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“What do Americans say they want for a natural environmental and energy policy?” That’s the question addressed by the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund during The Conservation Foundation’s Fall Membership and Awards Dinner on October 21, 2008. The evening is being hosted by the foundation and is sponsored by Waste Management. The event will include networking sessions and environmental awards presented over dinner. Tony Massaro, senior vice president for political affairs and public education, is responsible for overseeing lobbying and policy for the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund. The fund aims to educate and mobilize citizens as informed voters and advocates for sound environmental policies. The original article appeared in the Naperville Sun on Oct. 5, 2008.

Dawn Aulet of The Herald News wrote on the Sept. 22, 2008 edition of the Naperville Sun, “The Conservation Foundation is trying to make the world better one house at a time.” Jim Kleinwachter is quoted in the article saying, “Your own house or one garden isn’t going to change the world, but it’s the incremental portion.” The foundation has launched their “Conservation at Home” initiative, where they visit homes to educate homeowners on the importance of rain barrels and native plants. So far, nearly all the homes in the Tuscan Hills subdivision in Monee are Conservation Foundation homes. The foundation uses green methods in their demonstrations, including natural plants, creating rain gardens and using permeable concrete. One afternoon, they installed rain gardens where the gutters drain from a new building. Now the native plants around the building need less maintenance from homeowners.

GreenParentChicago.com observed the “Worldwide Day of Play” on Sept. 28, 2008 in Chicago and neighboring suburbs. The celebration began in 2003 by Nickelodeon kids networks in an effort to fight childhood obesity and promote active play and healthy living. The Conservation Foundation took part in the endeavor, hosting family games and nature exploration activities at the McDonald Farm and Dickson-Murst Farms.

The Kane County Chronicle wrote on Sept 29, 2008, “The first time The Conservation Foundation received the four stars, Brook McDonald thought it was nice.” For more than 30 years, The Conservation Foundation has worked with Chicago-area organizations to preserve open space. Charity Navigator recently recognized The Conservation Foundation for the second year in a row as one of the region’s top charities. The company reviews financial records of more than 5,300 charities nationwide based on an organizational efficiency and growth. Of the charities that get evaluated, only 17 percent have received a four-star rating two years in a row. McDonald said larger donations started coming in as a result of the first-four star rating. Not only do they like getting the ratings, she added, they advertise it.

Much attention has been drawn to the declaration of a numbing winter ahead on the front cover of the 2009 edition of The Farmers’ Almanac. Accurate and sometimes alarming weather predictions, however, are not the only contents of the annual publication. According to the Sept. 28 posting on JournalGazette.com, the Almanac also makes a good travel guide, citing the best locations and times for a glimpse of the most picturesque autumn. STLToday.com wrote on Sept. 21 some of the “fabulous fall trips” according to the Almanac’s leaf-peeping predictions, such as the Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, MO (StoneHillWinery.com) and The Chicago Country Music Festival (ChicagoCountryMusicFestival.us).

Farmers’ Almanac always features articles on health and good living and offers great natural remedies for common ailments. HealthNewsDigest.com posted natural ways of curing a headache. The Almanac recommends applying an ice pack to the neck and upper back, getting someone to massage the area, or sticking your feet in hot water to divert the blood flow from your head to your feet.

Farmers’ Almanac’s weather predictions are great and you may discover a new vacation spot, or you may even be able to cure what ails you.

TheDailyGreen.com reported recently that future tenants of Green Exchange (2545 W. Diversey Ave. in Chicago) will benefit from lower occupancy costs as a result of Class L assessment legislation. The building now has local and national recognition from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and the National Park Service, which lists the structure on its National Register of Historic Places. This means a 58 percent savings in real estate property taxes.

Before it was converted into the largest green business community in the country, the building of the Green Exchange was once home to Vassar Swiss Underwear Company and the Frederick Cooper Lamp Company. The four-story, 270,000 square-foot loft is being renovated according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum standard. An HVAC system will allow for individual control of tenant spaces and increased comfort, a 41,000 gallon cistern will irrigate more than 15,000 square feet of vegetated roof and a “smart” escalator will use 30 percent less energy. The building will feature an 8,000 square foot sky garden, bike rooms and showers, environmentally-friendly meeting and event space, and priority low-emitting vehicle parking.

The Green Exchange is expected to open in 2009 and will house tenants that provide innovative, sustainable products and services and will become a destination for environmentally-responsible consumers.

The “Once in a Lifetime” gala event hosted by the Chicago Humanities Festival is now a memory, though the festival lasts through Nov. 16, 2008. Nevertheless, the gala did the almost impossible, hosting a one-of-a-kind performance by legends, Barbara Cook, Frederica von Stade and Dianne Reeves, which received considerable coverage in the Chicago area. Howard Reich, a critic for the Chicago Tribune, said the “gala got its groove back” this year by booking the three singers. He said while cabaret icon, Cook, was 80 years old “her light soprano still addresses the ear gently. Yet her interpretations carry the wisdom of the ages” (ChicagoTribune.com, Oct. 6, 2008). Before the event, Reich posted some advice from Cook about singing, highlighting the importance of feeling the pain of the characters in song, of not being afraid to face the crowd, to find yourself in the music and finally to let yourself go and relax. Some good advice from someone who’s spent their lifetime singing (ChicagoTribune.com, Sept. 28, 2008).

 Read all of Cook’s advice in the full article here.

Apart from articles and listings in the Chicago Tribune, “Once in a Lifetime” also received listings in ChicagoBusiness.com, Crain’s Chicago Business (and picks for the week), IdealBite.com, About.com:Chicago, Chicago Weekend Tips, ChicagoPride.com, Daily Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Pioneer Press, Pioneerlocal.com, SunTimes.com, and Time Out Chicago.

The Conservation Foundation’s famous rain barrels had a two-minute thirty-second segment on CBS 2 News Chicago at 5 p.m. on Sept. 10, 2008. Meteorologist Don Schwenneker said rain barrels provide an easy way to save money that’ s also good for the environment. The Chicago area gets nearly three feet of rain water each year and with the rain barrel, you can put that water to work. By attaching a rain barrel to any downspout outside your house, you can catch it and use it later. It’s not a new concept according to Jim Kleinwachter, conservation specialist of the Conservation Foundation, “Your grandmother might have had one, and they just went out of focus as we became free with our water use… A typical home can generate as much as 200 gallons on a quarter-inch rain.”

Using that stored water will help reduce water bills and since the water is untreated it doesn’t contain chlorine or other chemicals.

 Click here to see the entire article and to watch the video.

Gold-Medal Olympic swimmer Matt Grevers signed autographs and met fans at Chalet garden center, Sept. 27, 2008. Chalet senior landscape architect Ed Grevers and his wife Anja welcomed their son back from the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he won gold medals in the 4×100m medley relay and the 4×100m freestyle relay, and a silver medal in the 100m backstroke.

A preview of the event was featured in the Sept. 11, 2008 edition of Pioneer Press North Shore.

On Friday, October 3rd, fans enjoyed three beloved performers: Frederica Von Stade, Barbara Cook and Dianne Reeves. They sang together at the Chicago Humanities Festival’s Benefit Evening held at Chicago’s Symphony Center. Their appearance on stage was the grand climax of the “Once in a Lifetime” benefit evening. Proceeds went to the Chicago Humanities Festival, a group that promotes the study and enjoyment of the humanities by hosting various yearly events and programs.

The event was promoted in Live and Play in Chicago, an entertainment blog at LiveandPlayinChicago.com. It was also listed in the October 2008 edition of Chicago Magazine (page 146).

Click here for more information on the Gala and the performers.