Recyclable items include: DVD/VHS players, cell phones, mp3 players, computers and accessories, cable boxes, modems, and video game systems. A Certificate of Data Destruction is available on request.

So clear out the clutter the right way, and support a local Scout – recycle your e-waste on October 8th!

For more info download the flyer here!

Volunteers Needed to Protect Our Ash Trees

Blue Island’s Urban Forestry Board is looking for volunteers to help with a city-wide inventory of our Ash trees. No experience needed.

When: July 23-24, 2011
Where: Throughout Blue Island
Contact: Perry Recker

What will volunteers do?

Volunteers will be assigned to work in teams of 2 – 4 people with a trained leader from the Forestry Board.  Ash trees will be identified on a block by block basis starting in various areas  of the city. It is expected that each team should be able to cover 2 to 4 blocks in 2hrs.

For additional details, including schedule…

Guidelines, a special tape measure, and data forms will be provided, for recording the species, diameter, location, and condition of each Ash tree identified. Team leaders will be Forestry Board members who have been trained by expert consultant, Mark Duntemann.

You will be assigned to a team leader and starting location.  (If 2 or 3 people living on the same block volunteer together we will consider sending a team leader to you so that you can start with your home block and those in your neighborhood).

Saturday 7/23
10-noon:
1 – 3 pm:
3 – 5 pm:
5 -7  pm:

Sunday 7/24
10-noon:
1 – 3 pm:
3 – 5 pm:
5 -7  pm:

If you are interested in helping with this project, learning a little bit about Blue Island’s  tree population and enjoying walk around several blocks of our many charming and lovely neighborhoods, please contact Perry Recker.

If you cannot work any of the above days, but would be interested in subsequent sessions, please be sure to let Perry know of your interest and the days and times that would work best for you. We will be particularly happy to schedule sessions on weekday evenings during the Summer (e.g. 5-7 pm or 6-8 pm) for people who prefer those times to weekend sessions.

On May 19, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed the month of June as Leave No Child Inside Month in the State of Illinois.

One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is a love of nature. Blue Island Model Community partners encourage local families to come out to a June Leave No Child Inside Month event and rediscover with your family the joy and wonder of outdoor exploration!

Blue Island Park District

Get outside, have fun and make friends at a Park District event this June. Camp out under the stars. Attend Summer Camp. Sign up for a youth program.

Chicago Wilderness Alliance Events

The Chicago Wilderness alliance is celebrating by offering a series of free, family events featuring lively activities — like catching-and-releasing fish, playing with mud, and building a fort – designed to nurture children’s sense of wonder and appreciation for nature and to help parents and caregivers feel more comfortable guiding outdoor play and recreation during future trips to local parks, preserves, and nature areas.

Complete details, including event descriptions, hours, and directions can be found on the Leave No Child Inside website or follow @lnci on twitter for timely event updates.

Fay's Point, Blue Island 2010 Green Ribbon Award Winner

Congratulations to Fay’s Point, LLC, OKW Architects, Inc and partners, on their recent Green Ribbon Award from Friends of the Chicago River in the 1st Annual Blue Ribbon Awards.

1 of 7 inaugural winners, Fay’s Point was recognized “as an excellent example of how residential development can utilize the river to enhance the quality of life for the residents— wild and human alike”.

The Blue Ribbon Awards, which ”recognize environmental leaders and the ecological precedents they set”, are part of the Friends’ new Chicago River Blue program that educates, encourages, and rewards river-sensitive developments and redevelopments that take people, wildlife, and clean water into account.  Chicago River Blue provides guidelines, ideas, examples, vendors, on-line resources, and an annual award to make sensitive river-edge development accessible to everyone.  Download the Press Release

From the Press Release:

“Blue Island, Illinois

• Award Winners: Fay’s Point, LLC and OKW Architects, Inc.
• Project Partners: Henderson Bodwell; Kestrel Design; Kinsella Landscape; Krause Construction; Marlin Environmental; R.I. Johnson; and The Structural Group

Located between the confluence of the Calumet-Sag Channel and the Little Calumet River, Fay’s Point is an excellent example of how residential development can utilize the river to enhance the quality of life for the residents—wild and human alike. The design solution was driven by the goal of creating a walkable, water focused community, imbedded in a restored natural landscape. It includes many eco-focused amenities such as walking trails, canoe launches, boat docks, river front terraces, and bird watching platforms which engage residents and provide opportunity for others to interact with the river.

In addition, 11 acres are dedicated as open natural space, over 1,000 feet of the Little Calumet River bank was restored to the highest environmental standards, including expanded and enhanced wetlands, and mature stands of trees were protected as the site was redeveloped.”

Learn more about Fay’s Point ‘here‘.

Any broken, used, or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance – except televisions – will be accepted.  It is important to recycle old electronics as many contain hazardous substances and are not biodegradable.  Recycling is our best option!  This ensures that they are handled in a responsible manner and useful materials are returned and reinvented as new products.

So spread the word!  Leave your televisions at home, but bring anything else you can plug in to the Blue Island Public Works Facility at 3153 Wireton Rd [map].

Call 708-597-8604 with any questions.

On Saturday, May 15 you are invited to help the Blue Island Historical Society plant and dedicate a new tree in front of the Society’s home at the Albee house, near the Veterans Memorial Stone located at the corner of Maple Avenue and New Street.  Come learn about the history of this unique stone and why the first tree was chosen to be planted here by the Urban Forestry Board.  Planting begins at 10am with a dedication scheduled for 11am.

Also on the 15th work begins on a new parkway landscape on Vermont Street, east of Western Ave.  The Forestry Board has selected this site for their first streetscape project.  Work begins at 8:30am on digging and site prep, with planting scheduled for 11:30.  The Forestry Board returns here on May 22 at 8am to plant fowers, grasses, and shrubs.

Stay up-to-date with the Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail (there’s a meeting next week!) or watch this video featuring Steve Buchtel.

Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008
8:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

Ridgeland Avenue Solids Management Area
119th Street & Ridgeland
Worth, IL

Acceptable Items:
Anti-freeze, Batteries, Cleaners, Fluorescent Bulbs, Insecticides, Medicines, Tires, Weed Killers, etc.

SSMMA has obtained the services of Vintage Tech Recyclers who will set up the event and sort, package and transport incoming materials at no cost to the municipality. Vintage Tech Recyclers is a local electronic recycling company committed to safely and securely recycling outdated electronics at the lowest possible cost, while keeping hazardous materials out of our landfills and protecting your sensitive data. They are able to keep costs at little or nothing thanks to several IDCEO grants they have been awarded.Vintage Tech Recyclers will perform the majority of the work, but we will be looking for approximately 15-20 volunteers to help during the day of the event. More detailed information will be available on drop-off location, determined. Please call 708.396.7036 or send an email to the Community Development Department with any questions or to volunteer.Oct 4, 2008 E-Recycling Event Flyer: includes event details, map and list of ‘accepted’ & ‘not-accepted’ itemsVintage Tech Electronic Recycling Flier [.pdf]

Click ‘here‘ to view Resolution N0. 07-325 A Resolution Endorsing the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Greenest Region Compact.

Click ‘here‘ to view the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus: Greenest Region Compact.