in Chicago.

Roosevelt University has deep ties to Eden Place, as well. Since 2014, RU students each fall semester have worked onsite at the Nature Center and Farm through Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class. Students from all walks of life learn what it’s like to work on an urban farm and in return provide their labor and ideas to the staff at Eden Place in a process of reciprocal learning and cooperation. This summer of 2021, five student interns with the Mansfield Institute’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement program have worked 10 hours per week at Eden Place helping to cultivate and harvest crops, build and repair structures, and work productively as a team. We in the Sustainability Studies program at RU are grateful to have Eden Place as a community partner and look forward to many more years of collaboration.

Thanks to the Roosevelt students of SUST 350 for helping organize this concert, and to everyone reading this for all for your past support of Eden Place! Please spread the word to everyone you know who appreciates healthy food and good music.

SUST 350 students help build a hoop house at Eden Place Farms, Fall 2019 (M. Bryson)
SUST 350 students harvest veggies, Sept 2021 (M. Bryson)

Chicago Youth Climate Strike: Fri 9/20/19 in Grant Park

Join members of RU Green, the Math Club, and others in an all-ages Chicago Youth Climate Strike march in Grant Park in downtown Chicago this Friday 9/20/19 in solidarity with climate strike marchers all over the world. Options for meeting:

  • 10:30am WB Lobby, 425 S. Wabash Ave., then walk with RU Green to Grant Park
  • 11:00am, south end of Grant Park (Roosevelt & Columbus)

RU students, want to help make signs? Join RU Green outside the CSI office (WB 3rd floor) on Wed 9/18 @5pm. Bring your own poster-making supplies if you have ’em (supplies limited).

Questions? Email RU Green prez Samantha Schultz (sschultz10@mail.roosevelt.edu).

Bubbly Creek: An Environmental Quagmire (Chicago Tonight Interview)

I was honored to be interviewed for this Chicago Tonight special report on the current status of Bubbly Creek, aka the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River. This was an effort by students in the DePaul University Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence. Legendary local TV journalist Carol Marin came to my RU office in downtown Chicago, where we chatted about the Creek’s history and present condition while the students filmed us. Take a look, and let me know if anyone can saying “capping the sludge” better than Carol!

Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposia in April 2019 & RU Workshop this Friday 2/22

This is a great opportunity for RU students in all disciplines to present their research, get public speaking experience, receive feedback from faculty experts on their work, network with fellow students at Chgo-area universities, and build professional credentials for their work résumés or grad school applications.

In addition, the Office of Student Research @RooseveltU is running a student workshop this Fri 2/22 at 1pm on the Chgo Campus geared toward preparing students for the RU Student Research Symposium on Fri 4/12 and/or the CAURS on Sat 4/13. See below for details!

Research Presentation Workshop @RU, 2/22, 1pm Learning Commons

Access the pdf of the above image.

 

Service Opportunity in Biodiversity: WeDigBio @ the Field Museum

Scientists from Field Museum and around the world need your help! Join us in transcribing scientific label data from our collections and from field notes books using online and computer tools. Activities may also include hands-on curation with specimens. This event will be held daily from this Thur 10/18 thru Sun 10/21, 2018 and is based at Field Museum.

* * To register please click here. * *

You will be part of a global effort to digitize centuries of data about life on Earth. Organisms may include ferns, fungi, mosses, insects, and mammals. Participants will have an opportunity to meet Field Museum scientists and join in behind-the-scenes tours or talks about the significance of the scientific collections!

WeDigBio is ideally for teens aged 15+ and adults. Refreshments will be available, but you should feel free to bring lunch. Space is limited; please register in advance.

Details:

  • For those attending on-site activities, free admission to the museum will be available after the event.
  • Each day there is one session, including registration, the event and tours. Registration will open at 9:30am and the event will be held from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
  • Free behind-the-scene tours after the event!

Eden Place Nature Center’s Farm to Table Fundraiser: Tomorrow 4-8pm

This year’s inaugural event will feature organic and fresh food from Eden Place and local area farms. Enjoy a four-course meal prepared by three of Chicago’s best restaurants, live music and a host of special guess attendees. Enjoy Delicious Cuisine Creations from Majani Restaurant, Roe’s Gratitude, Sweet Blooms, and Eden Place Farms.

Tickets still available online! Event will be at the Nature Center, with street parking on the north end. See event info on Facebook here.

Talking (and Sampling) Water at Sherman Park in Chicago

One of the stone bridges over the lagoon at Sherman Park, Chicago IL (source: YoChicago)

This past Tuesday I had the good fortune to go to the Sherman Park branch library of the Chicago Public Library system in order to do an hour-long program on water and sustainability for neighborhood teens. The librarian who invited me, Faith Rice, encouraged me to be as “hands-on” as possible instead of just lecturing, which suited me just fine — so I brought my surface water testing kit, turbidity tube, bucket, and assorted supplies in the hope that we could leave the library and do some sampling of the lovely, meandering lagoon of historic Sherman Park on Chicago’s South Side.

As I made the drive from Roosevelt in the Loop down to Garfield Avenue, it began to rain. Perfect, I thought, for an afternoon dedicated to talking about water — but the downside was that the rain caused some of the teens who walk or ride their bikes to the library to go home early before our 4pm session. Nevertheless, when I arrived I was welcomed by Faith’s  colleague, Lala, who got me set up in the lovely old library’s classroom and assured me we could step outside to the park and get a bucket of water for testing.

Aerial view of Sherman Park in Chicago (source: Google Earth)

I ended up ditching my planned slide presentation and just having a free-ranging conversation about water with three kids: Destiny, a high school senior; Tiara, an 8th-grader; and Lawrence, another 8th-grader. Despite not knowing me from Adam, they were very talkative and willing to share their knowledge about the water cycle, as I asked them to say what comes to mind when they hear the word “water.” We soon trekked outside with Lala to the nearby edge of the park’s lagoon, where we gathered a bucketful of water to do three trials with our turbidity tube outside in the intermittant drizzle. (Average reading was 9cm or 120NTU, which indicates a high level of turbidity — something obvious just from looking at the murky water.)

We took another bucketful of water back into the library’s classroom to do a few more quick tests before the kids needed to leave by 5pm. As we re-entered, we caught the attention of the security guard, who betrayed her interest in our somewhat noisy (and wet) experiments — so I invited her and an adult patron to join us. They let the kids do all the work, but we also chatted about their ideas and assumptions about the quality of water in the lagoon as well as the ongoing issue of lead contamination of Chicago’s drinking water.

The kids measured the temperature of the water (26 degrees C, a bit high for most aquatic life, but indicative of our near-shore sampling and the hot summer in Chicago); pH (8.9, fairly alkaline but still within an acceptable range); and nitrate (0-0.1ppm, a relatively low level of a nutrient that can cause harmful algal blooms). While we didn’t have time to conduct more comprehensive tests, the kids were able to assess the current water quality of the lagoon as “so-so” — OK in some respects, not so good in others — which pretty much jibes with most of my water quality sampling results on the Chicago River the last several years with my Roosevelt University students.

Beyond those quantitative assessments, though, what impressed me about the afternoon’s adventure was the importance of parklands and water bodies here in the vast urban landscape of Chicago. Just as the Sherman Park branch library is an oasis of education, literacy, and community programming (for kids and adults alike), so too are the meadows, woods, and lagoon of Sherman Park itself a vital natural resource for the neighborhood’s residents. Getting one’s feet a little muddy at the banks of the lagoon taking water samples drives that point home in a tangible (and fun) way.