Photo by Paul Natkin
Group portrait taken at the Butterfly Social Club (from L to R) Melissa Haeffner, I-Go Car Sharing; Lesley McCain, Community Energy; Miguel Elliott, ChiCobCo; Amy Beth Treciokas, Yoga Now; Jenna Obluck, InnerGlow Surfaces; Joel Freehling, ShoreBank; Darcy Adams, Natural Fitness, Inc.; CL Geiger, Your Residential Resource; Dave Parker, Natural Fitness, Inc.; Jonathan Pirc, A Fresh Squeeze; Lisa Elkins, 2 point perspective; Karen Kaplan, New Leaf Interiors; Bret Beall, Global Organic Design Lifestyle Services; Shelly Cernauskas, Fresh Picks; Irv Cernauskas, Fresh Picks; Marny Turvill, Healthy Green Goods; Greg Raymond, Ecogardens; Hillary Thieling, Sparkle Queen Cleaning Service; Neil Peck, SN Peck Builder; (on the floor) Laura Flanigan, Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance.
To figure out just how to GO GREEN a group created A Fresh Squeeze to provide advice to Chicagoans who want to live greener lives. Online subscription is free and the best tips are forwarded via email and available on their website. A more formal educational resource is the Center for Sustainable Enterprise, part of the Stuart Graduate School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). The Center works with business, government and non-profits to foster ecologically sustainable business practices.
If you’re looking to fine tune or overhaul your LIFESTYLE, you may consider a lifestyle coach such as Global Organic Design Lifestyle Services, which offers specialized consulting on healthier cooking, home design and “life-goal” organizing. Natural Fitness sells high quality yoga and fitness products while maintaining a small environmental footprint. YogaNow offers yoga and other healing activities such as massage and meditation in an eco-friendly space built out of cob and other sustainable materials, designed by Miguel Elliott, who also designed the interior of the Butterfly Social Club, a new “eco-friendly” nightspot next to the Funky Buddha Lounge.
GREEN FOOD CHOICES in Chicago come in many forms and flavors. Locally- or regionally-grown produce can be purchased at the city’s farmers markets from late-May to October. Organic produce is available year-round at Stanley’s Fresh Fruit & Vegetables. Or you can have local, organic produce, meat, dairy, eggs, tofu, baked goods and chocolate truffles delivered to your door year-round from Fresh Picks. If you want to eat out, the Organic Food Network can help identify chefs, caterers and restaurants, such as Karyn’s Fresh Corner and Karyn’s Cooked, using local and organic foods.
When it comes to shopping, EARTH-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS can be found around town at a number of local stores, such as Healthy Green Goods in Evanston. The store is owned by a medical doctor and carries earth-friendly cleaning supplies, personal care items, bedding and linens, and clothing. Located in Wheaton, Conscious Balance sells solar products for home and garden including fountains, lights, chargers and toys.
A number of local companies provide NON-TOXIC CLEANING PRODUCTS like Soy Safe Products of St. Charles. If you’d prefer to have a cleaning service, try an environmentally-friendly company such as Sparkle Queen, which uses Green Seal certified products for their home cleaning business.
Looking to GREEN YOUR HOME INTERIOR? Do-it-yourselfers can find green-certified products at Greenmaker Building Supply that include energy -saving windows and lighting fixtures, water-saving toilets, low-odor paints and sealers and renewable materials such as cotton, bamboo and cork in insulation and flooring materials. 4 Seasons Painting uses low VOC paints to reduce fumes and odors. New Leaf Interiors (seen on HGTV) uses environmentally and socially responsible products, local artisans, and recycled materials in their interior designs.
For LARGER HOME PRODUCTS, Your Residential Resource provides a full and detailed range of environmental services for homeowners from real estate and construction to complete renovation, and a handy line of eco-friendly home products. Valcucine offers doors and cabinets made of plantation-grown wood and easy-to-recycle materials. Whitney Wood Works specializes in earth-friendly building materials and non-toxic finishes for kitchens and bathrooms. 2 point perspective offer furniture design and architecture services. InnerGlow offers countertops made of recycled glass and other materials. SN Peck Builder, Inc. and Case Handyman Remodeling provides home and office repairs, maintenance and renovation. Ecogardens is a full-service landscape contractor specializing in green roofs, rooftop gardens, rain-gardens and low volume drip irrigation.
For those ready to take the leap into RENEWABLE ENERGY, American Renewable Energy has geothermal, solar and wind power systems. Solar Service installs solar heat, hot water, and electrical power systems, using primarily American-made components. Wind Power provider Community Energy offers Illinois residents the chance to purchase local renewable power.
Chicagoans are catching on to the concept of CAR-SHARNG, which can save money and help improve the environment. The non-profit service I-Go, which spun off from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, now has cars in 32 neighborhoods and costs less than $10 per hour, which includes gas and insurance. All I-Go cars are low-emission hybrids and each one takes the place of an estimated 17 cars on the road. The largest car-sharing company in the country, Zip Car, also offers cars throughout Chicago. The number of members is expected to double this year and many have sold their own cars since joining.
Those looking for SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE BANKING AND INVESTING should consider ShoreBank, based on Chicago’s South Side, the country’s first community development and “environmental bank holding company.” ShoreBank provides financial resources and technical assistance for green buildings and supports sustainable enterprises. The largest bank based in Chicago, LaSalle Bank, also provides loans and financial services for sustainable business practices.
To see more detailed profiles of these and other green businesses, visit the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance.