10/6 Chicago TechExpo 2010

1-Day Technology Conference for Small Business

Wednesday, October 6th from 9:30-4:pm, come to UIC Forum: 725 W Roosevelt, Chicago, and attend workshops on:
- Social media
- Cloud Computing
- Website Development
- Web/Mobile Applications and More.

Registration fee $35 (includes lunch and parking).

More information and to register to attend or to register as an exhibitor here.

Congratulations Logan Square Kitchen

9/14 You're Invited!

Join in the celebration of the LEED Gold achievement of Logan Square Kitchen!

They are having a little ceremony and press conference to hang their LEED Gold Plaque, and take an hour to pause and celebrate. It's open to as many folks as we can fit.

10:30am this Tuesday, 9/14
Logan Square Kitchen
2333 N. Milwaukee

Of course, there will be awesome snacks!

Learn more about Logan Square Kitchen.

10/5 Application Deadline

Mayor Daley's GreenWorks Awards 2010

Now Accepting Applications
Mayor Daley's GreenWorks Awards 2010 will celebrate the vibrancy, vitality, and vision of the people and institutions that are driving Chicago's transformation into a dynamic and resilient City.

Whether you are an activist, an employee, an entrepreneur, or a business owner, if you are leading Chicago toward a greener future, we welcome your application in one or all of the Award categories:
Innovation in Green Business;
Sustainable Innovation in the Built Environment; and
Community Leadership.

Complete Information.
Application.

9/10 Application Deadline

7th Annual Inspiring Efficiency Awards

On January 13th, 2011, at the Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, MEEA will recognize the region’s leaders in Energy Efficiency at the 7th Annual Inspiring Efficiency Awards Gala.

Award nominations will be accepted through Friday, September 10th, this is a great opportunity to recognize leaders in efficiency, please consider companies, organizations and colleagues for this honor. Awards are given in the following categories:

Inspiring Efficiency IMPACT Award
Recognizing significant contributions to market transformation that have reduced energy consumption and/or increased market penetration of energy efficient products.

Inspiring Efficiency EDUCATION Award
Recognizing the development and implementation of a local campaign, program, strategy, or idea to increase knowledge and action on energy efficiency.

Inspiring Efficiency LEADERSHIP Award
Recognizing organizations or individuals who have served as strong leaders in support of energy efficiency.

Inspiring Efficiency INNOVATION Award
Recognizing the development and implementation of new and innovative programs, ideas or policy in the Midwest.

Inspiring Efficiency MARKETING Award
Recognizing an organization that has engaged in or supported a marketing campaign, program, strategy, or idea to increase the adoption of energy efficient products and/or best practices in the Midwest region.

Complete Information & Application.

11/17-19 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

FSBA Partner Event

The award-winning Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and trade show dedicated to green building, is coming to Chicago November 17–19, 2010. Join the nearly 30,000 members of the green building community at this year’s conference, which will feature more than 2,000 green building exhibits and presentations by hundreds of business, environmental and social leaders.

Learn more.

11/30-12/1 Green Power Converence in Chicago

Despite wind installations quadrupling in the period from 2005-09 and the industry’s unprecedented growth defying all the odds during the recession, 2011 is set to be a challenging year for the US wind power industry. Although it is true that major US utilities are increasing direct investments in the renewable energy sector due to more cost effective strategies, beneficial tax credits and incentives at both the state and federal level, and pressure to meet renewable portfolio standards, nevertheless, in order to retain its competitive edge, the US must continue its development of domestic manufacturing facilities.

Much progress has been made with regard to establishing and expanding factories for the most costly components to import such as towers, blades and nacelles. However, there is much work to be done to ensure that investments are made to allow existing suppliers to expand their operations and enable auto manufacturers and others to retool to provide such key elements assembling nacelles, and producing generators, gearboxes, direct drives and sub-components such as electrical mechanisms, bearings and hydraulic systems to meet the inevitable growth in demand, which will be bolstered by the potential of offshore projects being tapped into in the near future.

None of this can be achieved without the addition of key regulatory reforms, transmission grid upgrades and long-term stable policy commitments from authorities at federal and state levels without which, the USA will see itself fall behind it chief competitors of Europe and Asia.

Join Green Power Conferences in November 2010 for what promises to the most informative meeting going into 2011 where policy-makers, utilities, operators, developers, suppliers, and component makers will convene to provide the most up-to-date announcements on policy and long-term strategies for establishing competitive domestic wind power manufacturing facilities.
Agenda.
Register here.

9/23 Whole Foods Market Call-Out for Local Vendors

South Loop Store, 5-8pm

Whole Foods Market South Loop at 1110 S Canal St, is hosting a call-out for local vendors and producers who would like to place products in their stores. It is really important to Whole Foods Markets to be supporting local entrepreneurs, and there are so many great new businesses popping up in the Midwest region that they would love to work with.

While the event is being hosted at the South Loop store, approval for stores to carry certain products is really a regional process which typically allows an approved product to be carried in any of the stores in the Midwest region. So, this opportunity is much broader than just one store. The Marketing and Community Relations Specialist contacted us because FSBA Members' business practices match well with their values.
Learn more.

Member-to-Member Discount

Be a Mindfulive! Sponsor

Save 20% on sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming fall mindfulive! events. Click on image to enlarge for basic information.
Download the PDF for complete information.

Member-to-Member Discount

Advertise in Mindful Metropolis

Mindful Metropolis: Chicago’s only magazine dedicated exclusively to sustainability offers a 20% savings off of already low rate card* to new clients. 25% of our estimated 100,000 monthly readers are entrepreneurs! Email richard@mindfulmetropolis.com or call (312) 281-5199 x 7014.

*Click image to enlarge.

City of Chicago BACP Services

Business Start-Up Certificate Program

Learn the essentials of starting and operating a business. Attend nine workshops and earn a Business Start-Up Certificate issued by the City Colleges of Chicago.
Learn more.


Small Business Solution Station

This program provides small businesses with direct access to business planning assistance, free legal services and business loans. It is made possible through a partnership between the City and non-profit agencies that assist small businesses: SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business), ACCION Chicago and The Community Economic Development Law Project.

The program is open from 9:30am - 3:00pm Tuesday - Thursday in City Hall room 800. An appointment is not necessary but recommended by calling 312-744-5506.
Learn more.

8/21 Shredder Day!

Protect yourself from identity theft.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the US. To help consumers and businesses protect themselves, "Shred It & Forget It" the next Shredder Day is scheduled for Sat, Aug 21st at US Cellular Field from 9am to 2pm. Shredding is done on site including electronics. Each person is allowed 10 boxes to shred.

Learn more.

9/14-15 Midwest Clean Tech 2010 Conference

Midwest Clean Tech 2010 is a leading market place for connecting Midwest and international firms and entrepreneurs to opportunities and business interactions.

The conference is a high-powered event supported by academic research organizations, business and government throughout the Midwest. The conference program includes:
- Keynotes and Plenary sessions that will address opportunities along the innovation pipeline and relevant U.S. and international policy;
- Exhibition Space for Midwest firms, entrepreneurs, researchers and their international counterparts to showcase their energy efficiency related research, ideas, prototypes and market-ready Programs;
- Networking opportunities and Business-to-Business development for partnering opportunities;
- Brinks Innovation Competition providing a showcase for companies which offer new technologies in the area of clean technology.

Through the collaboration with IMTS, Midwest Clean Tech Conference 2010 offers participants tremendous business opportunities by leveraging the natural affinity between the advanced manufacturing sector and clean tech.
Complete Information.

IMTS is the premier manufacturing show in North America with more than 1,000 exhibits and over 100,000 buyers and sellers in manufacturing machinery and equipment from 116 countries around the world. Participants who register for Midwest Clean Tech 2010 enjoy the benefit of free access to all IMTS Exhibits.
Learn more about IMTS.
Register here for Midwest Clean Tech 2010.

9/3 Deadline for Request for Proposals from Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

CMAP is requesting proposals from interested and qualified organizations to act as an Implementation Agency to assist CMAP in the Project Management and Coordination of the Chicago Region Retrofit Ramp-Up (CR3) Program as described in the Request for Proposals. Scope of deliverables is described in Request for Proposals (RFP) No. 052, posted on CMAP’s website.

If your organization is qualified and experienced in providing the described services, CMAP would appreciate receiving your proposal as indicated in the RFP. The deadline for receipt of submissions in response to the RFP is 3:00 p.m., Friday, September 3, 2010.

Thank you, and if you have any questions please call Margaret McGrath, Grant and Contract Officer, at (312) 386-8788 or by email to: MMcGrath@cmap.illinois.gov.

FSBA Member Christy Webber Landscapes Featured

Landscape Architecture Magazine, July 2010 Issue

A Greener Green Industry: Two Chicago companies—a grower and an installer—are maing their practices more sustainable with the help of landscape architects.

"The green industry thinks it's green because it plants trees," says Christy Webber, ASLA. But she begs to differ. Sure, plantings can help manage stormwater, sequester carbon, and reudce the heat island effect. But what about that big delivery truck that brings the plants to the site? How much fuel does it use, and where does it come from anyway? What about the skid steer loaders (as in Bobcats) used to prepare the site for planting? Are they gas guzzlers? And when the truck trundles away with all those plastic plant containers, where do they go?

Of course, that's just the job site. Let's go back to the nursery where there are more questions. How much water and fertilizer is the nursery using? And where do all those cuttings, prunings, and dead plants, the so-called "green waste," end up?

Webber gets into a bit of a lather about this issue because her company, 20-year old Christy Webber Landscapes (CWL), is, at her corporate headquarters on Chicago's West Side, trying to provide an alternative to the landscape business as usual. CWL is the developer and main tenant of Rancho Verde, a nursery-industry incubator on a former brownfield site. It's right next to the Chicago Center for Green Technology and has bioswales, permeable paving, and a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum building.

—Excerpted from an article written by Adam Regn Arvidson, ASLA, Landscape Architecture Magazine, July 2010

8/6—8/15 Sales Tax Holiday

10 day Sales Tax Holiday in Chicago & Illinois

During this 10-day period consumers can purchase certain items and pay sales tax at a reduced rate. Items include qualifying clothing and footwear with a retail selling price of less than $100 and certain school supplies used by students in the course of study. School supplies are not subject to the $100 threshold. The State tax of 5% will be eliminated on all qualified products.

For businesses:
The sales tax rate required for collection during the holiday period is the rate currently in effect on the date of the holiday minus 5 percent.

For example:
The sales tax rate in Chicago is: 9.750%; Reduced amount (state portion) - 5.000%; Your sales tax rate during the holiday period is: 4.750%

Retailers must adjust their method of collecting sales tax so that beginning on August 6, 2010, and ending at the close of business August 15, 2010, they will collect the reduced tax rate on qualifying items.

Taxable receipts from the sale of qualifying items made during the state sales tax holiday must be reported on Lines 8a and 8b on the Sales and Use Tax Return.

To determine whether the eligible clothing item’s retail selling price is below $100, look at the price after the un-reimbursed coupon or store markdown but before a reimbursed coupon.

Qualifying items bundled with items that do not qualify for the state sales tax holiday rate will be subject to the reduced tax rate only if the value of the qualifying items exceed the value of the non-qualifying items.

Qualifying items purchased during the holiday with a rain check issued prior to the state sales tax holiday will qualify for the reduced sales tax rate. Qualifying items purchased after the state sales tax holiday with rain checks issued during the holiday are not eligible for the reduced tax rate.

Consumers who think they were overcharged, should bring it to the attention of the manager, if issues are not resolved they should call 311 to file a consumer complaint.

More information including a list of qualifying and non-qualifying school supplies, clothing and accessories are available online.

The Sales Tax Holiday is Illinois Senate Bill 3658, Signed into law on July 7, 2010 as Illinois Public Act 96-1012.

Learn more.

8/2010 Special Curbside Electronics Recycling Collections

Aug 21 - 43rd Ward
Aug 28 - 8th Ward

The City of Chicago has partnered with PC Rebuilders and Recyclers (PCRR) to collect old computer and electronic equipment for recycling in various wards this summer for no charge.

To participate, residents should leave their unwanted items near the curb in front of their residence before 8:00a.m. Trucks will be sweeping the neighborhood picking up equipment between 8:00 a.m. and approximately noon.

Electronics that will be accepted include:
Computer equipment (includes anything that plugs into a computer)
TVs
DVD players
VCR's
PDA's
MP3 players
Video equipment
Mobile phones
As much of the equipment collected as possible will be reused. If an individual piece of equipment in not suitable for reuse, PCRR attempts to harvest parts for reuse or finally sends the equipment off for material recovery.

Residents who don't want to leave their equipment near the curb can drop it off at their local ward yard. Click on the links above for yard ward addresses and maps.