Chicago Community Climate Action Toolkit Profile: South Chicago


Chicago Community Climate Action Toolkit Profile: South Chicago 


  1. Raise awareness of the South Chicago Retrofit Project
  2. Highlight diverse green practices from members of the South Chicago/Southeast Side community
  3. Local artists represent local stories
  4. Launch a community exhibit and offer green tours


THE PLAYERS: Claretian Associates, Spanish Coalition for HousingCalumet Stewardship Initiative, The Zone, South Chicago Art Center, Centro Comunitario Juan Diego, the 10th Ward Alderman’s Office, the LISC New Communities Program, the Germano Milgate youth leaders, and The Field Museum's Science Action Center.

THEIR STORY: The South Chicago toolkit project is designed to document and promote the innovative environmental efforts of Southeast Side organizations, like the South Chicago Retrofit Project (SCRP) led by Claretian Associates. SCRP is a two-year, community-intensive, project in the South Chicago neighborhood that aims to significantly increase residential retrofits by targeting particular blocks, working through community networks, and linking the issue of energy efficiency to neighborhood concerns. Members of the project will launch an exhibit based on creative representations of the community by local artists based on local research. They will create tours that integrate public sculpture and highlight green practices in the area, including retrofitted houses, energy-efficient businesses, and engagement with nearby natural resources.

This project helps community members to:

  1. Address residents’ interest in green building and retrofitting while addressing concerns about cost, gentrification, and feelings of exploitation by outside entities including the City
  2. Inform people about the necessity for sustainability and show how to successfully implement sustainable practices
  3. Engage youth in the green movement


See how the project is coming along (flickr)
