Chicago Green
Events Calendars
Chicagoland Gardening Magazine
Get the dirt on seminars, outings and gardening talks throughout the Midwest—and submit your own! The Chicagoland Gardening Magazine website has events listed by region, and you can also peek at the current edition of the magazine which features a column by none other than Mike “The Gardening Column Guru” Nowak himself.Fresh Taste
This is the source for local food events and more, from farmers' markets to special recycling days and place.A Fresh Squeeze
Celebrate Chicago (and the ‘burbs too!). Here's a look at the eco-events, healthy happenings and clean conferences you won't want to miss.The Chicagoland Environmental Network
Get the word on star-gazing workshops, snow-flea hunts, and learn more about the over 200 organizations that make up the Chicagoland Environmental Network. Along with its events calendar, the site has links to its member organizations, from the Alliance for the Great Lakes to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center.Good Food for All
Lectures, film screenings, tastings and more, Good Food For All lists healthy-living events across Chicago for every day of the month. Submit your own green event to help spread the good word!Mindful Metropolis
A calendar of cycle swaps, farmer's markets and discussions with authors and mystics—brought to you by Mindful Metropolis magazine.Chicago Environmental Activism Meet-Ups
Link up with groups such as the Chicago Rainforest Action Network and ChicagoVeg Kids for a meeting of the minds or to attend the next action!Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District deserves some flowers for putting all the park events in one place—listed by the month, so you can see what's on the horizon. Get the scoop on owl education workshops at Northerly Island, Concerts in the Parks, and neighborhood organic plant sales.Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Trail work days, nature story time…there's a lot happening in the natural environs of Cook County.The Local Beet
The Local Beet has released their 2011 list of Chicago area CSA,s or Community Supported Agricultur,e produced by Wendy Aeschlimann. They made a very big list in 2010 then made it bigger in 2011, and then when it seemed as full as full can be, their scouts Robin Schirmer and Wendy found even more.And also of interest . . .
One Seed Chicago
“As One Book, One Chicago is to reading, One Seed Chicago is to urban greening.” So expect to find info on seed swaps and seed…popularity contests? Yep! If you vote for your fave seed between January and April, you get a pack of free seeds in the mail. (Mr. Nowak has been an overzealous champion of Swiss chard for 2011…you have been forewarned.) Check the year-round events to help get you planting, and subscribe to the e-newsletter to stay updated.Chicago Critical Mass
If you've never been on a Critical Mass bike ride, it's an experience—hundreds of cyclists take over the streets the last Friday of every month (rain, snow or shine, though we can't vouch for blizzard). The Chicago Critical Mass website lists the info of each upcoming “mass,” and it also links to Bike Winter sites and other Critical Mass sites across the country.
Urban Worm Girl
The Chicago mouthpiece of worm composting, Urban Worm Girl posts not only her own appearances, but also niche neighborhood events.Green Festival
The annual Green Festival—packed with demos, tastings, products and lifestyle options—lands in Chicago in the spring, and five other cities throughout the year. Check out upcoming festival dates, and also the online list of vendors, a robust grouping of local and national businesses trying to make a difference.Chicago Botanic Garden
You probably know how fab(bulb)ulous the Chicago Botanic Garden is—but did you know about all the classes they offer? For kids, adults and families, from community gardening to making your own beeswax candles.
Garfield Farm Museum
Apple-tree grafting seminars and antique shows, anyone? Garfield Park Museum near Geneva, IL is packed with events throughout the year.Sid's Greenhouse
On-site garden expos, planting festivals and more, the experts at Sid's Greenhouse will plant you on the right track! Check the homepage for daily gardening tips!Millennium Park
Like you need a reason to head to Millennium Park—but here is a bushel of them, whether you want to dance, ice-skate or listen to live music. Oh, and you'll see the Millennium Park Twitter feed too, looks like a good bird to follow!Check out the Lurie Garden site too, for upcoming lectures and visiting experts.
Active Transportation Alliance
“Chicagoland's voice for better biking, walking and transit”? Heck yeah! Sign up for the Active Transportation Alliance e-mail updates so that you're not sitting around wondering how you missed out on Bike the Drive—again.Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Yes, yes, the museum's Judy Istock Butterfly Haven is so fly! (Did you know you can do yoga there?) But the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum also offers all kinds of animal and nature workshops for kids, adults and the whole family.Green City Market
Chicago's only year-round farmer's market! Need we say more? (Okay we will—check the site for dates, locations, upcoming chef demonstrations and even recipes. Yum.)Lamb's Farm
Lambs Farm is located in Libertyville, IL—but not necessarily all of their events. While you can visit the website to find out when the next delectable farm dinner is (or when the trains from Valley Model Railroads are visiting next!), you can also find out about events around Chicagoland that help support the farm, which is a non-profit organization serving adults with developmental disabilities.Slow Food Chicago
The Chicago chapter of Slow Food USA has info on getting healthier “slow” food into schools, and programs like the Ark of Taste—which catalogs what fruits and veggies are at risk of extinction, due to forces such as the regulation of large-scale distribution. Sign up for the newsletter and stay in the loop about events such as the annual Midwest Real Food Summit.Urban Habitat Chicago
Want to help decorate a parking space for a day? Find out about urban landscape/agriculture events, and get in on the sustainability discussion with Urban Habitat Chicago. The topics of their lecture series are vast—and the talks are free!REI
REI is not just a place to buy water bottles and rent skis—the outdoor retailer sponsors a roster of workshops and outings, many of them free and handily logged on the website. Here's a link to the Lincoln Park store in Chicago, which also links to store websites in Oak Brook Terrace, Northbrook and Schaumburg, IL. But type in any location in the Midwest—or even across the country—to find out about workshops on pet safety in the outdoors, worm composting and cold-weather camping.FamilyFarmed Expo
“The Midwest's Premier Good Food Event” only happens once a year—for a few days in the spring—so don't miss it. Whether you're a business owner and want some exposure, or just a regular Joe/Jane looking for some “localicious” culinary experiences, the FamilyFarmed Expo is croptastic.Working Bike Collective
Need a bike? Or want to donate one? Or maybe learn how to fix it?