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ICA USA hosts Hub and Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network gathering

ICA USA closed out the program events for 2015 on December 3rd with a Hub event & a Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN) gathering. The Hub event drew in an inter-generational group, including CSLN members, students from two high schools, and AmeriCorps Public Allies whose service work involves sustainability with youth. The aim of Hub days are to promote the ICA GreenRise as a community space to gather and learn skills that support personal sustainability.

For this Hub day, workshops included bike safety, composting, preparing healthy food, and art with re-purposed materials. The group was especially inspired by the composting workshop that provided information about composting at home and a current composting initiative within select CPS schools. Following the workshop, multiple attendees said that they were inspired to try composting at home or at school. Attendees to the Hub day were invited to stay for the CSLN meeting to understand the network as an ongoing opportunity to participate in sustainable initiatives in Chicago.

For the final 2015 CSLN network gathering, ICA hosted the event at the GreenRise with the theme “Review and Renew,” which focused on recapping CSLN victories of the past year and establishing directions for 2016.

Network members met in small groups to discuss:

  • the upcoming shared leadership committee for CSLN that aims to transition CSLN leadership to network members;
  • regional sustainability hubs, including hub events at ICA GreenRise and other regional sites;
  • forums, including the Integrated Network for Social Sustainability and the Faith Forum;
  • collaborative activities, including the ISEIF grant, ioby campaigns, and the Is it Just Space? series; and
  • the recent work of the policy working group, which includes 2 roundtable meetings with Karen Weigert and a document of CSLN values and recommendations for the upcoming sustainability plan. This group aims to share the final document with Karen and continue to build relationships with city officials in different departments.

 The gathering ended with a spirited reception for networking, celebrating, and building relationships.

This post was written for ICAI’s monthly bulletin the Global Buzz, January 2016.