Other Initiatives

Other local and national initiatives to make Chicago greener:

Alliance for Healthy Homes
The Alliance for Healthy Homes (AHH) website offers an extensive resource section on a variety of space-related health issues. AHH focuses primarily on preventing environmental health hazards and finding solutions that are accessible and affordable to consumers. AHH also addresses environmental justice issues, and suggests comprehensive and holistic approaches to environmental health problems.

The Community Environmental Health Resource Center (CEHRC), a collaborative project between AHH and community organizations nationwide, helps community organizations to identify health hazards in homes and document substandard conditions.

To learn more about AHH, contact 202-543-1147. For more information about CEHRC, contact 202-543-1147 or visit their Website.

Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s (CNT) Website offers a variety of resources and information on green living, sustainable environments, traffic, building codes and more. CNT's primary goal is to build more livable, sustainable, and prosperous urban communities. To learn more about CNT, visit their Website or contact 773-278-4800.

Earthwatch – Chicago
Earthwatch offers volunteer participation in scientific field research projects throughout the world. In addition to travel, some projects have photography and illustration opportunities for which you may be paid.

Earthwatch - Chicago is a local volunteer group that supports the Earthwatch Institute and sponsors several Chicago-area events each year. Earthwatch Institute offers a series of expeditions. To learn more, contact 630-369-5186, or visit the Website.

Environmental Justice Data
Environmental Justice Data (EJD) profiles the environmental condition of every community in the U.S. Profiles provide information on area health hazards, polluting facilities, and air and water quality, and identifies areas with disproportionate exposure to toxic chemical releases and cancer risks from hazardous air pollutants.

You can obtain a copy of your neighborhood’s environmental justice analysis through the EJD website. EJD is a component of Scorecard: The Information Pollution Site.

Environmental Law and Policy Center
The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) Website provides information on a variety of environmental issues such as energy and transportation alternatives. A Chicago-based advocacy organization, the ELPC's primary goals are:

1. To achieve cleaner energy resources and implement sustainable energy strategies
2. Promote innovative and efficient transportation and land use approaches that produce cleaner air and more jobs; and
3. Develop sound environmental management practices that conserve natural resources and improve the quality of life in our communities.

To learn more about ELPC, contact 312-673-6500, or visit their Website.

Open Lands Project
The Open Lands Project (OLP) is dedicated to preserving and enhancing public open space in northeastern Illinois. OLP supports a variety of urban greening projects such as Neighborhood Open Space Planning, in which OLP partners with communities to develop open spaces in neighborhoods.

For more information on how to get involved, contact 312-427-4256 or visit their Website.

Additional Resources
In addition to these local initiatives are many national and international efforts to address sustainability, environmental and green living issues. For more information about nonprofit organizations, visit Guide Star’s Website, which provides information on various categories of nonprofits (i.e. artistic, environmental, political, etc.), contact information and web links.