Co-Housing and Ecovillage Design

Tom Bradford describes the creation of the successful co-housing based Culver Way ecovillage in St. Louis, Missouri. Presentation given at the conference "Developing Urban Ecovillages: Towards Ecocities", sponsored by Chicagoland Urban Permaculture (CUP). Recorded November 10, 2007 at DePaul University.

Woodstock Ralley for US Leadership on Climate Change

On the International Day of Action on Global Warming, citizens gathered in Woodstock's town square to hear State Senator Pamela Althoff speak about Illinois' state level action and heard green business advocate Mike Shipley & Greenpeace's Kate Ogden. Participants called upon Rep. Melissa Bean to be a leader supporting the policies at home that put the country on the right path to solving the climate crisis.

Groundwater Primer for McHenry County

The McHenry County Defenders' Nancy Schietzelt provides background and fundamentals of the water issues facing the county to students from Cary attending the Community Water Forum." Taped November 17th, 2007 at MCC.

Chris Schneider - Bring America into the Zone: Zero Oil No Emmissions

Chris Schneider provides an overview of automotive design and fueling options that address oil dependency, climate change and rural economic re-vitalization. Chris discusses hydrogen, hybrids, biogas derived compressed natural gas, neighborhood electric vehicles, variable cylinder management and more. Recorded August 12, 2007 at the Sixth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair, Oregon, Il, sponsored by the IREA. http://www.illinoisrenew.org

Alisa Smith: The 100 Mile Diet - A Year of Local Eating

With declining oil and global warming a concern, why ship a vegetable 1,500 miles from farm to plate? To challenge this practice, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon ate foods grown within 100 miles of home one year. They discovered community, old-fashioned skills and the best-tasting food of their lives. Alisa Smith is co-author of The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating (published in the U.S. as Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally). Recorded August 12, 2007 at the Sixth Annual Illinois

The Future Mighty Oaks of McHenry County

Watch the launch of the ambitious Third Generation Oak planting program and the young people committed to turning back the accelerating loss of McHenry County's signature tree, the oak. It's been estimated that most of the county's oaks (and the oak savanna ecosystem they host) will be gone in twenty years unless large scale replanting and public education begins immediately. http://www.conservemc.org

Chad Pegracke - Mississippi River Cleanup

Can one man galvanize an entire region to take pride in America's river and clean up decades of abuse? Living Lands and Waters founder ( http://www.livinglandsandwaters.com )Chad Pregracke's persistence in his on-going mission resulted in bargeloads of tires, drums and refrigerators being pulled-out of the heartland's waterway. Recorded January, 2008 at the Land Conservancy of McHenry County's annual meeting. http://www.conservemc.org

Planting and Maintaining a Rain Garden

Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority Proposal

Representatives of the Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water (ALAW) make a presentation in support of the April 17th, 2007 water authority ballot initiative, and a member of the the Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois states the latter's opposition. Discussion held at the Green Sanctuary Committee of the Congregational Unitarian Church of Woodstock's Fourth Friday Forum on March 23

Re-playable Comcast Programs

Food Sovereignty - Reclaiming Our Agricultural System
John Richter - The Wolf is at the Door
Chad Pregracke - His MIssissippi River Cleanup

McHenry County Water Seminar Town Hall Meeting

District 5 McHenry County Board Member Tina Hill hosts a public discussion of ground water issues facing the county. Larry Thomas provides an overview of the water situation, followed by Randy Blankenhorn of the Chicago Metro Agency for Planning, providing a regional context. County Board chair Ken Koehler speaks about the history of county groundwater planning and provides his own thoughts on the water issue and the interests of the county, then Tina Hill asks Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water (ALAW) member Emily Berendt to explain ALAW's ballot initiative to create a multi-county water authority. District 5 McHenry County Board Member John Jung reports on the progress of the County 2030 plan, and questions are taken fron the audience

Orion Samuelson on Agriculture and a Changing McHenry County

The veteran agricultural broadcaster shares his thoughts on farming, food security, groundwater, sprawl and more at the January 28th, 2007 annual meeting of The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (http://www.conservemc.org), where The Conservancy announced completion of the first farmland preservation easement in the area.