Chicago Flower & Garden Show® - CANCELLED
2020-03-18 10:00 - 2020-03-22 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
Whether you are an accomplished gardener, just looking to learn how not to kill your houseplants or looking for a great family outing the 2020 Chicago Flower & Garden Show has it all. The 2020 theme “20/20 FOCUS ON FLOWERS” is in collaboration with The Get Growing Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating the next generation of gardeners.

Together small businesses, skilled-labor unions, industry professionals, authors, sponsors and talented friends of the Show (far too many to mention) have invested in this year’s theme, to bring the beauty of flowers (more than 800+ varieties – 80 varieties of tulips alone!), art and design together for an amazingly creative and unforgettable show. New gardens include American Quilter’s Society, I&M Canal, Perfect Parkways, Plant Truck Chicago, Focus on Spring, Zen Garden and Trail Marker Tree garden. Plus 75 education programs!

CCGA 8th Annual Conference - POSTPONED
2020-03-21 09:00 - 14:30 | Whitney Young Magnet High School, 211 South Laflin Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
This year’s theme, “Connections through Gardening: Plants, People and the Environment,” aims to explore and celebrate the interconnectedness of our shared garden work and to foster relationships and conversations that shape and support best practices for sustainable living and growing in Chicago.
Community gardens are increasingly seen as a viable means of promoting restoration, transformation, and conservation of often abandoned or under used property in the city. They have become a powerful tool for promoting good nutrition, physical activity, environmental stewardship, and social connections.
Join us on Saturday, March 21 for an exciting and informative gathering of Chicago’s amazing community gardeners!

April CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-04-21 18:00 - 20:00
Please join us for our monthly coordinating meeting. Representatives from all the working groups come together to coordinate our actions. Meeting locations switch between The Hatchery & the Chicago Center for Green Technology. All community gardeners and supporters are invited to attend.
Check the CCGA website for location details and as agendas become available.
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents by year.
Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT)
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie.

May CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-05-19 18:00 - 20:00

June CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-06-16 18:00 - 20:00

September CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-09-15 18:00 - 20:00

October CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-10-20 18:00 - 20:00

November CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-11-17 18:00 - 20:00

December CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2020-12-15 18:00 - 20:00

January CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-01-19 18:00 - 20:00
NOTE: Until further notice CCGA Coordinating meetings are being held via Zoom. If you want to attend the coordinating meeting and are not already a member of one of the CCGA working groups send an email to: communications@chicagocommunitygardens.org and request to join the meeting.
Please join us for our monthly coordinating meeting. Representatives from all the working groups come together to coordinate our actions. Meeting locations All community gardeners and supporters are invited to attend.
Check the CCGA website for location details and as agendas become available. In person meetings switch between The Hatchery & the Chicago Center for Green Technology:
Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT)
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie.
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents by year.

Water Access for Chicago Growers - Overview of 2021 Hydrant Permit Program & Resources
2021-02-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Do you use a hydrant to access water for your community garden? Join our partners Advocates for Urban Agriculture and Neighbor-Space to learn about the 2021 hydrant permit policy being developed and opportunities for technical support on Thursday, February 4th at 6:00 PM.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-water-access-for-chicago-urban-growers-tickets-135164724329

February CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-02-16 18:00 - 20:00

16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit
2021-02-25 10:30 - 16:00
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council presents the 16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit
The event dates are February 25th, February 26th, March 5th, and March 6th.
Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/16th-annual-chicago-food-justice-summit-tickets-132132216015
For schedule details, visit their website here:
https://www.chicagofoodpolicy.com/cfjs16
For full access to speaker profiles, session details, etc. please register
through the eventbrite linked above!

Loyola’s Virtual Climate Change Conference March 15-18, 2021
2021-03-15 18:00 - 20:00
Across the country, youth climate activists are mobilizing people to
protect the planet. In 2021, Loyola’s Virtual Climate Change Conference
will focus on how we can amplify the voices of these young activists.
Free Registration and conference agenda:
https://www.luc.edu/sustainability/initiatives/climatechangeconference/
This year, we will be delivering you our signature conference through a
week long series of evening events and programming. Each evening, you can
join us and participate in discussion around a variety of topics including:
– our first-ever Keynote Conversation with youth climate activists Vic
Barrett and Dejah Powell moderated by WBEZ’s Jerome McDonnell,
– an intergenerational conversation between our keynote climate
activists and their mentors,
– a panel discussion on how climate change is driving displacement, and
the climate migrant’s plight,
– a panel on climate advocacy through art featuring local artists, and
– a discussion with indigenous youth activists.
All events will occur at 6pm during March 15-18th, 2021.

March CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-03-16 18:00 - 20:00

CCGA 8th Annual Gardeners Conference
2021-03-20 09:00 - 16:00

April CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-04-20 18:00 - 20:00

May CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-05-18 18:00 - 20:00

June CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-06-15 18:00 - 20:00

September CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-09-21 18:00 - 20:00

October CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-10-19 18:00 - 20:00

November CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-11-16 18:00 - 20:00

December CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2021-12-21 18:00 - 20:00

January CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-01-18 18:00 - 20:00
NOTE: Until further notice CCGA Coordinating meetings are being held via Zoom. If you want to attend the coordinating meeting and are not already a member of one of the CCGA working groups send an email to: communications@chicagocommunitygardens.org and request to join the meeting.
Please join us for our monthly coordinating meeting. Representatives from all the working groups come together to coordinate our actions. Meeting locations All community gardeners and supporters are invited to attend.
Check the CCGA website for location details and as agendas become available. In person meetings switch between The Hatchery & the Chicago Center for Green Technology:
Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT)
445 N. Sacramento Blvd.
The Hatchery
135 N. Kedzie
NOTE: All CCGA coordinating meeting minutes are available for you to review on the website. Look under the menu tree at ‘Who We Are’ and then ‘CCGA Organization’ and you will see links here for the coordinating committee documents by year.

February CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-02-15 18:00 - 20:00

March CCGA Coordinating Meeting
2022-03-15 18:00 - 20:00

All Hands on Deck to Conserve Monarch Butterflies
2022-03-16 17:00 - 18:00
The Monarch Joint Venture is a network of over 100 organizations across the United States working together to conserve monarch butterflies and their habitats. As a flagship for other pollinators and other conservation benefits, the MJV works to engage people and partners from all backgrounds in habitat conservation, education, and science. Across different land uses from agriculture to rights-of-way to public lands to municipalities, we need all hands on deck to bring monarchs and other pollinators back to sustainable population levels. In this session, we’ll discuss how actions taken within your community are contributing to national monarch conservation efforts. We will cover various ways to get involved in monarch conservation in urban areas, from planting pollinator gardens to participating in community science efforts and other community engagement activities.
Presenter: Wendy Caldwell, Executive Director, Monarch Joint Venture

Building a Community Through Conservation@Home: A Panel on Stewardship and Native Plant Gardening
2022-03-16 18:00 - 19:00
Conservation@Home is an educational and certification program focused on promoting and celebrating the use of conservation-minded gardening practices. By recognizing community and school gardens that meet our criteria of environmentally sound gardening practices in biodiversity, water conservation, and healthy soils, this program helps create more connected landscapes throughout our communities. Community gardens that certify need to utilize informal/formal education tools to engage members. Panelists will present updates and share photos of their gardens, their experience with Conservation@Home for Communities in Chicago, successes and challenges with community building and gardening during COVID, and their tips for growing native plants. There will also be time for Q & A from the audience.
Facilitated by: Gemini Bhalsod, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator
Panelists: Valerie Kehoe, University of Illinois Extension Program Coordinator, Alex Palmer, Urban Naturalist, and Emily Lambert, Kellogg Garden Club Co-coordinator

Urban Community Food Forests, Diverse Species Selection and Engagement Opportunities
2022-03-19 10:00 - 11:00
Learn and share knowledge about food-producing native, hardy species and the sites where they thrive. Showcase different examples of food forests and food forest stewardship. Highlight the importance of diversity in species selection. Explore different forms of engagement to grow volunteerism and increase community garden and green space access and awareness. Opportunity to partner together to plant food-producing shrubs and trees in fall 2022 and beyond!
Presenter: Trinity Pierce, Stewardship Manager, Chicago Region Trees Initiative

Community Food Navigator: Strengthening Community-led Food Solutions
2022-03-23 17:00 - 18:00
This hands-on session is to introduce the project to CCGA members, and demonstrate the digital tools and stewardship methods in development that are designed to support visibility and connection among growers and gardeners. Staff and a few of the project’s current community stewards and contributors will together share our work and engage attendees about their perspectives and feedback on the value and functionality of the tools as an opportunity to shape their continued development. The goal of this session is to be a living demonstration of a stewardship model and tools that are designed to benefit Chicago gardeners, who shape and sustain Chicago’s agriculture and food culture and landscape through their efforts in neighborhood engagement, food access, learning, education, and revitalization. This session will help gardeners to connect with the Navigator to shape the first versions of the project’s tools and methods for organizing, stewardship and engagement to ensure they are of use and value to them.
Presenters: Bahati Aimee, Project Manager/Community Steward, Deepa Gupta, Project Director, and Wendy Manning, Lead Engagement Strategy / Integration
