facebook – Graceland West Community Association

April 22nd, 2020 is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. The GWCA ECO-Green committee has been working hard on greening the community for almost as long. You can read about past projects here: https://gracelandwest.org/eco-gardens-green-space/. As mentioned in the blog earlier this month, GWCA is looking for you to share your personal projects and teach others “how to” on Facebook and on Instagram (@graceland_west_gwca).

We may already be one of the greenest neighborhoods in Chicago, with our tree-landed streets, the tree count and park at the LVHS campus, Warner Park and Gardens, corner parkway plantings, pollinator pathways, the Berteau greenway and our Annual Garden Walk (this year will be the 38th edition). But there is no denying that there is a lot to do to restore a safe and stable climate.

This year’s Earth Day theme is climate action. No matter how small your contribution, we are asking everyone in the community to take action for our planet on Earth Day and every day. If you are feeling discouraged, be sure to follow the Graceland West Community Association on Facebook. We’ll be posting simple, hyper-local ideas and resources using the #GWCAGreens tag.

Are you and your household or family working on gardening or sustainable/green projects while you spend more time at home? If so, share your process and results to help neighbors on our GWCA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/gracelandwest/)

Spring celebrations abound!

Rituals like Passover and Easter are bringing us together while we remain physically apart. The GWCA ECO-Green Committee is hoping that our non-religious Spring rituals can also help to bring us together as a community.

This spring, we will be using our Facebook page to showcase some of the amazing things that occur in Gracleland West. We will be using three separate hash tags, but also welcome you to post and include your own tags (anyone have an idea for birds and wildlife related posts?).

#GWCAGrows, for fruit/vegetable/herb gardening

#GWCABlooms, for flower gardening

#GWCAGreens, for all other ECO projects (storm water initiatives, rain gardens, aerating and amending soil for maximum absorbency, aquaponics, upcycling, worm composting, permeable hardscape, green roof, solar, wind, pollinator pathway, bird, bat, bee, butterfly, beneficial insect habitat, native grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, etc.)

We will get the ball rolling with stories about previous projects and local ideas and look forward to hearing about your success stories.