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The Ecology Center wants to help you with great
“Green Solutions” this summer! Three of the classes
we will offer should help you create solutions to life’s
little challenges. These classes are Pest
Control, Re-purposing
Old Clothes and Beauty Products.
Karen Taira’s last eco-friendly beauty products class
at the Ecology Center was featured on CLTV’s
Metromix Web site; you have a second chance to attend
this popular class on August 13. You can discover other great
ways to be more ECO-logical as well as ECO-nomical. The next
time you’re at the Ecology Center, ask the staff for
a complimentary alternative cleaning methods recipe booklet.
We would like to invite you to stop in and meet our new Environmental
Educator, Claire Alden. She has taken on the “critter
crew” responsibilities, as well as the Nature Pals,
Tiny Trekkers and Small Fry Science classes. She also assists
our interns, volunteers, school and scout programs, and, of
course, special events and programs, in addition to other
classes as needed.
Claire’s sparkling personality and dedication to quality
environmental programming make her a wonderful addition to
the Ecology Center staff. We are thrilled to have her enthusiasm
and fresh ideas hard at work for our Center. Rounding out
our permanent staff are instructors Stan Antoine and Paige
Azuma; they are assisting with Home-School Science, children’s
birthday parties, special events and more. Of course, we are
all involved in summer camp: we love
camp!
Speaking of summer, staff will be very involved this summer
planning several major fall events. The Evanston Environmental
Association (EEA) collaborates with the Ecology Center staff,
other City departments and community business sponsors to
host the annual Green Living
Festival (Sat., Oct. 3), a fabulous day of environmental
and sustainable options! The Green Living Festival will inspire
you to get “greener” and live more sustainably!
We rely on volunteers to plan and conduct the festival, so
if you want to get a little involved for an hour or two on
that day or really want to pitch in and help plan, we would
love your assistance. Call 847/448-8256 or email
us.
Mark your calendars for our upcoming Duck Race and Pluck on
Sat., Sept. 26 from 3-5pm. You can sponsor a duck for $10
or buy a “Quack Pack of 3 ducks for $25 bucks.”
Proceeds benefit the EEA’s
support of the Ecology Center.
At press time, the Ladd Arboretum had entered phase one of
construction, but don’t let that deter you from spending
some time running, biking or walking in the Arboretum. The
Grady Bird Sanctuary awaits
a visit; bring your binoculars or borrow a pair from us. Inside
the Ecology Center, the “Animal
Room” is open most afternoons and Fridays for visits,
so stop in to see us this summer!
- The EcoStaff
Click here
to see our great new Summer 2009 Programs - some old favorites,
and some exciting new classes for the whole family!
For
other fun and exciting Evanston programs, click
this link for the City of Evanston's .
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In October 2006, the City of Evanston unanimously
voted to sign the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement.
Signed by over 800 cities nationwide (as of fall of 2008),
the agreement pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 7%
from the 1990 levels by 2012.
In the fall of 2007, Evanston completed a greenhouse
gas emission inventory which revealed a 13% reduction in Evanston
greenhouse gas emissions was needed by 2012 to meet this goal.
However, this is only a short-term goal. Long term, many support
the necessity of an 80% reduction from present emissions by
2050 to curb the effects of climate change.
The City of Evanston then partnered with the
Network for Evanston’s Future, a local coalition of
citizens’ groups, to jointly develop a climate action
plan through a citizen-based process. A climate action plan
outlines strategies for reducing a community's greenhouse
gas emissions.
Nine taskforces were formed, each co-chaired
by a City staff and two community members, to address the
following focus areas: land use and transportation, energy
efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction, food, the natural
environment and carbon offsets, policy and research, education
and communications.
At a community meeting attended by over 130
people in November 2007, residents were invited to join one
of the 9 taskforces. The taskforces spent six months researching
emission reducing measures, focusing on those that would be
most feasible for Evanston because of their associated emissions
reductions, cost, existing resources and community priorities.
In May 2008, the recommended strategies were
presented for community comment at an Earth Day event attended
by over 300 people.
The Evanston Climate Action Plan (ECAP) was
unanimously accepted by City Council on November 10, 2008.
Click here
for more information.
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Click here
to see what's in store for the Ladd Arboretum long term.
Multi-Purpose Room in use for the dedication of
the Grady Bird Sanctuary. The beautiful rug you see was purchased
with money donated by the Strout family. It is a tree rug with lots
of realistic animals and other natural things throughout.
Marking the end of a long but exciting
journey, we are happy to announce that the Evanston Environmental
Association just made the final payment on the new Multi-Purpose
Room. The EEA is very proud to have privately funded the
project and are deeply appreciative of the many donors, including
the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources Museum Capital Grants program (who gave us a grant
of $73,000). The final cost was $800,000. A heartfelt Thank You!
and Hurrah!
January 8, 2007 City Council meting where we make
the pay-off, with (left to right) Jean
Esch (EEA Board), Evanston
Mayor Lorraine Morton, Marti
Bjornson (EEA Board), Elizabeth O'Connor (EEA Board President),
Linda Lutz (Ecology Center Coordinator), Gordon
Guth (EEA Board), and Jan Weeks (EEA Board).
The journey began a decade ago, when the EEA Board
reviewed the needs of the Ecology Center. Programs were flourishing
and the Ecology Center had one room for programs, public meetings,
animal exhibits, and educational classes. The Board researched their
financial situation and made a proposal to the City of Evanston
in 1998 for a new addition to the Ecology Center.
Artist's rendering of the Ecology Center
with the Multi-Purpose Room. |
Then followed the process of
selecting an architectural firm, public meetings (12 of them!)
to gather ideas, comments, and opinions, soil testing, reviewing
bids, grant applications, getting bank loans, and working
through the City of Evanston to run the project.
On June 2, 2001 the EEA hosted the official groundbreaking
ceremony. On October 24, 2004 we celebrated the Grand Opening.
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The Multi-Purpose Room
and exhibit hallway are available for adult rentals. At 1,800 square
feet, it holds 112 people, and offers such amenities as a massive
wood-burning fireplace, a vaulted
ceiling with exposed wood beams, water and ADA-compliant
bathroom facilities. Click here
for more information, or call us at (847) 448-8256 to reserve it
today!
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Evanston residents
can rent garden plots from mid-March through mid-November through
the EvanstonCommunity Garden Rental Program. Click
here for more information on this fabulous program.
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In
the last year the quarantine area surrounding the initial
discoveries of the Emerald Ash Borer has widened to now include
the entire Northeastern Illiois area.
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The
first step in identifying the borer is to determine if a tree
is indeed an ash. Click
here for photos and descriptions of trees and borer.
The City of Evanston has developed a website to provide information
and support for the Emerald Ash Borer problem. Click
here to visit their site.
Ash trees have several green leaflets per leaf stem, usually
7. The leaflets are located directly across from each other
with one leaflet on the end. The leaf shape is “lanceolate,”
which means they are much longer than wide, broader below
the middle and tapering to the top. If the tree in question
is on public right-of-way (parkway) in Evanston, its species
may be verified by a call to the Parks/Forestry Division at
(847) 866-2912, since all such trees have been inventoried.
Staff continues to monitor the status of any
possible State funding assistance opportunities on a weekly
basis. To date, there have been no new programs announced,
nor any funding provided for grants or loans on the State
level.
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The Illinois Department of Agriculture has produced
this newsletter with updated information on the Emerald Ash
Borer (pdf). They also have designated a Web site with information
specific to Illinois' fight against the Emerald Ash Borer:
www.ILLINOISEAB.com
Other resources are the Morton Arboretum
Web site and www.emeraldashborer.info.
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The Keep Evanston Beautiful, Inc. (KEB) board decided to discontinue
the battery recycling program effective last fall. The board understands
that there are batteries already being collected and will need to
be processed and has made a committment to making sure the batteries
are disposed of properly. Sometimes change is good. Environmental
efforts and good stewardship by companies have taken the mercury
out of the most common household batteries such as alkaline. Also,
many companies that sell batteries with toxic substances, such as
lithium and button batteries, sponsor recycling efforts in their
stores.
Many Evanston residents return used household
batteries for recycling to the local fire station or the Evanston
Ecology Center to keep toxic chemicals from our environment. Good
stewardship practices by the manufacturers of batteries have produced
the batteries without toxic chemicals. Battery companies have worked
to eliminate mercury in the manufacturing of the most commonly used
batteries: alkaline, manganese, carbon zinc, and reuseable carbon
zinc.
Current recommendations state there is no toxicity
to alkaline and these other types of batteries. They do not need
to be recycled, and can be disposed of safely in the trash. The
cost of recycling batteries in Evanston has been paid for by Keep
Evanston Beautiful, Inc. (KEB) with the goal of reducing toxic wastes
in landfills. The non-toxic batteries compromise 80% of the batteries
that KEB pays to have recycled. This is a significant cost to KEB,
and an evaluation of the need for sponsorship of household battery
recycling is being conducted. At this point in time batteries will
no longer be collected at the fire station and Ecology Center drop
off points.
Do NOT dispose of button, lithium, nickel-cadmium
(rechargeable), sealed lead acid in the trash. These batteries contain
toxic chemicals and are considered household hazardous waste. Household
hazardous waste collections are sponsored by the Illinois EPA, and
the schedule is available on their website.
Check sources at KEB's website
or call 847/448-8256 ext 105.
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The Ecology Center continues to offer Birthday party programs and
rentals from September through May for children ages 4 years old
and up. The 45-60 minute program is a staff-led class involving
nature-oriented games and hands-on activities. Following the program,
the room is open for another hour during which you can have treats,
presents, and activities of your own. Click
here for details on themes, prices and guidelines.
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The Evanston Environmental
Association is an independent yet dedicated non-profit organization
that provides financial support and advocacy for environmental and
ecological issues of importance to the Evanston community.
Join the EEA to sustain and promote
the health and growth of the programs offered by the Ecology Center.
And take advantage of all of the EEA's
great membership benefits, including discounts on classes,
camps, bookstore and birdseed purchases,
and the newsletter. Give a membership
as a gift and a new gift membership letter will be sent out promptly
listing you as the gift giver.
Click here for more information, or to join
today!
Elizabeth O'Connor, president
Marti Bjornson
Jean Esch
Gordon Guth
Hal Oates
Don Opitz
H. Zane Robbins
Fred Schneider
Charles Smith
Click
here
for a copy of the EEA's annual report.
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The
Ecology Center is open as follows:
Memorial Day
through Labor Day - Monday through Friday 9:00am-4:30pm
Labor
Day through Memorial Day - Monday through Saturday 9:00am-4:30pm
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Let the Ecology
Center staff help your group earn their badge, pin or patch! Programs
can be tailored to the specific needs of your group. For information
call at 847/448-8256.
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Household
hazardous waste disposal in Illinois is done in line with guidelines
set by the Illinois Department of the Environment. For more information
on the Household Hazardous Waste Collections call The Solid Waste
Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) at (847)336-9340, or visit
the The Solid Waste Agency of Cook County (SWANCC)
website,
or visit the Illinois EPA
website.
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When she joined the Ecology Center, they had one camp, Wildflower,
which had been started in the late 1970’s with about
two dozen campers. Today the camp program has six different
camps and something like 450 campers. That’s quite an
accomplishment!
When Linda was beginning her second decade with
the Ecology Center, the EEA board voted, with Linda’s
support and guidance, to investigate the possibility of expanding
the Ecology Center facility. The space could only accommodate
one program at a time, and that included sharing space with
the Center’s Critters. “It would be kind of embarrassing,”
says Linda, “to have a public meeting or educational
program going on and hear the guinea pigs squeaking and the
mice running around in the background.”
With Linda’s help, the EEA board made
a proposal to the City of Evanston in 1998 for a new addition.
Linda spent the next six years selecting architects, meeting
with the public (12 meetings!), wrestling with contractors,
testing soil, working with the city, and getting grants and
loans. But her work paid off. The official groundbreaking
ceremony was in June 2001, and by October 2004 we celebrated
the Grand Opening.
The new addition holds 112 people in its lovely
1,800 square feet, and boasts a massive wood-burning fireplace
and vaulted ceiling with exposed wood beams as well as ADA-compliant
bathroom facilities. Yay, Linda!
Some of her many other accomplishments include:
- Hosting the first-ever Green Living Festival
in 2007 (another one is coming up in October!).
“We can’t just be reactive,” says Linda,
“we need to be positive!” The festival, she
says, “is a great opportunity to showcase the environment
and make the EEA more prominent in the community.”
- Launching the popular Ecology Center Garage
Sale, Reduce Reuse and Recycle, now in its 7th year.
- Managing 6 years of the successful Duck Race
and Pluck to help sponsor the Ecology Center’s Critters.
- Continuing the tradition of the Dried Flower
Sale, which ran for almost 30 years.
- Constantly working on fundraising. This included
enough to pay off the entire mortgage for the new addition.
Most recently, it also included securing a 5-year legacy
grant of $25,000/year for the Elizabeth Archer Patterson
Environmental Education Awareness project, held by the Evanston
Community Foundation under the EEA.
- and working with the EEA board to create
this website.
Mostly, though, Linda is proud of the work she
has done “integrating what we do with the community.”
She says the Ecology Center interacts with hundreds of families:
“Whether it’s to help with leaf collection, do
an internship or community service, attend a camp or program,
we’ve really embraced the community and created a lot
of partnerships.”
Charles Smith, long time EEA board member, Ladd
Arboretum Committee member and friend, has collaborated with
Linda on many projects. “Because of Linda’s hard
work and good management the Evanston Ecology Center will
continue to serve our community with wonderful youth camps,
a beautiful new meeting facility and of course our 17 acre
woods. I am grateful for Linda’s leadership and friendship.”
As a consistent champion of the Ecology Center,
Charles says when there were attempts to cut programs or reduce
resources Linda found a way to eliminate or reduce the cuts
and find new resources. “Linda has been a good steward
for the Ladd Arboretum, Environment Board, the Evanston Environmental
Association and all things green. With foresight and vision
she saw the big picture and was able to balance the interests
of all who strived for a greener Evanston.”
Karen Taira, one of two Environmental Educators
at the Ecology Center, says, “Linda has been the single
most influential person in my 12 year career at the Ecology
Center. She manages the Ecology Center with the perfect balance
of what’s best for the staff and what’s best for
the Center and the City. She is a great advocate for the staff
and leads with a positive and diplomatic style. She will be
truly missed by all.”
Beth Cullen, office manager at the Ecology Center
since 2001, says, “Because of Linda’s leadership,
the Ecology Center is a fun and happy place to work. It’s
like being part of a great extended family! She is never afraid
of trying new things and always encourages the EcoStaff to
stretch our wings and fly. She has mentored many Ecology Center
employees over her 20 years of service with the City of Evanston;
and many come back to visit or call to say “hi.”
It has been my pleasure and privilege to work with this amazing
person for the last seven years.”
But there’s more to Linda then all this.
She is married, with two almost-grown boys. She’s an
avid outdoorswoman, knitter and photographer, and recently
began taking classes on fabric dyeing. Says Beth, “Linda
is generous in sharing her creations with the Ecostaff: we
are decked out all winter in her amazing “Luna Knits”,
and staff parties are never complete without a Linda-inspired
craft project.”
Linda got her BS in Anthropology/Sociology from
Kalamazoo College and her MS in Natural Resources from the
University of Michigan. She taught and directed residential
environmental education facilities in Maine, Massachusetts
and New Hampshire for five years, and was Manager of Education
at the Chicago Botanic Garden for four years. She also taught
Junior High science for two years.
In addition, Linda is very active in the community.
She is a member of the Traveler’s Garden Club, the National
Parks and Recreation Association, Rotary Club of Evanston,
the American Canoeing Association, and she’s the current
president of the Evanston Garden Council.
We will all miss her, but wish her well
as she searches for her next adventure. As Linda says, with
a grin on her face, no matter how hard the day has been, “Rock
‘n Roll!”
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How much energy does it takes
to light a standard bulb versus a
compact fluorescent light bulb?
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Fred Schneider, the 2008 Green Living Festival
chair, took an electric car for a test drive in 2007. |
There were about 50 vendors to educate
us
about their environmental products or services.
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There were kids’ activities all
day, both indoors
and in the Ladd Arboretum! |
Festivalgoers who ride their bicycles
or walk to the Evanston Ecology Center received a small token
of appreciation.
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Carla and Jim La Rochelle stop by the rain barrel display.
Rain barrels have been in short supply this summer, but the
EEA ordered 50 to sell at this year’s festival.
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The stream in our beautiful Grady Bird Sanctuary, dedicated
September 2006 |
Mayor Morton, Richard Peach and friends and well-wishers
at Rotary Friendship Circle dedication |
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Grady family and friends at the Grady Bird Sanctuary dedication
September 2006 |
Pat Frank and grandchildren unveiling the Memorial Stone
at the dedication |
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Memorial Stone
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EEA life members Pat and Jerry Frank with appreciation plaque
from the EEA |
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