Act Local - Chicago
Learn more about our official partners in Chicago:
- Cob Connection
- Climate Cycle
- Lights for Learning
- Chicago Public Schools Department of Environmental Affairs: Service Learning Initiative & Recycling
- Comprehensive Community Solutions
- MGR Foundation (Service learning)
- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
- Youth Conservation Corps
Conservation or Civic Engagement
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County
- Friends of the Chicago River
- Greenpeace Student Network
- Oxfam America
- Rainforest Action Network
- Roots and Shoots
DOT Campaign with Saatchi and Saatchi S
Agriculture and Gardening
Cob Connection
Cob Connection directs after-school programs and transitional job skills training in urban agriculture and natural building and design for teens, young adults, and ex-offenders in the Chicago Public Schools and their families.
What YOU Can Do: Cob Connections programs are posted on their website. There are both educational and volunteer opportunities for youth, schools, and communities to get job skills training, do community service, or learn how to start your own garden or local farmers market.
Contact:
Chad Bliss, Executive Director
773.317.2622
Education and Leadership
Climate Cycle
Climate Cycle is a non-profit organization that raises money to put solar panels on Chicago-area public schools and fund sustainability education. A cornerstone of Climate Cycle's model is the annual bike-a-thon called The Solar Schools Ride. At last May's inaugural ride, 350 riders raised nearly $70,000 for the cause.
What YOU Can Do: Participate in the Solar Schools Ride on May 15th, 2010! Participating in Climate Cycle not only gives your school an opportunity to bring in clean solar energy, but also creates an opportunity for your campus to take ownership over the process from its conception onwards. For more information, please contact joey@climatecycle.org.
Contact:
Joey Feinstein, Executive Director
joey@climatecycle.org
Lights for Learning
Lights for Learning™ is a program that motivates students to accept responsilibity for energy efficiency, stimulates awareness of energy conservation methods, and educates students to become the next generation of ecologically-minded citizens through the sale of compact fluorescent light bulbs and other energy-saving products.
What YOU Can Do: Students can participate in this educational fundraiser, and Educators can book Lights for Learning presentations by contacting Jackie Perrin.
Contact:
Jackie Perrin
jackiep@appliedproactive.com
CPS: Service Learning Initiative & Dept. of Environmental Affairs | Recycling
Chicago Public Schools is working to minimize its impact on the environment and teach students to be environmental stewards. The CPS Environmental Action Plan has 26 results-oriented strategies that the entire CPS community can take on to help.
What YOU Can DO: If you are a CPS student, take the Cool Schools Challenge--start fulfilling your service learning hours by lowering your emissions and raising your voice. For more information on CPS service-learning projects contact: Annie Laurie Cadmus, ACE Educator. Also, if you don't have recycling at your school, contact CPS Dept. of Facilities to get FREE recycling organized on your campus. You can also go to ACE's toolkit to see a step-by-step recycling project plan.
Contact:
Steve Clark, Environmental Outreach Coordinator
recycling@cps.k12.il.us
Comprehensive Community Solutions, Inc./YouthBuild
CCS/YouthBuild programs strive to train, educate and make more self-sufficient at risk youth, provide decent affordable housing to low and moderate-income people, and foster collaboration through neighborhood services and support.
What YOU Can Do: You can help contribute to the CCS mission by volunteering to help build during an upcoming project. For more information on volunteering, contact Pamela Echols.
Contact:
815.963.6236 ext. 224
MGR Foundation
The Marilyn G Rabb Foundation is committed to overcoming social and educational barriers and creating innovative programs that positively impact our communities. The MGR Foundation offers numerous programs in the areas of health education, arts education, youth empowerment, and community development.
What YOU Can Do: For students in the City of Chicago, there are several different volunteer programs that will deepen your relationship with your peers and engage you in service learning opportuntiies. Please click here for more information about volunteering with MGRF.
Contact:
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum inspires people to care about the environment through environmental and science education programs to students and teachers, museum exhibitions, and public programs that foster green living, restore local ecosystems, and advance scientific knowledge through collections and research.
What YOU Can Do: High school students can learn more about nature through the youth programs, or – for a Job Opportunity - students can apply to be a part of the Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science (TEENS) Program. TEENS is a paid high school internship program aimed to promote environmental literacy and stewardship through hands-on experiences. Interns develop job and life skills that are applicable to the real world, discover career path options and prepare for college.
Contact:
Leslie Blanchard, Museum Educator, TEENS Lead
773-755-5100 Ext. 5022
lblanchard@naturemuseum.org
www.naturemuseum.org
Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
Youth Conservation Corps' mission is to guide and mentor youth using education, job skills training, and community service so they may develop into productive citizens of Lake County. They provide environmental education to the participants as well as training in: urban agriculture, crew leadership, green construction, planting native species, and midwest ecosystems.
What YOU Can Do: The YCC High School Summer Program offers High School Students with 50 paid internships every summer in conjunction with the Forest Preserve of Lake County. Youth Conservation Corps also hosts a variety of volunteer opportunities including: Martin Luther King Day of Service (January 18th, 2010), Habitat for Humanity (weekly opportunities), YouthBuild projects, and Des Plaines River clean-ups.
Contact:
Bob McCammon, Executive Director
847.623.0900
yccbob@aol.com
www.youthconservation.org
Conservation or Civic Engagement
Forest Preserve District of Cook County - Volunteer Resources Section
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County works to "acquire...natural forests for the purpose of protecting and preserving the flora, fauna, and scenic beauties... for the purpose of the education, pleasure and recreation of the public."
What YOU Can Do: Join the Volunteers in Preserves (VIP) program! As VIPs, youth can join the thousands of volunteers in 68,000 acres of nature. VIPs receive information about volunteer workdays, events, and other projects available to high school students. Other volunteer opportunities exist through programs such as the Preserve Keeper Corps, Preserves on Campus and Career Mentoring.
Contact:
Cassie Hatzfeld, High School Program Coordinator
773.631.1790 x17
fpdccVolunteers.org
Friends of the Chicago River
The mission of Friends of the Chicago River is to preserve, protect, and foster the vitality of the Chicago River for the plant, animal and human communities within its watershed.
What YOU Can Do: You can volunteer to help with our public clean-up days our public clean-up days, or, if your school is in the watershed of the Chicago River, you can encourage your teachers to take advantage of the resources offered by the Chicago River Schools Network.
Contact:
Dana Murphy, Director of Education and Outreach
www.chicagoriver.org
312.939.0490 x 12
dmurphy@chicagoriver.org
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is the worlds largest environmental organization, working internationally and locally to 'bear witness' to environmental destruction in a peaceful, non-violent manner. Greenpeace seeks solutions for, and promotes open, informed debate about society's environmental choices.
What YOU Can Do: The Chicago Field Organizer leads local efforts on national and international campaigns, such as combating global warming, keeping our oceans safe and healthy, preserving ancient forests, and promoting corporate accountability, just to name a few. Join us! Come to our volunteer meetings on the second Tuesday of every month -- Contact Nicole for more information and specifics about dates and locations of events and meetings.
Contact:
Nicole Granacki, Field Organizer
773.575.7335
nicole.granacki(at)greenpeace.org
www.greenpeace.org
Oxfam America
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 100 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.
What YOU Can Do: The local Chicago Oxfam Action Corps has many opportunities available to students such as Days of Action, concert outreach, lobby visits, writing letters to the editor and many more. Please John below for more information!
Contact:
John Dolon
Chicagooxfamactioncorps.
Chicago@oxfamactioncorps.com
Rainforest Action Network
RAN Chicago works on campaigns to protect endangered forests, end America's oil addiction, and shut down Chicago's two coal-fired power plants through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action.
What YOU Can Do: RAN Chicago has numerous opportunities to get involved, such as movie nights, reading groups, activism trainings, lectures, and whatever other activities group members bring to the table.
Contact:
Debra Michaud, Chicago Organizer
meetup.com/RANChicago
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots | Great Lakes Region
With tens of thousands of young people in almost 100 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages, races, religions and economic backgrounds in a vibrant global network who share a desire to create a better world. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe.
What YOU Can Do: Roots & Shoots offers a wealth of resources and networking opportunities for high school youth. Find a Roots & Shoots team near you working on a variety of environmental, animal, or humanitarian issues, or start your own with Roots & Shoots support! Contact Heather for more information.
Contact:
Heather Greenwell, Regional Program Coordinator
hgreenwell@janegoodall.org
312-345-1123
Roots & Shoots Regional Office
Saatchi & Saatchi S
Saatchi & Saatchi S is a sustainability consultancy building a global movement of happy people contributing to a healthy planet. We specialize in organizational change and employee engagement through sustainability education and training.
What YOU Can Do:
You can adopt a personal sustainability practice and commit to do one thing (DOT). DOT is an initiative of Saatchi & Saatchi S, and is simple way to make sustainability actionable each and every day. Interested in having Saatchi & Saatchi S come to your school in Chicago to do a free training about our new DOT program? Contact us!
Contact:
Daniel Anthony
danthony@saatchis.com
312.977.4956