Happy Earth Month! This April, we invite you to join us in improving the environmental health of our ward, our city, and our planet. Here are some ways to celebrate Earth Month in the 40th Ward:
Participate in a Park Cleanup
Friends of the Park are hosting cleanups at parks across the 40th Ward on Earth Day, April 20th from 9am- 12pm. Sign up for a park clean-up near you below:
- Gross Park (2708 W Lawrence Ave): Sign up here
- Jacob Playlot (4674 N Virginia Ave): Sign up here
- Ravenswood Manor Park (4626 N Manor Ave): Sign up here
- River Park (5100 N Francisco Ave): Sign up here
- West Ridge Nature Park (5801 N Western Ave): Sign up here
- Winnemac Park (5100 N Leavitt St): Sign up here
For more information and a full list of park locations, visit the Friends of the Park website.
Try Composting
Composting is a great and easy way to make the earth a little healthier: it keeps food scraps out of landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and recycles nutrients that help make our soil healthier.
Interested in trying composting, but not sure where to start? The City of Chicago recently launched a citywide Food Scrap Drop-Off Program, and one of the locations is in the 40th Ward! You can drop off your food scraps at 5333 N. Western Ave anytime, for free.
See below for a list of what you can (and can’t) drop off:
Accepted: Food Only!
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Cooked food
- Meat, fish, bones
- Dairy (cheese and yogurt
- Eggshells
- Bread and grains
- Coffee grounds & tea leaves (please remove all filters!)
Not Accepted
- Bags of any kind (not even compostable bags!)
- Pet waste
- Napkins or paper
- Foodware or packaging
- Yard waste
- Pizza boxes
- Liquids
- Produce stickers
- Rubber bands
Go Meatless on Mondays
Research shows that reducing the amount of meat you eat, even by one day a week, can have a huge impact on planetary (and human) health. Eating less meat can reduce our collective carbon footprint, save water, and a host of other environmental benefits.
Celebrate Meatless Mondays at one of the vegetarian or vegan restaurants in the 40th Ward, like Cafe Mas or Penelope’s Taqueria!
Support Local Resale Businesses
Buying resale instead of buying new is one of the best things you can do for the planet: it ensures that the things we buy continue to be in use instead of ending up in a landfill, and it reduces the carbon emissions and water use that manufacturing new products can cause.
This month, consider supporting one of the local resale businesses in the 40th Ward:
- Family Tree Resale (5066 N Lincoln Ave)
- Brown Elephant (5404 N Clark St)
- Buffalo Exchange (5252 N Clark St)
Consider Going Electric
If you’re a homeowner, you might also consider transitioning your home to run on electric! By switching out technologies that use fossil fuels to those that use electricity, you can reduce your home’s carbon emissions. There are many resources and incentives available for homeowners to switch out their appliances and utilities that run on gas—like your furnace, water heater, dryer, and stove—to those that run on electric.
Our office recently toured an all-electric home to learn about the benefits of going electric: from reducing your utility bills to as low as $17 a month, to breathing cleaner air, to enjoying a more comfortable home—all while tackling climate change.
Interested in Interested in converting your home to run on all electricity? Visit the 40th Ward Environmental Board’s Home Electrification page for support and resources!