WEEK 5 wrap up
Another packed week! The tempo of the summer is quickening somewhat relentlessly. Yay! But the USDS squad is a resilient bunch and up to the challenge.
In the Bubble
On Monday, we discussed the book In the Bubble, by John Thackara. Technology and production are accelerating at a phenomenal pace, and here Thackara examines the virtues and dangers of living in an age defined by information and constant growth, most notably that we are too often placing more value on products than on people.
Field Trips Galore
This week we met several individuals who are making unique and profound contributions to Chicago’s sustainability efforts. On Tuesday, we talked to Nancy Fishman, executive director of the Grand Victoria Foundation, a philanthropic organization that is taking a progressive approach to funding projects in the areas of education, economic development and the environment. The foundation forms partnerships and creates networks of organizations to produce smarter, collaborative solutions.
Wendesday we met Gary Arnold, who is the Public Relations Coordinator at Access Living. Access Living is a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities. Its mission is to foster the dignity, pride, and self-esteem of people with disabilities and to enhance the options available to them.
Finally, on Thursday we met Marilyn Jones, who owns and runs Consolidated Printing, a unique and extremely rare model of green printing. At Consolidated, sustainability goes “well beyond recycled paper and soy ink” – They have completely eliminated toxic chemicals from every phase of the printing process. They show great leadership and ingenuity in the field, and it was inspiring to hear how the company grew from a basement operation to a hugely successful model of sustainable business practices.
Projects
This week was the culmination of the Green Market’s group hard work! Presented with the problem of increasing fresh food access to residents of the 47th Ward, the Green Market group researched existing food access in the ward, demographics of the ward, existing public markets from Seattle to Milwaukee, and developed several proposals for Alderman Gene Schulter to consider for a public market in Ward 47. All of the members of the group were a bit anxious prior to the meeting, but everyone in Gene Schulter’s office was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The meeting was conducted informally with Alderman Schulter, 6 members from neighborhood Chambers of Commerce, the Alderman’s assistant, Peter, and the Green Market group all assembled around a table. Several interns from the Alderman’s office looked on admiringly. The Green Market group, which consisted of Amanda, Andrea, Anna, Sandeep, and Sonja, gave a compelling and concise presentation of their findings. Everyone was poised and confident in their speaking parts, and the discussion that followed built upon our presentation and helped the Alderman identifiy places to start in order to bring a public market to fruition. Go Green Market-ers!
The groups have also begun to dig into the work of the two longer term projects: Plastic Bag Reduction and Crossing Communities Protocol. We are all deep in research, reading, and the production of brilliant ideas, and there will be more to report on these soon.