1. Greater Roseland
Sustainability Initiative
The Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network and
its partners invite your help building the Greater Roseland
Sustainability Initiative. Join us in becoming the nation’s leader
in combating food insecurity, educational gaps, poverty, and
diet-related illness through innovative, green business--such as
urban farming, green energy, and community cooperatives.
The Initiative requires community action, innovative ideas,
experimentation, and your support. Please continue reading to
learn how the GRWP Food Network and its partners are making
this vision a reality and how you can join us in this effort for our
community’s sustainable future.
We envision sustainable communities where
neighbors know their food, grow their food, and
are the entrepreneurs and workforce powering
their local and larger, green economies.
Since 2003, the Greater Roseland West Pullman Food
Network has provided a comprehensive and coordinated
response to food insecurity in communities that make up
Chicago’s South Side. In 2013, with our pantry distribution
partners, we served over 96,000 Chicago area families--
directly affecting over 350,000 individuals and delivering over 3
million pounds of food. However, fighting food insecurity and
malnutrition in underserved communities requires innovation
and collaboration to address health, education, and economic
issues, which conversely cause this food insecurity. This is
why GRWP Food Network collaborates with community
partners: to develop and implement a comprehensive
response to hunger--for today and tomorrow’s generation.
About GRWP Food Network
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2. Access to Healthy Foods
Greater Roseland has 30,000 food insecure residents and limited access to nutritious
foods and education and healthy, farm-to-table eating.1 Low-income communities are often
“food deserts” with limited options available for buying healthy foods. Many people of low
income cannot afford fresh fruits and vegetables and/or, due to limited time and access to
transportation, cannot travel to higher income neighborhoods where healthier food options are
available. Consequently, families must settle for cheap and processed foods that increase the
risks of diet-related illnesses and obesity for their children.2 Unfortunately, Greater Roseland
programs aimed at fighting hunger struggle to pay pantry taxes and to access markets with
healthy, affordable foods.
Economic Development
While the average unemployment rate in the city of Chicago is 11%, the neighborhoods
of Roseland and West Pullman face unemployment rates of 17.8% and 17% or respectively.
Additionally, 19.5% and 23.6% of households live below the poverty line in Roseland and West
Pullman.3,4 With a considerable share of economic challenges, Greater Roseland would benefit
from economic regeneration. This Initiative will address this economic need by building a local,
green economy, training the readily available workforce, and providing opportunities for youth to
gain knowledge and skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
Youth Education
It is imperative to address gaps in our educational system in order to revitalize the local
economy. The number of West Pullman’s 3rd through 8th grade students who scored below
state standards on the ISAT increased from 40% in 2001 to 53% in 2013.5 Furthermore, CPS is
behind in teaching STEM fields to students. Socioeconomic status is a major factor influencing
these educational gaps. Only 44% of youth from low-income families report being regularly
connected to school or work as opposed to 67% from middle-income families and 75% from
high-income families.6 Not only are low-income students facing economic disadvantages but
social disparity as well. This Initiative will provide tutoring and STEM-related training to address
this gap.
Another concern is the level of violence youth face. In 2009 “65% of all violent crime
arrests were of youth 25 or younger” in the city of Chicago. Furthermore, a Chicago report
claims “youth who are truant or have dropped out of school are much more likely to become
involved in violence.”7 To reduce this violence, we will give students a safe space to play and
relax, to seek professional counseling, and to engage in education and meaningful skills
development.
Greater Roseland:Cause for
Action
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3. is to promote healthier eating, to train a green workforce, and to strengthen the local
economy by growing and distributing food and by providing hands-on education for the Greater
Roseland community and beyond.
Neighbors Know Their Food
Grow Their Food
and are the Entrepreneurs
Our Mission
Our Goal
...is to create affordable and accessible programs that:
● increase access to local fruits and vegetables
○ Produce enough yields annually to be financially self-sustainable
○ Expand GRWP Food Network’s farmers market and host a local grocery store, with yields
produced by our commercial farm and down state growers
○ Provide storage of fresh produce for food bank networks, farmers markets, and other
organizations that need to warehouse perishable goods for sale or charitable purposes
○ House a commercial community kitchen that can facilitate healthier eating and food
preparation education; this will serve as an incubator for culinary entrepreneurs
○ Warehouse and distribute produce from Illinois growers--such as down state farms--
connecting statewide and local markets
● incubate green businesses to enrich local economy
○ Construct an entrepreneuring non-for-profit through diverse revenue (earned income from
commercial farming, grants, donations) that can finance The Initiative’s programming
○ Incubate new, green economy businesses
○ Support cottage industries related to agriculture and sustainable food; connect small
entrepreneurs with professional resources, markets, and networks
○ Support research in green economy opportunities: zero-waste and reuse, bio-fuels and
renewable energy, urban agriculture, and alternative business models such as co-
operatives
○ Through local food production, attract restaurant and catering industry and encourage
outside consumers to invest in Greater Roseland
● support our youth in STEM fields
○ House indoor and outdoor classroom space at the Sustainability Campus
○ Provide tutoring and supplemental STEM curricula
● certify a local green collar workforce
○ Engage youth in green economy jobs in order to sustain The Initiative and to gain skills in
green energy, food production, economics, and business management
○ Provide workforce development curriculums that translate into skills development
programming in order to train green economy entrepreneurs
○ Administer training and production in bio-fuels
○ Create a certification program for green collar work, specifically in food handling, culinary
skills, and basic business and management skills
● create green community space
○ Convert four EPA brownfields into greenfields
○ Provide counseling and nutrition education for our youth
○ Include a large industrial kitchen at the Sustainability Campus where neighbors come to
prepare meals and share community
○ Network various Greater Roseland organizations with others in the city, merging South and
North Chicago
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4. Sustainability Campus Diagram
minimal text explanation
COMMUNITY
CENTER
COMMUNITY
CENTER
WAREHOUSE W/GREEN
ROOF
GREENHOUSE
BAY
URBAN FARM AND
ORCHARD
FARM
STORE
Agro-Forest
...is an agricultural philosophy that balances economic
profits with environmental restoration. Farms built with
permaculture in mind, identify zones of inputs and
outputs--with zones nearest a central location designated
for intensive crop production and zones farthest from this
location set aside for restoration. Permaculturists combine
sustainable agriculture, agro-forestry, and restoration. The
result is a beautiful blending of farm and conservation
space that decrease human inputs and augment crop
yields. In this way, we become economically self-sufficient
while converting land from a toxic brownfield to a
community green space.
Permaculture
The sustainability campus will be home to an urban farm and orchard, where we will source
our food, extend classroom learning, and practice permaculture. Produce will then be taken to
the farm store and distributed to the community, thus cultivating a local food economy. The
greenhouse bay and warehouse will serve as storage space as well as a networking hub for
down state farms and local entrepreneurs. Business incubation, workforce development, and
opportunities for neighborhood involvement will take place in the community center.
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5. Greater Roseland West Pullman Food Network
will engage a comprehensive response to hunger and create a
sustainable food system by overseeing the fair distribution of The
Initiative’s revenue
www.grwpfoodnetwork.org
Loyola University Chicago
will grant land, resources, and foster partnerships between The
Initiative and its Institute of Environmental Sustainability, School of
Quinlan School of Business, Center for Urban Research and
Learining.
www.luc.edu/sustainability/
Far South Community Development Corporation
will facilitate economic growth and foster community development
by networking stakeholders and professional resources.
www.farsouthcdc.org
John Marshall Business Enterprise Law Clinic
will conduct legal research and design of business structure and
land acquisition for the initiative.
http://www.jmls.edu/btep
Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living
will support grassroots development of sustainable farming
practices, fostering environmental stewardship and commitment to
community.
http://www.blackoakscenter.org
1. “Food Insecurity Rates in Cook
County” Greater Chicago Food
Depository.
2. Drewnowski, A. and Specter, S.
2004. “Poverty and Obesity” The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
1(79): 6-16.
3. Chicago Tribune, “Crime in
Chicagoland: Roseland” October 2014.
4. Chicago Tribune, “Crime in
Chicagoland: West Pullman” October
2014.
5. Chicago Public Schools ISAT Report
2014.
6. ASPE U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Fact Sheet. July 2009.
7. “National Forum on Youth Violence
Prevention: CIty of Chicago Youth
Violence Prevention Plan” Mayor Rahm
Emanuel.
If you would like to contribute to our vision of a sustainable community,
please contact LeRoy Chalmers [312-375-5325] or visit our website at
www.grwpfoodnetwork.org
Sustainable Communities
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