Going green by digging into the earth
Geothermal homeowners reflect on the technology
By JILL O’MAHONY STEWART
The “green” conversation between lawyer Don Batterson and home builder Tom Sundling started on the sidelines of their kids’ ballgame. As soon as Batterson learned about geothermal heating and cooling, he was hooked. Since having geothermal installed in his newly renovated home, Batterson has been “extremely pleased with the decision to put it in.”
Triton dumping waste on Forest Preserve property
Illinois EPA sets Aug. 31 deadline for clean up
By BILL DWYER
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has ordered Triton College to removed numerous large piles of asphalt and other assorted waste materials that may include sewage sludge from Cook County Forest Preserve land adjacent to the college. Last week the IEPA paid a visit to the campus to survey the dump site after receiving an anonymous phone complaint.
I-GO helps Oak Parkers save green
Sharing program has four cars in Oak Park
By TERRY DEAN
Village Trustee Jan Pate hasn’t owned a car in about 10 years. For her, it’s worked out fine. She moved from South Carolina to Chicago in 1994. Though she still had a car at the time, she lived in the South Loop and was able to walk to work. If she needed to go anywhere else, like to O’Hare Airport, she took the el.
Lawnmowing unplugged
Short of a push reel mower, powered only by sweat, the electronic mower is about as greenest way of cutting the green as you can get. And Dressel’s Hardware, 1137 Chicago Ave., is one of the biggest retailers of cordless mowers around.
Paper, plastic or … your own bag?
By BEN MEYERSON
The Marion Street Cheese Market is best known for its wines and, well, cheeses. But you might not realize until you’re out of the store that the bag your gourmet goodies are in isn’t your standard plastic bag: it’s made of corn fiber, and it’s biodegradable.
Want fries with that fill-up?
Green transportation gurus use grease, legs to get around
By BEN MEYERSON
Jim Gill has a different approach to environmentally-friendly transportation. Gill has a car, but his Volkswagon is extremely fuel-efficient. Oh, and it runs on vegetable oil. Gill modified his 2000 Jetta from a standard diesel engine to one that switches to vegetable oil once it heats up.
Want to grow green?
1. The birds and bees Birds and insects pollinate about 80 percent of the world’s food, says Rose Getch of the National Gardening Association. You can help by planting a pollinator garden. Learn more at www.kidsgardening.com.
Oak Parkers going green block by block
Village-wide coordination to begin in the fall
By ALEX McLEESE
Residents of Oak Park should expect action on the environment along several fronts in the coming months. On a grassroots scale, local architect Michael Iversen’s five-part “Green Tuesdays” lecture series, held in April and attended by about 132 people, culminated in a “Green Block Initiative” in which residential blocks will coordinate their efforts to become more environmentally-friendly.
How can Oak Park be friendlier to bicyclists?
At Aug. 8 bike plan meeting public can share concerns, ideas
By MARTY STEMPNIAK
Ever pulled up to a destination on your bicycle, unable to find a rack in sight? Been nudged off the road by an intrusive car? Had your bike ride halted in its tracks by a cul-de-sac? Cyclists will get a chance to voice their concerns at 7 p.m. on Aug. 8, at the Oak Park Public Library. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is hosting the community meeting, which will allow locals to voice any ideas on how Oak Park can become more bike-friendly as part of its biking master plan.
Rickshaw Rick says, ‘I’m green, use me’
Like Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy being green.” Rick Carter-owner of Rickshaw Rick’s pedicab business-saw some struggles in his second year of business. “It’s going OK; I wouldn’t say it’s going great,” Carter said about his business in a recent phone interview. “People seem to not know what to do with me.”