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40th Ward Sustainability Guide
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40th Ward Sustainability Guide

Cover image: West Ridge Nature Preserve (5801 N Western Ave.) by reallyboring

About this guide

Where does this information come from?

This guide is a living document assembled by the 40th Ward Environmental Board. Updated information and/or new sections may appear from time to time, so we recommend bookmarking this guide in your web browser rather than printing or downloading it.

As a resident of the 40th Ward, you can add to the guide, too! If you have additions or corrections to the information you see here, please let us know at 40thward.org/contact.

Inspired to do more? You can find more information about joining the Environmental Board and/or one of our two working groups at 40thward.org/our-community/volunteer.

Navigation

You can use the document outline for this guide to jump easily between sections. The button to open the outline looks like an icon for a bulleted list and can be found near the upper left corner of the page on desktop computers and the upper right corner in the mobile app (**Note: There is no outline if viewing this guide in a web browser on your phone; you can only scroll to navigate).

Desktop:                                                Mobile app (appears on scroll):

                                

Sections

Image credit: ell brown

Electrifying Your Building: Page 5

Image credit: sustainableuw

Waste Management: Page 13

Image credit: Lori L. Stalteri

Green Yard Practices: Page 21

Image credit: ricky-from-left-field

Community Gardens in the 40th Ward: Page 26

Image credit: Calumet Waterway Stewards

Local Environmental Advocacy Groups: Page 27

Image credit: danxoneil

Environmentally Related 311s: Page 32

40th Ward Electrifying Your Building Guide

Compiled and maintained by Viktor Köves

Note: This guide mostly talks about electrifying homes, but it applies to commercial buildings as well. Larger buildings may need more sophisticated technologies or larger systems, but smaller commercial buildings should have the same fundamentals as homes.

What Does It Mean To Electrify?

Home electrification means running your home entirely off of electricity by converting all of your fossil-fuel burning appliances (like your furnace, boiler, stove, and clothes dryer) to electric ones!

Image credit: wuestenigel

Why Should I Electrify My Home?

Electrifying your building is one of the biggest things you can do to reduce your personal emissions and help stop climate change. Why? Because according to Chicago’s 2022 Climate Action Plan, 69% of Chicago’s emissions come from buildings, with 24% from transportation and 7% from waste. Illinois already has a fairly clean energy mix (with 67% carbon-free electricity, see graph) and with CEJA requiring a move to carbon-free energy, making electrification even more compelling. Plus, other than electrifying or ditching your gas car, your home is the biggest carbon emissions you can have a direct impact on - after all, they are your appliances!

Graph from DecarbMyState, Data from the US Energy Information Administration

This means that switching Chicago buildings from natural gas appliances to electric ones is one of our biggest challenges and opportunities to tackle the climate crisis, but it also provides a number of additional benefits including:

So How Do I Electrify My Home?

There are a lot of different ways to slice it

Step 1 - List All The Changes You Want To Make, & Make A Plan

Electrification has a lot of steps, and since you will likely be running new electrical circuits, it’s helpful to plan ahead. Rewiring America’s Electrify Everything handout is a great place to start, and their Electrify Everything In Your Home Guide gets into more detail, like finding contractors.

Step 2 - Make Your Electrical Changes

Depending on your house and the appliances you need to swap out, this may mean upgrading your electrical service and panel to a 200 amp panel if you’re going to have a lot of big electric appliances. If your home doesn’t have 240 V outlets for your new electric appliances, this will also mean running those outlets so that you can install those appliances later on. If you can, doing this all at once will likely save you money and be easier than running your new outlets one at a time.

Step 3 - Electrify Your Heat with Heat Pumps

Image credit: Indiana Public Media

If switching to heat pumps is in your plan, now’s the time! The Rewiring America Electrify Everything in Your Home guide dives into more details, but this step is really a number of steps. These include:

  1. A Home Energy Audit - You’ll likely want to start with a home energy audit to see if your home is super leaky and could benefit from insulation. Heat pumps are more efficient, but they also typically top out at smaller capacities than some huge gas furnaces, so you may need to insulate your home first. Just insulating will save you money!
  2. Weatherize (Insulate) Your Home - If your energy audit found a lot of leaks, you can weatherize your home with spray insulation, duct sealant, and other techniques to make it more energy efficient - this will help you install the smallest (and cheapest) heat pump system you need.
  3. Install Your Heat Pumps! Now that your electrical service has been upgraded, it’s finally time to install those heat pumps. It can be helpful to work with contractors experienced in heat pumps, since lots of contractors have only worked with gas furnaces and may not know how to put in a heat pump system or choose the right system for your needs.

Step 4 - Electrify Your Appliances

This is where we get to your appliances! Swap out your gas appliances for electric ones. This usually means your hot water heater, clothes dryer, and stove. Look for heat pump water heaters and dryers if possible (which are more efficient) and induction stoves. Check out Whirpool’s What is an Induction Cooktop page to learn more about induction, but in short it’s an electric range that’s not like the glowing red coils you are used to - it’s way faster to cook, more responsive, and doesn’t stay hot as long!

What If I’m A Renter?

Renters don’t have as much control of their appliances, but you still have a few options:

  1. Talk to your landlord, and work with them to electrify - if your old gas stove or dryer isn’t working well, see if you can convince your landlord to get an electric one instead. Unless you already have a 240 V outlet, this will likely require some electrical work to run a new circuit. If you are planning to stay in your unit and are financially able to, see if you can work with your landlord to share the cost of electrification!

    Especially for something like replacing an unvented gas stove that you use often, the cost can be well worth it, and can be a big motivator for a smaller landlord.
  2. Get your own electric alternatives - as a renter, the biggest gas using appliance in your home is likely your stove, but you can buy a portable induction cooktop to cook without gas! You can get up to two burner models that plug into a regular outlet and can replace most of your cooking. If you bake small amounts often, consider a toaster oven, which can cook small portions just like a full-size oven.

How Much Will It Cost?

This really varies depending on the size and age of your home as well as what gas appliances you need to replace - newer homes may already have 200 amp service or 240 V outlets for electric appliances, which makes electrification really easy, but this guide assumes you’re in a classic Chicago home - usually older and with mostly gas appliances. In that case the changes we are talking about may cost several thousand dollars, but there are a wide variety of tax credits available now (which started in January 2023) and up-front rebates are coming later this year/early 2024 for low and middle-income households.

Check out the Rewiring America IRA Calculator to see what rebates and tax credits you are eligible for, and how they can help you electrify!

It may also help to space out your electrification and create an electrification savings fund, so that you have money to switch out an appliance to electric at the end of its life, rather than spending money on buying a new gas appliance. Planning can really make a huge difference here!

Lastly, there are some companies that offer you no-money-down ways to electrify your home heating in particular, by signing contracts where you pay them the equivalent of your current utility  bill and they make money by cutting your energy bills. This is known as an energy savings performance contract or efficiency as a service. Make sure you read over terms carefully and only work with reputable companies.

An Optional Electrification Extra - Solar Panels

Step 1 - Check Your Roof’s Solar Capacity

There are a number of online websites that can make rough predictions to the amount of solar that you can get installed on your roof and how much money it might save you - a good one to start with is sunroof.withgoogle.com.

This can show you whether installing solar will make sense for your particular building, but keep in mind these sites are estimates and based on satellite data.

Step 2 - Consider your Roof’s Age

Since solar panels rest on your roof, it’s important you consider whether your roof will need replacement soon - a solar contractor will have an inspection to check the state of your roof and see if it needs to be replaced, but before moving forward with solar it can be good to plan ahead.

Step 3 - Finance Your Solar System

There are many options for financing your solar system, including:

Step 4 - Find a Solar Contractor

Next up is actually finding a solar contractor, who will inspect your roof, work with you to pick a size for your solar system, and do the install. You want to make sure to get quotes from several installers, and a tool like EnergySage (energysage.com) can be very useful for that.

Keep in mind that in this process your contractor will get permits from the city through the Easy Permit process.         

Waste Management in the 40th Ward

Compiled and maintained by Lauren Venell

Chicago’s Track Record

Image credit: cementley

According to a 2021 report by University of Illinois Chicago commissioned by the Delta Institute and the City of Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS), each Chicago resident generates a daily average of over 3 pounds (lbs) of waste at home, which is higher than comparable peer cities and states like NYC and California. This is despite the fact that our regional landfills only have about 8 years left before they’re filled to capacity. 😬

The good news is, Chicago has resources for collecting and managing nearly all waste materials—very little actually needs to be landfilled—but collecting and separating all these different materials can be complicated and confusing. In fact, the same report mentioned above found that the biggest obstacle to reducing landfill waste in Chicago is public education. Residents have a tough time figuring out what can be recycled, composted, donated, or otherwise diverted from landfills. Hopefully this guide will make that easier.

Please note: this guide is focused mainly on household waste management, but many of these resources can be accessed by businesses as well.

Recycling

This is the easiest and most available source of waste diversion for most households. To make Chicago more successful at recycling, the most important thing you can do as a resident is to avoid contaminating your blue bin with materials that aren’t curbside recyclable.

Don’t have a recycling bin? Make sure to ask your landlord. All Chicago residential buildings with 4 units or fewer receive recycling service via Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. Residential buildings with 5 units or more are required to contract with a private recycling service.

Common recycling myths

What is and isn’t recyclable will depend somewhat on which company collects your recyclables and what their facilities can/can’t handle, but here are the most common items accepted in Chicago’s blue bin program, as well as the most common contaminants to avoid:

Blue bin/curbside pickup items:

Paper/cardboard

Do include:

DON’T include

Metal

Do include:

DON’T include

Plastic

Do include:

DON’T include

Drop-off-only recycling

Items that can be recycled via drop-off (not in your blue bin) include:

Plastic films

Miscellaneous

Chicago recyclers

Need a private service for your commercial or high-density residential building? There are several licensed companies that operate in Chicago:

For more information, see Chicago Recycles.

Compost

Private compost companies with residential pickup service in the 40th ward:

Compost drop off locations in the 40th ward:

Free finished compost pickup in the 40th ward:

What to include (commercial composting service only):

“If it grows, it goes.” Just about any organic waste can be commercially composted, including:

What NOT to include:

Composting at home

See here

Re-use

Donate to one of these organizations

Give and/or receive via 40th Ward Buy Nothing/Free Box groups

Note: Always be safe and act with caution when meeting/transacting with strangers. Try to make exchanges/pickups outdoors or in public spaces if possible, and bring a buddy if you can.

Hazardous Materials Disposal

Residential Electronics & Household Chemicals

Batteries

Medicine

Other items

Chicago Environmentalists have additional fantastic resources for recycling, composting, and reuse.

Green Yard Practices

Compiled and maintained by Paul Naylor

Whether you have a large front and back yard, a parkway, or a window box, it is a part of the local ecosystem! Here are some simple steps you can take to make a positive contribution to the greenspaces, large and small, around your home.

Mulch

Mulch has multiple purposes in the garden: reducing water loss, suppressing weeds, protecting roots from frozen ground, preventing soil compaction, and providing aesthetic benefit. Rather than store-bought mulch (which is usually artificially colored with dyes), in the 40th Ward we are lucky to have a free supply in the form of the Bureau of Forestry’s woodchip pile at 5333 N. Western Ave., open to the public 6:30 am to 2:00 pm Monday thru Friday (Closed Public Holidays). Bring your car, or wheelbarrow, and get as much as you need.  A 4” layer of mulch is best applied in the fall to garden beds, and around parkway trees. Though with trees make sure to leave a “donut” around the trunk to prevent fungal growth.

Leave the Leaves

Leaves play a vital role in returning nutrients to the soil. They also provide shelter and food for overwintering beneficial insects such as bumblebees, and the larvae of butterflies and lighting bugs.  Instead of removing leaves from your property, consider them as free much. Rake fallen leaves from lawns and parkways onto your garden beds, pots and window boxes, hill around street trees, or into a leaf pile in a corner of the yard. By the next summer, they will have broken down into the soil, saving you the time and money to apply fertilizer and reducing the need for regular summer watering.

If you really have too many leaves to incorporate into your yard, don’t put them in the trash! The City will collect and compost leaves and other green yard waste. Place it in paper bags next to the trash cans and make a 311 request. See: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/provdrs/streets_san/svcs/yard_waste.html

 

Reduce the Lawn

Although lawns are billed as the “default” option for Chicago yards, maintaining an expanse of grass in our climate of freezing winters and hot, dry summers is very challenging. Lawns require regular watering, mowing, fertilizer and herbicide, often performed by a yard service company. All of this ends up being expensive and time consuming, and all for something providing very little interest or benefit to the environment. Consider resowing failing lawns with Ecograss. This grass blend has much deeper roots and as such does not need regular watering once established. And does not need mowing more than twice a year (if at all). Better still, consider replacing a portion of your parkway or lawn with a Pollinator Strip. Information and free plants are available through Parkways for Pollinators, a local neighborhood group. More details here: https://www.edgewaterenvironmentalcoalition.org/post/introducing-parkways-for-pollinators

Capture the rain

Capturing the rainwater from your downspouts in a rain barrel is a great way to save money on your water bill, reduce localized flooding and make use of a free resource that your plants will prefer over tap water. During a rainstorm, a barrel can fill in as little as fifteen minutes – something to make you appreciate rainy days! The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District offers substantially subsidized rain barrels to Chicago residents. For information on this program, and a video explaining how to install the barrel, see: https://mwrd.org/rain-barrels. During the winter, make sure to empty rain barrels and store in a garage, under a deck, or upside down in a sheltered space.

Slow the flow

Chicago faces significant drainage problems, exacerbated by increased severe rain events. We can do our part by minimizing or slowing the run-off from our yards during heavy rain. Aside from water barrels, this is best achieved by reducing the amount of impermeable surface (e.g. concrete and tarmac) so that rain can drain naturally into the soil. Consider using permeable pavers or gravel for parking pads, and woodchips (see above) for garden pathways. If there are patches of your yard or parkway that have standing water after rains, consider green infrastructure solutions that slow and redirect the water, such as a French drain or a dry well. Even better, make the best use of it by planting a rain garden of moisture-loving plants such as irises and reeds.  

Go Native!

Choosing native plants for your yard or green space, that is, plants that historically live and evolved in the Chicago region, makes sense for many reasons. These plants are already adapted to the local environment. Once established in a well-chosen spot, they will thrive without the need for watering, fertilizers, or protection from heat or cold, and are also unlikely to face significant pest problems. Additionally, they will provide food and shelter for birds and insects that can make only limited use of plants that they did not co-evolve with. For example, oak trees support over 456 species of butterfly and moth. Burning Bush, a common yard ornamental, supports none.

There are many resources available when choosing suitable native plants for your yard. For a basic introduction, see:

https://naturemuseum.org/science-research/sustainability-resources/native-gardening/

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/landscaping_native_plants

The National Wildlife Federation Native Plants Finder database recommends native plants based on your zip code and ranks them by the number of butterflies and moths that use each species as a host: https://nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/

For a plant-finding tool specific to the Chicago area, see:

https://www.possibilityplace.com/plant-finder

Meanwhile, Christy Webber Farm and Garden lists native alternatives to commonly used ornamentals:

https://www.cwfng.com/farm-and-garden-blog/native-plant-alternatives

If you represent a community garden or community group, Chicago Field Museum will send free native seeds: 2022 Native Seed Distribution Form

 

Grow your own food

Growing your own fruit and vegetables, whether at your own home or as part of a community garden is fun, sustainable, and provides nutrition to you and your family.  Free seeds are available at the following locations:

Ø  Chicago Tool Library: https://app.chicagotoollibrary.org/items?category=125

Ø  UIC http://heritagegarden.uic.edu/seedlibrary

Ø  Harold Washington Library, 4th Floor CALL TO CHECK

Ø  The Lenhard Library at Chicago Botanic Garden https://www.chicagobotanic.org/library

 

Compost

To witness the miraculous cycle from soil to nutritious food, and back to soil again on your own property, consider composting your food scraps. Yard waste (grass clippings, leaves, pruned branches, annuals) can be left in a brush pile, mentioned above, and will break down to make an excellent mulch and soil amendment.  Food scraps, on the other hand, need special treatment. Firstly, when composting at home, only use material that used to be a growing plant (so fruits, vegetables and their peels, seeds, and leaves, but also coffee grounds, wooden chopsticks, wine corks and cardboard). Although industrial composting facilities can process meat, fish, dairy, oils, cooked food, and bread products, this requires high temperatures that won’t be achieved on a small scale and will make your compost smell.  The best kind of composter to use in a compact urban setting is a tumbler, essentially a barrel mounted on legs. This kind of composter keeps food waste off the ground, away from rodents, and takes up very little space. Aerating the compost through turning the barrel – which you should do every time you add more food scraps to the bin -- also speeds up the process considerably. Most composters of this type have two compartments so that once one is filled, it can be left to cure while you fill the other side. Once you have filled the second side, the first one will be ready to apply in your garden. The end product may not look exactly like the stuff you buy from the store, but it will be extremely nutrient rich and also free.

If you do not have outside space, try vermicomposting. Or you don’t feel home composting is for you, see if one of these options might work:

Ø  Drop off your food scraps at participating locations (see link below)

Ø  Sign up for a composting subscription service, or encourage your workplace to do so

Ø  Lobby for Chicago to join the likes of San Francisco, Denver and Seattle, and implement a municipal composting service!

For more resources, check out:

https://www.chicagoenvironmentalists.org/composting

Community Gardens in the 40th Ward

Compiled by Lauren Venell

Want to stretch your green thumb but don’t have a patch of earth to call your own? The 40th Ward has lots of community gardens where you can tend a plot and learn new growing techniques alongside your neighbors.

Maps of gardens

Chicago Parks District gardens (list and map)

Chicago Community Gardeners Association (map)

Chicago Urban Agriculture Mapping Project (map)

NeighborSpace gardens (list with photos)

Don’t need your own plot?

Like the idea of growing communally in public spaces? Consider joining a program like Treekeepers or Edgewater Environmental Coalition’s award-winning Parkways for Pollinators project.

Local Environmental Advocacy Groups

Compiled and maintained by Pooja Ravindran and Lauren Venell

Who is doing the work?

There are many organizations, private, non-profit, and government alike, who are in some way involved in the work of environmental justice in the city of Chicago.  We want to highlight some of these coalitions who have made an impact within the 40th Ward and invite you to follow and support their efforts.

Save Your Ash Coalition Chicago

In 2021, Heart of Lincoln Square (HOLS) conducted a highly successful campaign to inform neighbors about the threat of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and give them an opportunity to save the street ash trees by donating to treat them to prevent infestation leading to their death.

The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive wood boring beetle from Asia that is predicted to infest all unprotected ash trees in the United States and Canada. It was first found to be attacking and killing ash trees in Michigan in 2002.

Bright green in color and about a half inch in length, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) only attacks ash trees and is a devastating and destructive pest that greatly affects the urban forest. EAB is easily spread through the movement of firewood, logs and nursery stock.

https://www.saveyourash.org/html/problem.htm 

Since its detection, EAB has killed over 70 million ash trees and has spread throughout the upper Midwest into Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and beyond. Infestations have now been confirmed in 25 states. Discovered in Illinois in 2006, EAB has since spread throughout northeast Illinois into Chicago and all of the suburbs. All fifty wards in Chicago have some degree of infestation.

Get involved to keep spreading awareness of this issue and to ensure that the City keeps its commitment to treating some of these compromised ash trees!

Edgewater Environmental Coalition

The Edgewater Environmental Coalition (EEC) is a nonprofit organization focused on building and maintaining a more sustainable future for our neighborhood through action and advocacy. Our all-volunteer group of community members and environmental stewards are deeply rooted in Edgewater — but branching out! Learn more about our org, our impact, and our projects, then explore the many ways that you can get involved.

Chicago Environmental Justice Network

The Chicago Environmental Justice Network (CEJN) is a coalition bringing together neighborhood-based, grassroots, frontline environmental justice organizations working in frontline communities throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The CEJN is led by frontline, community-based organizations located on the south and west sides of Chicago. Led mostly by women of color, these organizations serve communities that face severe environmental and health disparities due to the close proximity of residential areas near sources of pollution. Check out some of the projects that CEJN has been involved in!

Openland’s Treekeepers (Chicago Region Trees Initiative)

Openlands’ TreeKeepers are trained volunteers who work throughout the region to keep trees healthy, administering proper care and promptly recognizing and reporting harmful pests. Since 1991, more than 1,800 trained volunteers have provided eyes and ears on the ground year-round in neighborhoods all over the Chicago area to identify potential tree-related problems and lead neighbors in tree planting and tree care.

Through the TreeKeeper course, tree lovers of all ages and backgrounds gain accessible training and education that certify them as an official TreeKeeper. The month-long course gives students an appreciation for trees in our region, knowledge about urban forestry in the age of climate change, and best practices in tree planting and care to build a more resilient urban forest.

After completing the program, they are certified to care for, protect, and plant trees with Openlands. Through the TreeKeepers community, TreeKeepers can volunteer for and lead tree planting events, participate or organize their own pruning days, and take part in continuing education and advocacy programs.

Chicago Environmentalists

Chicago Environmentalists have done an excellent job compiling local resources on their website. Their stated mission is as follows:

  1. To change Chicago culture so environmental issues become a social and political priority.
  2. To help Chicagoans live sustainably by providing a centralized location for all local resources and information related to eco-friendliness.
  3. To raise awareness and gain support for environmental issues by connecting followers to relevant news and local political initiatives.
  4. To create a supportive, non-judgmental community that brings together those who care about the earth, so they know they are not alone. It is our hope that this community will inspire and empower people to become more involved in environmental issues.

Reduce Waste Chicago

Reduce Waste Chicago is a nonprofit organization that empowers residents to address climate change through waste reduction on a personal, producer and policy level.

How do we do that? We host Reuse & Recycling Pop-Up events across the city, where we collect a selection of items that can be reused, repurposed or are difficult to recycle. Our schedule can be found on our events page. Before visiting, please check out our list of accepted items.

We also collaborate with other organizations and artists to collect specific items, such holiday lights, bras and plastic utensils.

Friends of the Chicago River

Friends works in partnership with municipalities, businesses, community groups, schools, peer organizations, government agencies and individuals on projects that benefit the river. They host several events in the 40th Ward, including cleanup days, habitat restoration, educational canoe paddles and the July Summer Float party!

You can also sign up for emails to receive Overflow Action Alerts that tell you when the sewers are near capacity and to wait before running your washer or taking a bath.

Environmentally Related 311s

Compiled and maintained by Pooja Ravindran

Chi311: A Refresher

Have a complaint, concern, or want to request something to be done? Make a 311 request!

You can place a request for non-emergency city services using 311. There are three ways to place a request:

1) Mobile App: Download the CHI311 mobile application on your phone using the App Store or Google Play

2) Website: Navigate to the URL: 311.chicago.gov

3) Phone: Call 3-1-1

When you place a request, be prepared to give information like the exact address for service. You can also submit photos and a description of the issue. Depending on the type of request, you may be prompted to answer other specific questions.

If you provide contact information when you submit your request online or via the app, you will receive text and/or email updates on the status of your request. You will also be given a service request (SR) number that you can use to track your request. From time-to-time, a request may be marked as completed even though the issue is not resolved or something might not be completed within the estimated time frame. In such events, please feel free to reach out to our office at 40thward.org/contact so we can check out the status of your request and the timeline for completion.

In the Chi311 User Guide you can familiarize yourself with the website and all the issues the City can take a look at!

Parks, Trees and Environment and Health

The Parks, Trees and Environment service request category aggregates the 311 service requests a resident can open with the City of Chicago related to environmental issues. The Health category may also be useful to you.

Within the broad category, of Parks, Trees and Environment they’ve listed subcategories: Environment, Pollution, Safety, and Trees:

As an example of a 311 you can file under the ‘Pollution’ subcategory is Spills or Dumping in Natural Water Ways. Complete all required fields with as much non-redundant detail as possible, and add pictures to the images field if possible after submitting the request.

Make sure to save the Service Request (SR) or ticket number so you can follow up with 311 or the Ward Office if you don’t receive a response within the estimated time for completion listed at the time of your submission.