News for April, 2006
Friday, April 28th, 2006
The Chicago Wilderness CW consortium released The State of Our Chicago Wilderness: A Report Card on the Health of the Region’s Ecosystems. Several years in the making, the Report Card assesses the state of local natural communities and makes recommendations to CW members and outside stakeholders on how to improve the grades assigned. While most of the grades are low — mainly Cs and Ds — they would be even lower were it not for the diligent efforts of local groups working to restore natural communities to health and maintain them for future generations.
CNT served on the working group that guided the entire report card process, in addition to contributing data analysis and mapping. Chapter seven in particular, on sustainability, showcases a number of CNT’s maps and ideas.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
The wildflowers are blooming in CNT’s garden of plants native to Illinois. Virginia bluebells and blood root, shown to the right, were the first flowers to appear in April, brightening the green space just to the east of our building. Other plants are growing at an almost visible rate, including columbine, wild ginger and cup plant. And on April 18, staff spotted a pair of downy woodpeckers among the blossoming flowers.
CNT’s native garden is an important feature of our green building. Not only do the indigenous plants not require watering, they contribute to the overall cooling effect the garden provides to the neighborhood.
Click “More” below to see more photos.
Read more »
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, April 21st, 2006
CNT and I-GO joined the City of Chicago for its Earth Day celebration on Wednesday March 19 at Daley Plaza. Mayor Daley presented the city’s Environmental Action Plan for the upcoming year, and CNT representatives were on hand as VIPs in acknowledgement of CNT’s leadership on sustainability issues. CNT is also a community partner in the the Chicago Conservation Corps C3, the Department of Environment’s newest volunteer program. The Corps is made up of Chicagoans engaged in grassroots environmental action in their communities and throughout the City.
I-GO was also there to celebrate and spread the word about the virtues of car sharing. I-GO even tried to recruit a VIP of its own …
Read more »
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Thursday, April 20th, 2006
4240 Architecture, which shares CNT’s commitment to developing sustainable communities,will donate proceeds from a silent auction of bouquets by celebrity designer Bukiety to benefit CNT’s ongoing programs. The auction takes place on the occasion of 4240’s anniversary celebration on May 1, 2006.
4240 is an architecture, interiors and planning firm that designs buildings, community frameworks and spaces for diverse urban settings, interiors and resorts. The firm creates meaningful architecture that brings value to its clients and improves the environment.
Tom Brauer is the Managing Principal of the Chicago office. Senior Associate Robert Benson is Design Lead and Senior Associate Geoffrey S. Brooksher is Technical Lead the other 4240 office is in Denver. Chicago clients include Aurora Health Care, East West Partners, Peace Lutheran Church, the Poetry Foundation, the Quixote Corporation and the Spencer Foundation.
4240 Architecture can be contacted at 312.341.1155 or on the web.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, April 14th, 2006
CNT’s Jacky Grimshaw testified last week before the Transit Management and Performance Subcommittee of the Illinois General Assembly’s Committee on Mass Transit.
The subcommittee is working to differentiate performance data and measures that will be useful to various transit stakeholders: funders, including the federal government; the governing boards; and the general public. Jacky argued for a different set of performance measures and level of accountability for each of the stakeholders. For example, the riding public might like transit agencies held accountable to one set of measures — Do the trains and buses run on time? Are stations safe? Are they clean? — while the the federal government might need a different set of measures.
The subcommittee is planning to make recommendations for performance standards and accountability/transparency measures that should be coupled with any additional operations and capital funding the transit agencies receive.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Thursday, April 13th, 2006
Illinois will soon become the first state to link the granting of economic development subsidies to the provision of jobs that are accessible by public transit and/or close to affordable housing. The Business Location Efficiency Incentive Act, which awaits the signature of Governor Blagojevich, is intended to encourage companies that receive public subsidies to make siting decisions that create more job opportunities for workers who cannot afford a car, avoid costly new infrastructure expenses, reduce sprawl and promote more affordable housing. CNT was among the coalition members, spearheaded by Good Jobs First, that helped make this possible. It represents one more tool in the toolbox of ways to overcome illogical development that sites jobs far from housing and offers no connectivity between the two other than a private automobile.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, April 10th, 2006
On Friday, Illinois lawmakers passed an important piece of legislation sure to get the attention of states across the country interested in strategies for energy-efficiency. The General Assembly approved a bill to allow electric utilities of a certain size — those with more than 100,000 customers — to allow residential customers to select a real-time electricity rate. If the Governor signs the bill, which he is expected to, Illinois will become the first state in the country to make real-time prices available to all customers, including residential ones. The bill is intended to give consumers more choice and a way to manage their costs, as well as improve overall electricity system performance and the environment to boot — all by reducing peak electricity demand. Provisions called for in the bill are similar to the structure of the Community Energy Cooperative’s pilot Energy-Smart Pricing Plan ESPP, the nation’s first extensive residential real-time electricity pricing program.
Read the Cooperative’s press release, as well as coverage from the energy publication Restructuring Today.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, April 7th, 2006
The Funder’s Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities was in town this week and CNT played an active part in the meeting. CNT’s Jacky Grimshaw was tapped to be part of a panel on the new Regional Planning Board. Jacky discussed the continuing importance of public involvement in the Board’s activities and reflected on the Chicagoland Transportation & Air Quality Commission’s role in advocating for the creation of the Board since 1995.
And CNT’s work in the south suburbs, part of its Smart Growth in Older Communities Initiative, was featured on one of the conference tours. CNT’s David Chandler gave a lucky group of funders a tour of Blue Island, a working-class community which is now primed to spur redevelopment by using its rich passenger and freight rail assets. Participants met with a number of leaders from the city, toured several different districts and even visited a real working intermodal yard on the ride down. CNT’s current work with Blue Island is to help the city implement the redevelopment plan that was recently drawn up with CNT’s help.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, April 3rd, 2006
CNT is one of the numerous Chicago-based organizations and businesses whose environmental achievements are on display at O’Hare and Midway Airports through the month of April. CNT has a kiosk located in Terminal 3 American Airlines near Gate H2. Not traveling? You can still read about CNT’s leadership in Green Building, Green Communities and Green Information highlighted in the kiosk.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
