Greening

More green Activities

chicago center for Green Technology

Now that you’re invigorated by all that fresh air, venture out into more of the surprisingly green pastures that span the urban landscape. Unearth green building benefits for yourself and the environment during a tour of the Chicago Center for Green Technology. (Self-guided tour brochures are available on-site.) Check out cisterns that collect rain for watering the surrounding landscape. Discover an efficient heat alternative: the ground heat pump. Think about how to incorporate these technologies into your own home.

Lawn Nation

Ever wondered about the history and environmental impact of turf grass? Get all the answers at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s Lawn Nation: Art and Science of the American Lawn, featuring documentary video projects, flat shows, outdoor lawn art, and public events.

Smart Home: Green + Wired

For 75 years the Museum of Science and Industry has been revealing how things work with hands-on and groundbreaking exhibitions. The latest, Smart Home: Green + Wired, showcases eco-friendly living. Conceived by Michelle Kaufmann Designs and built by All American Homes, it’s a functioning 3-story, modular, sustainable home built on the museum’s east lawn.

The 21st-century home technologies that everyone’s talking about are on display, from reusable resources to smart energy consumption to sustainable gardens and green roofs.

enjoy acoustic music and organic spirits

Build environmental awareness while enjoying yourself at The Green Room Sessions at Uncommon Ground. Once a month, this earth-conscious café invites you to sample appetizers provided by a local farmer or producer, sip special organic spirits, and vibe to two sets of live acoustic music. At both locations, you can buy a special martini, the proceeds of which will go to planting a tree on your behalf; to date 300 trees have been planted.

Read Green at the Chicago Public Library

Explore the environment with a good read during the Children’s Summer Reading Program: Read Green, Live Green and Summer Reads for Adults: Read Green, Live Green at any of the 79 Chicago Public Library branches, including the Thomas Hughes Children’s Library and the Bookmobiles, CPL’s libraries on wheels.

family Friendly Green Activities

Put your hands, feet, and whole body into Nature Oasis Activities in Chicago Parks, a multifaceted encounter with the natural world.

Quest Days (part Treasure Hunt, part Amazing Race) on June 21 and July 19 involves map and compass reading, riddle solving about park nature areas, and loads of fun; bring a picnic lunch.

Toddlers, Tunes & Turtles is an introduction to nature through singing with Old Town School of Folk Music musicians, live animals, and healthy snacks.

A Tranquil Retreat

The Lincoln Park Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool offers a tranquil retreat in a hidden garden named for the famed landscape architect. Various Midwestern plants, stone outcroppings, a pavilion, and a waterfall contribute to the effect of a creek running through a Midwestern prairie. The Columbus Woodland and Lagoon was designed by Jens Jensen, the dean of Prairie-style landscape architecture, who was inspired by this site to create a living artwork as a tribute to the Midwest’s natural ecology.

Sidebar

Key to Icons

	Free
	Kid Friendly
	Wheelchair Accessible

Key Information

Chicago Center for
Green Technology
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 9 am–5 pm; Saturdays 9 am–4 pm;
Tuesdays, Thursdays 9 am–8 pm; 445 N. Sacramento Boulevard;
312.746.9642
(except the roof)

Lawn Nation: Art and Science of the American Lawn
Friday, May 23– Sunday, September 7; Mondays– Fridays 9 am– 4:30 pm, Saturdays– Sundays, 10 am–5 pm
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Drive 773.755.5100
www.naturemuseum.org
adults $9; seniors60+/ students 13–22 w/ID $7; children 3–12 $6

Smart Home:
Green + Wired
Thursday, May 8, 2008– Sunday, January 4, 2009; Mondays–Saturdays 9:30 am–4 pm, Sundays 11am– 4 pm; Museum of Science and Industry; 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive; 773.684.1414;
www.msichicago.org
adults $23; seniors 65+ $22; children 3–11 $14

The Green Room Sessions:
2nd Thursday each month 7 pm
Uncommon Ground
3800 N. Clark Street 773.929.3680
www.uncommonground.com
all ages; appetizers and performance FREE w/dinner reservation


4th Thursday each month 7 pm
Uncommon Ground
1401 W. Devon Avenue
773.465.9801
www.uncommonground.com
all ages; appetizers and performance FREE w/dinner reservation

Children’s Summer Reading program: Read Green, Live Green
Monday, June 9–Saturday, August 2

Summer Reads for Adults: Read Green, Live Green
Sunday, June 1–Sunday,
August 31; Locations and times vary; 312.747.4780
www.chipublib.org/events
prog/programs/kids_sum
read.php

Nature Oasis Activities in Chicago Parks
312.742.PLAY (7529) www.chicagoparkdistrict.com

Quest Days: Saturday, June 21, 11 am–1 pm
Jackson Park
6401 S. Stony Island Avenue
Saturday, July 19, 11 am–1 pm
Northerly Island
1400 S. Lynn White Drive

Toddlers, Tunes & Turtles:
Thursday, June 19– Thursday, September 11; Times vary; Locations vary; ages 5+ w/adult
chaperone

Lincoln Park Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool: Through Monday, December 1; Daily 7:30 am–7:30 pm;
North end of Lincoln Park Zoo at Fullerton Parkway

Columbus Woodland
and Lagoon: Daily 6 am–11 pm; 500 S. Central Avenue

Other resources

• Centerstage Chicago
• City of Chicago Tourism
• Metromix