Rain Barrels on Parade Kickoff

Groups to Shower Elgin with "Green Art"
Rain barrels will be on double-duty this summer, as painted works of art around town and as eco-friendly containers saving rainwater throughout the community.

Neighborhood and community organizations will decorate 50 rain barrels that will be displayed at 50 various Elgin locations. Visitors will get a passport stamped for each barrel to be entered in a prize drawing. The rain barrels will be moved to Gail Borden Public Library, where they will be viewed and voted on to decide the community’s favorite, then auctioned off by ECN at FoxFireFest August 2 to benefit neighborhood projects. The deadline for submitting your barrel is May 25th. More info here.

Some photos from today's kickoff.

 

Mayor Schock

 

Sigi Psimenos and the performers.

Dancers in motion. Sometimes the iPhone camera can capture the moment.

The Burnham Plan Centennial

In 1909, Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett collaborated with the Commercial Club of Chicago and others to create a new plan for the greater Chicago region. 100 years later you can see the results and plan the next 100 years here.

Follow @Burnham100 on Twitter for info on The Burnham Plan Centennial.

Take the Daniel Burnham Walking Tour presented during the 2009 National Main Streets Conference in Chicago.

Check out Elgin's contribution to the centennial starting May 19th. Elgin Alive:  Deep Roots, Green Future Exhibit

Be like Burnham. Make no small plans.

Cycling in the News

As gas prices go up, so do the number of cyclists.
Recent news:

Mayors’ Conference to consider biking resolution from Planning Livable Communities

Bicycling in the news... from Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

Barrington Hills cracking down on cyclists from Daily Herald

Plans are underway for a Bike to Work Week in Elgin. It is scheduled for August 4th through the 8th and follows FoxFireFest and the Elgin Cycling Classic. Everyone is encouraged to ride their bikes to the fest where the Elgin Community Network(ECN) sponsors a bike corral.

Remember to obey the rules of the road and please wear a helmet, Lt. Bob Bedard of the Elgin Fire Department demonstrates what can happen when you don't on Elgin Today at 6:35 into the segment. Here is a link to the League of Illinois Bicyclists for more safety tips.

You don't have to wait until August to use your bike as a means of transportation. Take a ride down to Harvest Market on Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm. Ride downtown for lunch, coffee or a visit to the post office. Use the downtown map for other ideas.

So pump up the tires, grease the chain and wipe the cobwebs off. It's time to save some gas, get some exercise and enjoy the community.

"Green" Bags & CFL Bulbs at Harvest Market

The City of Elgin will be giving away 200 "Green Bags" and energy efficient CFL light bulbs to Harvest Market customers on Thursday, June 12th from 10 am to 6 pm. Harvest Market is in the Civic Center parking lot at the corner of Highland and Douglas in downtown Elgin. You can purchase an assortment of fruits, vegetables, flowers, delicious jams, healthy gourmet dog treats, bread, pies, muffins and scones, free range meats and eggs, cheese, pickles, and olive oil.


UPDATE
Pics of the bag, CFL bulb, Cheddar Jalapeño bread and the bag tag.
Go to www.cityofelgin.org/green to find out more about the city's green efforts.
The 250 bags ran out at 1pm. Everyone that received one can return next week and use it to carry their purchases home.

Shop Green at Downtown Elgin’s Harvest Market This Thursday

In the City of Elgin, “green” is the new black.

Our city’s vehicle fleet is flanked with hybrid cars. Our streetlamps are running on LED bulbs. The new Sherman Hospital will be heated and cooled by a geothermal lake. Judson University is home to one of the most environmentally-sound academic buildings in North America.

And beginning June 12, you can shop “green” every Thursday at the Downtown Elgin Harvest Market.

Shopping at a local farmers market is an easy way to start living a more “green” and sustainable lifestyle. Not only are you supporting local farmers and preserving precious farmland, but most of the produce and other items are grown organically without those nasty pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.

One of the favorite vendors at Downtown Elgin’s Harvest Market is Gloria’s Gourmet Meat & Eggs. Gloria and her husband Don Hoffer have a farm in Compton, IL where they raise antibiotic- and hormone-free cattle, pigs, and chickens, as well as a set of healthy, six-month old twins named Nicholas and Katherine.

It’s a pretty amazing thing these days to buy a pound of meat from the person who actually raised it.

The first farmers market started back in 1934 on a dirt lot in Los Angeles when a handful of farmers came together to sell their homegrown wares out of the backs of their pick-up trucks. Elgin’s market hasn’t strayed much from that tradition – except the dirt lot is an asphalt parking lot and the department of public health is a little more stringent on its policies. Thank goodness.

Downtown Elgin’s Harvest Market has a great variety of locally grown and produced offerings – from fruits and veggies to multigrain breads to pickles, olive oil, cheese, fresh-cut flowers and even organic dog treats. Hey, even dogs need to eat “green” – your lawn will thank you.

Each market day we will also host an educational or entertainment group with activities related to “green” and healthy living. We are also planning chef demonstrations showing meal that can be made with market products. Details about what is happening when will be available soon at DowntownElgin.com.

The Downtown Elgin Harvest Market runs June 12 through September 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Civic Parking Lot near City Hall at Douglas and Highland Avenues. And while you are there, be “green” and take a walk around the Downtown to see how its changing.