...and one more for May

There's one additional event I'd like to highlight for all to consider. This one is being put on by the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Chicago chapter, and it's a panel discussion on ways to encourage sustainable housing. So if you've been interested in learning more about what 'green building' is all about, here's your chance to hear from the experts.

Event summary:
The USGBC - Chicago Chapter and the NIHBA are hosting a special event that features an open forum to explore the methods, programs, organizations, and resources available to encourage sustainable housing. This event is being held in Chicago on Thursday evening and in Lisle on Friday morning. The program will be the same with the intent on giving attendees in the Chicagoland area an opportunity to attend at the venue that is most conveniently located.
The panel features members from USGBC (Mike Holcomb), NAHB (Bill Styczynski), Energy Star (Jim Cavallo), and Chicago Green Home Program and will be moderated by Jim Hackler.

The main topics of discussion will be:
Understanding the variety of approaches to sustainable housing.
Fostering cooperation and education among the different groups advocating green homes.
Removing market barriers and increasing demand for sustainable housing.

The forum is not an endorsement of a single approach - but it's hoped will lead to an including strategy to bring more sustainable housing to the Chicago area. The moderator, Jim Hackler, brings a balanced approach to the discussion as a journalist covering environmental issues for GreenBuilder, Natural Home, and Delta's Sky magazines. He also has served as the head of two of the country's leading green building initiatives (USGBC's LEED for Homes and the Greater Atlanta HBA's EarthCraft House).

A breakfast buffet will be served.

When
Friday, May 23, 2008 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Where
Hyatt Lisle
1400 Corporetum Drive
Lisle, Illinois 60532
630-852-1234

Event Registration
Member: $40.00

Discounted Price $30.00 If Registered By Monday, May 19, 2008
Refund Policy: No Refunds

Non-Member: $50.00

Discounted Price: $40.00 If Registered By Monday, May 19, 2008
Refund Policy: No Refunds

For more details, or to register: USGBC - Chicago Chapter

This one is on my calendar, so if you'd like to know more about the world of sustainable housing and green building, I'll see you there.

May Events

Once again, it's been a busy month...and it's only half over. Or I should say it's already half over. After considering various options for dates for this month's event(s), I have decided that trying to fit another gathering into an already full month of sustainable activities and events is not the best answer. Instead, I'd like to communicate the details on some of those events that I plan to attend and invite you to join me there.

First up, the Green Festival. It's happening this weekend at Navy Pier. I know, I know, that's in the city and this organization is suburban in focus. It's worth the trip to attend this event, as it's the largest gathering of sustainable companies, organizations, and presenters in the entire area for the year. If you're not familiar with this event, check out the full details at:

http://www.greenfestivals.org/content/view/230/200/

It takes place on Saturday (10a - 8p) and Sunday (11a - 6p) at Navy Pier. Take the train or carpool with a friend - you'll be glad you did. I'll be there on Saturday afternoon, taking in the sights and sounds and speeches. If you're interested, send an email (shawn@thirdisolutions.com) and I'd be happy to try to coordinate times to walk through the show together.

Next up, a chocolate tasting happening Sunday at 2p at Citizen Kane in Geneva (319 W. State St.). And just what does chocolate have to do with sustainability, you ask? Plenty, is the answer. In this case, the chocolate happens to be the unprocessed dark chocolate variety which also includes acai berries and blueberries. All of which provide loads of antioxidants, helping to lower blood pressure, lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. More details to follow shortly, but hey...what better way to spend a bit of time on a Sunday afternoon than hearing about - and tasting - how chocolate is actually good for you?!?

And last (at least for the moment), but certainly not least: a Net Impact event. On Wed. May 21st, join me at their event: The Secrets to Successful Social Entrepreneurship. Location is the IIT Stuart School of Business at 565 W Adams St. in Chicago. I know, I know, another city event!! All I can say is once again, it'll be worth it!! Here's more detail:

The Secrets to Successful Social Entrepreneurship
Date/Time: May 21, 2008 at 6:30pm
Place: Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) – Stuart School of Business
565 West Adams Street, Chicago IL 60661
** 10th Floor Event Room

Panelists : Rich Cohen – Founder and CEO, Distant Village Packaging
Lauri Alpern – Partner, Return On Inspiration
Katie Das – Owner, Das Foods
Jill Bunton – Senior Business Development Director, Heartland Health Outreach

RSVP: ChicagoEvents@NetImpact.org by May 16, 2008
(please indicate if you are a member of Net Impact and which local chapter you are affiliated with)
Cost: Free for Net Impact members, $5 for non-members
Questions: Contact Tricia Sheehan, Chicago Net Impact, tricia24@gmail.com

Event Description: Passionate about making the world a better place through business? Chicago’s top social entrepreneurs are joining the Chicago-area Net Impact professional and student chapters for an insightful discussion on the secrets to success in social entrepreneurship. Whether you are a budding entrepreneur with a big idea or just starting to learn about social entrepreneurship, this event will help you understand the secrets to success in using your entrepreneurial spirit to improve the world.

"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry." - Bill Drayton, CEO, chair and founder of Ashoka


So as you can see, there's a lot going on already. I hope that one or more of these events captures your interest, and look forward to seeing you there.

Social Hour event for April

Sorry for the delay in communicating event info for this month. I've been on the road for most of the month, which has made planning a bit more challenging than normal. As a result, I've decided to opt for another informal Social Hour event. For April, we'll be gathering once more at Citizen Kane in downtown Geneva. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant, now's the perfect time. They offer terrific food, a great sense of 'place' (located in the old Geneva Theater building), and some of the friendliest folks around to serve you. You can join us there on Wed., April 30 at 6:30p. We'll be grabbing some dinner and a couple of drinks and catching up on the most relevant sustainability topics of the day. It's a great chance to enjoy an evening out, expand your network, and participate in some very interesting conversations.

To summarize:

Date: Wednesday, April 30th
Time: 6:30p
Location: Citizen Kane - 319 W. State St., Geneva, IL

For those in the northwest, north, and south suburbs...stay tuned. We haven't forgotten you - just working out details on appropriate dates and locations for gatherings in your area. Details will be posted here as soon as they're finalized.

I hope you're able to join us in Geneva. I look forward to seeing you there or at other gatherings in the near future. And as always, feel free to pass this along to anyone you feel might be interested. To be added to the email list, simply send an email with that request to: shawn@thirdisolutions.com.

Social Hour Events for March

Yep...you read that right!! This month we're changing the format to include several events happening on successive days. Since this group is composed of members that represent the entire suburban Chicago area, we've had a plan since the very beginning to move toward regular regional gatherings that will make participation more convenient. So starting this month, we're kicking off regular meetings in the north, northwest, and west suburbs (for those of you in the south, stay tuned...more info on that will be coming along soon). We'll be gathering in all of these locations each month on an informal basis - which means no presentations, just a chance to mix and mingle and have conversation and a drink or two with like-minded individuals in a location closer to home for all. On a bi-monthly basis, we'll be offering formal presentations, the location of which will rotate throughout the regions.

Here's the schedule of events for this month:

Region: West
Date: Tuesday, March 25th
Location: Citizen Kane, 319 W. State St., Geneva
Time: 6:30p - 8:30p

Region: Northwest
Date: Wednesday, March 26th
Location: Pete Miller's, 1385 N. Meacham Rd., Schaumburg
Time: 6:30p - 8:30p

Region: North
Date: Thursday, March 27th
Location: Flatlanders, 200 Village Green, Lincolnshire
Time: 6:30p - 8:30P

Come to the one closest to home, or the one closest to work, or a combination of the two (or all three for that matter!)

I know spring break may be happening for many of us during this week, but we've decided to go ahead and plan for the events anyway. For those who are in town, it will offer a chance to get away for a couple of hours. And for those who will be out of town, plan on joining us next month. The regions will be the same, though the exact locations may differ. Details should be posted by the end of the month.

I look forward to seeing you at one or more of these events, and as always, feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested. If you're not yet on the email list for this group, simply send an email to shawn@thirdisolutions.com and we'll remedy that situation.

Next Social Hour event on Wed., Feb. 27th

We'll be back at it this month with a slight variation on the usual theme. This time, we'll be hearing a number of brief presentations all centered on the topic of "How to make your home more green." We'll bypass the basics of reduce, reuse and recycle, and instead concentrate on products that can have a real impact on energy efficiency and liveability within the home.

Information will be available on:
Small-scale (roof-mounted) wind turbines
Solar powered attic fans
Solar tubes (skylights)
Bio-based insulation
Low-VOC paints and wallcoverings
Geothermal heating/cooling systems
On-demand (tankless) water heaters
Home energy audits

For this month's gathering we're headed back to The Ram Restaurant & Brewery in Schaumburg. It's located at 1901 McConnor Parkway (right next to IKEA). Click here for directions from Mapquest: Map of 1901 Mcconnor Pkwy Schaumburg, IL 60173-4389, US

As usual, folks are encouraged to show up between 6p and 7p to mix and mingle and grab something to eat and drink (off of the menu). We'll begin the presentations at 7p and conclude them by 8p. After that, all are free to linger for additional networking or head on to other commitments.

To summarize:
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 27th
Time: 6p-8p
Location: The Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Schaumburg

As always, feel free to pass this along to others you think might be interested. If you'd like to be added to the email list for this group, send me an email at: shawn@thirdisolutions.com. We'll see you there!!

An informal gathering and Holiday Greetings

Hi all,
Sorry for the long delay in communication. With everyone being so busy this time of year, I decided to forego the usual Social Hour events until the New Year. In the meantime, though, I'm planning to revisit a favorite spot from a previous event - Pilot Pete's in Schaumburg - for an informal gathering. I'll be there next Wed evening (12/19) at 6p. The plan is to eat a bite and have a drink or two. So if you're interested in a quick and informal get together and a chance to chat about whatever sustainability topic is top of mind, please join me.

Here's a link to mapquest showing the location: Map of 905 W Irving Park Rd Schaumburg, IL 60193-9700, US

Plans are in the works for upcoming Social Hour events, but as always, I'm open to suggestions on topics or presenters that you'd be interested in seeing brought to this group. If you have an idea, email me at: shawn@thirdisolutions.com.

I look forward to seeing some of you next week, and for those who are unable to stop by, my heartfelt wishes for a happy holiday season and a terrific beginning to the new year.

Location for October 30th Social Hour event

We've finalized the location for our next Social Hour event. This month, we'll be meeting at Mullen's Bar & Grill in Lisle. The street address is 3080 Warrenville Rd. Here's a link to mapquest to provide a bit more detail for you: Map of 3080 Warrenville Rd Lisle, IL 60532-0919, US .

Timing for the event is as usual, with networking to begin at 6p. The conversation with Jim Kleinwachter about the Flower & Garden Show will run from 7p - 8p. The food and drink are great, so please plan to join us between 6p and 7p to quench your after-work hunger and thirst.

As always, please pass the info along to those you feel would be interested. I look forward to seeing you there.