The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), in cooperation with the Office of the Governor, has honored organizations for their efforts in sustainability and pollution prevention since 1987. Sustainability is achieved through activities that satisfy today’s needs without diminishing the prospects of future generations. At ISTC, we believe Continue reading »
New starting date – classes begin Wed. October 27th. Members are eligible to receive 10% of DePaul University’s Certificate in Sustainability. Continue reading »
The Chicago Public Library is having a free open house. Business Librarians will be on hand to showcase all the Library has to offer small businesses including:
Tue, 9/28
11am-1pm
Harold Washington Library Center
400 S State St, 4th Floor, Business Department
US Department of Energy Webinar: Low-to-No Cost Strategy for Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings
This webinar is using the Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools Operations and Maintenance Guide as a resource. The DOE offers free online training to help you improve the energy performance of your organization. No travel, no lost time out of the office, and no cost.
Today, 9/14
2-3pm EST
Free
Find out what the Dutch already know!
Hear bicycling experts from the Netherlands visiting Chicago discuss, brainstorm, and identify solutions to make Chicago the Amsterdam of the Midwest.
Free but RSVP required.
Learn more.
At its 8th Annual dinner, IEC recognizes key environmental leaders and hears from invited gubernatorial and US Senate candidates. This year’s leadership award recipients are Sen. Don Harmon, Rep. Will Burns, and Rep. Beth Coulson and Merchandise Mart Properties. This is a great networking event involving representatives from NGOs, government, and the business community.
Wed, September 29, 2010
Reception: 5:30pm, cash bar
Dinner & Program: 7-9pm
Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, a Gold LEED Hotel
350 W Mart Center Drive, 14th floor
Sponsors to date include MEEA, ComEd, Boeing, Nalco, ELPC, Sierra Club, Entrix, Walgreens, Sieben Energy Associates, Constellation, CNT/I-GO, CNT Energy, IL Land Preservation groups, Waste Management, and Unilock.
The IEC and IECEF have addressed many environmental challenges in the last four decades. This legislative session, a dozen IEC-supported bills passed, including accelerating investment in solar power, enabling homeowner and condo associations to install solar power, restricting the application of fertilizers containing phosphorus, and additional legislation to reduce human exposure to products containing mercury. The IEC held off an attempt to add tire burning to the State’s definition of renewable energy. Past successes include reopening our state parks and securing and protecting millions of dollars dedicated to open space and natural areas acquisition.
1-Day Technology Conference for Small Business
Wednesday, October 6th from 9:30-4:pm, come to UIC Forum: 725 W Roosevelt, Chicago, and attend workshops on:
- Social media
- Cloud Computing
- Website Development
- Web/Mobile Applications and More.
Registration fee $35 (includes lunch and parking).
More information and to register to attend or to register as an exhibitor here.
FSBA Partner Event
The award-winning Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and trade show dedicated to green building, is coming to Chicago November 17–19, 2010. Join the nearly 30,000 members of the green building community at this year’s conference, which will feature more than 2,000 green building exhibits and presentations by hundreds of business, environmental and social leaders.
Despite wind installations quadrupling in the period from 2005-09 and the industry’s unprecedented growth defying all the odds during the recession, 2011 is set to be a challenging year for the US wind power industry. Although it is true that major US utilities are increasing direct investments in the renewable energy sector due to more cost effective strategies, beneficial tax credits and incentives at both the state and federal level, and pressure to meet renewable portfolio standards, nevertheless, in order to retain its competitive edge, the US must continue its development of domestic manufacturing facilities.
Much progress has been made with regard to establishing and expanding factories for the most costly components to import such as towers, blades and nacelles. However, there is much work to be done to ensure that investments are made to allow existing suppliers to expand their operations and enable auto manufacturers and others to retool to provide such key elements assembling nacelles, and producing generators, gearboxes, direct drives and sub-components such as electrical mechanisms, bearings and hydraulic systems to meet the inevitable growth in demand, which will be bolstered by the potential of offshore projects being tapped into in the near future.
None of this can be achieved without the addition of key regulatory reforms, transmission grid upgrades and long-term stable policy commitments from authorities at federal and state levels without which, the USA will see itself fall behind it chief competitors of Europe and Asia.
Join Green Power Conferences in November 2010 for what promises to the most informative meeting going into 2011 where policy-makers, utilities, operators, developers, suppliers, and component makers will convene to provide the most up-to-date announcements on policy and long-term strategies for establishing competitive domestic wind power manufacturing facilities.
Agenda.
Register here.
Business Start-Up Certificate Program
Learn the essentials of starting and operating a business. Attend nine workshops and earn a Business Start-Up Certificate issued by the City Colleges of Chicago.
Learn more.
Small Business Solution Station
This program provides small businesses with direct access to business planning assistance, free legal services and business loans. It is made possible through a partnership between the City and non-profit agencies that assist small businesses: SCORE (Counselors to America’s Small Business), ACCION Chicago and The Community Economic Development Law Project.
The program is open from 9:30am – 3:00pm Tuesday – Thursday in City Hall room 800. An appointment is not necessary but recommended by calling 312-744-5506.
Learn more.