Greetings Everyone,

Happy Fall! We've excited to share BIG's latest announcements, upcoming events, news, and resources in our October newsletter!

UPCOMING EVENT: BIG'S OLD TIME MISSISSIPPI FISH FRY

Don't forget to RSVP for our upcoming community event - Old Time Mississippi Fish Fry - on Friday, November 15, 2024 from 4:00 - 9:00pm. Come and learn how to increase your household income and live the conservation lifestyle through BIG's 8 Principles of Green-Village-Building, as part of our Sustainable Square Mile. Enjoy the delicious food & drinks, learn what resources are available to you through BIG’s programs in the neighborhood as part of our Sustainable Square Mile initiative, and connect with your neighbors!

Learn more about BIG's exciting programs and partners at the event:

• West Woodlawn Geothermal Pilot - Planning for BIG's Geothermal Pilot is underway for the West Woodlawn neighborhood. Learn how "geothermal energy" works and the benefits of switching to geothermal energy. Get started by watching this informative video, and bring your questions to the event to ask our experts!



• Green Energy Justice Cooperative (GEJC) 9 Megawatt Development Project - This consumer-owned clean energy cooperative, launched by BIG and core partners, will develop three industry-scale solar projects at 3 megawatts DC each, totaling 9 megawatts of solar power. On completion, the three projects will provide a rare community ownership stake in clean energy generation and lower the energy burden of its Black, Brown, and other low- and moderate-income (LMI) beneficiaries in Aurora, Naperville, Romeoville, and surrounding communities in Illinois.

• Argonne Community Climate Science Research - Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS) studies urban climate change and the impact it has on communities, with particular focus on disinvested, under-resourced communities. This information leads to new insights on urban climate challenges and informs future actions for mitigating and adapting to climate change at the street, neighborhood, and regional levels. The communities of Chatham, Humboldt Park, and Woodlawn are some of the CROCUS research focus areas.

• Fertile Ground Production with Deeply Rooted - Earlier this year, Deeply Rooted, in collaboration with BlG, presented "Fertile Ground: Celebrating the Great Migration and Green Living in Black Chicago". This large community-cast play was created and performed to showcase migration stories spanning the Deep South to Chicago's South Side and Stony Island Corridor. Learn more and find out how you can get involved next year!

• The Mamie Till-Mobley Forgiveness Garden - Located at 64th & S. St. Lawrence Avenue, this garden was named in honor of Emmett Till's mother and Civil Rights icon Mamie Till-Mobley. The garden is open to all to enjoy a peaceful stroll. Recent enhancements to the garden pathways have elevated its accessibility and aesthetic appeal, with the transformation to permeable, brick-paved paths - a green infrastructure practice that allows rainwater to infiltrate and reduce runoff from rain and snow.

• The Shrine Community Energy & Resilience Center - Thanks to a generous gift by ADT, BIG acquired the former site of Lincoln Memorial Congregation Church on the corner of 65th and Champlain Avenue and plans to convert the space into a community energy and resilience center.

This event is open to everyone! It's free to West Woodlawn neighbors and BIG Justice TCTAC clients - and $25 for everyone else. The event will be held at our Green Living Room at 6431 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637.

Questions? Email us at hello@blacksingreen.org



CLIMATE JUSTICE SOLUTIONS STORYBANK

Watch this powerful trailer to learn about the launch of The Solutions Project's Climate Justice Solutions Storybank, which serves as a resource, highlighting how individuals and groups are mobilizing, driving change, and achieving transformative outcomes.

Explore the Storybank to read inspiring examples of how communities are actively creating a world where climate justice is achieved through community-led solutions. BIG is thrilled to be one of the organizations whose story is featured in the Storybank, amongst many other powerful organizations doing incredible work in their communities.

2024 MIDWEST FRONTLINE FUND GRANTEE

BIG is honored to have been selected for the 2024 Midwest Frontline Fund by the Midwest Environmental Justice Network. The organizations in this year’s cohort represent a broad spectrum of environmental justice work—including work on food justice and sovereignty, air pollution and cumulative impacts, energy democracy, and protecting our waters. Learn more about the grant program and grantees at this link.

RECAP: ASLA 2024 CONFERENCE ON LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Earlier this month, BIG presented to a national audience at the ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) annual conference in Washington D.C.

BIG's Founder/CEO Naomi Davis and Director of Green Infrastructure David Yocca shared a program entitled Sustainable Square Mile: Healing a Community with

Neighborhood-Scale Green Infrastructure. The ASLA Conference on Landscape

Architecture is the largest annual gathering of landscape architects and allied

professionals—all coming together to learn, connect, share knowledge, gain inspiration, and bring value to their practice. The conference offered sessions, professional development, networking opportunities, and a world-class expo.

BIG's session covered the model of net-positive water, energy, and nutrient exchange (food) community Blacks in Green is piloting in West Woodlawn through a comprehensive application/integration of best practices in Living Green Infrastructure. This session provided participants an overview of the Sustainable Square Mile, the Green Infrastructure Foundation's Green Infrastructure Charrette program, performance benchmarks, modeled economic outcomes, and community engagement strategies.

The application of BIG’s Sustainable Square Mile, the 8 Principles of Green-Village-

Building, and the 12 Propositions of Grannynomics can support community prosperity and resilience, especially in communities of color. Community-scale green infrastructure accelerate decarbonization, infiltrate rainwater, improve air quality, strengthen urban ecology/biodiversity, and mitigate other climate impacts, while generating health and wealth for Black communities. The comprehensive approach can help overcome some of the most difficult obstacles currently limiting rapid deployment of community-scale green infrastructure. A community’s Sustainable Square Mile vision can leverage an unprecedented amount of federal funding for community rebuilding and infrastructure that prioritizes climate, equity, and justice.

BIG's Founder/CEO Naomi Davis and Director of Green Infrastructure David Yocca take the stage for the presentation and Q&A.

BIG's Founder/CEO Naomi Davis presents at the National ASLA Conference.

BIG's Director of Green Infrastructure David Yocca presents at the National ASLA Conference.

CITIES ALIVE

November 6-9, 2024

Following BIG’s co-sponsorship of the Grey to Green Symposium in Chicago in

August, BIG is scheduled to present several sessions at Cities Alive, the international conference hosted by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), North America’s industry association for green roofs and green walls.

The CitiesAlive 2024 Agenda is tailored for the green building industry and policymakers around the globe. Curated by the CitiesAlive Advisory Committee, the conference’s carefully crafted sessions are designed to focus on the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry, as well as celebrate the past 20 years of green infrastructure implementation. Co-Hosted by the City of Toronto, CitiesAlive 2024 will feature 5 concurrent tracks of presentations, with over 100 speakers. Continuing Education opportunities to be announced.

BIG is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion; Improving Economic and Environmental Equity Through Community Scale Green Infrastructure Development. BIG's Director of Green Infrastructure David Yocca will also be leading a Green Infrastructure Charrette on November 9th, the last day of the conference. The Charrette program is designed to help community leaders, designers, building owners and policy makers to examine how living green infrastructure investment could work on the streets, roofs and walls of their own communities.

The Green Infrastructure Design Charrette involves engaging multi-disciplinary volunteers to redesign North American neighborhoods in need, with fifteen generic types of green infrastructure as their tools. The results are then subject to an aggregate cost-benefit analysis. The Charrette planned for CitiesAlive in Toronto is being sponsored by the Green Infrastructure Foundation (GIF), and will feature sites from three communities - Detroit, Minneapolis (Brooklyn Center) and Toronto. Sites in each of these communities will be subject to a green infrastructure makeover, conducted by the Charrette attendees.

HELLOBABY'S HALLOWEEN PARTY IN BIG'S FAIRY GARDEN

We were honored to host many wonderful tots in our Orchard of the Ancestors Garden (aka Fairy Garden) for trick-or-treating last week, as part of HelloBaby's Halloween party! There were so many fun costumes and games to enjoy. Check out the photos from the party and click the More Photos button for more!

Photo Credit: Duane Jarrett

RENTAL PROPERTY AVAILABLE FOR LEASE

Tranquility inside. Urban adventures outside! Discover both at The Village on The Sustainable Square Mile - BIG's very own rental property. This 1100-square-foot space is located at 6433 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in West Woodlawn.

The apartment's vaulted third-floor stairwell leads into the apartment’s entrance hallway and sunny atmosphere, with windows in every room. The unit has three bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, and an open-concept kitchen connecting the dining/living space. The apartment features a new stainless steel gas stove/oven with a matching modern electric refrigerator, microwave, and stackable washer & dryer.

Relax on the sun-washed top-floor back deck with a view of the garden, and take in urban life. 24-hour free street parking and public transportation are accessible via buses and the 63rd Street EL train station. There are a variety of stores, restaurants, public services, churches, and parks located in the area and we also monitor our security cameras regularly. This is a no-smoking environment, with no pets.

This unit requires a $25 nonrefundable one-time fee for tenant screening services. A one-year apartment lease is $1600/mo. plus a one-month move-in fee.

To schedule a showing, call us at (872) 352-9199 from 9-5pm, Monday - Friday and ask about our MOVE-IN DISCOUNT! Click here to see the full posting.



ICC FUTURE OF GAS MEETINGS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS



Income Qualified Committee Participants:

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is holding a state-wide public workshop process on the “Future of Gas.”

The ICC Future of Gas Facilitation Team recognizes that community organizations may not have the bandwidth to participate in all Future of Gas Workshops. Therefore, there are four virtual 1-hour meetings scheduled where the Facilitation Team will share a report-out on recent ICC Future of Gas Workshops, and provide an opportunity for questions:



• Thursday, November 7 (12:30 – 1:30)
• Thursday, December 19 (12:30 – 1:30)
• Wednesday, January 22 (12:30 – 1:30)
• Wednesday, March 5 (12:30 – 1:30)

Community organizations are invited to register to participate in the meetings referenced above.

Background on ICC Future of Gas Workshops:

In March 2024, the ICC initiated a statewide Future of Gas proceeding with a series of public virtual workshops to develop a detailed action plan for Illinois gas utilities’ future infrastructure investments. Workshops will evaluate the impacts of Illinois’ current decarbonization and electrification goals on the natural gas system. The main goal of the proceeding is to explore issues tied to decarbonization of the gas distribution system, including how the gas system may need to adapt. Additionally, the proceeding will develop recommendations for any future Commission action and any necessary legislative changes.

The ICC Future of Gas Workshops will be held in two phases:

• Phase 1 Workshops (beginning in April 2024) focused on gathering all relevant topics and issues related to the future of natural gas in Illinois and decarbonizing the State of Illinois’ natural gas distribution system. The Phase 1 process concluded with a final report shared on August 1, 2024. The report summarizes Phase 1 Workshops and includes a list of Future of Gas topics identified during Phase 1. The final Phase 1 report is posted on the Reports page of the ICC Future of Gas Proceedings website.

• Phase 2 Workshops began with a kick-off meeting on August 28, 2024. Phase 2 will focus on examining issues gathered during Phase 1, including stakeholder positions and perspectives, areas of agreement and disagreement, proposed legislative and / or regulatory solutions, and recommendations for Commission action. The ICC approved an extended timeline for Phase 2 in September 2024. Phase 2 meetings are anticipated to continue until October 2025, concluding with a final report in February 2026.

If you are aware of other community organizations who would be interested in this opportunity, please share this announcement and link to the Community Organization Registration Form.

Please visit the ICC Future of Gas Workshops website for additional information.

Reach out to the ICC Future of Gas Workshop Facilitator, Celia Johnson, directly with any questions at Celia@CeliaJohnsonConsulting.com or (312) 659-6758, celiajohnsonconsulting.com.

HERE'S HOW TO APPEAL YOUR PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT

Properties in Chicago are being reassessed this year, and homeowners who have already received their reassessment notice may be surprised. For many, there’s still a chance to reduce next year’s bills by filing an appeal, which is free and can be completed online. Click the Learn More button below to learn what you need to know if you’re considering an appeal.