Head south on the lakefront and cross over Lakeshore Drive on the 18th Street pedestrian bridge just past Soldier Field. Continue southbound on Calumet until you near the intersection of Cermak. Take a right on pathway in front of the Marriott and pause half a block later at Prairie. Here you find yourself in McCormick Square, a developing cultural district. In front of you is McCormick Place, one of the largest convention centers in the United States. This behemoth is mindful of its footprint, from offsetting 100% of electricity with wind RECs and earning EPA accolades, to the LEED certified West Wing and a hidden apiary that is home to 20,000 honey bees, McCormick Place is an eco leader in the convention center space. If you’re ever offered a tour of these highlights, don’t miss SAVOR…Chicago’s rooftop garden, the midwest’s largest rooftop farm and an urban agriculture training ground that yields 4 tons of fresh produce and herbs annually which are incorporated into its menus.

There was no better occasion to implement Zero Waste event practices than at the Chicago Community Climate Forum, a gathering civic leaders and engaged residents, on the eve of the first North American Climate Summit. As Sue looked on, the Climate Forum’s comprehensive, community-focused climate dialogue, celebration and commitment was demonstrated by inspirational speakers, engaging environmental organizations, locally sourced cheeses and straightforward Eco Stations. Bright Beat was thrilled to partner with The Field Museum to showcase stories of innovation and resiliency, our event sustainability system and the finest Eco Educators around, in an effort to not only achieve Zero Waste, but host an environmentally responsible event.

In order to guide event partners on a zero waste protocol, Bright Beat first needed to identify and engage ALL event partners. From facility team members and event planners, to chefs and bartenders, to Eco Educators and porters, each and every team member’s participation was key in executing a successful zero waste strategy, and… they crushed it! The teams demonstrated their willingness and capacity to step up to the plate and attain these standards. Strong and accurate advanced communication prepared us to responsibly manage each item generated in event production. Repurposing educational signage from elsewhere in The Field, and mobilizing knowledgeable Eco Educators maximized engagement. 

For the Field Museum’s recap, read their blog post,
No Napkin Left Behind: Why Zero Waste Matters.

Other Examples of Zero Waste Events
Bright Beat has also spearheaded the achievement of Zero Waste at HopStop Craft Beer Festival and MLS All-Star Game Pep Rally, and brought Zero Waste ‘cheers’ to Goose Island Block Party and New Belgium’s Chicago editions of Tour de Fat and Clips Beer & Film Tour.

Make Your Event Zero Waste
If you would like to learn how Bright Beat can support your event’s sustainability goals, CLICK HERE.

Green Music Fest has eight years under its belt, and four years of growing and refining its sustainability programming with help from Bright Beat. So we were delighted to see this hard work and commitment pay off, with the festival earning not one, but TWO awards for its efforts.

Highly Commended signifies a well-managed environmentally aware festival, which has taken significant steps to reduce waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and to engage with the audience.

Putting music and sustainability hand-in-hand, and serving as a platform to educate and inspire attendees to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, Green Music Fest took on the challenge of applying for the A Greener Festival Award, delving into all aspects of event operations and critically thinking about environmental impacts. Based on the twin aims of promoting greener practices and promoting sustainability, the Greener Festival Award required us to detail event efforts with our well-traveled, festival-junkie Australian evaluator, Madeleine, and submit an extensive, nearly 200-line item self-assessment that sharpened our attention to detail. It was hard not to appreciate A Greener Festival questioning our efforts and encouraging us to push the envelope of sustainable operations. An example, using 55-gallon water barrels to hold down tents rather than cinderblocks, sounds quite wasteful, right? We found that use of barrels, over cinderblocks, eliminates the need for 2 additional delivery trucks and staff to transport the heavy weight. Contemplating the wasted resource this non-potable water presented, we approached the Wicker Park Garden Club. Although the drain accepted the water this time, setting up a plan for reuse is a top priority for 2017.

Green Music Fest is humbled by this award and pleased to join the ranks of Bonaroo, Glastonbury and a handful of European festival heavy hitters as an award recipient.

My guardian angel is DEFINITELY a Cubs fan. The day of the Parade/Rally started with the cancellation of my 2pm speaking engagement at the Field Museum – so I took the train downtown and sprint-walked to the corner of Columbus and Balbo. Once the parade passed, I made my way into the rally, at one point close enough to see the tears in the team’s eyes as they thanked each other, the coaches, the Ricketts, the fans, and the city. I think a lot of us got choked up – still feeling a sense of relief, still reminding ourselves to exhale. How perfect it was, to run into friends and former colleagues who were riding high with me – these were special moments to be shared. But they wouldn’t be the friends I shared the rest of the day with…

HENDRICKS!

A LITTLE KISS FROM JAVI

I headed back towards the parade route, and ended up on a trolley with a group of Cubs staffers and family. I was immediately handed a cold, Cubbie-blue bottle of Bud Light, as the crowds cheered us on. WHAT?!

The procession made its way up Lake Shore Drive, back to Clark and Addison. The music was pumping as we passed fans, families, bikers and joggers who were holding up signs, clapping and high-fiving us, as they were handed W stickers and other Word Series swag.

MY AWESOME NEW CUBBIE BUDDIES, LINDSEY & ERIC

HOLY SHIT, THE WORLD SERIES TROPHY!

KINDA PRETENDING TO CATCH A BALL (OR TAKE A NAP) IN THE IVY

HOW LUCKY ARE WE?

HEADING TO THE FIELD: “THERE’S SUNSHINE, FRESH AIR, AND THE TEAM’S BEHIND US. LET’S PLAY TWO”

CUBS LOCKER ROOM! BYO CHAMPAGNE

IN THE DUGOUT… IN AMAZEMENT

SUPRISED TO DISCOVER, WHEN I PICKED UP THE PHONE AND SAID “JOE, WE NEED YOU IN THE DUGOUT!”… SOMEONE ANSWERED!

LESTER HAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT…

THE ALL-STAR CUBS FAN BAND

*** VIDEO OF THEO ROCKIN’ IN THE FREE WORLD ***

It still seems hard to believe, THE CUBS WON THE WORLD SERIES! The Maddon-isms and life-parallels stacked up all season. Joe said “Embrace The Target” but I couldn’t help but think don’t get your hopes up – which is unusual for an eternal optimist. I guess the last few years – and playoff appearances – have tainted my rose-colored glasses. Which makes it all the more poignant. So, what did this win mean to me? To put it in context, we should really go back a ways… but I’ll skip past the years of cheering for Andre Dawson and Shawon Dunston as my mom ironed clothes, and watching Sox games with my dad.

It’s September, 1996. I started my sales gig in Chicago radio, selling Howard Stern and Steve Dahl ads to vendors of Viagra, penis-enlargement pumps, and other products and establishments targeting upscale men. It wasn’t long before I moved in with my college roommate at the corner of Sheridan and Dakin, and began the tradition of going to the Cubs Home Opener ‘for work’. From our living room window, you could see the lights at Wrigley Field. I don’t remember much about the 1997 Cubs season but I think it was the year our friend dated “Riggs”. Forget he was the Cubs Manager, that old guy was twice my age; I didn’t get the mystique. But 1998 was a different story.

KKKKKerry Wood drew me to Wrigley Field. 21 years old and dominating. You could hear the roar of the crowd from our apartment when he struck out batters (and when Sammy Sosa hit homers). Watching Wood do it 9, 10, 20 times in a game was remarkable. I’d walk down the street to buy a day-of-game ticket, happy to go solo and stay til the end. The stands were often half-full for night games. My radio friends with season tickets and I were probably the only ones sitting in their section one night, when a concession woman walked straight up to my seat and handed me a steaming hot, meat-free Giordano’s pizza. I happened to be sitting in the winning seat.

June 13, 1999, I was not as lucky. It was two days after my sister’s Big Fat Greek wedding, and the whole Katsaros-Moshovos contingent and then some went to Wrigley to enjoy the Crosstown Classic. There were some Sox fans in our midst, but it was THE PEANUT that would kill the game for me. We were THREE HOURS into a rain delay, the final game of the series, and one the Cubs HAD to win. We were (again) the only people in our section by this time, and our cousin Jimmy was making up games to keep us amused. At the moment in question, I think his friend Walt was several rows in front of me, trying to catch my peanuts in his mouth… with some drinking rule for the familial spectators. A bored usher came by and insisted we stop. We may not have listened, so he came back and tempted me to “throw one more peanut, and I’ll kick you out of here”. I called his bluff… but he wasn’t bluffing… so we left. And wouldn’t you know it, the game started 15 minutes later, and the Sox hit a 2-run homer in the 8^th to win 4-2 and sweep the series. I always wondered if my family’s cheering might have helped us win the game.

Like Wavin’ Wendell, I’m always hoping they’ll score. We’ve had some rough moments, like Gary Galleti pitching that 21-1 (??) blowout loss, or the unsportsmanlike Michael Barett landing the right hook we all wanted to give Pierzcyski. I almost wish I could forget the 2003 NLCS game AFTER the Bartman game – with no spirit and no offense, Kerry Wood hit a 2-run homer and we still lost. Or watching us get swept by the Braves. But my Wrigley Field lows are way outshined by the highs. Topping the list: our Opening Day wedding… and the Pennant win. [EDIT: And the surreal day of the Cubs Championship Parade + Rally!]

Chicago played host to the 2016 NFL Draft in April, welcoming the newest members of the NFL family to Chi-Town Draft Town, a free, fan-focused and family-friendly football festival in Grant Park. As with many local events, Bright Beat supported the planning of Solid Waste Diversion, Material Reuse and Food Recovery, making recommendations and building collaborations. We are proud to have initiated a key NFL partnership, resulting in one of the coolest reuse products we’ve seen in awhile.

The Rebuilding Exchange is a non-profit social enterprise working to create a market for reclaimed building materials by diverting waste and creating assets. They promote sustainable deconstruction practices and educate on reuse, as well as train people with barriers to employment. “Rx” is creating innovative models for sustainability and demonstrating the value of reuse, and community-based values.

The NFL Draft’s vinyl banners were ubiquitous throughout Draft Town, seen by the 225,000 in attendance and over 3,000,000 TV viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. Thanks to a partnership with the Rebuilding Exchange, this banner material previously destined for the landfill was instead transformed into Beach Totes. Not only are these bags putting this strong material to good use, they were sewn locally at the also-inspiring ICNC small business incubator, the handles are climbing ‘deadrope’ from  local climbing gym Brooklyn Boulders, and the patch was made by a Chicago embroidery company operating for over 125 years. To us, these bags represent a quintessential Chicago collaboration – like caramel corn and cheese corn, but with way healthier – and we are honored to have played a part.

peace

pēs

noun

1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence

On September 21st each year, people all around the world celebrate the International Day of Peace. We know peace is not just about a ceasefire for those at war, but about respecting others’ human rights, and protecting the planet. I started Bright Beat because I felt the need to work on projects I believe in, with people I care about and respect. “Wishing for World Peace” sounds like a Miss America speech. But man, do I hope our work helps the cause!

So, we hope you’ll take a minute to learn about the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals “To Transform The World”.

And… may you enjoy a few quotes that inspire us, as we seek our own peace, and pray for greater peace for all:

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” ~ Buddha

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa

“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” ~ Nelson Mandela

“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.” ~ Dalai Lama XIV

“Let us all work together to help all human beings achieve dignity and equality; to build a greener planet; and to make sure no one is left behind.” ~ UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Photo: A peaceful vision of our favorite tree in Colorado. Thanks, Vertex!

As Neil Young told the crowd at Farm Aid’s morning press event,

“Climate change comes from the ground up. It’s in the soil. We are destroying the soil, that’s where the carbon belongs. It doesn’t belong in the sky. All this unsustainable farming is ruining the planet. We have to turn it around and get back.”

An outspoken rocker telling it like it is – I love Neil! You can click here to see highlights of all the great performances at Farm Aid’s 30th Anniversary concert in Chicago (don’t miss Rain on the Scarecrow). We were honored to partner with Farm Aid to assess and support their zero waste efforts, and highlight resources and initiatives in social and agricultural sustainability. Only time will tell if the expanded recycling, composting and local food purchasing continues at the venue – a worthwhile goal of the program in addition to expanding everyone’s awareness of the vital connection between farming, food, nutrition and soil. But one thing’s for sure – everyone at the show (was) ROCKED.

Street festivals define summer in Chicago, and Goose Island Beer Company kept the party going into September with their newly expanded two day 312 Urban Block Party. A desire for improved event sustainability, to more closely match the optimal efficiency and 99% waste diversion efforts of their brewery, led to Goose Island’s partnership with Bright Beat. An avalanche of music drowned out Friday’s rain, with Calexico + tUnE yArDs wowing the crowd outside as Pelican slayed the set of the weekend on the Local Stage – with rare vocals by Life and Times’ Alley Epley. !!!! + Matt and Kim lit up the dance floor Saturday. Specialty beer flowed, Hot Doug’s dogs were devoured, hundreds of Jorts were rocked for charity, and we achieved 95% DIVERSION from landfill, with help from our friends at Goose Island, Rank Entertainment, CleanSlate, and a stellar group of Eco Educators (highlighted in this WGN-TV Chicago’s Best video).

Sustainability Successes:

• Developed event sustainability to move closer to matching the optimal efficiency and 99% waste diversion efforts of their brewery.
• We achieved 95% DIVERSION from landfill, highlighted by WGN-TV Chicago video.
• Check out the Goose Island 312 Urban Block Party Zero Waste Recap.