Rogers Park
Through the connection of our dear friend Andrew we were able to stay in the amazing house of a group of young community organizers and climate activists in Chicago. They live in the neighborhood of Rogers Park, and their home is the old parsonage of the United Methodist church next door, to whom they pay rent. Staying here was the first in a series of positive church-related hosts, but you will have to wait to hear about the rest. | The house is structured cooperatively, with shared chores and lots of quality time spent together. Each of the seven housemates were very welcoming and kind to us, even though some of them didn’t initially know why we were there. Once we explained our project, everyone was very enthusiastic and we were able to learn a lot from them as well. They not only shared tons of delicious food with us, but also really wonderful company. |
One of the concepts we were introduced to during our conversations was the idea of a “shared purse.” The idea is, in a cooperative housing setting, not everyone necessarily has the same access to resources, even when they all share goals and values, so the income of every individual is added to a collective house pool. It allows for everyone in the community to share the same standard of living. While it might feel pretty straightforward for some people, we found the idea revolutionary and progressive. A shared purse system places a higher value on community and equality than individual financial wealth, and we found it inspiring. While this house has not yet adopted this system, their openness to these kind of practices represents their unique approach to cooperative living and life in general. |
The fact that seven amazing young people live together is not a coincidence. Many of them are directly involved with LETS GO Chicago. LETS GO stands for Leading the Energy Transition, Sprouting Green Opportunities. It’s a chapter of Grand Aspirations, a nationwide network of young people working toward a sustainable future, in the realms of environmentalism, economic security, and social justice. | Molly and Peter of LETS GO showed us a few of their awesome projects. At the church next door, they created a rain garden which keeps the lawn from flooding like it used to. In the front of their house, they have a children’s educational garden, where they teach an after school program to kids about everything from bees and planting to scarecrows. |
The coolest thing we got to see, however, was their yard-sharing project. In Chicago, and particularly in the area of Rogers Park, very little open space exists for gardening. So leaders of LETS GO gradually found people in their neighborhood who aren’t using their yards for much and created gardens with them. With the help of these neighbors and lots of volunteers, they are able to run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for the neighborhood. Thanks to the CSA, this year they were able to grow hundreds of pounds of produce and distribute it in their local area in the place of fossil-fuel dependent produce from far outside of the area. Chicago Molly shared with us her hope that folks contribute to the program out of a sense of community and excitement rather than obligation. Peter says this project allows young, educated people to develop hands-on skills and build community at the same time. We think they rock! (Read up on all their awesome projects here: www.letsgochicago.org) |
We were able to get a fantastic interview with four of the members, which we can’t wait to share with you all. Part of what we talked about was what inspired them to do this work. We heard their frustration about the system we live in; how people do not all have equal access to live happy and passionate lives and how they are working to change that.
In addition, we went to the church service on Sunday morning, which was a first-time experience for Cassie and the first in a long time for Molly. The service was just next door at the United Methodist Church of Rogers Park and we were really happy to see a church that was so welcoming to the LGBTQ community, displaying a rainbow flag outside. There were about 16 people present of diverse races, ages and genders. It was wonderful to see how everyone was welcome (even us random out-of-towners who aren’t particularly religious!) The sermon was about courage and facing challenges, which can be applied to anything- humanity’s challenges of inequality, climate change, peak oil, poverty, and even this trip we’re on. The United Methodist Church of Rogers Park is a resilient community because they stand together, both in tough times and in celebration. It was eye-opening to visit a community that was not necessarily what we expected to see on this trip, and we are thankful for the experience. Ultimately, was very inspiring to see a group of people we can identify with so closely working hard in their local community to affect whatever change they can. They are doing a really great job, and their work can serve as a model for others. Groups like LETS GO Chicago teach us that sustainability is possible anywhere, even in urban areas. | Other fun things in Chicago One of the only places we made it to outside of the neighborhood was Lake Michigan, which was only a 10 minute bike ride away. (We are so grateful we brought our bikes! It has been a hassle sometimes to lug them around, but it has made puttering around town wherever we stay much easier). Coming from Santa Barbara, I’m not sure we were adequately impressed by the waves at Lake Michigan, which we were told would remind us of the ocean. The lake was magnificent, however, and Cassie enjoyed a nice long read in the dunes while Molly took a beach walk. |
Although we did forgo many of the traditional sightseeing aspects of the city, we could not leave without trying Deep Dish Pizza. We walked to a place just around the corner and ate a magnificent creation: a pie made of pizza. We had never had anything like it- a 2 inch high, 8 inch wide circle of delicious, flaky crust, filled to the brim with delicious marinara, melty cheese, and an abundance of veggies. Delicious. We left the pizza joint with full and happy bellies, and walked home in a delightful flurry of snow. |