Archive for October, 2007
People with celiac disease or those who just like to try new foods, can enjoy an evening of gluten-free food with a well-known blogger, Gluten-Free Girl.
Celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disorder, may have been the best thing to happen to Shauna James Ahern.
Once she was diagnosed and forced to change her lifestyle and how she ate, she found love for seasonal foods, scratch cooking, living life with no regrets – and a man.
Ahern shares her journey in her debut book, “Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too” (Wiley, 288 pages, $24.95), which hit shelves Oct. 12 , timed appropriately to coincide with Celiac Awareness Month and a cross-country book tour.
She will be in Evanston for a book signing at BooCoo Cafe & Cultural Center on Nov. 1 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
The Balanced Kitchen, the gluten-free, vegan restaurant mentioned in the post on October 29, will cater the event. All of the snacks will be organic, gluten-free and vegan.
October 31 2007 | Green Food and Green Events | No Comments »
Eating out is often not an option for people with certain food allergies. Between gluten, dairy, trans-fats and excess calories-typical menus are like minefields to those with limited diets.
The Balanced Kitchen serves food without limits for those looking to eat out and enjoy a gluten-free, vegan and organic lifestyle under one roof.
About one in 133 Americans suffer from celiac disease, which is an auto-immune disease that prevents people from processing a protein in wheat, barley and rye. Switching to a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac sufferers.
“There’s a huge push for awareness and education about food allergens if you’re a chef to make these things that are usually off limits available and accessible,” said Zachary Bello, executive chef for The Balanced Kitchen. “As a chef, you’re already in the business to please the public. To please the public now, you need to know these needs.”
Bello assures customers that the restaurant is 100 percent gluten-free and 100 vegan. So nothing on this menu is off limits.
In addition, the resaurant, which plans to open in November at 6263 N. McCormick Road, has been LEED-certified and aims to incorporate as many eco-frindly practices as possible.
October 30 2007 | Green Places and Green Food | No Comments »
If people are working toward making housing affordable in Chicago, why don’t they go ahead and kill two birds with one stone and make it green as well?
Buildings account for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore, developers and architects need to be mindful of placing more eco-friendly structures within the city. On top of high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, costs of energy and housing in general seem to always be on the rise. Buyers and renters need help finding accessible green options for their current and future homes.
One company is showing Chicagoans how to put that notion into practice.
At the Greenbuild Conference coming up in Chicago on November 5, Global Green USA will discuss some viable solutions to meeting the rapidly growing need for green affordable housing in the area.
An expert on building green, Walker Wells, will join developers from Chicago and throughout the Midwest to explain how to avoid using toxic chemicals and reduce energy bills for residents.
Events like this are important to the Chicago community because environmental experts coach average citizens, who are interested in doing more to sustain a healthy living environment, how to go beyond changing a lightbulb.
October 30 2007 | Green Places and Green Events | No Comments »
The Making A Great Lake Superior conference will be held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Oct. 29 -31. The conference will bring together researchers, government officials, educators and the public to present and exchange information on the critical issues facing the Lake Superior ecosystem with an emphasis on climate change.
Speakers will include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson, EPA Regional Administrator Mary Gade, Arctic explorer Will Steger, former EPA Assistant Administrator Tracy Mehan and John Austin of the Brookings Institution, as well as other experts on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes. In addition, Lake Superior mayors and tribal leaders will participate in a panel discussion about critical issues facing the lake.
The conference agenda is available online, and the meeting will also be available as a Web cast and by telephone.
October 25 2007 | Green Events | No Comments »
Going green isn’t just for farmers and environmentalists. Chicago businessmen are looking to learn where and how to begin a green business. Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance and the Chicago Center for Green Technology are holding a workshop Oct. 25, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Stuart School of Business, 565 W. Adams, to answer the following:
1. Where does a business start that wants to “go green?”
2. What is the difference between being green and pursuing sustainability?
3. What are the potential benefits and challenges of embracing a more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable strategy?
Pre-register before learning the basics behind starting a green business.
October 25 2007 | Green Events | No Comments »
Many Americans are unaware of how the food they eat is created and transported, who is behind the whole effect, and at what environmental cost. But a growing national movement is building greater awareness, along with cusumer demand for healthier, local, organic and sustainable options — strengthening economies while bringing the worlds of the farm and the metropolis closer together.
The Land Connection is a non-profit organization saving Illinois farmland and training new farmers in Evanston. Terra Brockman, food and farm writer and executive director of The Land Connection will discuss the latest trends in the local food production movement with Corby Kummer, senior food editor for “The Atlantic Monthy,” and several organic farmers on Nov. 3, 12:00-1:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at The Chicago Temple.
“There’s a whole movement here toward health and local food production,” said David Miller, the director of farmland projects for The Land Connection. “We think and hope people will continue to support the local food production movement.”
October 25 2007 | Green Trends and Green Farming and Green Events | 1 Comment »
The Harris Theater will host an Oxford-style debate Wednesday night on the rise of China and its possible environmental impact. The main question at hand: Will China’s rise lead to an environmental catastrophe? Chicago Public Radio’s Worldview host, Jerome McDonnell, will moderate two teams of two arguing either side of the proposition statement; including Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Correspondent for The Economist.
Tickets are $15 and can be bought online.
October 23 2007 | Green Events | No Comments »
Who: Open to the public, NO admission charge
What: Chicago Climate Forum
When: Oct. 22, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Where: Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, 615 W. Wellington
Why: The event plans to bring together members of the general public, community energy activists and members of the Chicago Department of the Environment to examine what Chicago is doing about global warming, what needs to be done in the future and how citizens and government can collaborate on moving forward. The City of Chicago is in the process of developing a Climate Action Strategy Plan, an effort to address the challenge of global climate change through a local strategy of carbon emission reduction. This meeting is the first of a series of scheduled community meetings throughout Chicago to gather public input and support.
October 23 2007 | Green Events | No Comments »
Gardens and solar energy panels have found a home on many of Chicago’s rooftops. Is soy joining the in-crowd?
A Chicago-based manufacturer is finding that a soy-based coating might be the new emerging green technology as far as rooftops are concerned.
Shedd Aquarium was the first cultural institution — and only the third building of any kind — in Chicago with a soy-based roof, which is made from the equivalent of 36 acres of soybeans.
The aquariam’s Web site says the reflective white coating stays cool in the summer, lowering the aquarium’s air-conditioning bills while countering the urban heat island effect created by black asphalt roofs.
October 21 2007 | Green Technology | 1 Comment »
October is fair trade month; and unbeknownst to many Chicagoans, the Windy City offers support to the fair trade community. A simple way to get involved is to purchase fair trade products in the Chicago area.
An online boutique called world-shoppe.com features crafts, stationary, etc. and promotes fair trade and sustainable living on a local and international scale. You can buy a few things or just learn the basics of fair trade practices and terminology.
In addition, fair trade is often linked to environmentally safe practices in agriculture. A combination of high environmental standards and financial rewards for sustainable farming makes fair trade a nice option for some in the agriculture community.
October 21 2007 | Green Events | 2 Comments »
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