Nominations for the Green Awards in Oak Park can originate from any resident, but a division within Oak Park's Public Works Department was recognized by a longtime village employee.  Karen Rozmus, Oak Park's environmental services manager since 1995, nominated Fleet Services for a long list of reasons, including its role as a trailblazer for other communities. Under the tutelage of Ron Fantetti, the division moved into the new Public Works Center, 131 South Boulevard, in 2007 and began a series of environmentally conscious choices. According to Rozmus' nomination, the division has, among …

After "Rickshaw" Rick Carter was laid off from his post at the Shedd Aquarium years ago, the last thing on his mind was starting up his own pedicab service — winning a Green Award for it. The first thing on his mind was what he was going to do after the layoff.  "A lot of the not-for-profits, especially in the museum industry, started to shrink, and I didn't really have tenure, so my position was evaporated," Carter said. "I found myself at this interesting place where I had to figure out what to do at 45." He'd secured a seasonal position with tax preparation giant H&R Block, and considered …

Michelle Dirks, Marion Street Cheese Market's assistant general manager, said this year's Green Award from Oak Park "came out of the blue."  The Cheese Market was named one of the winners last month for their commitment to the environment while building their new location on South Marion Street,  including eco-friendly furnishings and preference for local vendors. Opened in 2004 by Eric Larson, the MSCM quickly outgrew its original space on North Marion Street  Larson saw a great opportunity in a partnership with Mary Jo Schuler to expand the business in a new space down the street. During …

It's a cloudy Saturday morning and the temperature hovers around freezing. From cars and vans, folks trotting out chain saws and other cutting tools prepare to wage war on alien threats to natives trying to thrive in River Forest. This hearty crew is not trying to clear out extraterrestrials but instead are hoping to rid Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve of plants that inhibit the growth and health of oaks and other native flora. Leading the band are Oak Park residents Victor and Jean Guarino, who nearly 20 years ago helped create the Thatcher Woods Savanna Restoration Project.  The effort has…

It takes a village to raise a child, or so goes the African proverb. It could also be said that it takes a community to raise a garden. In Oak Park that spirit of collaboration bore fruit with the Root Riot Community Garden.  The garden, part of Root Riot Urban Garden Network, is one of the recipients of the Oak Park Green Awards. Oak Parker Amy Beltemacchi and Chicagoan Seamus Ford, who founded the Network, said winning the award was humbling, particularly as they were included with people who had longstanding commitments to environmental and sustainability causes.   "We can't take the …

A grassroots effort to cut down on lunchtime waste at Oliver Wendell Holmes School a few years ago has spread well beyond the elementary schoolyard on Chicago Avenue. Now the entire Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is behind the effort —a success story that school officials say has helped save more than $26,000 so far and attracted national attention from other districts. In recognition for being the first to spark the growing trend, Holmes School has been awarded a 2010 Green Award in recognition from the village this month. The program, dubbed "Zero Waste," has significantly decreased…

Some big changes reduced Rush Oak Park Hospital's carbon footprint, but it was the little things that won it the 2010 Green Award, among other accolades. "It's huge, simply because hospitals have a huge carbon footprint," said director of facilities and safety at the hospital James Tucker. "From steam sterilization to medical waste, there's just a lot." Tucker said the efforts to make Rush a leaner, greener facility started in 2001 with the down conversion of a 300-horsepower boiler to a smaller, more efficient 250-horsepower model. In 2009, more alterations were made to the boiler units, …

Green lifestyle, carbon footprint, renewable energy. Long before those terms entered the public consciousness, Jim Gill was on board. For his continuing commitment to a sustainable future, Gill is a 2010 Green Award winner.  John Porterfield, a principal in eZing, Inc., an Oak Park energy auditing and consulting firm, nominated Gill for the award. "Jim merits acknowledgement for his steadfast pursuit of, his nurturing of, the sustainable way of life. As each day passes someone learns something they did not know about living this life from Jim Gill," Porterfield wrote. Gill graduated from …

It's not easy being green. Whether it's creating a community garden on donated land or committing to living in an innovative low-energy house, the winners of this year's 2010 Green Awards in Oak Park have in many ways sacrificed convenience in exchange for environmental prudence. Some of this year's winners came from big organizations, like Rush Oak Park Hospital, recognized for massive energy-saving changes to the facility. Others are making it happen with old-fashioned ingenuity, like Jim Gill having worms eat his garbage. And some, like the staff at Holmes School, weren't even sure they …

It seems everyone is talking green these days. But how many put their money where their mouth is? Mary Chris Jaklevic and Roy Schuster have by building a green home on the 1100 block of Clinton from scratch. And get this: it has no furnace and no gas line. In their search of a good place to raise their two young children, the Chicago couple chose Oak Park for the proximity to the city and the local schools. The plan was to find an old house and make energy efficient renovations. But when they realized the extent of the work needed on the bungalow they bought near Lincoln School, they switched…