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Hello green Aspectarians! Do take advantage of the last of the warm weather this summer. There are plenty of opportunities for walkabouts, bike rides, and of course, some good old-fashioned back-to-school learning in this month’s lineup. REI Bike Maintenance Lecture & Demo Series Join REI’s head tech with more than thirty years experience in Chicago’s biking community, Christopher Wallace, as he teaches a five-class in-depth bike maintenance series. Class will last two hours and include instruction and a demo on an example bike. You cannot work on your own bike, but will get all the information and demos you need to go home and do it yourself! Topics week by week are: “Drive train cleaning, measurement and installation,” “Deraileur adjustments,” “Hubs & headsets,” “Brake adjustments,” and “Spoke replacement/wheel truing.” $20 for one class, $85 for all five. Organic Plant Sidewalk Sale Stock up on beautiful houseplants at Greenheart’s organic plant sidewalk sale. These seedlings are grown with love and 100% worm castings (poop) by the Greenhouses of Hope at the Pacific Garden Mission. These greenhouses grow soil, food and people! Two to four program individuals from the Mission work in the greenhouses. They are trained in seed and plant propagation, insect management, vermicomposting, pruning and basic horticultural skills. The garden utilizes the organic cafeteria waste produced at the shelter and uses worms to make it into nutrient rich soil in which the plants grow. Plus, the sale is just a pleasant stroll away from Wicker Park’s Farmers’ Market, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., that Sunday morning. 20th Annual Boulevard Lakefront Tour Choose a 15-, 27-, 35- or 62-mile course and tour the town with thousands of other friendly cyclists for the 20th annual tour. Rides start and end at Midway Plaisance on the University of Chicago Campus and are supported by volunteers and refreshment stops. Each of the routes winds through the beautiful parks, boulevards, and historic neighborhoods of Chicago. Course marshals will be on hand to assist with the route or with minor bike trouble. The post-ride festival offers live entertainment, raffle prizes, and a scavenger hunt. Registration is $30, discounted with Active Transprotation Alliance (formerly Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) membership. The “Urban Assault” Ride Don’t be intimidated by the name—this event is all fun and benefits the worthy cause of the West Town Bikes nonprofit. As the second annual all-day bicycle-based scavenger hunt, teams of two will compete using both cycling aptitude and mental muscle following clues from checkpoint to checkpoint, where they must complete zany obstacle courses to move on. This day-long spectacle is on-track to be a “zero-waste event” and will rely on alternative fuels where needed. Registration is $30/person if you register by 9/6, jumps to $65 after! Free to spectators. Critical Mass Join up with thousands of radically individual cyclists in the heart of the loop for this unique self-powered experience. Word on the street is this month’s ride will take participants to Uptown for the T-Shirt Art Harvest Festival! Cheap eats, live music, and great local art will be available at the finishing point, which is sure to be a good time. This joyous, non-competitive ride has a different theme each month and has been happening on “last Fridays” for over ten years. If large crowds don’t appeal to you or if you don’t work near the Loop, “minimasses” have sprouted up in Wicker Park, Pilsen, Oak Park and Evanston and take place on the first Fridays of the month (September 4). Festive attire recommended, but come as you are. Green Fair in Northwest Illinois This second-annual event’s theme is “Going Green is Mainstream.” The town of Elizabeth, Illinois, will host northwestern Illinois’ answer to green fest at Highland Community College. Featuring forty exhibitors, dozens of presentations, local art, family activities, cooking demonstrations, and local wine tastings! A “Green Fair Fare” banquet will cap off the day’s activities. A recycling station will be on-site collecting appliances, batteries, electronics and latex paint until 3:00 p.m. Of particular interest is the Green Career/Job Workshop exhibitors, with presentations on Finding your Green Career and Education in Renewable Energy. $5 General Admission, $10 for wine tasting. Recycling certain items will carry a small additional fee—see the web site for details. Day of Events at Angelic Organics Farm This triple-header at Illinois’ most famous biodynamic farm starts with a walking tour at 10:00 a.m. You can see how the farm manages to grow food chemical-free and biodynamic, and learn about the farm’s CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Sturdy, mud-capable shoes recommended, as well as weather-appropriate attire. Next at 2:00 p.m., “Worms in the Basement”: a program for families with children, will teach eager young learners all about the composting process, starting with some information about the wriggly creatures that help turn organic waste into rich soil, and culminating in the construction of a take-home indoor worm bin (complete with worms!). Finally, stay for an outdoor screening of the award-winning documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John, the film that put Angelic Organics on the national map. Farmer John himself will lead a lively discussion and take questions after the film. Bring a picnic, and lawn chairs or blankets. Tour registration: $16/person. Worms in the basement: $45/family. Film screening: $15/person.
To publicize your Green Events, please send an e-mail to k@thleen.org.
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