Take part in the circular economy at your place of work. Try this Reuse Initiative from Rheaply.
Go Circular
Garden
Plant a Climate Victory Garden to sequester carbon and provide healthy food for your family. Register your garden on Green America’s Victory Garden map.
Ditch fast fashion
Shop for your clothes consciously to ensure they are produced responsibly. Check out Majamas.
Compost
Sign up for food scrap pick up at your home or business. Collective Resource, Inc., or The Urban Canopy work to reduce greenhouse gases by diverting food scraps from landfills. They offer door-to-door collection services for homes, offices, and restaurants throughout Chicagoland. Or connect with the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition.
Ride Your Bike
Let bike riders know you appreciate + see them, with a wave or nod, whether you're driving, riding, or walking.
Give away bikes
Donate your bicycles to Working Bikes to further their mission of empowerment in Chicago and abroad. Visit their website to learn more (collections temporarily paused).
Play Bike Bingo
Print out the bingo card at https://bit.ly/OEFFbikebingo.
Grow Veggies
Grow a better garden. Let the Deep Roots Project help with your edible gardening needs like custom-built raised garden beds and Super Growth Garden Soil. They also offer delivery and installation. Call 773-502-5600 and ask for David. See products here.
Volunteer
Volunteer at the River Forest Recycling Extravaganza in early May. Help sort materials, unload cars or deliver collections to local partners. Contact [email protected] for more information (but on hold in 2020 due to coronoavirus).
Eat Closer to the Land
Choose foods that are produced closer to home, eat more plant-based meals or consider going full-out vegetarian or vegan. Or purchase food from farms practicing regenerative farming, biodiversity, and humane raising of animals. All contribute to sequestering carbon and to drawdown. For more information, visit/contact Sugar Beet Food Co-op in Oak Park, The Urban Canopy, in Chicago or Iyabo Organic Farm.
Support Local Farmers
Support environmentally responsible farmers. As an environmentally responsible Illinois livestock producing farm, Arnolds Farm encourages people to support them and other farms striving to produce animals and plant-based foods by purchasing directly from the farmers. For more information, visit www.arnoldsfarm.com
Reduce Food Waste
Buy only what you need, store for maximum freshness, use freshest food first. Rescue imperfect produce + sign up for CSAs. More tips: https://bit.ly/FoodWasteReductionTips.
Review Water Resources
Spend 20 minutes exploring local water quality and conservation resources on Green Community Connections’ website.
Reduce Energy
Attend a virtual Workshop, “Save Energy & Money,” by Elevate Energy, or increase the efficiency of your home or apartment with Elevate Energy’s programs elevateenergy.org/programs.