Seed Savin' Social

It's time to celebrate the success of our collective seed saving efforts at our main fall event, our third annual Seed Savin' Social! As this year's social falls on the autumn equinox, we invite you to join us in some fall fun for all ages. Different crafts and activities will guide us in creating a departure of the sun and acknowledging the equilibrium of light and dark that comes with the changing of the seasons.

WHEN: Sunday, September 22^nd from 1PM-4PM

WHERE: Sustain DuPage Garden, 1926 N. Main Street, Wheaton (on the grounds of The Theosophical Society). Come in at the light off Geneva Road, aim for the green garages. NOTE: We are located on a vegetarian and intoxicant-free campus. Please bring your lawn chairs and/or picnic blanket as seating may be limited.

The primary goal of this event is to gather the seeds our current One Seed, One Community participants have grown this season. It's also about building community, so if you've thought about participating in this program, come check it out. This is your opportunity to sign up for One Seed, One Community 2025 and collect your free "Norfolk" Spinach seeds (see article below).

The social is a free, fun, family-friendly event, but please RSVP here so we have enough food. Hope to see you there, and bring a friend!

NOTE TO 2024 PARTICIPANTS: Everyone who brings 20 "Amish Snap Pea" or "Cherokee Trail of Tear" seeds that were harvested this growing season to donate back to Sustain DuPage/Downers Legacy Seed Library will be entered into the raffle to win the custom prize basket pictured above. If you participated but your crop failed, come anyway! If you participated but can’t make the event to return your seeds, you can still get in the raffle if you get your seeds to us prior to the event. Please contact Betty to make arrangements.

One Seed, One Community 2025

The One Seed, One Community project aims to strengthen

the community by providing one seed variety to growers

county-wide, and collectively saving seed.

"Norfolk" Spinach (Seed Savers Exchange)

Spinach is a cool weather crop, easy to grow and fairly easy to save seeds -- we will teach you the tips and tricks! This selection got rave reviews from our volunteers during the trial at the Sustain DuPage Garden this spring.

We are limited to 200 packs, so sign up to grow with us in 2025 and pick up your seeds at the following events:

1) Seed Savin' Social - SD Garden - Sunday, Sept. 22, 1-4 p.m.(see above)

2) Wheaton Farmer's Market - SD Table - Saturday, Oct. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Contact Betty with questions.

Using and Making Natural Dyes

Get Your Ticket!!

Dyeing with Plants: Did you know your garden is already growing a wealth of materials that you can use to beautify other things? Come learn how to take organic foliage in your garden and dye something with them.

In this three hour hands-on workshop, we'll cover the basics of Natural Dyeing, including the mordanting process to make your dyes last on your fabric. We'll share info about plants that can be harvested and stored for later use. We’ll use plants grown specifically for dying and cover info about others you can experiment with. Everyone will get a chance to practice on wool, cotton and silk fabrics you can take home with you!

We will cover how you can modify the color of your dyed fabrics by changing mordants or dipping in a post-dye bath. All participants will get a chance to interact with the dye plants and dye baths and everyone will go home with fabric samples that we dye that day.This event will be held outdoors in the Sustain DuPage garden on the grounds of the Theosophical Society in Wheaton, IL. Please park behind the main building near the bright green garages. You will see signs pointing towards our garden space. Please bring clothing that can get dirty, sun protection, and a drink.

Edible Wild Plant Walk

We continue our interpretive natures walk series in the walk along the DuPage River, which will focus on 43 edible wild plants that are available in late Summer and Fall, with an emphasis on identifying trees and shrubs. You will learn how to identify all of our most common oaks, as well as tips for collecting and processing acorns for food. Visit our Eventbrite page to learn more and purchase tickets.

Join us at Theosofest!

Come visit our booth at Theosofest! We'll have information about our projects, upcoming events, garden and craft items for sale, and tours of our garden! As always, 100% of the sales will go towards funding our programs. We're looking forward to seeing you there! Entry to the festival is free, however parking on the grounds will cost $5.

Movie Night at the Garden: Common Ground

Join us for a cozy Fall Friday movie night in the garden on September 27th to watch Common Ground, the follow-up documentary to Kiss the Ground. Sobering yet hopeful, Common Ground exposes the toxic interconnections between American farming policy, politics, and health by sharing stories of destruction and healing across the United States and beyond. It highlights how regenerative agriculture and soil health play a vitally important role in changing these systems for the better. At its root, the film explores how people from different walks of life, political backgrounds, and places share one thing in common – the very soil beneath their feet.

The film is directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, who have been creating bold and inspiring environmental films for many years (Kiss the Ground, On Sacred Ground, Regenerate Ojai, Fuel, The Big Fix), earning awards from Sundance, Cannes, Red Nation, and Tribeca along the way. Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-M4Hq0MKFA.

We’ll start the evening with a potluck dinner and some social time around 6:00 pm. The movie will begin at dusk, which should be around 6:40 pm.

Feel free to bring a vegetarian dish or snack to share, but it’s not required. Please note that the event location is a vegetarian/intoxicant-free campus. Seating is limited, so you may want to bring your own folding chairs as well.

In case of rain, we will reschedule our event to Wednesday, October 2nd after our Wednesday worknight in the garden.

If you have any questions, please email Wendy.

This General Election on November 5, 2024, voters will be asked to support forest preserves in DuPage County. The forest preserve district is asking for a small levy increase to preserve more land, maintain and restore existing forest preserves, and add recreational amenities such as trails and improve public access. Since the pandemic, many forest preserves have nearly doubled their attendance as people continue to discover the many benefits forest preserves provide to our lives and our communities.

If approved by the voters on November 5, the forest preserves will be better able to improve air and water quality, purchase land and restore and create more wildlife habitat, improve flood control, expand public safety, and create more places where children can experience and enjoy with wonders of nature. With land prices skyrocketing and the amount of natural lands dwindling, we must act now to preserve our last remaining open spaces for our children and our grandchildren before they are lost to development.

The cost for the average homeowner in DuPage County will be approximately $3 per month ($11.67/$100,000 of market value annually) to keep our forest preserves green and healthy.

Sustain DuPage fully endorses this referendum and we ask that you support our forest preserves on November 5 with a YES vote. Please encourage your friends, neighbors, family members and your network to support it, as well.

To learn more about how you and your community can help pass this important ballot measure, visit www.voteYESdupageforest.org and use the communication toolkit provided. You can also visit the forest preserve’s website at www.dupageforest.org/referendum2024 to get more details.

We thank The Conservation Foundation for organizing the campaign and the many volunteers for supporting and working to pass this referendum.

Thank you for furthering conservation efforts in DuPage County!

August Forest Preserve Meeting Notes

We send thanks to Connie Schmidt, Chair of the River Prairie Group of the Sierra Club, for documenting the notes of the August DuPage Forest Preserve meeting. See the PDF of the notes here.

Food Security Squad

In addition to our weekly collections at the SD Garden every Wednesday, FSS will be collecting pantry staples and fresh produce at Theosofest on 9/7 and at our Seed Savin' Social on 9/22. Bring an item to donate and you could win an edible herb and floral arrangement! Ron S. was the lucky winner at our Tomato Taste Test in August.

Since our kickoff food drive late June, we have collectively donated 120 lbs. of fresh produce, 256 lbs. of pantry staples and $450 in cash! Thank you for supporting our local food pantries and in turn our residents in need.

Questions or want to help? Send an email to Diane or Betty.

Gardeners

Attention Members! Since this month's Member Market coincides with Theosofest, we will be shifting the date for your veggie pickup to September 14th. Keep an eye on your inbox for your monthly reminder. Thanks for your flexibility!

Coming up in the Community

Learn from the Experts: Singing Bird and the Importance of Native American Women in Illinois History: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, Barbara Belding Lodge, Brewster Creek Forest Preserve, 6N889 IL Route 25, St. Charles. Dressed in her native regalia, Kim Sigafus will give a history of natives in Illinois, with a focus on native women. Host: Kane County Forest Preserve District. Fee: $15. Registration: 630-444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com.

Coming up in Sustain DuPage

One Seed, One Community Seed Distribution Saturday, October 5, 8am--2pm, Wheaton Farmers Market. Look for the Sustain DuPage table. Sign up for our 2025 project and get your free Norfolk Spinach seeds on the spot. While supplies last.

Fantastic Fall Color at Prairie Sun, Sunday, October 20, 1:30 – 4:30pm, Naperville. See native plants selected for fall color, pick up ripe persimmons and dig Jerusalem Artichokes and sassafras roots .

Date	Sustain DuPage Event Details
9/4	Garden Worknight, Wednesdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m., SD Garden. Also September 11, 18, 25. See Wednesday details here.
9/7	Theosofest, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Theosophical Society and Sustain DuPage Garden. Free admission ($5 donation requested for lawn parking). www.theosophical.org/theosofest Garden tours at: 11:30, 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00
9/12	Leadership meeting - 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Active members are allowed to attend and observe via Zoom. For the link and details, email our general mailbox.
9/14	Garden Work Day, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. SD Garden. Also September 21, 28.See Saturday details here Member Market: SD Members produce pickup in the garden
9/15	Natural Dyeing With Plants, 9 - Noon, SD Garden. See details and buy tickets here.
9/15	Edible Plant Walk, 1:30 - 4 p.m., Naperville Riverwalk. See details and buy tickets here.
9/22	Seed Savin' Social, 1-4 p.m., Sustain DuPage Garden. See details and RSVP here.
9/27	Movie Night in the Garden, 6 p.m., SD Garden. In case of rain, backup date is Wednesday, 10/2.

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.