I was accepted into The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s Chicago Conservation Corps Sustainability Leadership Training ! This program is a twice-annual 8-week cohort equipping those in and around Chicago with the knowledge and resources needed to positively impact local communities.
At the time of writing this, I have officially completed the C3 sustainability leadership training! This is the first of the posts within this series dedicated to explaining what the training is about and what my experience was. A more in-depth article will be published with behind-the-scenes photos and information on what to expect if you join the in-person cohort.
What Is The C3 Sustainability Leadership Training?
The C3 Sustainable Leadership Training is an 8-week cohort with weekly classes that educate attendees on various aspects of sustainability and its relation to Chicago and the Chicagoland area. No prior sustainability knowledge is needed. Cohorts occur each Spring and Fall.
Projects & Available Sponsorship
The C3 program is designed around educating attendees and equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and resources to become local leaders who develop projects once completing the cohort. Once attendees complete their cohort, a $250 project fund becomes available per each person’s approved project. Leaders can develop an unlimited number of projects and revive a grant for each approved project.
Where Do Classes Take Place?
The Spring cohort takes place in person at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum — more commonly referred to as “The Nature Museum”.
The Fall cohort is online only, without any in-person commitment.
Food & Beverages
Dinner is provided for the in-person cohorts. Prior to class starting, a form is sent out asking about allergies. The program was accommodating to my two food allergies and ensured the class was peanut-free.
Why Did I Apply?
I applied to be a part of the spring cohort because a majority of my sustainability training and experience is global or U.K.-focused. This is incredible to have as I have a good understanding of global systems, their impact, and how everything directly or indirectly works together. However, since I am working in Chicago versus the U.K. and I live in Illinois, I recognized a barrier and gap in my knowledge. While I understand what climate change is, investments, global policy, and infrastructure, I didn’t know what Chicago had to offer. I wanted to build local connections and learn more about local policies and resources. I was also looking to build more local and in-person community with people who are in this area versus traveling on assignment for a limited time
What Does The Training Go Over?
The Spring Cohort went over the following topics in the 8 weeks. Cohorts may vary. Each week a guest speaker provided more information on the topic. My Cohort’s structure was as follows:
Week 1: Community Engagement
This week’s lesson was mainly an introduction. It laid the groundwork for the rest of the cohort and outlined how we can continue once we complete the training. The program started with an introduction to The Nature Museum, C3, and sustainability.
After spending time learning about what sustainability means, worksheets were introduced alongside an activity. The purpose of this was to learn about the power of community, how to activate community, and how to identify community assets.
Lastly, this week introduced various topics of change, leadership, and human-centered design.
Guest Speaker: Michael Sewall, C3 Leader
This week’s guest speaker was a former C3 Leader, Michael Sewall. He spoke on the community composting pilot project he completed in Summer 2022, with sponsorship and support from C3.
Week 2: Project Development Process
Continuing from the introduction in week one and the completed project example the guest speaker demonstrated, week two focused more in-depth on the development of our impact projects.
Sample worksheets are provided as the activity to practice building out a project proposal and formatting information to explain the idea and the intended positive impact it can have, for the C3 team reading and approving the applications.
Guest Speaker: Panel, C3 Leaders
A guest panel comprised of former C3 leaders included Carolyn Vazquez, Mark Johnson, and Stephanie Colon.
Week 3: Energy, Emissions, & Transportation
Energy, greenhouse gasses, renewable energy sources, and Chicago’s energy sources were the topics of conversation for week three. An introduction to fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) and the Greenhouse Effect were taught.
Guest Speaker: Matt Harvey, Citizens Utility Board
Matt Harvey provided information on the Citizens Utility Board — or “CUB” the organization he was representing. Matt outlined Cub’s mission to fight for Illinois consumers and represent utility ratepayers/ help individuals. He shared that Cub also advocates for affordable and sustainable energy policies in Illinois.
An introduction to energy grids, decarbonization, alternative energy sources, and the total annual natural gas delivery across the USA was provided.
After Matt spoke, a member of the C3 staff engaged the group in discussions around transpiration methods and open discussion on the pros and cons of public transportation and accessibility in Chicago.
Week 4: Water Ecology & Stormwater Challenges
A water workshop was the focus for week four. The evening began with an introduction to the history of Chicago’s waterways and systems. From here it went into climate impacts, water, and a guest presentation.
Guest Speaker: Maya Kelly, Urban Rivers
The first guest speaker of the night was Maya Kelly of Urban Rivers. I wrote a separate blog post on Urban Rivers, click here to read it and see how I participated in a river clean-up via kayak!
In between speakers, the C3 staff provided an introduction to environmental justice and environmental justice specifically in Chicago. Other topics discussed included stormwater management, flooding, and individual action.
Guest Speaker: Rohany Nayan, C3 Leader
Rohany shared her project, “Plarn Sleeping Mats” which repurposes single-use plastic bags by turning them into thick sleeping mats that are distributed to houseless people around Chicago.
Week 5: Waste – Recycling, Composting, & Circular Ideas
The waste workshop was the focus of week five. The purpose of this topic was to provide information on Chicago’s current waste systems including landfills, waste characterization, and updates. Basics about what can and cannot be recycled were taught, along with an introduction to composting! The circular economy was also discussed with a more in-depth evaluation of the components.
Guest Speaker: Kelli Pelc, The Refilleri
Owner of a local zero-waste shop, Kelli, spoke about what a zero-waste shop is, the difference between this shop and a traditional one, and what sustainable measures individuals support by choosing this option.
Week 6: Chicagoland Green Spaces & Urban Heat Island
Urban green spaces and the urban heat island effect were this week’s main topics. Climate change and the specific impact it will have on Chicago was a key component and discussion point.
Guest Speaker: Edward Warden, Chicago Park District
Edward shared how his role at the Chicago Park District is supporting more green space across the city and why this is needed. An overview was provided of what native pollinators are and why they’re important to the ecosystem.
Week 7: Workday
In-person cohorts have an immersive experience called the workday. These have differed between cohorts. The Spring 2024 workday included working with The Nature Museum’s Horticulture Manager, Seth Harper.
The objective of this workday was for Seth to demonstrate how to identify and remove nonnative Orchard Grass, and the pesky Velcro Plant (also called stickyweed, goosegrass, cleavers, or catchweed bedstraw) from the prairie vignette ecosystems in front of the museum.
For those uninterested or unable to participate in this workday activity, an alternative interactive activity was provided. A member of staff led an education workshop on DIY sustainable household cleaners.
Week 8: Project Idea Sharing & Celebration
The final class was centered around sharing project ideas. In breakout groups, everyone who went through the cohort shared about the project they were thinking of developing. After, The Nature Museum allowed for a free tour.
