by admin | Jul 7, 2024 | Business, Chicago, Climate, Cooking, Economics, Energy Conservation, Environment, Government, Public health, Public policy, Technology
Just a month ago, I encountered a problem my wife had previously experienced in April while I had been out of town. At that time, puzzled by why our gas oven seemed not to work, she had to wait until I returned from a conference in Minneapolis and teaching a FEMA...
by admin | Mar 8, 2024 | Chicago, Christianity, Climate, Energy Conservation, Environment, Government, Infrastructure, Public policy, Renewable Energy, Resilience
Almost all content on this blog is written by me. On rare occasions, I have hosted a guest writer when I decided it was appropriate. In this case, I am sharing an announcement from my own church, which is entering an agreement with the City of Chicago for a grant to...
by admin | Aug 11, 2023 | Books, Chicago, Environment, Movies, Nature, Urban forest, Volunteerism
It was a simple ask. Our Chicago First Ward Alderman, Daniel La Spata, included a notice in his e-newsletter about a Saturday morning outing, organizing at his ward office on Milwaukee Avenue, for volunteers to join Openlands Chicago tree keepers to help place mulch...
by admin | Jul 4, 2023 | Activism, Chicago, Climate, Environment, Hazard Mitigation, Natural Hazards, Social Equity, Water, Weather, Wildfire
Like most people, I am not worried about the wrath of ancient pagan gods, but I had to wonder. It was just a week ago, amid the horrible air quality in the Midwest, including Chicago, that I told my wife that a good rainstorm might serve to clear the air of many of...
by admin | Jan 2, 2023 | Activism, Christianity, Death, Environment, Nature, Parks, Personal history, Resilience, Urban forest, Urban Planning
I am a tree lover, but not a tree hugger. I think there is a difference, although I do not wish to demean tree huggers in any way. I am simply coming from a different place, viewing matters through a different lens. I can understand the emotional response that trees...
by admin | Jun 2, 2021 | Careers, Coastal Management, Disaster, Disaster policy, Earthquake, Emergency Management, Environment, Government, Hazard Mitigation, Information technology, Natural Hazards, Nature, Parks, Personal history, Resilience, Urban Planning
I first met Ken Topping at the American Planning Association (APA) office in Chicago on a cold day in January 1994. Chicago was suffering one of its classic Arctic blasts at something like -20°F. Ken, a tall, very polite, and articulate gentleman, had his heavy winter...
