Archive for the 'Natural Resources' Category
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
By 9:30 in the morning at Thomas Chalmers Specialty School, it was about seventy degrees, sunny and beautiful. The week before, workers removed the slab of asphalt that covered about an 1800-square foot plot, now replaced by a thick patch of mulch—ready and waiting for planting. On this Friday morning in June, thirty-five 6th and 7th grade students joined Baxter International and CNT staff to plant the recreated space with 500 native plants. For a few students, this was even their very first time handling plants.
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Posted in Chalmers, Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources | No Comments »
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
On May 27, the Illinois Legislature took a significant step toward statewide sustainable water policy by passing the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act, SB 1489. The bill sets the state on a path toward more effective and sustainable urban stormwater management by directing the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to consider standards that prioritize natural drainage approaches known as green infrastructure.
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Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources, Policy | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 18th, 2009
CNT’s Natural Resources program launched the “Super Barrel” movement (part of our Green Affordable Housing project, funded by the Home Depot Foundation) last weekend at Oak Park’s “What’s Blooming on Harrison” event. Attendees were drawn to the area behind the multi-family housing unit at 301 Harrison, to see the debut of what CNT’s Natural Resources Director Steve Wise calls “cubist water harvesting”.
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Posted in Green Affordable Housing Project, Natural Resources | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
April showers may be bringing more than May flowers for sustainable water policy in Illinois, as the legislature is considering adoption of several bills that will expand opportunities for green infrastructure statewide. Passage of these bills would be the beginning of a new season for green practices to capture the extraordinary value of clean water in our state.
The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act (SB 1489), CNT’s effort to bring the benefits of natural systems for sustainable stormwater management into state plans, is headed for its first hearing in the Illinois House on Wednesday, April 29, having passed the Senate in March. That bill would instruct Illinois EPA to lead a study to establish state standards and goals for expanded, effective use of green infrastructure in urban areas statewide.
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Friday, March 13th, 2009
On March 12, a provision was successfully added to the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009 - one that includes a stormwater management feature that CNT has advocated for and demonstrated through projects like at “Our Lady Gate of Heaven”. By a vote of 317 to 101, legislation encouraging the use of bioswales and other sustainable stormwater management systems to improve the quality of stormwater runoff was added into H.R. 1262.
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Friday, February 27th, 2009
Green infrastructure has arrived on the national agenda, with funding to back it up. Thanks in part to CNT.
The federal stimulus act explicitly places a clear priority, and 20 percent of water infrastructure funding, onto green roofs, rain gardens, pocket wetlands, native vegetation, sustainable streets and parking lots, and other landscape-based water-conserving measures.
CNT recently advised President Obama’s Transition Team on the value of green infrastructure in federal water, housing, energy and other programs and was gratified to see that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 dedicates at least $1.2 billion to green infrastructure.
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Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Pulaski Park, in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, has a long history of community participation. The park field house, built in 1914, now plays host to neighborhood classes and fitness programs, local crafts fairs, a theater group and a sword-fighting club, and a legendary Haunted House. Now Pulaski Park is serving the community in a new way- by demonstrating green technologies and how communities can get involved.
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
On September 13th and 14th, 2008, the Chicago Region experienced a 2-day rainfall that was indeed the “Storm of the Century”. It was the largest storm ever recorded in the 119-year history of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The Storm also, at 6.83 inches over two days, nearly met the definition of a 100-year storm in Chicago. Rivers surrounded houses, an interstate highway and several other arterials were closed for days, and thousands of basements were flooded throughout the region.
But CNT and St. Margaret Mary Parish found a small silver lining beneath the clouds on Chicago’s north side.
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Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources, Our Lady Gate of Heaven | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 1st, 2008
CNT continues to bring communities together with the planting of rain gardens at three new sites in June. The plantings are demonstrating both the beauty of natural landscapes and the ecological benefits of rain gardens to reduce and filter stormwater runoff. Ultimately, these projects aim to raise awareness of green infrastructure and build community momentum towards implementing sustainable stormwater management practices on a grander scale. Here are our latest steps along the path to sustainable stormwater management in greater Chicago.
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Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
CNT’s Green Infrastructure research and demonstration projects are moving into their final planting and monitoring season. Read about our current activities and the state of last year’s work.
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Posted in Featured Portfolio News, Natural Resources, Our Lady Gate of Heaven | No Comments »
