GreenTown: Climate Crisis was a virtual event across two days, September 23 and 30 and marked the 22nd GreenTown since 2007 spanning four Midwest states. The webinar included breakout sessions, plenary presentations, pre-event film screenings and panel discussions.

The event features a welcome address by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and a keynote by Jacqueline Patterson, Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program.

The webinar series hosted pre-event film screenings of Cooked: Survival by Zip-Code on Wednesday, September 16 and The Guardians on Monday, September 28, followed by panel discussions.

Due to Covid-19, GreenTown was hosted via webinar.

The range of topics selected for GreenTown: Climate Crisis addressed how climate solutions and equity go hand-in-hand and provide inspiration, aspiration and perspiration to create healthy, sustainable communities for all.

Topics

Cities across the country moving toward 100% renewable energy and carbon-neutrality

Funding, resources and strategies for municipalities serving communities of color and low-income residents most impacted by the climate crisis

Transportation, food and waste and building an equitable and sustainable Chicago metro region

Net-zero carbon buildings and policies to support a carbon-free future

Climate resiliency in the face of flooding, heat waves, food deserts and other impacts on communities of color and people with limited resources

The COVID-19 era and strategies for a just transition to a clean and regenerative economy

Wednesday, September 23:

Plenary: Chicago Regional Climate Action Plan 9-9:45am

  • Alessandra Kummelehne, Executive Director, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium

  • Patricia Lloyd, Director of Sustainability, Leopardo  

  • Edith Makra, Director of Environmental Initiatives, CMAP

  • Kevin Burns, Mayor, City of Geneva & Environment Committee Chairman

  • Jared Patton, Associate Planner, CMAP

Sessions

Building a New Flexible, Resilient and Adaptable Regional Food System 9:45 -10:45am

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened issues that the country’s food system already was experiencing. This session discussed new opportunities for this transition, new collaborations and investments, how to diversify markets and build resiliency and adaptability.

  • Allessandra Kummelehne, Executive Director, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium

  • Camille Kerr, Founder & Principal, Upside Down Consulting

  • Liz Moran Stelk, Executive Director, Illinois Stewardship Alliance

  • Lena Hatchett, Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago and Cook County Department of Public Health

  • Marlie Wilson, Purchasing Project Manager, CFPAC - Moderator

Carbon Neutral: Regional and National Strategies for Meeting IPCC Scientist GHG Reduction Recommendations 9:45 - 10:45am
Explored the science and examined how Illinois communities are one piece of a national “cities and regions” movement toward 100% renewable energy.

  • Gary Cuneen, Founding Executive Director, Seven Generations Ahead

  • Matt Cox, CEO and Founder, Greenlink Analytics

  • Kate Bowman, Renewable Energy Program Manager, Utah Clean Energy

  • Joyce McLaren, Senior Energy Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory - Moderator

Chicago and Beyond: Equitable Solutions to Climate Goals 9:45 - 10:45am

  • Sarah Edwards, Environment & Sustainability Program Manager, Cook County - Moderator

  • Angela Tovar, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Chicago

  • Kumar Jensen, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer, City of Evanston

  • Brianne Mullen, Office of Sustainability, City of Richmond, Virginia

Interlude: Forest Preserves of Cook County presents Turtle Tracking 10:45-11am

The Forest Preserves are imbedded in an urban environment yet retain plenty of habitat for a variety of wildlife. In this video, our wildlife biologists will show you some of the wildlife found in our Palos Preserves’ wetlands.

Climate Crisis Resiliency and Green Infrastructure 11- 12pm

This session examined some of the most pressing climate-related issues facing low-income communities and neighborhoods, including flooding, heat island effect and pollution and will discuss programs, projects and strategies to directly address the needs of low-income residents and residents of color in frontline communities and addressed water resilience as a tool for equity.

  • Sarah Edwards, Environment & Sustainability Program Manager, Cook County - Moderator

  • Olga Bautista, Community Planning Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes

  • Emily Okallau, Community Coordinator, Chicago Region Trees Initiative

  • Marcella Bondie Keenan, Program Director of Climate Planning and Programs, Center for Neighborhood Technology

  • John Legge, Chicago Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy

Clean Energy Tools and Financing for Communities 11 - 12pm

This session provided a brief overview of legislative updates on CEJA and other potential renewable energy legislation.

  • Delmar Gillus, Chief Operating Officer at Elevate Energy - Moderator

  • Mohammed Elahi, Deputy Director Cook County Government

  • Chris Lindgren, Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds at Park District of Oak Park

Waste Reduction and the Circular Economy 11 - 12pm

Discussed the paradigm shift from waste management to resource recovery, and demonstrated policies and boots on the ground initiatives that are building the circular economy around resource recovery.

  • Gary Cuneen, Founding Executive Director, Seven Generations Ahead

  • Jen Nelson, Senior Program Manager, Seven Generations Ahead

  • Stephanie Katsaros, Founder, Bright Beat

  • Tom Fecarotta, Vice President of External Affairs, Rheaply

  • Mike Nowak, Host, The Mike Nowak Show — Moderator

Wednesday, September 30:

Plenary: Energy, Economics & Equity: Eco-Evolution of Disadvantaged Communities 1:30-2:15

  • Darnell Johnson, CEO and President, Urban Efficiency Group

  • Delmar Gillus, Chief Operating Officer, Elevate Energy

  • Mayor Robert Polk, Mayor, Village of Burnham

  • Mayor Katrina Thompson, Mayor, Village of Broadview

  • Paul Francisco, University of Illinois

Sessions

Carbon Free Chicago 2:15 - 3:15pm

This session highlighted Carbon Free Chicago (CFC), a newly-launched, thirty-year campaign for the prompt and equitable decarbonization of Chicago. The campaign was launched with a clear vision of success in mind: “By sunrise on January 1, 2051 Chicagoans will no longer burn fossil fuels to heat or power our buildings, vehicles, or grid.” The campaign was organized around a Theory of Change (TOC) based on the answers to three key questions: 1) what cultural, technological, and legislative milestones must Chicago achieve on the path to Decarbonization; 2) how can decarbonization happen equitably and efficiently; and 3) how, and in what order, can these milestones be achieved as quickly as possible? Doug Farr, lead organizer of CFC, outlined the initiative’s Common Agenda and engaged panelists in a discussion around equity and these core questions.

  • Doug Farr, Founder and Principal, Farr Associates

  • Allessandra Kummelehne, Executive Director, South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium - Moderator

Just Transition: Movement to a New Economy 2:15 - 3:15pm

How to move to a clean and regenerative future while also advancing the movement for good jobs and move toward a more sustainable future for workers and communities most impacted by the effects of climate change.

  • Sarah Coulter, Executive Director, Calumet Collaborative - Moderator

  • Emily Rhodes, Technical Assistance & Planning Manager, Just Transition Fund

  • Kentina Kellum, Program Manager-Pre-Employment Education and Training, OAI, Inc.

  • Nakhia Morrissette, Central Region Director, Solar Energy Industries Association

  • Shantanu Pai, Assistant Sustainability Researcher, University of Illinois

Innovative Policy Solutions 2:15 - 3:15pm

This session provided a brief overview of legislative updates on CEJA and other potential renewable energy legislation. This session also highlighted and discussed policy strategies for advancing clean energy solutions at the municipal and community level, such as citywide building performance standards, electrification building codes, and equity-focused Green Zones.

  • Sarah Edwards, Environment & Sustainability Program Manager at Cook County - Moderator

  • Rajiv Ravulapati, Government Services Analyst, City of St. Louis

  • Heather Navarro, 28th Ward Alderwoman, City of St. Louis

  • Kelly Muellman, Sustainability Program Coordinator, City of Minneapolis

  • MeLena Hessel, Policy Advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center

  • Ken Davies, Climate Smart San Jose, City of San Jose, Environmental Services Department

Interlude: Forest Preserve of Cook County presents Sagawau Canyon Tour 3:15- 3:30pm

The Forest Preserves of Cook County, with nearly 70,000 acres, is one of the oldest and largest forest preserve districts in the United States. It receives an estimated 62 million visits each year, providing an escape into a world teeming with wildlife and rich with outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities. In this video, you will hear from our naturalists while they take you on a tour of our unique and fragile Sagawau Canyon located in the Sag Valley.

 

Reducing GHG Emissions through Low Carbon and Net Zero Buildings 3:30 - 4:30pm
This session looked at the Net Zero Building movement, including active case examples, funding strategies, code and zoning barriers, potential policies and local government efforts across the Chicago metro area.

  • Katie Kaluzny, Associate Director, Illinois Green Alliance - Moderator

  • Lois Vitt Sale, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wight

  • Jamie Meyers, Energy Manager, Cook County Bureau of Asset Management

  • Gail Paul, City Administrator, The City of Countryside

  • Gabriela Martin, Energy Program Director, Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation

Reinventing Mobility: Curbing Emissions to Help Communities Prosper 3:30 - 4:30pm

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that air quality improves without millions of cars on the road. Yet people in communities that have historically poor air quality are suffering the effects of the disease far more than anyone else. In this session, participants learned how Smart Columbus is reinventing mobility in the Ohio region by expanding access to transportation. The session also explored the Chicago area transportation plans, necessary steps to advance electric vehicles in the region (including Chicago’s EV-ready program) and why these efforts can achieve the Chicago metro area’s GHG emissions reductions goals—and how it will help communities hardest hit by pollution.

  • Erin Aleman, Executive Director, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

  • Mandy Bishop, Deputy Director of Public Service/Smart Columbus Program Manager, City of Columbus

  • Samantha Bingham, Clean Transportation Program Director, Chicago Department of Transportation

  • John Harris, Founding Principal, a5 Branding & Digital - Moderator


Urban Forestry: Can Nature Be Medicine? 3:30 - 4:30pm
Trees and the collective urban forest in the Chicago Region provide critical benefits and services to the people who live here. By supporting and growing the urban forest, the Chicago Region can improve water and air quality, reduce flooding, increase the amount of green space and sequester carbon from the atmosphere – while at the same time improve the health of residents.

  • Melissa Custic, Chicago Region Trees Initiative Coordinator, The Morton Arboretum

  • Veronica Kyle, Statewide Outreach Director, Faith In Place - Moderator

  • Al De Reu, TreeKeepers Program Manager Openlands

  • Charles O’Leary, Deputy Director of Resource Management, Forest Preserves of Cook County

  • Teresa Horton, Research Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University

Host Community Sponsor

Rockford, Illinois

Planning Partners

Cook County Government

Elevate Energy

Calumet Collaborative

Alliance for the Great Lakes

South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium

Forest Preserves of Cook County

Advisory Committee

Core Team

Olga Bautista, Alliance for the Great Lakes

Sarah Coulter, Calumet Collaborative

Gary Cuneen, Seven Generations Ahead

Lisa Daleiden-Brugman, Seven Generations Ahead

Sarah Edwards, Cook County

Delmar Gillus, Elevate Energy

John Harris, a5 Branding & Digital

Mackie Hill, a5 Branding & Digital

Allessandra Kummelehne, SMHEC

Deborah Stone, Cook County

Anthony Tindall, Forest Preserves of Cook County

Angela Tovar, City of Chicago

Advisory Committee

a5 Branding & Digital

Active Transportation Alliance

Applied Ecological Services

Baker & McKenzie

Brookfield

Campus Compact Illinois

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Chicago Dept. of Planning & Development

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning

City of Evanston

Cook County

Cook County Planning and Development

Delta Institute

Department of Transportation and Highways

Faith in Place

Foresight Design Initiative

Forest Preserves of Cook County

Future Foundation

Gamaliel Foundation

Greenleaf Communities

Grid Alternatives

Illinois Green Alliance

Joyce Foundation

Local 134

Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force

Northwestern University

Oak Park

Openlands

Pizzo & Associates

Resiliency Institute

Seven Generations Ahead

SMHEC

Sunrise Movement

The Resiliency Institute

University of Illinois at Chicago

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