A Toast to Studs Terkel, from CNT

CNT joins people all around the world to mourn the loss of Studs Terkel. CNT has fond memories of Studs, most especially at an event we hosted in honor of him back in 1991, “A Toast to Studs Terkel”. The event, held at the Bismarck Hotel (now the Cadillac Theatre) hosted an array of admirers—Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, and CNT Staff sat around checkerboard-adorned tables (in honor of Studs’ favorite shirt pattern) and listened to Studs talk about his life of making interesting stories out of everyday lives. Among the hundreds of attendees, a German exchange student that CNT was hosting was most thrilled to learn about and meet Studs and left that night a fan. It was a lovely affair that many current CNT staff still remember fondly. We still hang the big red, checkered banner from the event proudly in our office.

Congratulations to President-Elect and Former Board Member, Senator Barack Obama

On Tuesday night, history was made in electing the nation’s first African-American President, Barack Obama. CNT is especially proud to note that President-Elect Obama spent part of his time in Chicago as a CNT Board member.

President-Elect Obama won the election, in large part, by inspiring new individuals to mobilize and vote. His well-run campaign was attributed to the skills he developed as a community organizer on the south side of Chicago. When he served on CNT’s board from 1993-1994, he was part of a group of dedicated individuals who used their skills to creatively inspire and empower people to reinvest in Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. He participated in developing and adopting strategies that positioned CNT at the intersection of environment and community development. This experience in building coalitions will bring a unique perspective to the Presidency of the United States-perhaps the most insightful of any other President-to the urban issues of America’s cities. CNT is proud to be an ally in promoting the assets of urban areas-people, networks and resources-as solutions to eminent issues like climate change, housing foreclosures and unaffordable gas prices.

CNT’s 30th a Great Success!

Read on about the event

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CNT Research Key to City of Chicago’s Climate Action Plan

For the first time, the City of Chicago has hard data on its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a broad portfolio of reduction strategies to inform efforts to curb its contribution to climate change. Commissioned by the city to help create its recently released Climate Action Plan, CNT conducted the emissions and mitigation-strategies research to reach the city’s emission reduction target of 25% below 1990 levels by the year 2020.

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Come Celebrate CNT’s 30 Years!

CNT was founded in 1978 as a center of innovation for the redevelopment of Chicago’s low- and moderate income communities. Run out of a small storefront with tomatoes growing in the windows, our goal was to invent strategies that could turn community problems into assets. We’ve since grown to a national “think-and-do” tank that is leading the movement toward urban sustainability, with programs focusing on resource efficiency, transportation, job creation, and environmental quality.

Join us in celebrating our first 30 years of urban sustainability innovations at our 30th Anniversary Celebration on September 17th at the Garfield Park Conservatory! (Download an invitation).

• Purchase tickets

• Sponsor the event (online link or pdf information form)

• Buy an ad for the program (pdf)

Questions? Contact Nicole Gotthelf.

Support CNT + Learn about Sustainability Issues

Looking for another way to support CNT? A Fresh Squeeze is a great resource for living more sustainably. Twice a week, their free email newsletter contains useful, comprehensible information on green living. What makes A Fresh Squeeze worth subscribing to is that they do not just promote ‘green’ products, but they write about the larger implications of a topic - food and health, home and gardening, style and leisure, and transportation. Each update balances information and tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle with policy information around the issues, while encouraging participation with an events calendar and an online forum to discuss.

And here’s where you can help support CNT: For every new subscriber using this link, A Fresh Squeeze will donate $1 to CNT!
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CNT.ORG Gets a New Look

Thanks to the support of the Taproot Foundation and with the help of a volunteer design team, CNT has redesigned cnt.org to incorporate CNT’s new logo and color scheme.

The new logo was designed by Plan A and was launched last year as part of a re-branding of CNT. The new logo reflects CNT’s dynamic and creative work as a think-and-do tank working on sustainable urban issues. Our new tagline, Sustainable Communities, Attainable Results, captures the 30 year history of CNT.
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Current and Past CNT Staff Win Awards

CNT Vice President for Policy, Transportation and Community Development, Jacky Grimshaw was honored last Friday by the League of Women Voters of Chicago for her work at bringing more sustainable transportation to the region. The topic of this year’s “State of the City” was Mass Transportation and its impact on the economy, the environment and the citizens of Chicago.

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Chicago Matters Series Covers Sustainability in 2008

Now in its 18th year, Chicago’s award-winning multimedia public affairs series returns in 2008 with Chicago Matters: Growing Forward, to examine how the choices we make today impact our environment and the future of our region.

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CNT’s Own “Under 35″ Award Winner

Ben Helphand, CNT’s Pedestrian Program Manager, has been chosen for the Community Renewal Society’s inaugural “35 Under 35″ honorees. The awards highlight the “importance of fresh voices in the fight to eliminate racism and poverty by recognizing emerging leaders.” The 35 local leaders were chosen based not on how well known they are with the general public, but through the important and ground-breaking work they have done within their immediate community or field.

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