Greater Roseland Sustainability Initiative

The Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network and its partners invite your help building the Greater Roseland Sustainability Initiative. Join us in becoming the nation’s leader in combating food insecurity, educational gaps, poverty, and diet-related illness through innovative, green business--such as urban farming, green energy, and community cooperatives.

The Initiative requires community action, innovative ideas, experimentation, and your support. Please continue reading to learn how the GRWP Food Network and its partners are making this vision a reality and how you can join us in this effort for our community’s sustainable future.

We envision sustainable communities where neighbors know their food, grow their food, and are the entrepreneurs and workforce powering

their local and larger, green economies.

Since 2003, the Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network has provided a comprehensive and coordinated response to food insecurity in communities that make up Chicago’s South Side. In 2013, with our pantry distribution partners, we served over 96,000 Chicago area families--directly affecting over 350,000 individuals and delivering over 3 million pounds of food. However, fighting food insecurity and malnutrition in underserved communities requires innovation and collaboration to address health, education, and economic issues, which conversely cause this food insecurity. This is why GRWP Food Network collaborates with community partners: to develop and implement a comprehensive response to hunger--for today and tomorrow’s generation.

About GRWP Food Network

1

Access to Healthy Foods

Greater Roseland has a 22-30% food insecurity rate and limited access to nutritious foods and education in healthy, farm-to-table eating.1 Low-income communities are often “food deserts” with limited options available for buying healthy foods. Many people of low income cannot afford fresh fruits and vegetables and/or, due to limited time and access to transportation, cannot travel to higher income neighborhoods where healthier food options are available. Consequently, families must settle for cheap and processed foods that increase the risks of diet-related illnesses and obesity for their children.2 Unfortunately, Greater Roseland programs aimed at fighting hunger struggle to pay pantry taxes and to access markets with healthy, affordable foods.

Economic Development

While the average unemployment rate in the city of Chicago is 11%, the neighborhoods of Roseland and West Pullman face unemployment rates of 17.8% and 17% respectively. Additionally, 19.5% and 23.6% of households live below the poverty line in Roseland and West Pullman.3,4 With a considerable share of economic challenges, Greater Roseland would benefit from economic regeneration. This Initiative will address this economic need by building a local, green economy, training the readily available workforce, and providing opportunities for youth to gain knowledge and skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

Youth Education

It is imperative to address gaps in our educational system in order to revitalize the local economy. The number of West Pullman’s 3rd through 8th grade students who scored below state standards on the ISAT increased from 40% in 2001 to 53% in 2013.5 Furthermore, CPS is behind in teaching STEM fields to students. Socioeconomic status is a major factor influencing these educational gaps. Only 44% of youth from low-income families report being regularly connected to school or work as opposed to 67% from middle-income families and 75% from high-income families.6 Not only are low-income students facing economic disadvantages but social disparity as well. This Initiative will provide tutoring and STEM-related training to address this gap.

Another concern is the level of violence youth face. In 2009 “65% of all violent crime arrests were of youth 25 or younger” in the city of Chicago. Furthermore, a Chicago report claims “youth who are truant or have dropped out of school are much more likely to become involved in violence.”7 To reduce this violence, we will give students a safe space to play and relax, to seek professional counseling, and to engage in education and meaningful skills development.

Greater Roseland:Cause for Action

2

is to promote healthier eating, to train a green workforce, and to strengthen the local economy by growing and distributing food and by providing hands-on education for the Greater Roseland community and beyond.

Neighbors Know Their FoodGrow Their Food

and are the EntrepreneursOur Mission

Our Goal

...is to create affordable and accessible programs that:

● increase access to local fruits and vegetables○ Produce enough yields annually to be financially self-sustainable○ Expand GRWP Food Network’s farmers market and host a local grocery store, with yields

produced by our commercial farm and down state growers○ Provide storage of fresh produce for food bank networks, farmers markets, and other

organizations that need to warehouse perishable goods for sale or charitable purposes○ House a commercial community kitchen that can facilitate healthier eating and food preparation

education; this will serve as an incubator for culinary entrepreneurs○ Warehouse and distribute produce from Illinois growers--such as down state farms--connecting

statewide and local markets● incubate green businesses to enrich local economy

○ Construct an entrepreneuring non-for-profit through diverse revenue (earned income from commercial farming, grants, donations) that can finance The Initiative’s programming

○ Incubate new, green economy businesses○ Support cottage industries related to agriculture and sustainable food; connect small

entrepreneurs with professional resources, markets, and networks○ Support research in green economy opportunities: zero-waste and reuse, bio-fuels and

renewable energy, urban agriculture, and alternative business models such as co-operatives○ Through local food production, attract restaurant and catering industry and encourage outside

consumers to invest in Greater Roseland● support our youth in STEM fields

○ House indoor and outdoor classroom space at the Sustainability Campus ○ Provide tutoring and supplemental STEM curricula

● certify a local green collar workforce○ Engage youth in green economy jobs in order to sustain The Initiative and to gain skills in green

energy, food production, economics, and business management○ Incorporate Junior Achievement curriculum into skills development programming in order to

train green economy entrepreneurs○ Administer training and production in bio-fuels○ Create a certification program for green collar work, specifically in food handling, culinary skills,

and basic business and management skills● create green community space

○ Convert four EPA brownfields into greenfields○ Provide counseling and nutrition education for our youth○ Include a large industrial kitchen at the Sustainability Campus where neighbors come to prepare

meals and share community○ Network various Greater Roseland organizations with others in the city, merging South and

North Chicago

3

The Sustainability Campus will be this Initiative’s headquarters and will be designed to run off-grid and self-sufficiently. GRWP and Loyola University Chicago will collaborate to provide this energy and cost-efficient design, and this partnership will be the foundation for innovation and professional networking. The campus will house a commercial community kitchen, a grocery store, business incubation, refrigerated warehousing, and a hub for produce distribution. It will run programs that prepare youth for the green economy. In addition, our headquarters will offer training in and production of biofuels, a market for down state farms, and support for local cottage industries. Please see page 5 for further information and a diagram of our center.

Pilot Project, 1 acre

Demonstrate our partners’ potential to construct an urban farm with raised beds where our youth can safely reinforce coursework in STEM fields (Junior Achievement curriculum) by growing a local food source.

Community Farm, 1 acre

Facilitate urban development by creating a beautiful, community garden. Engage neighbors and encourage their contribution to a Greater Roseland urban agricultural network.

Urban Orchard, 1 acre

Cultivate a local economy for fruits and similar produce through permaculture. Produce an agro-forest with fruit bearing trees, berry brambles, and access to lush green space. (see page 5)

Sustainability Campus, 20-40 acres

Greater Roseland Sustainability Initiative

11227 S. Halsted St.Chicago, IL 60628Sheldon Heights Church of Christ

10202 S. Parnell Ave.Chicago, IL 60628community church partnership

15036 – 15038 S. Dixie HighwayHarvey, IL 60426partnered with LUC IES, SEEDS

4

Sustainability Campus Diagram

minimal text explanation

COMMUNITY CENTERCOMMUNITY CENTER

WAREHOUSE W/GREEN ROOF

GREENHOUSE BAY URBAN FARM AND ORCHARD

FARM STORE

Agro-Forest

...is an agricultural philosophy that balances economic profits with environmental restoration. Farms built with permaculture in mind, identify zones of inputs and outputs--with zones nearest a central location designated for intensive crop production and zones farthest from this location set aside for restoration. Permaculturists combine sustainable agriculture, agro-forestry, and restoration. The result is a beautiful blending of farm and conservation space that decrease human inputs and augment crop yields. In this way, we become economically self-sufficient while converting land from a toxic brownfield to a community green space.

Permaculture

The sustainability campus will be home to an urban farm and orchard, where we will source our food, extend classroom learning, and practice permaculture. Produce will then be taken to

the farm store and distributed to the community, thus cultivating a local food economy. The greenhouse bay and warehouse will serve as storage space as well as a networking hub for down state farms and local entrepreneurs. Business incubation, workforce development, and

opportunities for neighborhood involvement will take place in the community center.

5

Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Networkwill engage a comprehensive response to hunger and create a sustainable food system by overseeing the fair distribution of The Initiative’s revenuewww.grwpfoodnetwork.org

Loyola University Chicagowill grant land, resources, and foster partnerships between The Initiative and its Institute of Environmental Sustainability, School of Social Work, School of Education, and the Quinlan School of Business.www.luc.edu/sustainability/

Far South Community Development Corporationwill facilitate economic growth and foster community development by networking stakeholders and professional resources.www.farsouthcdc.org

SEEDSwill connect youth with urban farming and provide its expertise to The Initiative’s commercial food production.

Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Livingwill support grassroots development of sustainable farming practices, fostering environmental stewardship and commitment to community.http://www.blackoakscenter.org

Safe Haven Program- Sheldon Heights Church of Christwill contribute a safe space, aimed at preventing youth violence outside of the school day and will lease a 1 acre lot for The Initiative’s start-up.http://cps.edu/Programs/Academic_and_enrichment/Summer_school/Pages/SafeHavenSafeSummer.aspx

1. “Food Insecurity Rates in Cook County” Greater Chicago Food Depository.2. Drewnowski, A. and Specter, S. 2004. “Poverty and Obesity” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1(79): 6-16.3. Chicago Tribune, “Crime in Chicagoland: Roseland” October 2014.4. Chicago Tribune, “Crime in Chicagoland: West Pullman” October 2014.5. Chicago Public Schools ISAT Report 2014.6. ASPE U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Fact Sheet. July 2009.7. “National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention: CIty of Chicago Youth Violence Prevention Plan” Mayor Rahm Emanuel. If you would like to contribute to our vision of a sustainable community,

please contact LeRoy Chalmers [312-375-5325] or visit our website at www.grwpfoodnetwork.org

Sustainable Communities

6