Free Environmental Summit: Agroecology

The Conservation Foundation's virtual DuPage Environmental Summit is happening again on Thursday, January 18th from 8:30 AM-12:00 PM. This year's theme is "agroecology", a way of farming that works with nature and considers the social and ecological aspects of food production. This FREE event features a variety of speakers exploring various facets of agroecology from local food systems and community-based agriculture to conservation in the home garden. Keynote speaker Gary Oppenheimer, Founder and Executive Director of AmpleHarvest.org, will also explore revolutionary approaches to America's food, health and climate problems through the agroecological lens. 

Sustain DuPage President and Garden Organizer Lindsay Zimmerman will present on the Sustain DuPage model for community-based involvement and how our various mission projects work together to connect people, the environment, and food to create local change.  

If you're interested, please register on Zoom to attend the conference. Additional information on the speakers and their topics can be found on the Conservation Foundation's website. 

Seed Swap at the Morton Arboretum!

Although it may seem that winter has just begun, it's never too early to start thinking about spring planting. Sustain DuPage is excited to be tabling at the Morton Arboretum's annual seed swap along with other local organizations and horticultural experts on January 27th from 12 PM-3 PM in the Thornhill Education center. The event is free to Morton arboretum members and is included with the price of entry to the arboretum for non-members.

There will be a variety of seeds available, from vegetables and perennials to ornamentals and native plants. You don't have to contribute seeds to be able to take some home. However, if you would like to participate in the swap by sharing your own seeds, we recommend you read through the instructions on the event site for guidance and additional details. 

Members of our Seed Cache project will be on hand to answer questions about how you can get involved in Sustain DuPage's own local seed initiatives and programs for home gardeners. We hope to see you there!
 

Gardeners

It's that time of year again! The Gardeners project will be starting their garden planning meetings in the last two weeks of January. Like last year, we'll be covering plant selection, special projects to focus on, areas for growth and improvement, garden volunteer empowerment, and fun ways we can use our garden space and produce to benefit our SD community. The first meeting will be held the week of January 22nd and will continue on a weekly basis into early March. Event details will be posted on our calendar within the first half of the month.  

The Sustain DuPage Garden is a communal growing space where likeminded people come together to grow food, community, and gardening skills together as a group. We use sustainable gardening practices and have fun experimenting with different crops and techniques to produce a bounty of food for our volunteers, mission projects, and SD community. All are welcome! 

 

A big thanks to Connie Schmidt of the River Prairie Group Sierra Club for attending the DuPage Forest Preserve meetings and compiling a report. Here are the notes from December 2023: This file will open as a view only .docx document.

Save the Date:

2/01: Next month Garden Organizer Lindsay will be presenting to the DuPage Organic Garden Club about seed starting and making your own transplants. This event is free to the public but seats must be reserved. Find details here.

In Our Community:

1/04: DuPage Organic Garden Club "Cure for Winter Blues: House plants" 7 PM at the Carol Stream Public Library.

1/04-1/06: Administration for Native Americans and the Trickster Cultural Center "3-Day Bbon (Winter) Camp" with cultural teachings, crafts, storytelling, outdoor games. All ages.

1/07: DuPage Forest Preserve "Marvelous Monarchs" 2 PM St. James Farm, $5.

1/24: River Prairie Group Sierra Club "Restoring Salt Creek: A Deep Dive" 7 PM Glen Ellyn History Center

Check our most up to date calendar on our website

If your organization's event falls within the mission of Sustain DuPage and you'd like to advertise it in our newsletter, please contact us at info@sustaindupage.com.