I have a piece in this week’s Reader — a special issue devoted to all things Hyde Park-Kenwood — on the ongoing hoo-ha surrounding the U. of C.’s plan to use the lot long-occupied by the 61st Street Community Garden as a staging area for construction of the new Chicago Theological Seminary at 60th and … Continued
“Some greenhouses grow vegetables. Some grow flowers. What grows at the two gleaming 2,500-square-foot greenhouses rising from a gray industrial district at South Canal Street and 14th Place is a bit more complex.” Really great story on the Greenhouses of Hope at PGM in this weekend’s Sunday Tribune Magazine. Though it does remind me how … Continued
Stringing together even two interesting words has seemed a challenge of late. Late-summer lethargy? Age-related brain cell loss? Allergies? Who knows. Who cares? Here, instead, are are some pretty pictures, shot this morning in the greenhouse and gardens behind the Pacific Garden Mission. PGM is a Chicago institution; originally founded in 1877, the shelter stood … Continued
My story on anarchist coffeepreneur David Meyers and the nascent Chicago Coffee Confederation is up/out now at/in the Reader. What didn’t make it into the story so much is the larger picture of the Chicory Center philosophy. Meyers’s On-the-Fly Farm is sort of operating at a low simmer right now, but the idea was (and … Continued
Slow Food USA president Josh Viertel kicks off the new soup season at Hull-House on August 25. More, here.
IMO the most revealing — and hopeful — bit from an excellent interview with the equally excellent Will Allen. [grist.org] EH: If you could change one thing about how cities are run, what would it be? WA: All city planners should be required to incorporate green space and food growing into their urban plans. The American Planning Association’s magazine new … Continued
WBEZ producer Kristin Moo did a short little piece on the Greenhouses of Hope at Pacific Garden Mission, where I’ve been volunteering for the last eight months. I was out of town the day she came down to tape, but I wouldn’t have been able to contribute anything that Nance and Sayre — and our … Continued
I’m on my way out this this morning to interview David Meyers, of Resistance Coffee fame. David is an energetic — and presumably well-caffeinated — anarchist and activist, a lynchpin of Chicago’s growing coffee subculture. His coffee is rich and chocolatey. And, he delivers. I’m hopefully writing something up for the Reader, for a few weeks … Continued
Sula has the scoop. I guess institutional affiliation still counts for something in the press, as Laurino’s office has yet to return my phone call. Interestingly, in a note Mike forwarded me from a Laurino staffer publicist representing Laurino’s office, the resolution is called the “Community Garden Resolution.” Which may prove some sort of point about … Continued
Local food-policy wonks were scratching their heads this weekend at a New York Times report that the City Council has passed a “Green Food Resolution.” The news, it turned out, was premature — the nonbinding resolution, introduced by 39th ward alderman Margaret Laurino — hasn’t passed, it’s just in committee. But its provenance is still sort … Continued