January 2012
14 posts
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BIPL Celebrates Gary Hustwit Films
Gary Hustwit’s documentary film “Design Trilogy” - Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized - will be screening over the coming month at the Blue Island Public Library. From typeface to design to the places we call home, Hustwit’s films explore how “small ideas can lead to big changes.”
Movie fans can view all three award-winning documentaries by innovator Gary...
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Cook County Department of Public Health launched...
Cook County Department of Public health launched the “Rethink Your Drink” Campaign on January 2nd. “Rethink your Drink” is part of a county-wide effort to reduce the consumption of sugar-loaded beverages. Sugar-loaded beverages (i.e., sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks) are the single greatest source of calories in the American diet, providing approximately 10% of the...
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Urban Forests Create Vibrant Cities →
A new report Vibrant Cities & Urban Forests: A National Call to Action, establishes a vision, highlights emerging trends, and culminates with a series of recommendations that can be applied to urban areas across the US.
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Calling All Data Nerds: Excerpt from "Megapolitan... →
An excerpt from the book Megapolitan America is now available. The Atlantic Cities blog recently covered how the book analyzes data that suggests dramatic shifts by 2040, including a U.S. economy dominated by 23 megapolitan regions. The authors write: “In our view, we need to target many long-range planning and public policy efforts to where people live, not where they don’t.”
Winter Bike to Work Day | Active Transportation... →
Who’s with us?!
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A Plan for America's Largest Urban Park:... →
The largest open space project in the country is coming to the South Side of Chicago.
The project aims to transform 140,000 acres of brownfields and other under-utilized land in the Calumet region into the Millennium Reserve — a public recreation hub teeming with plants, wildlife, trains and parks. The effort draws from President Barack Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and state...
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Green Drinks at Flossmoor Station
The next Southland Green Drinks will be Thursday, January 19th at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery beginning at 6pm. This month the speaker will be Jaime Aruguete PMP, LEED AP BD+C, PR/Marketing Chair at USGBC Illinois Chapter South Suburban Branch who will give a short talk highlighting US Green Building Council’s work in the southland and hold a discussion.
Green Drinks...
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A Photographic Blast From the [Environmental] Past →
In Jan 1972, the USEPA asked nearly 100 freelance photographers to roam the country in the pursuit of a single goal: documenting “the environmental happenings and non-happenings” of the decade. By 1977, the photographers had submitted more than 80,000 images for the project, known as Documerica. About 1/4 of the photos were shown in public exhibitions but then filed away and largely forgotten.
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WatchSee Potential: an amazing project combining urban agriculture, community development, and every other buzz word. This is what it’s all about!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/196569648/see-potential
SEE POTENTIAL - VISUALIZE CHANGE - MOBILIZE COMMUNITY
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Attention All Gardeners - Community Garden Plots...
Blue Islander’s have been hard at work developing community gardens, and now we need you - Blue Island’s Community Gardeners.
There are 2 locations:
Memorial Park Community Garden
Active for the past 2 years, this garden is located behind the Memorial Park Pool. Raised bed garden plots are 4’x10’ and available for rent at $25 per season.
California Gardens Community...
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January Vegetable of the Month-Tubers
Tubers are January’s Vegetable of the Month. What are Tubers…you ask?
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months, and provide energy for regrowth.
Examples of tubers include: Potatoes, Yams, Jicama, Sunchoke, Taro Root, and Water Chestnut.
Shop Blue Island’s Healthy Hot...
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January Fruit of The Month- Dried Fruits
Shop Local for January’s Fruit of the Month: Dried Fruit
Dried Fruit is fruit where the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, thru sun drying, or through the use of specialized dehydrators.
It has a long traditon of use dating back to the fourth millennium B.C. and is prized becuase of its sweet taste, wrinkly texture, nutritive value and long shelf...
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January is National Mentoring Month
January 2012 is the 11th National Mentoring Month.
A mentor is a coach, guide, tutor, facilitator, counselor and trusted advisor. A mentor is someone willing to spend his or her time and expertise to guide the development of another person.
As tutors, coaches, teachers, volunteers, and friends, mentors commit their time and energy to kids who may otherwise lack a positive, mature influence in...
December 2011
15 posts
NE District: 2011 Year in Review (Part II) →
2011 Grant & Technical Assistance Awards Local Technical Assistance Award from CMAP – Existing Traffic Conditions May 2011: Following City’s application, CMAP completed traffic counts for the NE…
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Educate Yourself: Intro to Public-Private... →
This Policy Update is the 1st in a series on the topic of public-private partnerships by Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency (CMAP). The next post will focus on public-private partnerships and federal transportation reauthorization, the following will discuss PPPs and transit, and the final post will provide a more focused look at PPPs for major capital projects identified in CMAP’s...
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Students make it their mission to preserve... →
Congrats to Dan O’Brien and Emily Wallrath. You may have seen this top historic preservation team wandering our own streets as they completed a survey of landmark properties in Blue Island for the Historic Preservation Commission.
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Traditional New Year's Foods From Around The World
New Year’s Traditions all over the world center around food, health and prosperity.
Spain & Mexico: A tradition of eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve dates back to 1909, when the wine makers had a surplus of grapes and needed a creative way to market them. According to the tradition each grape represented a month, so if your 3rd grape was sour, May...
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10 Resolutions You Can Keep LOCAL!
Get Fit: the classic. After the holidays, don’t we all want to lose a few pounds? Curves offers a free week to get started. And did you know MetroSouth Medical Center has a Fitness Center? Open to everyone 6 days a week, call 708-597-2000 to learn more. And the Blue Island Park District offers something for everyone, from Belly Dancing to Zumba, from Kickboxing to Yoga!
Go Green: Walk and...
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GIVE Local on DonorsChoose.org
The holidays are a wonderful time of the year, filled with cherished memories and tradition. It’s when we share gifts with those we love and care about most.
We’d like to do more, reaching out and helping those who have asked.
DonorsChoose.org provides a great platform for reaching children in Blue Island schools. Their motto: “Teachers ask. You choose. Students learn.”...
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Take the Comp Plan Visioning Survey Today!
As you may know, City of Blue Island is currently developing a comprehensive plan – a long-range planning document which will guide land use and development decisions in the community for decades to come.
What’s YOUR Vision for Blue Island’s Future? Tell Us Today!
Take the survey today! It will only take a couple of minutes, and the more public input we can collect, the more...
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Shop Blue Island Health Hot Spots for December's...
Root Vegetables include Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips, Rutabagas, Celery Root (or Celeriac) and Beets. Root vegetables are classified as the starchy tubers and taproots of a plant. If left alone they would supply all the nutrients needed by the plant, but we dont. Instead we pull them up so that we may enjoy their vitamin rich yummy-ness.
Some things you can do with root vegetables...
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Try out the December Fruits of the Month: Exotic...
Exotic Fruits include things like Kumquats, Sapote, Ugli fruits, and Pepino Melons.
Kumquats can be tossed into any green or fruit salad, they are great with spinach, or you can just eat them as they are…the peel and seeds are edible.
Pepino Melon is usually eaten fresh. It is related to the tomato, but has a taste similiar to melons.
Ugli Fruit-A cross between tangerine and grape...
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Join us for the 12/8/11 Model Community Coalition...
Topic: Involving Communities in Health Assessment
Date: Thursday, 12/8/11, 8am
Location: MetroSouth Medical Center: Mezzanine Rooms B & C
Speaker: Dr. Laurel Berman, Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Please rsvp to: astillwell@cityofblueisland.org
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Volunteer & Donate Locally this Holiday Season
Angel’s Touch
For Human’s in Need: Angel’s Touch is collecting donations of
canned goods
Christmas gifts
toys
clothing
hats, mittens, gloves & coats
You may also adopt a family which means buying gifts for them and Christmas Dinner. Contact Jude Coyle at 708.925.5579 or jmorancoyle@aol.com.
For Pet’s in Need: Bags of cans of dog/cat food and even pet coupons can...
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"Healthy Seal" Program to Launch in Spring 2012
Walmart has announced that in spring of 2012 they will introduce the new “Healthy Seal” on the package front of its private brand “Great Value”. These seals will be supported by a nutritious food standard designed to increase vitamins, minerals, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in food products, while limiting saturated fat, sodium and added sugar. Walmart will also...
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Blue Island Building on Preserve America
The City of Blue Island’s Preserve America grant came to a close in October, 2011. The final few months saw a rush of activity. We believe Preserve America will bring new visitors to our community, to “explore and enjoy our heritage.”
We’re most excited about our new visitors guide, completed with James Street Associates. This 28 page brochure introduces visitors to all...
Update from IIT’s IPRO Team →
Greetings from IIT’s IPRO 383, As mentioned in an earlier post, the Inter-Professional Projects Program (IPRO) at the Illinois Institute of Technology is working with the Blue Island Community…
November 2011
11 posts
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Calling All Photographers - Enter the Blue Island...
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Franklin Framing is holding a Blue Island photo contest - now through 11/28. Winners will be displayed at their Open House on 11/3. The party starts at 6pm, immediately after the Light Parade on Western Avenue.
Photography Contest Details
Deadline: Monday, November 28, 2011 - 5pm
How to Enter: Email your digital file to greg@franklinframing.com or drop off a...
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NATIONAL HANDWASHING WEEK DEC 4-10 2011
Celebrate National Handwashing Week with “Henry the Hand” and remember the 4 principles of handwashing
Wash hands when they are dirty and BEFORE eating.
Never cough into your hands.
Never sneeze into your hands.
Never put your fingers in your eyes, ears, or mouth.
Henry the Hand’s goal is to make America aware of the role our hands play in germ spreading. ...
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Blue Island Food Day Recap
October 24, 2011 marked the 1st ever national Food Day in the US. Food Day was created to bring attention to the issues of obesity, support sustainable farming, and make real food available to everyone. The day was observed in all 50 states with more than 2,000 events nationwide.
Mayor Peloquin proclaimed the date the official “Blue Island Food Day”. The city was host to several Food Day events,...
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Shop Blue Island Small Business Saturday 11/26 &...
Celebrate with us on 11/26
This November 26 is a big day for everyone in Blue Island. It’s the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday®, when people across the country come out and shop to support their favorite local businesses.
Blue Island’s local businesses offer a wide variety of treasures and treats for even the pickiest person on your list. Many of your favorite restaurants offer gift...
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NFL Play 60 A Day
In 2007 NFL launched a national youth health and fitness campaign “NFL PLAY 60 A DAY.” This campaign focuses on increasing the wellness of young fans, by encouraging them to get 60 min of physcial activity a day.
The NFL has a list of partners in this project all working together to tackle childhood obesity, including Nicelodeon, Cartoon Network, KaBOOM!, Gatorade, and the...
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McDonald's Deserves A Little Credit
McDonald’s corporation is often the center of controversy when it comes to health issues. They have been blamed for things such as childhood obesity and diabetes for years. The company has developed a new healthy program, which will include things like apple slices in every Happy Meal.
The chain has already given Americans the choice between fries or apples in the kids’ meals, but only 11%...
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Shop Blue Island Healthy Hot Spots & Grocery...
In charge of preparing this year’s feast? Need to bring a healthy treat somewhere this holiday season? Look no further!
Shop local Healthy Hotspots and grocers to find the ingredients needed for this healthy & delicious holiday treat.
Rustic Cranberry-Apple Tart
INGREDIENTS: (filling)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large tart apples,...
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Agree to Disagree (Turkey Style)
Not everyone believes the first Thanksgiving took place in Massachusetts in 1621. Many historians believe that journalism is responsible for that story, not the actual events of the Pilgrims and Indians.
Some believe the first Thanksgiving was in modern day Texas when Spanish Explorer Francisco Vasquez Coronado led 1,500 of his men in a “Celebration of Thanks”. They were traveling North from...
Creating the Sustainable Center of the Southland →
As the 2008 Assessment Grant moves forward, the Community Development Department has established some big goals. Chief among them is making Blue Island the sustainable recycling destination for the…
October 2011
17 posts
7 tags
The First Blue Islanders
November recognizes Native American Heritage Month, a tribute to the ancestry and traditions of the first Americans. The history of the earliest inhabitants of what we now call Chicagoland is defined by scholars as the Blue Island culture. From 1300-1600 CE Blue Island culture thrived across southeastern Cook County.
These “Blue Island Indians” lived in the prairie grasslands and...
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Canoe & Kayak the Cal-Sag!
Ever look at the Cal-Sag and think… wow, wish I could take a trip down there, if only I had a kayak or a canoe…
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 - CAL-SAG CHANNEL PADDLING TOUR!
Jason Berry will be leading a GUIDED TOUR of Blue Island’s waterfront by kayak or canoe. Tour departs from Fay’s Point at 12:30pm and returns by 4pm. $10/person. Limit 25 boats. Bring your own boat or rent a single or tandem...
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New APHA Fact Sheet on the Links between Public... →
Transportation systems and policies impact health in myriad ways, partly via providing safe streets and opportunities for physical activity. A new fact sheet contains statistics and examples that highlight the connections between the growing complete streets movement and health. All health and transportation-related fact sheets are housed on APHA’s transportation reports and fact sheets web page,...
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Southland Green Drinks @ Argus Brewery
The next Southland Green Drinks will be held November 10 at Argus Brewery in Pullman.
This Green Drinks will be a little different. Rather then purchasing individual beers, Argus will provide a tour for a flat fee that will include drinking. The cost hasn’t been confirmed, but will likely be around $10.
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Pop-Up Bike Shop with Jane Healy - WGN Radio →
Blue Island’s very own (and very busy!) Jane Healy was on WGN last Saturday, Oct. 8, talking about Cal-Sag Cycles and the Calumet-Sag Trail. Take a listen!
IIT to assist in the Design and Layout of NE... →
This fall, IIT’s (Illinois Institute of Technology) team of faculty experts and bright, energetic students from Civil Engineering and Architecture departments will be assisting the City on the site…
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Gardens, Bikes, and Children's Health
Community health is a concern for all of us. When it comes to children, we have a responsibility to provide safe, fun, and responsible models for healthy living. We’ve heard that children need 1 hour a day of physical activity to help them grow into healthy adults. This summer, Blue Island has focused on gardens and biking as a way to introduce healthy lifestyles.
On Saturday, October 2 a...
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Share Your Vision for Blue Island - Public...
The next public meeting for the Blue Island comprehensive plan will be a visioning workshop, and it is open to all stakeholders in the community.
Public Visioning Workshop Wednesday, October 19, 2011 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (sign-in begins at 6:00 p.m.) MetroSouth Medical Center, Conference Rooms B & C, 12935 Gregory Street, Blue Island, IL 60406
The public had 2opportunities in June, 2011 to...