Upcycling at SETF

Members and neighbors joined in the creative fun on December 3rd at the SETF office.  Using glue and scissors, they fashioned Christmas decorations from old cards, plastic glasses, discarded Cd's, milk cartons and other recycled items.  The creative juices were flowing!  It was fun to watch each person's style develop as the evening wore on. The ladies were so engrossed in their projects, they didn't want to bother taking a break to enjoy the refreshments.  And while there were no penalties for incomplete projects, Linda Cook stayed until the very last minute, determined to finish all of hers.  Everyone deserved an A+ for effort.

Trying to keep her fingers out of the glue!

              Neatness counts!

Measuring up the final project.

Everyone was so helpful.

Milk carton birdhouses.

Sharing ideas.

Holiday Cheer With Finkl Steel

On December 18th, Richard and Linda Cook and I were guests at Finkl Steel’s annual Christmas party. The party was held on the uppermost floor of what use to be an old plastics factory. The expansive room was bordered by lighted Christmas trees, lights twinkled from the rafters overhead and tables dotted the floor. There was even a snowy vignette of life-size snowmen flanked by mistletoe reindeer. It was a virtual wonderland.

The room was full of employees, guests and carolers from the nearby university ambling about. And while we enjoyed the vast selection of delicious food and the wonderful wine bar, we were none the less surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Al Underys of Finkl came to our rescue and was gracious enough to join us at our table spending a substantial amount of time explaining to the Cooks Finkl’s move to the Southside. Using his handheld technology, he was able to show our Indiana members the exact location of the new site. Al also took the opportunity to introduce us to a number of other Finkl employees.

We were having such a good time sharing in the holiday cheer that we regretted having to leave the party early in order to beat the traffic home. I’m especially sorry that I didn’t get to play bean bags – the competition looked mean.

Thanks Finkl Steel for having us as your guests. We look forward to working with you in 2010.

The carolers were lovely.

Linda Cook looks on as Al Underys pin points Finkl's new location.

Posing for the camera.

Mr. and Mrs. Frosty were the judges of the beanbag competition.

Changes afoot

At our November meeting, the Board of Directors was informed that Mike would be stepping down as executive director. While it is true that this drastic change in leadership happens at an unfortunate time, the board wants to let everyone know that we are committed to making the appropriate changes to keep the Task Force both operational and productive in the near future. Here's a list of some of the things we're doing.

• We've contacted our major supporters, informing them of the change in leadership structure. We have provided them with a strategic plan that addresses our goals for improving organizational governance, fiscal integrity, and ability to provide programming to the community.
• We are reviewing the budget with the primary goal of keeping the office on 13300 S. Baltimore Ave. open! In our opinion, this is a very important space that has been underutilized in the recent past, and we plan on changing that.
• We will hold elections at the January board meeting. After new leadership is selected, the board will be able to present more specific details about actions and acitivities for the 2010 year.

In closing, we want to insure our community and partners that we are working passionately, and working hard to bring about the improvements necessary to keep the Southeast Environmental Task Force an important partner in the effort to improve the quality of life of South Side residents through environmental education, pollution prevention, and open space management. We welcome your input during this transitional stage, and I encourage you to email us or contact the main office with your suggestions.

Thank you for reading.

Wolf Lake Outdoor Bash

Come celebrate fall and howl at the moon on the shores of Wolf Lake October 24th with SETF. We are pleased to announce our exciting new fall fundraiser entitled 'Harvest Moon', which will take place from 3pm-10pm on Saturday 10/24.

We will have a bonfire starting at 7pm and many delicious food and drinks, some even homemade! We believe the atmosphere set by the hall’s newly installed pine lodge decour will provide a lovely fall location on the lake for this venue, propelling one straight into the north woods. The night will have a fall ‘Oktoberfest’ theme, offering brats slowly cooked in beer with other German and European delectables. You can find us at:

Sportsman’s Club
13139 S. Avenue M
Chicago, IL

Tickets cost only $30. Please rsvp with setf@sbcglobal.net by October 15th. We look forward to seeing you there.

Local industry goes green

This summer Holcim concrete has taken an active interest in the community garden found at 97th and Marquette. Holcim has long been a part of SETF's 'Good Neighbor Dialogue' where we engage local industry on the southeast side in dialogue over their practices and opportunities we see to make them more eco-friendly and energy efficient. At a recent meeting in Holcim, SETF expressed its interest in finding supplies for our garden and natives work. We had a lot of day-to-day work needs such as requiring nails, paint, wood, and other materials for construction of interpretive displays. Not only did Holcim supply the above goods, but they also furnished safety goggles and gloves for our volunteers in addition to giving a safety lecture!


Many thanks to Tim, Kervin, and John at Holcim for their time and dedication to our cause. We are pleased that Holcim recognizes the value of sustainable agriculture and native gardens for our community and that they are willing to give their time and resources. We look forward to a continuation of the productive and mutually beneficial relationship with Holcim in the coming years.

Putting a new shade of green in your green thumb

What do birds and tomatoes have in common? One unique garden in South Chicago located on 97th Street and Marquette Avenue. Recently, two groups on the Southeast Side of Chicago have teamed up to address two issues: the dearth of grocery stores and markets that offer a selection of healthy produce, and the lack of native gardens with plants that encourage biodiversity.

Healthy Southeast Chicago and the Southeast Environmental Task Force (www.setaskforce.org) are together encouraging residents to plant “biodiversity gardens” using native plants like the purple coneflower (Echinacea) shown here for health and various native wild flowers to attract birds and insects. This is coupled with classic urban agriculture edibles such as peppers, corn, squash and tomatoes.

Native plants restore the health of our ecosystem by providing habitat for birds, butterflies, and other insects, and vegetable gardens provide nutrition for people. SETF is also exploring how natives can also be used to clean polluted soil over the years. With any luck, social justice and environmental conservation will find a healthy balance in communities home and community gardens

SETF hires new Community Educator!

SETF is pleased to announce that we have a new staff member, Ms. Danielle Diaz. Danielle will be the new Community Educator and is replacing Jessica Canas, who is now headed off to Peace Corps' Masters International Program. Danielle started work at SETF in mid July and has hit the ground running, closely working with Jessica and attending meetings to get to know partners before Jessica heads off to Cornell August 15^th. SETF is very fortunate to have Danielle, who has a Masters degree in Environmental Education from California State University and a BA in Environmental Studies from Loyola. Danielle has worked with children of all ages in environmental education, and brings a particular passion for art to her work for SETF.

As the Community Educator, Danielle will work closely with civic and governmental organizations in the Calumet Stewardship Initiative (CSI), promoting environmental curricula in Calumet-area schools and community-based organizations. Danielle will play a vital role in the organization of the CSI Education Team and in producing the CSI triennial newsletter. In her capacity, Danielle will also be responsible for creating and implementing environmental education programs for students, adults and families of the Southeast Side, as well as professional development opportunities in environmental education for teachers. A large portion of her time is allocated to outreach, specifically in the Latino community of the Southeast Side of Chicago.