Come explore how you can create a more environmentally-friendly home for you and your family. Whether you’re planning a remodel, or just want to learn what’s new on the green building scene, spend the day meeting over 20 vendors and retailers with sustainable products to help you make a greener home. 

Mark Your Calendars...Two dates so there are no excuses! 

Saturday, July 21 & Saturday, August 11
10:00 a.m. – noon
Chicago Center for Green Technology
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
Admission is free. Guided tours of CCGT will occur throughout the day. 

Download the complete brochure here. 

Click to Download Flyer 

Blue clues

Is the city finally getting a clue when it comes to its recycling programs? We compare the pilot “blue cart” program with the blue bags.

By Leah Pietrusiak

Blue bags were introduced in Chicago in 1995, and have been booed pretty much ever since. But last year, the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation decided to use an $8 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to fund a new blue-cart recycling program. It was launched in February in the 19th Ward, moved into the 5th and 8th Wards in April, and the first pickup in the 1st and 37th Wards will take place June 4 (meetings are being held to educate residents; visit flores1stward.com or call 311). In August, residents of the 46th and 47th Wards will be able to take advantage of the program, which will bring the service to seven of Chicago’s 50 wards (visit civicfootprint.org to find out what ward you live in).

But “don’t trash one form of recycling for another,” advises Matt Smith of Streets and Sans. “Keep on recycling in whatever form you can…this is also a pilot for [the city] to make the delivery system more efficient.”

If your ward is not being serviced by blue carts, visit chicagorecycles.org for a list of recycling drop-off centers and more info. Meanwhile, here’s a rough breakdown of bags versus carts: