Get some Green on your Roof!

Want to get more out of your space? Rooftopia, Chicago's full service Rooftop Gardening and Landscaping company, wants to show you how to do that and more with your rooftop.

Owners and operators Jenn Lassa and  Marcin Matlakowski started Rooftopia in 2009. They are both passionate about the environment, love working outdoors and are motivated by the green revolution. Jenn says, "It was a natural progression that we take our skills and energy to the next level to achieve the most we can with our own business and inspire others to do the same."

Jenn is a Horticulturalist and Designer and Marcin is a Construction Expert and Designer. They work together year round to create the perfect garden design for your space, no matter how big or small.

Rooftop gardens have their own unique challenges, but many rewards. Initially the structural soundness of the roof and building has to be assessed. Jenn and Marcin will work with you from assessment, design, installation and maintenance. They won't leave you hanging!

What can you do with a rooftop space?

• planter boxes - vegetable or native plant gardens
• water features - collect water and reduce run-off
• shade structures - help reduce "urban heat islands"
• vertical green walls - provide beauty
• patios, balconies, terrace - create additional recreational space

By creating a roof top garden you open up additional space to enjoy the outdoors, increase your buildings energy efficiency, reduce CO2, create habitat for beneficial insects and birds and prolong the life of your roof by 30 - 50 years.

Jenn frequently speaks on container gardens, raised beds and composting with worms. She will be teaching a 2 hour workshop on container/rooftop gardens at the Infinity Foundation on June 21st. "Our goal is to make under-utilized rooftops a place of inspiration for everyone," says Jenn.

For more information on turning your unused rooftop space into a an inspiration you can contact Rooftopia at 773-398-9486 or email info@rooftopia.com. You can learn more about Rooftopia at www.rooftopia.com.

 

 

Alexandra Gnoske is an Environmental Expert. She is the Author/Illustrator of "Loui Saves the Earth" and Founder of RECYCLE ME.

FIRST PUBLISHED IN MINDFUL METROPOLIS MINDFUL BUSINESS MATTERS BLOG 5/24/2011.

Green Business Owners You Should Know

Last month RECYCLE ME joined many other local green business and organizations at the North Lake Shore Community Earth Day 2010 event on the Loyola Campus.

We were fortunate enough to run into two of our favorite Green Business Owners: Marilyn Jones with Consolidated Printing from Chicago and Kathleen H. of Distinctive Green Interiors and Local Green Connect from Elgin.

Both woman are doing, and have been doing, wonderful things for the environment for years. Marilyn is the owner of the award winning Consolidated Printing who has been pioneering green printing since the 1970s. Check out their recent interview with NBC5 here.

Kathleen has got to be one of the busiest environmental proponents I know. Just this week she planted a 400 oak tree forest in Elgin. She heads up Distinctive Green Interiors helping people create eco responsible homes. She's amazing at connecting people and developing eco programs for businesses, schools, you name it!

So glad to know them both. And I hope you can check them both out as they are true (local) Green Business Owners making a difference in their communities and for the planet!

Summer Reading a Little Early! Loui Saves the Earth for kids of all ages

Local Author and Illustrator, Alexandra Gnoske, has just published Loui Saves the Earth a children's book with some local Chicago flair.

The book is an inspiring story of how a boy and his dog can make a difference for Planet Earth. It teaches, while entertaining, the importance of our everyday actions, and that everyone, even little kids, can make a big difference.

The author will be hosting a book release party on May 15th, from 3 - 5pm with readings at 330 and 430, at Drew's Eatery, 2207 W. Montrose. Ms. Gnoske will be giving away signed copies of her book to the first 15 people at the event.

You can also find her book on amazon.com.

Ms. Gnoske is big on teaching kids about nature and environmental issues. She has a degree in Wildlife Biology and a J.D. in Environmental Law. She previously taught at the Ozark Natural Science Center and continues engaging children with Loui Saves the Earth.

Her Blog is meant to empower children by acknowledging the everyday things they do that make a difference for the planet.

You can also find Ms. Gnoske selling her Recycle Me brand organic and water based cotton tees around Chicagoland. For more information on upcoming events and book signings please visit www.louisavestheearth.com. We recommending purchasing your book on amazon before an event in case the books run out!

Green Holiday Guide: Interviews with Green Businesses

Interview with Juan D. Ribes

Juan D. Ribes is an Economist and works as an Export Manager at the Polycart Group in Valencia, Spain. The Polycart Group has developed a shopping cart that is safer for children and better for the environment.

RM: Tell me about your product and why it is important for the environment.

JR: We make all plastic single block shopping carts which are better for the shops, customers, their children and the environment. The Polycart is the most efficient shopping cart from the environmental point of view. It is an eco friendly shopping cart in all the aspects of its lifespan: manufacturing, transport, use and recycling.

Clean Manufacturing Process.
Made of 100% recyclable plastic.

All manufacturing scrap parts are reground at our factory and recycled into other products.
Unlike the metallic shopping carts, no chrome plating processes are involved in the manufacturing of the Polycart, therefore it avoids entirely the use of chromic acid, hydrochloric acid, nickel chloride, nickel metal, nickel sulfate or sodium bisulfate and the corresponding residues.
The manufacturing process of plastic injection molding involves and efficient and responsible use of water, which is only intended for the refrigeration of the moulds in a closed circuit. No toxic substance is ever dumped to the water.

It has a longer lifespan, is easier to clean and recycle, and is safer for children.

RM: How did the Polycart come about?

JR: Shopping carts were invented in 1937. And little has changed since then. We are a plastic injection moulding company with lots of experience. Mr. Morcillo and Mr. Pamies, the owners of Polycart, recovered a former project by adapting the product working together with specialists from several countries and optimizing the production process to launch a new shopping cart worldwide at a competitive price. We are positive that the Polycart will change the way people look at shopping carts specially concerning maneuvering, effort and sustainability.

RM: Is the Polycart available now, and, if so, where can people find it?

JR: We started working in may 08 with two different models P220 and P180 which have been available since January 09. We launched the Polycarts starting in Spain at a couple of major retail chains and we also provided with Polycarts to some retailers in Poland. We have representatives and distributors in many countries such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, Venezuela, The United Arab Emirates and The United Kingdom who are dealing with the major retail companies in order to start providing them with Polycarts.

RM: How have people responded to the Polycart?

JR: Thanks to the feedback we have received from many people, (customers, distributors, representatives, experts and final users) we have worked on continuously improving the design and features of the Polycarts. Our customers have been able to check and confirm the benefits the Polycarts provide to themselves as well as to their final users, so we are growing.

RM: If there is one message you would like to tell people about the Polycart, what would it be?

JR: We make shopping carts that are designed to be better and safer for the final users, the retailers and the community.

Thank you Juan!

I never even thought about shopping carts and all the heavy metals and materials used in manufacturing.

Juan D. Ribes grew up in Madrid where he studied economics. He studied abroad in Oklahoma and now resides in Valencia where he works for the Polycart Group.

Green Holiday Guide: Interviews with Green Businesses

Interview with Dennis Salazar

Dennis Salazar is the President and Co-Founder of Salazar Packaging, Inc. along with his Wife, Lenora Salazar.

RM: Your company is Salazar Packing, but aren't you also known by another name?

DS: Yes, we are best known for our Globe Guard Product line, so many people know us by that name.

RM: What inspired you to make the Globe Guard product line?

DS: As a career packaging person I saw our industry being the primary focus and in most opinions, culprit of our environmental woes. As an industry we deserve much of the criticism and Salazar Packing, Inc. saw an opportunity to correct and repair that image by making eco friendly packaging products available and affordable to anyone who wants them.

RM: What are your company's goals?

DS: We like to think we are bringing the green and packaging communities together through product development, market knowledge, and education of both communities. We spend a lot of time overcoming misconceptions and dispelling myths about green expectations versus packing capabilities.

RM: How have things changed since you started your business?

DS: The economy has forced green packaging products to be price competitive and that is a very good thing. Manufacturers and suppliers who felt they could insist on a "green premium" have come to understand that though most people want to use green products, few are able or willing to pay an up charge for that effort.

RM: What's next?

DS: Innovation is the key. We try to keep our fingers on the proverbial pulse of the green community so we can determine where they are headed and get there as quickly as possible with our products and solutions. A great example is the resurgence of glass packaging for use on organic products. Glass is the preferred primary packaging but it creates unique shipping problems compared to the plastic containers it usually replaces.

RM: If there is one message you want people to take from your business, what would it be?

DS: That we sincerely care and are eager to help other people and companies who are as enthusiastic of protecting the environment as we are.

Thank you Dennis!

You can contact Salazar Packaging, Inc. at www.GlobeGuardProducts.com or www.SalazarPackaging.com. They service many types of companies from Fortune 500 companies as well as small start-up, home based companies. They are members of Green America and the Chicago Sustainable Business Alliance. They have recently been nominated for Green America's 2009 Green Leadership Award.

Dennis was born and raised in Chicago and now lives in Plainfield IL. with his wife, kids and dog Gateway, just two miles from his warehouse.

Green Holiday Guide: Interviews with Green Business Owners

Interview with Jen Khatchatrian the Eco Chic Organizer

Jen Khatchatrian is the Author of www.EcoChicOrganizer.com and founder of www.ChicagoGreenFamilies.com, which she started in 2007. You can find environmentally friendly social events in Chicago for the holidays or any time of the year on her blog www.EcoChicOrganizer.com.

RM: What is your green business, in this case, businesses?

JK: I am the author of www.EcoChicOrganizer.com, a blog about stylishly going green with urban kids. I also created www.ChicagoGreenFamilies.com, a social organization dedicated to connecting families to conservation. We adopted 2 Chicago beaches this year with the help of the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Chicago Conservation Corps.

RM: What inspired you to start these businesses?

JK: I created the blog because I didn't find a place for eco friendly luxury for families that had balanced humor with education. I created Chicago Green Families because I could not find an eco friendly summer camp for my kids. The first year we connected with families with three different summer camp classes, and this year we focused on water conservation.

RM: What are your goals?

JK: My goal for the organization is expanding to different neighborhoods within Chicago to showcase the benefits of stewardship in our own communities. We are planning on expanding the number of beaches in our water conservation program next year and would love to assign Board positions to finalize the 501c3 status. I also love to share EcoChic tips with families.

RM: Have you received any awards?

JK: In addition to getting my Chicago Conservation Corps Leader designation, I have been featured on WLIT-FM, A Fresh Squeeze, NBC Live Green Series and have been chosen a Green Hero of Chicago by Greenwerks.

RM: What's next?

JK: Increasing participation and making a bigger impact.

Thanks Jen! Before starting her Green Organizations, Jennifer Khatchatrian was a freelance writer. She resides in the South Loop with her husband and two kids. To get involved or contact her you can email Jen at chicagogreenfamilies.com.

Holiday Shopping Guide: Green Your Holiday!

All of November I will be blogging about green businesses, products and services in an effort to help consumers green their holidays.

Please stay tuned!