Final Toxic Tour of the Season

Our final Toxic Tour of the season is scheduled for Saturday, November 12, 2011, the theme of which is Energy Production in the Calumet Region.

If you ever wondered where the energy comes from when you flick on a light switch or turn your key in the ignition, this tour is for you.  We will take you to electric plant and refinery sites throughout the Calumet Region.  Sites very few people see or think about.  You'll get to compare firsthand how solar farms compare to coal fired electric plants and hear about their impact on the local communities and beyond. 

So join us for this trolley tour through Southeast Chicago, Northwest Indiana and West Pullman.  Tour departs from our office.  Please arrive by 9:30 am for coffee and sign-in.

Toxic to Treasures Tour - Energy Production in the Calumet Region
Saturday, November 12, 2011
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
cost:  $25.00 per person

Call 773-646-0436 for more information or register by clicking on the Paypal button below.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Its been a very busy couple of weeks for SETF. We started things off by co-hosting the Environmental Justice forum at the Zone on Sept. 21st. The Environmental Justice forum was born from the collaboration of SETF, the Sierra Club, the 10th Ward Community Service organization and People for Community Recovery, and was attended by well over 160. It featured a panel of speakers including Kim Wasserman of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), Peggy Salazar of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, Cheryl Johnson of the People for Community Recovery, and Victoria Persky, an Epidemiologist with the University of Illinois. The forum was just the first in a series of community outreach activities the Environmental Justice Alliance of Greater Southeast Chicago has planned to help initiate and foster a green economy on Chicago's Southside.

Vounteers Kevin Kuhn and John Pastirik

Kim Wasserman from LVEJO

Becki Clayborn of the Sierra Club with Cheryl Johnson of People for Community Recovery

Karen Roothan of Tress R Beautiful

David Holberg of the Calumet Area Industrial Commmission with Peggy Salazar of the Southeast Environmental Task Force

Map of Existing Local Industry

Robert instructing participate on how to interact with data gather program.

Audience listens to presenters.

Victoria Persky, M.D. with University of Illinois

On Sept. 24th, SETF held its annual Fall Fundraiser at the Green Olive; a great time was had by everyone in attendance. SETF thanks the Green Olive staff for being such gracious hosts. We look forward to having more events there soon, events like our upcoming Enviro-holics fundraiser in November. SETF would also like to extend a very special thank you to Friends of the Parks, the City of Chicago Dept of Environment, and the Field Museum for their generous donations of gifts for our door prizes and raffles. Congratulations go out to SETF members and friends: the Earnshaws who won a “Behind the Scenes Tour of the Field Museum”, Natalie Salazar winner of the rain barrel, and Preston Medrano, winner of our Wine Basket. And to everyone else for taking home some great prizes from our raffles.


Things are going to remain busy  as SETF and Friends of the Park are hosting the Bike the Calumet event planned for Oct. 16th (see side panel).

Environmental justice groups fight pollution problems on Southeast Side

SETF has joined forces with People for Community Recovery, Sierra Club, the New 10ward Community Service Organization, Juan Deigo Community Center, and Eastside United Methodist Church, to form the Environmental Justice Alliance of Greater Southeast Chicago in order to combat a rising tide of environmental injustices coming to the community.

Environmental justice groups fight pollution problems on Southeast Side

NEW TOXICS TO TREASURES BOAT TOUR - CRUISE THE CALUMET

JOIN SETF FOR THIS END-OF-THE-SUMMER BOAT CRUISE ALONG "CHICAGO'S OTHER RIVER". THE 2 1/2 HOUR CRUISE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN THE THE CALUMET AS IT WINDS PAST GRITTY INDUSTRIAL SITES TO THE MOUTH OF LAKE MICHIGAN. WE'LL GLIDE PAST HISTORICAL BRIDGES AND SEE OLD MILL SITES WHERE ONCE TONS OF STEEL WAS PRODUCED. ON THE WAY BACK WE'LL TAKE A QUICK JAUNT INTO LAKE CALUMET, THE LAKE THAT FEW CHICAGOANS GET TO SEE.

THE TOUR DEPARTS FROM WINDJAMMER'S, A LOCAL ESTABLISHMENT THAT OFFERS A TASTE OF RIVERFRONT LIFE.

SOLD OUT!!!  NO LONGER ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS.

New Industry to Bring Jobs, Soot to Southeast Side - Chicago News Cooperative

New Industry to Bring Jobs, Soot to Southeast Side - Chicago News Cooperative

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE COAL GASIFICATION PLANT...

REPRESENTATIVES FROM LUECADIA WILL BE ON HAND TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THEIR COAL GASIFICATION PROJECT AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
ST. SIMEON SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
3737 E 114TH STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60617

A Road Runs Through It

The Hegewisch Marsh, an oasis of nature on the Southeast side of Chicago, is home to endangered species, beavers, and a host of other flora and fauna. Since being identified in the Calumet Open Space Reserve Plan as an important natural area to preserve as well as the targeted home for the proposed Ford Calumet Environmental Center, the city has been working hard on its restoration. Much has been accomplished in the past few years in an effort to return this green gem to as natural a state as possible.  And much more remains to be done as  evidenced by Walmart's recent donation  of $100,00.00 (see video above) to help fund restoration work.

But now, due to the planned reconfiguration of nearby Torrence Ave and 130th Street, an access road will be built through the Marsh, parallel to Torrence Avenue, for the purpose of transferring Ford's new vehicles from their plant to their parking lot on the opposite side of the street. Acres of wetland, as well as newly established wildlife habitat, will be filled in and lost because of this construction.

In 2001, when the city recognized the value of the remenant natural areas scattered among the many abandoned brown fields on the Southeast side, it developed the Chicago Land Use Plan for the Calumet area, declaring that nature and industry could coexist side-by-side and that good business development benefited the environment. Perhaps that holds true in a more perfect world, but it has been our experience more often then not, that business trumps nature.

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