Local Context
In our great city, Chicago,greenhouse emissions are released by many sources. From our vehicles emissions to the methane released by landfills in chicago there are emissions that contribute to climate change. According to the chicagoclimateaction.org website the two main sources of greenhouse gases comes from transpotation with 21% and 70% from buildings or the energy production needed to serve them and rest comes from waste and industrial pollution.
Chicago has been promoting the use of bikes, an alternative to cars and its transit system to reduce carbon emissions. The city placed divvy bike station around the city, it currently has 300 divvy stations. Former Mayor Richard M. Daley created an action plan that tries to reduce Chicago’s million metric tons of CO2 by 25% of 15.1 MMTCO2 by retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient and installed hybrid buses in Chicago transit system.
In our neighborhood the organization LVEJO, little village environmental justice organization has a community garden called “Semillas de Justicia” located at 2727 S. Troy was once a dump for leftover oil barrels, LVEJO along with the residents of the Troy neighborhood demanded for the cleanup of the site and to build a community garden where vegetables , fruits and flowers are able to grow. The garden also holds workshops and a feast in the fall called the “Fall Harvest Fest.” This community garden also provides the neighborhood with fresh organic food that was not transported from miles away. The youth from the community could help the garden in planting and harvesting the crops grown to provide more people in the neighborhood with fresh food and at the same time reducing carbon emissions indirectly.The garden also has workshops on how to garden in your own home. Young adults could learn how to garden to provide their family with fresh food and not food that was grown somewhere else and had to transported by boat, plane or car.
Chicago has been promoting the use of bikes, an alternative to cars and its transit system to reduce carbon emissions. The city placed divvy bike station around the city, it currently has 300 divvy stations. Former Mayor Richard M. Daley created an action plan that tries to reduce Chicago’s million metric tons of CO2 by 25% of 15.1 MMTCO2 by retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient and installed hybrid buses in Chicago transit system.
In our neighborhood the organization LVEJO, little village environmental justice organization has a community garden called “Semillas de Justicia” located at 2727 S. Troy was once a dump for leftover oil barrels, LVEJO along with the residents of the Troy neighborhood demanded for the cleanup of the site and to build a community garden where vegetables , fruits and flowers are able to grow. The garden also holds workshops and a feast in the fall called the “Fall Harvest Fest.” This community garden also provides the neighborhood with fresh organic food that was not transported from miles away. The youth from the community could help the garden in planting and harvesting the crops grown to provide more people in the neighborhood with fresh food and at the same time reducing carbon emissions indirectly.The garden also has workshops on how to garden in your own home. Young adults could learn how to garden to provide their family with fresh food and not food that was grown somewhere else and had to transported by boat, plane or car.
Climate Change 101. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/pages/climate_change_101/25.php
Hanson, A., Li, L., Liu, S., & Fox, C. (2014, March 10). Chicago Goes Green. 20-20.
Chicago Climate Action Plan Progress Report. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/filebin/pdf/CCAPProgressReportv3.pdf
Community Garden. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://lvejo.org/our-accomplishments/community-garden/
Hanson, A., Li, L., Liu, S., & Fox, C. (2014, March 10). Chicago Goes Green. 20-20.
Chicago Climate Action Plan Progress Report. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/filebin/pdf/CCAPProgressReportv3.pdf
Community Garden. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://lvejo.org/our-accomplishments/community-garden/