The Man in the Family
By: Ann C. Piasecki
Owner: Cameo Memories and Photography
www.cameomemoriesandphotography
Email: director@cameomemoriesandphotography.com
My name is Jim Conley. I grew up an Irish Catholic in a large corner apartment building at West End Avenue and Le Claire Street in the heart of Chicago's Austin District. I'm the oldest of three boys, each born a year apart, to Lee and Mary (O'Brien) Conley. In 1915 my parents owned the six-flat apartment building where we made our home. The community of largely Irish, Italian, German and Scandinavian immigrants was solidly middle-class, clean and safe. Elm trees and neat lawns lined the streets and boulevards. Small businesses like Sal's Groceries, Ed's Barber Shop, Kresge's Five-and-Dime, O'Hallaran's Pub and Gelato's Pharmacy dotted the 25.7 square miles of this West Loop neighborhood.
The makings of World War I in Europe were yet beyond our purview— we had enough bluster coming from our own City Hall. St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and School on Washington Boulevard was an integral part of our family community. You could rent a canoe or paddle boat at Columbus Park, and in the summer we'd walk over to the pavilion for an outside orchestral performance. I was partial to Red Allen, and boy could Louis Armstrong make that horn cry.
We used to swim at the YMCA or play side-street baseball—that was our gang's favorite activity. Our bicycles, our own two feet, the Lake Street "L" and the Green Hornet street rail were our modes of transportation.
I guess you could say my dad, a Chicago policeman, my mom and us boys were snug in a comfortable existence; but for me, it lasted only 14 years. I had just completed my freshmen year at St. Mel's High School when my dad got shot and killed in the line of duty. School was already out for the summer, so on this Friday my brothers and I travelled with my Uncle Obe, he was policeman too, to see a friend of his on Maxwell Street. Afterwards we shopped around for deals on baseball cards—I wanted one of Lou Gehrig. I saw Babe Ruth play once while on a vacation in Philadelphia. You had to respect the Yankees.
But what happened later that day is forever burned in my memory. I recall every sensation. If I think about it, I can still detect the evil odor of dread, upset stomach, nervous shaking that occurred on that shadowy and unusually hot spring night, May 31, 1929.
Supper was late. Mom kept the pot roast warming on the stove for a long time before she got fed-up and told us to come in and eat. My dad was supposed to accompany my little brothers, 13-year-old Jack and 12-year-old Bill, to a mandatory meeting about vocations and the missions at the St. Tom school gym. We thought my dad was just running late—probably stuck booking some bum he'd pinched for public drunkenness, and that he'd be home soon. I'd finished my paper route and was listening to the baseball game, the Socks vs. Philadelphia, on the radio. I sat perched on the window seat in front of the long, tri-bow window frame in our third-floor apartment, waiting for the familiar wave Dad gave me every night when he stepped out of the squad car he frequently drove home.
It got to be about 7:30 p.m., two-and-a-half hours late from his normal arrival when I spotted a line of squad cars driving down the street. It wasn't just three or four; there must have been 20 or so it seemed, in a parade-like fashion looming in on us. Then it hit me. I didn't know the details, but I knew the god-awful truth.
I sat there, paralyzed, couldn't make a sound. The yet unspoken, dizzying reality of never again seeing the 39-year-old, 5-foot-8-inch redhead that everybody said I resembled to a tee literally took my breath away. Watching those blue and white squads snake around the corner and park, I thought I was transported somehow into a slow-motion film. The images were real, but my ability to absorb them were more like blurry impressions. I heard the car doors open and slam in unison. About six or seven uniformed policemen crowded around the lead squad—I knew the captain, John Maloney, and my dad's patrolmen friends; Ziggy, O'Connell, Pete Donovan and Joe Duffy—Dad's partner, Pat Murphy, wasn't there—he died that afternoon too along with an innocent bystander named Myron Bagnola. Of course I didn't yet know about Officer Murphy or Mr. Bagnola.
I saw the officers walking toward the front door. Then there came that blaring sound of the buzzer; it shook me out of my catatonic-like state. Mom came out of the kitchen wearing an apron and wiping her hands on a towel. I was breathing heavy and my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my chest. I stared at her with a panicky look on my face. She pushed the intercom button and asked who it was. Captain Maloney identified himself. He said something had happened and that he had to talk to her.
A tidal wave of emotion came over her. Her hands moved suddenly over her mouth. In a muffled cry, she screamed, Oh My God! Oh My God, it's Lee!" Then we heard the trail of heavy-footed steps echoing in the stairwell, mounting their way to the third floor. Mom opened the door to find a bevy of police officers on the landing.
I never heard the conversation. My nerves had taken over; I couldn't hear anything. I saw Captain Maloney's mouth moving; I saw my mom—a normally take-charge woman, the kind that had no qualms about cracking one of us boys if we gave her lip or failed to take out the garbage—collapse into the arms of Ziggy and O'Connell. The uniforms surrounded her. I was stunned, but then Ziggy noticed me; he grabbed me with a big bear hug. I pushed him away and started yelling, "No. No." Tears streaming down her face, my mom gathered Jack and Bill into her arms.
We later learned the devastating details of Dad's death. A domestic dispute in the Ukrainian Village erupted around 4 o'clock. A former WW I sniper, an immigrant from Kiev, went nuts and started firing rounds from an old Mauser. My dad had just finished an eight-hour watch in the Shakespeare District and was on his way home when he got the call about a family argument gone awry. He was the first on the scene and moments later Murphy, who got flagged down before he left the station house, arrived in another squad; he pulled up behind Dad. They could hear the gun shots even before they got out. My dad told Murphy to radio for back-up, but they knew they had to act immediately. The nutcase had some old woman pinned down behind a milk wagon; I guess she was hysterical, and people were scattering like rabbits. The thing is the two had no idea that this guy, Kuzma Zelenko, was a sharp-shooter, nor that he was having a flash-back to some armed encounter in Eastern Europe. He'd already shot his wife in the shoulder and then bolted out of the apartment. He climbed onto the Polk Brothers' rooftop and was firing at anything that moved.
The fact that my dad was the first to charge the sniper was no consolation. He got his head blown off. Murphy was down seconds later with a shot in the chest. When back-up arrived, they found what was left of the two lying in a bloody pool on the on the sidewalk at Division and Ashland. Dad was on the force for 16 years; Murphy, who had four kids under 6 at home, had 10 years in. Zelenko managed to take out one more policeman, Stanley Pierson, before the tear-gas they launched on the rooftop overtook him.
There was little solace to the fact that this bastard Zelenko never made it alive it to the station house for questioning. This was Chicago, and he'd massacred three police officers. Believe me, they took it personally. They cuffed him and loaded him into the paddy wagon. Apparently he'd escaped and then committed suicide. A few days later his body was found bloated and floating in the Chicago River.
Economic Violence as Potent as Gangster Warfare
The antics of society elites in the Roaring '20s and the evolution of bootleggers and gangsters, especially Al Capone and Bugs Moran, who regularly gave the Chicago Police Department a run for its money, were pretty much just newspaper accounts to us kids. The St. Valentine's Day massacre a few months before Dad died cemented Chicago's infamous reputation as a home for mobsters. Little did we know that the coming era of economic violence would be far more potent. Like the bullets that riddled those warring gangsters in a vacant garage on Clark Street, the Great Depression would strike at the core of our existence; first it whittled away at our pocketbooks, but more intensely, it chipped away at the heart and soul.
Sometime over the summer of '29—I don't know exactly when—my family stopped calling me Jimmy. I was Jim now, because I was the man in the family. A part-time job at Sal's Groceries pretty much replaced neighborhood baseball games, and the thought of going out for the high school football team seemed pointless. My usual cavalier attitude was replaced with worry and responsibility. Dad's life insurance policy and pension amounted to a pittance. After the funeral, we never really heard much from the Conley side of the family. They were "shanty Irish" and lived up near Galena, IL.
I picked up the smoking habit in the fall, but nobody seemed to care. I saw it as a man's privilege. And just as I thought I'd managed to accept my new life, things got a lot worse. The stock market crashed on Oct. 29, 1929. Black Tuesday marked the beginning of the Great Depression.
Sure my mom's side, the O'Brien's—Uncle Obe, and the spinster sisters, Aunt Jo and Aunt Sue—helped as much as they could. They paid for our tuition; Jack and I were both at St. Mel's High School and Bill was still at St. Tom's. But it didn't cover the bills. Mom started taking in laundry and ironing, and I gave her my money from the grocery store and the paper route I kept. Jack and Bill both took on paper routes. I learned how to do simple repairs around the building like fixing leaky pipes, faulty iceboxes or broken window ballasts. I found I had quite an aptitude for that kind of thing.
I set a curfew for my brothers and made sure they stayed out of trouble. I had to meet once with Bill's school principal, Sister Mary Agnes, after he got in a fight on the playground—at least he won or so he said. Truth be told, I was actually proud of Bill because I never did like that kid, Dino Giovanni. He was a cocky little son-of-a-pup, and beside that, his air was greasy and he looked like he needed a shave—he was only in 8th grade.
Over the next several years, I'd relish in the rare opportunities I had to see a film. Sitting in velvety seats in the darkness of the Tivoli Theatre or the State & Lake, I'd stare up at the gigantic screen and laugh at Jimmy Durante's shenanigans in "The New Yorkers" and lose myself in the confident aspirations of Ethel Merman singing "I've Got Rhythm" in the film "Girl Crazy." For a couple of hours I could escape the daunting liability I had inherited.
The jobs at the Stock Yard were slashed, but industries like small steel mills, glass companies and furniture makers pretty much dried up all together. My hours at the grocery store were maintained because I took over inventory procedures, but the O'Brien's lost all discretionary funds. They couldn't help us with much, so Jack and I left St. Mel's and enrolled at Austin High School; Bill did graduate from St. Tom's though. I don't think the school ever got the full tuition due.
No, we didn't go hungry, but milk and meat were scarce. No matter how bleak life had become, Mom was determined to maintain the essence of our life. In contrast to the makeshift tents set up in Columbus Park by people who'd lost their homes, our apartment was clean and comfortable. She'd clip the frayed strings off the now worn-out lace doilies that graced the coffee table, and she made sure that dust never settled on the statue of the Blessed Mother in the curio cabinet. I could hear her, once in awhile, talking to herself and sort of yelling at Dad for abandoning her to face all this on her own.
In October 1932, my senior year, I got kicked out of Austin High School for smoking in the bathroom; I wasn't that upset. As it turned out, Mom lost the building for $235 in back taxes. We became renters there. I was 17 years old and could work day jobs for anyone who could afford to pay 25 cents or less an hour. The song, "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?" sure resonated with me. I burned garbage out behind the Diplomat Restaurant, shoveled out coal bins, washed windows and dishes—anything to make a buck. Then I got a fairly regular job running errands for the Precinct Captain; the tips were good. Sometimes I'd get a buck for delivering an envelope! Uncle Obe said he could get me a job working for the City when I turned 18. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my dad and uncle and become a policeman too. You had to be 21. I later discovered that my 5-foot-6-inch frame was two inches too short to meet the physical requirements for the men in navy blue.
By 1934 things were beginning to look up. I was still working for the Precinct Captain, and he's the one who eventually lined up a job for me in the Water Meter Division. Now and then, I could afford to take a girl out to dinner.
Any money that came in was appreciated. Uncle Obe was "on the take" at work. He'd accidently lose bits of evidence in racketeering cases against the mob and ignore bribes paid to City inspectors. The family all knew about it, but it was never discussed openly. After all he was married and had a family of his own to support. He bought back the building for my mom in 1935. We were a tight-knit clan.
Jack and Bill worked hard to earn tuition for college, but I provided significant assistance. I did it out of love. I wanted them to be happy. I helped out quite a few friends along the way too. Eddy Dolton got at least $200 and Jim Sullivan got an extra $25 whenever he was short. Jack graduated with a degree in business from Loyola University and eventually went to work for Sears & Roebuck, and Bill got a liberal arts degree from Benedictine College in Atkinson, Kan.; he became a teacher and football coach. I went on to work for the City and did a lot of campaigning. It was my bread and butter so I worked to get the Democrats elected. I was part of the political machine and glad to do it. I was well-liked and respected for taking responsibility seriously.
I got married Jan. 25, 1939, to Louise Marr, an Italian/Irish girl from the neighborhood. She was beautiful, sort of the ilk of an Elizabeth Taylor. We had three girls and a boy: Mary Lee is the oldest—she was named after my parents; then came Jane Louise; next was James (Jimmy) Patrick, and finally Ann Clare.
Every year on May 31, usually over the Decoration Day holiday, I take a ride out to All Saints Catholic Cemetery in Des Plaines. When the kids were little, I'd take them with me. I'd stand quietly over my dad's grave; my mom is buried next to him now. Then I say a few prayers. I believe their souls are in Heaven. And I still miss them.
The End
Written and Produced by:
Cameo Memories and Photography
www.cameomemoriesandphotography.com
Email: director@cameomemoriesandphotography.com
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Kaplan Quality--Public Relations Associate
Hello! My name is Ann Piasecki. As a Public Relations Associate, college writing instructor and journalist, I have spent my life encouraging higher education as the first step on the path toward self-actualization. And it’s precisely because the Kaplan programs insist on excellence rather than passing off on mediocrity that I look forward to the opportunity to whole heartedly promote the institution.
Allow me to expound on the insights and perspectives I have employed in the role of Public Relations Associate and Media Relations Director, and how my 21st Century style of communications strategies work to shape effective outcomes. First and foremost is advancing the proven success of Kaplan’s practical and authentic curriculum designs through targeted appeals to career-minded adults. Of course that’s achieved under the broader umbrella of media and community relations.
As a journalist (executive editor, editor, reporter and photographer for metropolitan dailies, magazines, niche and community publications, interactive online blogs and Web content) I know the ins and outs of media relations and how to secure solid, dependable relationships. Since journalists thrive in a deadline driven environment, it’s important to anticipate the critical questions and to have at the ready statistical summaries, a concisely written philosophical approach to curriculum, compelling trend or human interest stories and graphics that work to attract their attention. The objective here is to balance the institution’s interests in a way that respects the reporter’s intention per coverage whether they are initiating the story or responding to a pitch.
As a social media enthusiast, I have my own Community Conscience blog, regularly post on YouTube, prepare targeted Podcasts and utilize Facebook and Twitter. A public relations associate, however, understands the nature of a computer-assisted, multimedia production. As a professional, I collaborate to create a news package for online and print materials. For research purposes, I attend relevant communicator gatherings and utilize LinkedIn subgroups to determine successful or problematic techniques.
Next, proactive publicity and event planning take a savvy public relations associate with a background in educational learning styles. Prospective students appreciate an event that feeds their interests with speakers with whom they can relate and admire. A live feed on a big screen with non-obtrusive background music will capture the audience and stir a visceral response. However, a sustained audience requires a combination of enthusiasm and serious discussion about identified trends within pertinent industries and business.
While people naturally gravitate toward exhibits and seminars that appeal to their auditory, visual and tactile styles, they all want to be treated special. A gracious presentation of food and drink, including a vegetarian appetite, becomes even more appealing when accompanied with a genuine greeting by institutional representatives who can answer individual concerns such as financing, the required time investment, educational support and course options—online or the traditional classroom.
Finally, the rebranding effort should be fun, highlighting the newest trends in education and career development while emphasizing the history of institutional success.
As a public relations associate, I lead with a genuine and intuitive spirit. I look forward to sharing my communications expertise and passion for education with Kaplan Inc.
Allow me to expound on the insights and perspectives I have employed in the role of Public Relations Associate and Media Relations Director, and how my 21st Century style of communications strategies work to shape effective outcomes. First and foremost is advancing the proven success of Kaplan’s practical and authentic curriculum designs through targeted appeals to career-minded adults. Of course that’s achieved under the broader umbrella of media and community relations.
As a journalist (executive editor, editor, reporter and photographer for metropolitan dailies, magazines, niche and community publications, interactive online blogs and Web content) I know the ins and outs of media relations and how to secure solid, dependable relationships. Since journalists thrive in a deadline driven environment, it’s important to anticipate the critical questions and to have at the ready statistical summaries, a concisely written philosophical approach to curriculum, compelling trend or human interest stories and graphics that work to attract their attention. The objective here is to balance the institution’s interests in a way that respects the reporter’s intention per coverage whether they are initiating the story or responding to a pitch.
As a social media enthusiast, I have my own Community Conscience blog, regularly post on YouTube, prepare targeted Podcasts and utilize Facebook and Twitter. A public relations associate, however, understands the nature of a computer-assisted, multimedia production. As a professional, I collaborate to create a news package for online and print materials. For research purposes, I attend relevant communicator gatherings and utilize LinkedIn subgroups to determine successful or problematic techniques.
Next, proactive publicity and event planning take a savvy public relations associate with a background in educational learning styles. Prospective students appreciate an event that feeds their interests with speakers with whom they can relate and admire. A live feed on a big screen with non-obtrusive background music will capture the audience and stir a visceral response. However, a sustained audience requires a combination of enthusiasm and serious discussion about identified trends within pertinent industries and business.
While people naturally gravitate toward exhibits and seminars that appeal to their auditory, visual and tactile styles, they all want to be treated special. A gracious presentation of food and drink, including a vegetarian appetite, becomes even more appealing when accompanied with a genuine greeting by institutional representatives who can answer individual concerns such as financing, the required time investment, educational support and course options—online or the traditional classroom.
Finally, the rebranding effort should be fun, highlighting the newest trends in education and career development while emphasizing the history of institutional success.
As a public relations associate, I lead with a genuine and intuitive spirit. I look forward to sharing my communications expertise and passion for education with Kaplan Inc.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
PR insights for Glenbrook Dist. 225
PR insights for Glenbrook Dist. 225
YouTube Script:
Hello, my name is Ann Piasecki. I am a seasoned public relations and communications professional serving nonprofits and school-affiliated programs. My success is informed with an expertise honed during my years as a journalist (reporter and editor) at metropolitan dailies like the Chicago Tribune along with community, niche publications, magazines and online platforms. I am also a teacher with a Type 09 certificate; I currently instruct an online course in basic writing at Governors State University.
I am here today to address the public relations/communications needs of the Glenbrook High School District. Allow me to expound on the insights and perspectives I have employed in the role of Public Relations Director, and how these strategies work to shape effective outcomes. First and foremost is achieving an understanding of the culture that drives the school district—its commitment to education, the community it serves and its economic realities. These aspects are realized through collaboration with the administration, board of trustees, faculty and staff, students and parents, governmental bodies and businesses.
Our successes, whether they are top test scores, innovative curriculum or extra-curricular achievements, are the features most likely to gain respect within the broader community. Tragedy, calamity and the negative impact of social ills will stir the emotional pot, and that demands a human-centered--compassionate, consistent response; one that responsibly responds to critical questions.
The question then becomes how to convey the school district’s position. Certainly the website, the superintendent’s blog, newsletters, speeches and presentations are under our control. However, it takes a thorough knowledge of the media to gain the advantage of conveyances that are not produced in-house. And that’s where rhetoric and targeted appeals come into play.
That begins with recognition that various forms of media cater to different functions. A beat reporter at a community newspaper will zero in on known personalities and attitudes. A network television affiliate will seek out a common thread to the situation at hand, offering brief exposure to significant positions. Coverage by NPR, metropolitan dailies or national publications (online, broadcast and print) is focused on societal implications.
It takes a savvy PR professional to satisfy and nurture positive and proactive coverage. It takes targeted, careful cultivation of sources to reflect the district’s best interest.
For instance, I make sure to research the reporter’s stories, which can be driven by a heavy-handed editor with a desire to exploit a conflict. It’s a tough road for a reporter in that situation, and it’s more likely to occur at the level of a community newspaper struggling to stand out.
On the other hand, major media doesn’t have time to linger over attitudinal details. Therefore, I make sure to respect his or her time by highlighting a single event—enough to give them the color and news their looking for in one fell swoop.
Finally, the personal touch—a supportive comment or gesture—is worth a million stories.
As a public relations director, I lead with a genuine and intuitive spirit. I look forward to sharing my communications expertise and passion for education with Glenbrook High School Dist. 225.
YouTube Script:
Hello, my name is Ann Piasecki. I am a seasoned public relations and communications professional serving nonprofits and school-affiliated programs. My success is informed with an expertise honed during my years as a journalist (reporter and editor) at metropolitan dailies like the Chicago Tribune along with community, niche publications, magazines and online platforms. I am also a teacher with a Type 09 certificate; I currently instruct an online course in basic writing at Governors State University.
I am here today to address the public relations/communications needs of the Glenbrook High School District. Allow me to expound on the insights and perspectives I have employed in the role of Public Relations Director, and how these strategies work to shape effective outcomes. First and foremost is achieving an understanding of the culture that drives the school district—its commitment to education, the community it serves and its economic realities. These aspects are realized through collaboration with the administration, board of trustees, faculty and staff, students and parents, governmental bodies and businesses.
Our successes, whether they are top test scores, innovative curriculum or extra-curricular achievements, are the features most likely to gain respect within the broader community. Tragedy, calamity and the negative impact of social ills will stir the emotional pot, and that demands a human-centered--compassionate, consistent response; one that responsibly responds to critical questions.
The question then becomes how to convey the school district’s position. Certainly the website, the superintendent’s blog, newsletters, speeches and presentations are under our control. However, it takes a thorough knowledge of the media to gain the advantage of conveyances that are not produced in-house. And that’s where rhetoric and targeted appeals come into play.
That begins with recognition that various forms of media cater to different functions. A beat reporter at a community newspaper will zero in on known personalities and attitudes. A network television affiliate will seek out a common thread to the situation at hand, offering brief exposure to significant positions. Coverage by NPR, metropolitan dailies or national publications (online, broadcast and print) is focused on societal implications.
It takes a savvy PR professional to satisfy and nurture positive and proactive coverage. It takes targeted, careful cultivation of sources to reflect the district’s best interest.
For instance, I make sure to research the reporter’s stories, which can be driven by a heavy-handed editor with a desire to exploit a conflict. It’s a tough road for a reporter in that situation, and it’s more likely to occur at the level of a community newspaper struggling to stand out.
On the other hand, major media doesn’t have time to linger over attitudinal details. Therefore, I make sure to respect his or her time by highlighting a single event—enough to give them the color and news their looking for in one fell swoop.
Finally, the personal touch—a supportive comment or gesture—is worth a million stories.
As a public relations director, I lead with a genuine and intuitive spirit. I look forward to sharing my communications expertise and passion for education with Glenbrook High School Dist. 225.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Hickory Creek Watershed Preservation
Public Awareness Campaign Proposal
Re: Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group/Communications Subcommittee
By Ann C. Piasecki
I’ve given a tremendous amount of thought per the Communications/Public Awareness Campaign on behalf of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group. Below are some proposals for consideration that I would be honored to oversee or support.
1. I think we can gather public awareness and community investment in several ways.
2. Remember that Earth Day is coming up, so we can take advantage of it, if we move quickly to establish partnerships with area school districts.
3. Instead of the traditional poster contest within the schools, I think a YouTube contest aimed at junior high school students would gain more interest and inspiration (the kids could create a commercial promoting preservation of the creek—this kind of thing is fun for them). I’d be willing to approach the Web Page design teachers to discuss the project—maybe these teachers will have some other suggestions (I know that each spring the NL Elementary Dist. Offers free Web Page designs for interested businesses…I’m sure other districts have similar projects)
4. Maybe we could create a cardboard tabletop coaster for distribution—I don’t know the costs associated with that, but perhaps we could find some money (grant to support it). Let the Middle School kids design the front of the coaster (add the HCW website at the bottom); the back side would feature a few essential points per protection (How To preserve the stream)
5. The high school horticulture classes can create rain garden designs
6. The high school art class can decorate rain barrels for auction
7. The college students can be lured with the opportunity to conduct research for classes (botany, water management, environmental education and more)
8. I know how to tap into the media relations folks at the schools to get them to boast about the efforts of their students (thus free and easy access to community newspapers). I’ll write the press release about specific efforts at various schools, and then send it on to the District’s Public Relations spokesperson. That individual will take it from there and write his or her own release—it doesn’t matter who puts the info. out, as long as it gets picked up by the press
9. Also, school newspapers could pick up on the idea—it’s an easy story for them
10. As per the HCW web page itself, are we utilizing the potential for meta tag and tagging opportunities per Search Engine Optimization?
11. I’ll be happy to post the copy of the brochure on my own blog, but I think it would a good idea to invite supporters/advocates (students, parents, etc.) to comment on a HCW blog. (We can delay publication of blog comments until they’ve been reviewed for appropriateness—basically, that’s babysitting, but I think it’s a good idea.)
12. If we have a blog, we need a Facebook, Twitter and Flicker (photos) accounts—all are free and easy to manage
13. Since many faith groups have policies pertaining to stewardship of the earth, we can initiate support and advocacy from individual church organizations within parishes, churches, mosques and temples. This is aspect is a bit time consuming, but I’ve done some of it from the Catholic Church perspective within the Diocese of Joliet (specifically speaking, I’ve helped coordinate efforts to discuss basic recycling and to halt mountaintop removal)
14. I’d be happy to send PR to the professional media (online and traditional, while making sure to link the info. to Digg and other RSS feed opportunities.)
I believe the above components would stir public responses at village board meetings, the ones that are scheduled to coincide with HCWPG-related presentations. Please consider these suggestions, and don’t hesitate to call to discuss them further.
Re: Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group/Communications Subcommittee
By Ann C. Piasecki
I’ve given a tremendous amount of thought per the Communications/Public Awareness Campaign on behalf of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group. Below are some proposals for consideration that I would be honored to oversee or support.
1. I think we can gather public awareness and community investment in several ways.
2. Remember that Earth Day is coming up, so we can take advantage of it, if we move quickly to establish partnerships with area school districts.
3. Instead of the traditional poster contest within the schools, I think a YouTube contest aimed at junior high school students would gain more interest and inspiration (the kids could create a commercial promoting preservation of the creek—this kind of thing is fun for them). I’d be willing to approach the Web Page design teachers to discuss the project—maybe these teachers will have some other suggestions (I know that each spring the NL Elementary Dist. Offers free Web Page designs for interested businesses…I’m sure other districts have similar projects)
4. Maybe we could create a cardboard tabletop coaster for distribution—I don’t know the costs associated with that, but perhaps we could find some money (grant to support it). Let the Middle School kids design the front of the coaster (add the HCW website at the bottom); the back side would feature a few essential points per protection (How To preserve the stream)
5. The high school horticulture classes can create rain garden designs
6. The high school art class can decorate rain barrels for auction
7. The college students can be lured with the opportunity to conduct research for classes (botany, water management, environmental education and more)
8. I know how to tap into the media relations folks at the schools to get them to boast about the efforts of their students (thus free and easy access to community newspapers). I’ll write the press release about specific efforts at various schools, and then send it on to the District’s Public Relations spokesperson. That individual will take it from there and write his or her own release—it doesn’t matter who puts the info. out, as long as it gets picked up by the press
9. Also, school newspapers could pick up on the idea—it’s an easy story for them
10. As per the HCW web page itself, are we utilizing the potential for meta tag and tagging opportunities per Search Engine Optimization?
11. I’ll be happy to post the copy of the brochure on my own blog, but I think it would a good idea to invite supporters/advocates (students, parents, etc.) to comment on a HCW blog. (We can delay publication of blog comments until they’ve been reviewed for appropriateness—basically, that’s babysitting, but I think it’s a good idea.)
12. If we have a blog, we need a Facebook, Twitter and Flicker (photos) accounts—all are free and easy to manage
13. Since many faith groups have policies pertaining to stewardship of the earth, we can initiate support and advocacy from individual church organizations within parishes, churches, mosques and temples. This is aspect is a bit time consuming, but I’ve done some of it from the Catholic Church perspective within the Diocese of Joliet (specifically speaking, I’ve helped coordinate efforts to discuss basic recycling and to halt mountaintop removal)
14. I’d be happy to send PR to the professional media (online and traditional, while making sure to link the info. to Digg and other RSS feed opportunities.)
I believe the above components would stir public responses at village board meetings, the ones that are scheduled to coincide with HCWPG-related presentations. Please consider these suggestions, and don’t hesitate to call to discuss them further.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
First Amendment charge lost in economic crunch
Jan. 23, 2010
Voice of the People
Dear Editor;
While I appreciate the Chicago Tribune’s efforts to report credible and objective journalism, I’m wondering if staff reductions are to blame for failure to pursue the back story on the recent arrest of 63-year-old Myeong Hi Lim, who was charged with prostitution at a Buffalo Grove spa. The story was published on Jan. 20, 2010.
I don’t know this woman or the details of the arrest. However, it appears to me that the circumstance that allegedly caused a woman of that age to engage in prostitution is worthy of consideration. Perhaps addictions are the root cause of her motives to gain money; perhaps economic vulnerability due to job loss, health care costs or family difficulties has forced her into this situation.
Whatever the situation may be, it’s a sorry day when journalists fail to realize the travesty of the case; when they choose instead to print the simple police report. Lim’s story screams for societal perspective, for the whole truth. If it were up to me, I’d start by contacting the Public Defender’s Office—what are the odds against her having money to pay for a private attorney.
I’ve spent the bulk of my journalism career in pursuit of social justice, seeking out the individual story by identifying the hard facts and the mitigating factors that force people to disregard “decent” behavior for the sake of survival. The economic downturn is responsible for the shuttering of the Catholic Explorer and the later elimination of my job as executive editor of Mother Earth Sister Peace magazine and the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation blog.
In the face of economic cutbacks, I wonder if it’s possible to rejuvenate the First Amendment charge to tell the whole story. Check out my “Journalism in the 21 Century” YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWD8pb41xu8 .
Respectfully yours,
Ann C. Piasecki
Voice of the People
Dear Editor;
While I appreciate the Chicago Tribune’s efforts to report credible and objective journalism, I’m wondering if staff reductions are to blame for failure to pursue the back story on the recent arrest of 63-year-old Myeong Hi Lim, who was charged with prostitution at a Buffalo Grove spa. The story was published on Jan. 20, 2010.
I don’t know this woman or the details of the arrest. However, it appears to me that the circumstance that allegedly caused a woman of that age to engage in prostitution is worthy of consideration. Perhaps addictions are the root cause of her motives to gain money; perhaps economic vulnerability due to job loss, health care costs or family difficulties has forced her into this situation.
Whatever the situation may be, it’s a sorry day when journalists fail to realize the travesty of the case; when they choose instead to print the simple police report. Lim’s story screams for societal perspective, for the whole truth. If it were up to me, I’d start by contacting the Public Defender’s Office—what are the odds against her having money to pay for a private attorney.
I’ve spent the bulk of my journalism career in pursuit of social justice, seeking out the individual story by identifying the hard facts and the mitigating factors that force people to disregard “decent” behavior for the sake of survival. The economic downturn is responsible for the shuttering of the Catholic Explorer and the later elimination of my job as executive editor of Mother Earth Sister Peace magazine and the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation blog.
In the face of economic cutbacks, I wonder if it’s possible to rejuvenate the First Amendment charge to tell the whole story. Check out my “Journalism in the 21 Century” YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWD8pb41xu8 .
Respectfully yours,
Ann C. Piasecki
Monday, January 4, 2010
Script for YouTube:
Script for YouTube: Lewis University. Can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/apiasecki2000#p/a/u/2/uWD8pb41xu8
Hello! I’m Ann Piasecki. I’ve been a journalist (editor, Web editor, reporter, and photographer) for more than 20 years. And I love it! I could not have imagined a job more suited for someone like me: I love the adrenaline rush of the spot news story, the on-site interview, the constant buzz of the newsroom and the actual act of writing the story. I’ve won more than 20 awards in numerous categories at the state, national and international level.
In no other career can you call the governor’s office, dial into the White House Press Room, interview world leaders, glean the perspectives of a sculptor or community organizer, feel the pain of a community in the aftermath of a tornado, uncover the unethical business practices or step into the life of a schizophrenic homeless woman supporting three children.
Journalists have the privilege of sharing other people’s lives and the responsibility to convey it truthfully.
Having been a journalist at major metropolitan dailies, community newspapers, niche publications, online editions and magazines, I believe my colleagues could testify to my enthusiasm for critical reporting and well-crafted writing.
I’ll tell you something about myself, when I smell a solid story, I can literally feel a tingling sensation in my fingertips. I can’t wait to sit down at the computer. Unless I’m on deadline, the story rarely just rolls out. I immerse myself in someone else’s world because I want it to reflect that person or topic. As for the editing process, if any of my professional cohorts were asked about my habits, they’d tell you that my stories receive the toughest personal edit. I admit that it’s hard for me to let go of a story.
We’ll talk about the blood, sweat and tears it takes to be an honest journalist. Together we’ll analyze case studies where journalists, as a whole, fell miserably short of checking the facts or ruined someone’s reputation by taking information out of context by failing to put the information into perspective.
Nothing is black and white. As Aristotle noted, it’s the mitigating circumstances that reveal the truth. The who, what, when, where, why and how of a story is merely the skeleton.
Beyond that, today’s Internet capabilities—its speed and immediacy raises the bar for professional journalists. But don’t be afraid, as a member of a team, while one is working the on-site interview, another is conducting the research, and other is pursuing the citizen tip and checking for accuracy. The editor is guiding the whole project and the photographers and graphics folks are enhancing the image. Meanwhile, the Web site, Podcasts, Twitter announcements and blogs are being covered by other team members whose focus is on computer-assisted, multimedia production. Together, we collaborate to create a news package for online and print materials.
There’s no doubt about it, journalism is hard work. But it’s also fun. I welcome you to the collaborative newsroom. -30-
Hello! I’m Ann Piasecki. I’ve been a journalist (editor, Web editor, reporter, and photographer) for more than 20 years. And I love it! I could not have imagined a job more suited for someone like me: I love the adrenaline rush of the spot news story, the on-site interview, the constant buzz of the newsroom and the actual act of writing the story. I’ve won more than 20 awards in numerous categories at the state, national and international level.
In no other career can you call the governor’s office, dial into the White House Press Room, interview world leaders, glean the perspectives of a sculptor or community organizer, feel the pain of a community in the aftermath of a tornado, uncover the unethical business practices or step into the life of a schizophrenic homeless woman supporting three children.
Journalists have the privilege of sharing other people’s lives and the responsibility to convey it truthfully.
Having been a journalist at major metropolitan dailies, community newspapers, niche publications, online editions and magazines, I believe my colleagues could testify to my enthusiasm for critical reporting and well-crafted writing.
I’ll tell you something about myself, when I smell a solid story, I can literally feel a tingling sensation in my fingertips. I can’t wait to sit down at the computer. Unless I’m on deadline, the story rarely just rolls out. I immerse myself in someone else’s world because I want it to reflect that person or topic. As for the editing process, if any of my professional cohorts were asked about my habits, they’d tell you that my stories receive the toughest personal edit. I admit that it’s hard for me to let go of a story.
We’ll talk about the blood, sweat and tears it takes to be an honest journalist. Together we’ll analyze case studies where journalists, as a whole, fell miserably short of checking the facts or ruined someone’s reputation by taking information out of context by failing to put the information into perspective.
Nothing is black and white. As Aristotle noted, it’s the mitigating circumstances that reveal the truth. The who, what, when, where, why and how of a story is merely the skeleton.
Beyond that, today’s Internet capabilities—its speed and immediacy raises the bar for professional journalists. But don’t be afraid, as a member of a team, while one is working the on-site interview, another is conducting the research, and other is pursuing the citizen tip and checking for accuracy. The editor is guiding the whole project and the photographers and graphics folks are enhancing the image. Meanwhile, the Web site, Podcasts, Twitter announcements and blogs are being covered by other team members whose focus is on computer-assisted, multimedia production. Together, we collaborate to create a news package for online and print materials.
There’s no doubt about it, journalism is hard work. But it’s also fun. I welcome you to the collaborative newsroom. -30-
The Future of Journalism
Lewis University Podcast
By Ann Piasecki
The future of journalism
Considering the recent shuttering of newspapers and the overflow of information available on the Internet, I have to agree with the sentiments revealed by Josh Cohen, senior business product manager at Google News, in a Dec. 21 online posting of MediaMavens. The future of the news industry is “part trepidation, part excitement, part hangover.” What that means is that fear has cast a dark shadow over the traditional way in which news is disseminated. What it doesn’t mean is that credible journalism has been replaced by superfluous, unverified, unprofessional blogs, amateur YouTubes and abbreviated Twitter tweets.
I believe we’ve landed on the new frontier of news dissemination. Allow me to dissect the situation at hand. First, the old way of uninterrupted news dissemination (meaning the reader is merely part of a passive audience whose only avenue for comment is a letter to the editor) is shrinking. Second, what have lured people to online communications are the interactive capabilities offered the audience. For civics teachers, elected officials and the myriad of like-minded subgroups, this technological evolution is like manna from heaven—the masses are finally investing themselves in the issues of the day.
What the news industry will be exploring is the process of tapping into the plethora of innovative possibilities: How do we utilize citizen reporting? How do we verify the information? What are the critical and analytical components that need to be infused for the sake of accuracy and objectivity? Where is the authoritative source in the story? How does the news industry generate revenue?
Traditional media has indeed embraced the notion of digital media. It is part and parcel of news dissemination in the 21st century. Therefore, social media and Web applications are as much a part of the journalism curriculum as copy editing, feature writing, news reporting and investigative coverage. The core curriculum for journalism majors should include the basics of Search Engine Optimization, metadata, tagging, page views, concise writing for the Web and Twitter-size headlines.
We have an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. And the reality of such a move will most definitely be conducted through collaboration with the likes of Google, MSN and Yahoo. The significance of collective news gathering is bound to test the boundaries of traditional modes of competition (breaking the story). That is a matter for the publishers. For the individual journalist, quality still matters. Grammar, syntax, flow, style, research and face-to-face interviews remain the key elements of a worthwhile story. We are the eyes and ears of the larger audience.
In no other field but journalism do you have an opportunity to talk directly to local, national and world leaders or to interview real people about life and death situations. Being a journalist is a privilege. Personally speaking, the stories I have loved the most are the ones that made me cry. Because when I write a story, it’s not about me or my style; it’s about the topic at hand, the situation or the individual. I open my heart and allow myself to feel what he or she feels. I want more than to merely paint a picture; I want my story to breathe. A newspaper story, after all, is living literature.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Macy's Recipe for Success in Corporate Social Responsibility
A Menu for Corporate Social Responsibility
Preparation time: 5 minutes to read proposal
BY: ANN C. PIASECKI, M.A.
Public Affairs Communicator
E-mail: apiasecki2000@aol.com
In keeping with your already successful Come Together campaign, allow me to offer some suggestions that broaden your focus. Along with the Chicago Fashion Incubator and Museum Adventure Pass programs, I propose enhancing the Corporate Social Responsibility commitment by highlighting items sold in the store’s For the Home Department. Imagine a Macy’s supper event organized to feature a menu of locally raised organic chicken served with side dishes and hors d'oeuvres consisting of urban-grown vegetables. The menu, of course, would be prepared by a celebrity chef together with some culinary arts students using cookware designs by Martha Stewart or Calphalon®.
In this instance, it would be fruitful to initiate a relationship between Macy’s and the Chicago Market, which sells urban-cultivated produce sown in the heart of the desperately poor Cabrini Green Neighborhood.
Meanwhile, a collaborative effort between Macy’s and a group of USDA-sponsored free-range chicken farmers from Hopkins Park, Illinois, would have a multitude of positive ripple effects. Like a fragile root system that takes hold once it achieves a consistent source of irrigation, the harvest works to sustain many. These particular free-range chicken farmers reside in one of the most financially-depressed communities in the country, according to recent economic statistics released about Illinois’ Kankakee region.
Rolling out the Dough
How about inviting Chicago dignitaries and a variety of Chicagoland families to partake in this public relations bonanza? This demonstrates the corporation’s creative response to the community by seeding and promoting enduring small business opportunities and non-profit organizations in your own backyard.
The name “Macy’s” would soon attract news analysis pieces and features in print, on television, on the Internet and over the airwaves, spotlighting the company for its role as an incubator of sustainable economies.
And as you know from my Sept. 22, 2009, blog posting, any effort made to partner with eco-themed fashions or accessories provides an impetus for hands-on participation in the overall effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Combined with a hefty dose of intuition from a homegrown Chicagoan, I guarantee a tasty medley of sustainable partnership possibilities. I also suggested a Chicago Public School partnership that unites the idea of conservation and profits by refashioning used clothes and old costume jewelry into fresh designs, using accessories to punctuate the look.
Coloring our World
Along that train of thought, Macy’s might consider a joint venture with the Illinois Arts Council to produce attractive water bottles for sale along with refashioned items on specialty carts run by small business ventures associated with the Rainbow Push Coalition or other small business supporters. Meanwhile, a public proclamation about the store’s commitment to reducing its waste at the stores, conserving water and composting restaurant wastes could be accentuated with exhibits featuring painted rain barrels and miniature windmills produced by university art students. The result here is dual purpose—it serves as a public service reminder about the importance of participation in pro-environment activities, and it puts Macy’s in sync with the Chicago Climate Action Plan, which is dedicated to resource conservation and the permanent reduction of the city’s carbon footprint.
I look forward to sharing my cookbook of ideas with you as they relate to the details and strategies of effective CRS.
Preparation time: 5 minutes to read proposal
BY: ANN C. PIASECKI, M.A.
Public Affairs Communicator
E-mail: apiasecki2000@aol.com
In keeping with your already successful Come Together campaign, allow me to offer some suggestions that broaden your focus. Along with the Chicago Fashion Incubator and Museum Adventure Pass programs, I propose enhancing the Corporate Social Responsibility commitment by highlighting items sold in the store’s For the Home Department. Imagine a Macy’s supper event organized to feature a menu of locally raised organic chicken served with side dishes and hors d'oeuvres consisting of urban-grown vegetables. The menu, of course, would be prepared by a celebrity chef together with some culinary arts students using cookware designs by Martha Stewart or Calphalon®.
In this instance, it would be fruitful to initiate a relationship between Macy’s and the Chicago Market, which sells urban-cultivated produce sown in the heart of the desperately poor Cabrini Green Neighborhood.
Meanwhile, a collaborative effort between Macy’s and a group of USDA-sponsored free-range chicken farmers from Hopkins Park, Illinois, would have a multitude of positive ripple effects. Like a fragile root system that takes hold once it achieves a consistent source of irrigation, the harvest works to sustain many. These particular free-range chicken farmers reside in one of the most financially-depressed communities in the country, according to recent economic statistics released about Illinois’ Kankakee region.
Rolling out the Dough
How about inviting Chicago dignitaries and a variety of Chicagoland families to partake in this public relations bonanza? This demonstrates the corporation’s creative response to the community by seeding and promoting enduring small business opportunities and non-profit organizations in your own backyard.
The name “Macy’s” would soon attract news analysis pieces and features in print, on television, on the Internet and over the airwaves, spotlighting the company for its role as an incubator of sustainable economies.
And as you know from my Sept. 22, 2009, blog posting, any effort made to partner with eco-themed fashions or accessories provides an impetus for hands-on participation in the overall effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Combined with a hefty dose of intuition from a homegrown Chicagoan, I guarantee a tasty medley of sustainable partnership possibilities. I also suggested a Chicago Public School partnership that unites the idea of conservation and profits by refashioning used clothes and old costume jewelry into fresh designs, using accessories to punctuate the look.
Coloring our World
Along that train of thought, Macy’s might consider a joint venture with the Illinois Arts Council to produce attractive water bottles for sale along with refashioned items on specialty carts run by small business ventures associated with the Rainbow Push Coalition or other small business supporters. Meanwhile, a public proclamation about the store’s commitment to reducing its waste at the stores, conserving water and composting restaurant wastes could be accentuated with exhibits featuring painted rain barrels and miniature windmills produced by university art students. The result here is dual purpose—it serves as a public service reminder about the importance of participation in pro-environment activities, and it puts Macy’s in sync with the Chicago Climate Action Plan, which is dedicated to resource conservation and the permanent reduction of the city’s carbon footprint.
I look forward to sharing my cookbook of ideas with you as they relate to the details and strategies of effective CRS.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Macy's food pantry campaign stokes compassionate ideas
Fashion design community outreach: proposal for Macy’s
BY ANN PIASECKI, M.A.
Public Affairs Specialist
Email: Apiasecki2000@aol.com
Your television commercial announcing Macy’s commitment to restocking our country’s empty food pantries—the life source in today’s economy for millions of unemployed—captured my heart. It’s a wonderful outreach campaign that stoked my passion for Public Affairs Communications and Outreach.
If time and patience allows, I seek to share a broader perspective for building a partnership between Macy’s, Rainbow Push Coalition, the University of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Based on a desire to promote sustainable economic development, environmentally safe practices, educational enrichment and entrepreneurial opportunities, I pose a series of authentic and genuine collaborations.
Consider a low-cost, highly visible campaign that cements Macy's "helping store" image as much as Santa Claus did in the 1947 Classic, "Miracle on 34th Street."
The Macy’s State Street store is only a few miles from the Hyde Park neighborhood, which is bordered by Lake Michigan and the Loop; this combination makes Hyde Park the perfect location for incorporating a Macy's-led education outreach project--especially if Chicago gets the nod to host the 2016 Olympics.
As one of Chicago’s most culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods, the opportunities for affective and effective partnership building are endless. The recipe for success, however, comes in understanding the social, political, economic and cultural forces that mark the community. Here, wealth and poverty live side-by-side; property values rise and fall within a matter of blocks.
The community lays claim to the home of President Barack Obama and the world famous University of Chicago. Its people and urban strife was captured in the ’50s, ’60s,’70s and ’80s by the iconic commentator Studs Terkel; and breathed life into Lorraine Hansberry’s, “A Raisin in the Sun.”
And despite the infusion of artistic, political, philosophical and scientific ideas that permeate the atmosphere, the neighborhood endures its share of crushing poverty and the chronic social implications that derive from that reality. For that reason alone the block-long headquarters of Rainbow Push Coalition, the church home of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, stands proud—a gentrified beacon of light in spite of its need for architectural tuck-pointing and bona fide growth of its business partnership programs.
As for Macy’s involvement, imagine a team of Chicago Public high school students enrolled in fashion design courses, working to reshape and redesign old clothes left in drop boxes at the downtown and suburban stores. A class of artisans could utilize the leftover scraps to fashion fabric purses or 2016 Olympic flags, quilts and more. Meanwhile, other students could unleash their ingenuity and creativity to recycle discarded costume jewelry, stringing together unique necklaces, creating rings and earring sets. These are just a few of the products that could be marketed as specialty goods within the Macy’s department store.
Capitalize further on the outreach project by collaborating with small business ventures to man specialty carts filled with student creations commemorating the 2016 Olympics, and site them in the Loop and just outside the Macy entrance to the Chicago Pedway. Student paintings, sculptures and photos (maybe featuring the historic State Street clock at Macy’s) would enhance the project as well.
Ultimately a healthy profit percentage could be dedicated to the schools to help fill in financial gaps, such as the after school tutoring programs that fell victim to state budget cuts. Student participants would benefit by delving into a variety of hands-on retail elements, including planning, marketing, sales and design. Perhaps Macy’s could arrange for presentations in which the students would glean insights about the fashion industry, target marketing, the art of creating store displays and the like.
A full-scale campaign, of course, would necessitate a series of news stories, human interest features, business articles, traditional media interviews, social media, Web site enhancements and online sales. Imagine the public relations bonanza from a successful program.
I believe it takes the kind of instinct and intuitive talent that a Chicago-based Public Affairs Communicator can offer in terms of strategy and implementation of a multi-pronged project such as this. The campaign would require information sharing and discussions with Macy's marketing team, state representatives, city officials and pertinent social service organizations to gain perspective. Meanwhile, the support of Mayor Daley, Chicago environmental advocate organizations, educators and more would be crucial. Consider tapping the University of Chicago Center for Development, Economics and Poverty Reduction along with Rainbow Push Coalition for their input and suggestions.
Macy’s compassion and leadership is already evident and appreciated. This proposed pilot project would be the icing on the cake: it's fun; it's creative; it's upbeat and it's vibrant. Actual implementation would make Macy's a model for genuine and practical sustainable development.
BY ANN PIASECKI, M.A.
Public Affairs Specialist
Email: Apiasecki2000@aol.com
Your television commercial announcing Macy’s commitment to restocking our country’s empty food pantries—the life source in today’s economy for millions of unemployed—captured my heart. It’s a wonderful outreach campaign that stoked my passion for Public Affairs Communications and Outreach.
If time and patience allows, I seek to share a broader perspective for building a partnership between Macy’s, Rainbow Push Coalition, the University of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Based on a desire to promote sustainable economic development, environmentally safe practices, educational enrichment and entrepreneurial opportunities, I pose a series of authentic and genuine collaborations.
Consider a low-cost, highly visible campaign that cements Macy's "helping store" image as much as Santa Claus did in the 1947 Classic, "Miracle on 34th Street."
The Macy’s State Street store is only a few miles from the Hyde Park neighborhood, which is bordered by Lake Michigan and the Loop; this combination makes Hyde Park the perfect location for incorporating a Macy's-led education outreach project--especially if Chicago gets the nod to host the 2016 Olympics.
As one of Chicago’s most culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods, the opportunities for affective and effective partnership building are endless. The recipe for success, however, comes in understanding the social, political, economic and cultural forces that mark the community. Here, wealth and poverty live side-by-side; property values rise and fall within a matter of blocks.
The community lays claim to the home of President Barack Obama and the world famous University of Chicago. Its people and urban strife was captured in the ’50s, ’60s,’70s and ’80s by the iconic commentator Studs Terkel; and breathed life into Lorraine Hansberry’s, “A Raisin in the Sun.”
And despite the infusion of artistic, political, philosophical and scientific ideas that permeate the atmosphere, the neighborhood endures its share of crushing poverty and the chronic social implications that derive from that reality. For that reason alone the block-long headquarters of Rainbow Push Coalition, the church home of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, stands proud—a gentrified beacon of light in spite of its need for architectural tuck-pointing and bona fide growth of its business partnership programs.
As for Macy’s involvement, imagine a team of Chicago Public high school students enrolled in fashion design courses, working to reshape and redesign old clothes left in drop boxes at the downtown and suburban stores. A class of artisans could utilize the leftover scraps to fashion fabric purses or 2016 Olympic flags, quilts and more. Meanwhile, other students could unleash their ingenuity and creativity to recycle discarded costume jewelry, stringing together unique necklaces, creating rings and earring sets. These are just a few of the products that could be marketed as specialty goods within the Macy’s department store.
Capitalize further on the outreach project by collaborating with small business ventures to man specialty carts filled with student creations commemorating the 2016 Olympics, and site them in the Loop and just outside the Macy entrance to the Chicago Pedway. Student paintings, sculptures and photos (maybe featuring the historic State Street clock at Macy’s) would enhance the project as well.
Ultimately a healthy profit percentage could be dedicated to the schools to help fill in financial gaps, such as the after school tutoring programs that fell victim to state budget cuts. Student participants would benefit by delving into a variety of hands-on retail elements, including planning, marketing, sales and design. Perhaps Macy’s could arrange for presentations in which the students would glean insights about the fashion industry, target marketing, the art of creating store displays and the like.
A full-scale campaign, of course, would necessitate a series of news stories, human interest features, business articles, traditional media interviews, social media, Web site enhancements and online sales. Imagine the public relations bonanza from a successful program.
I believe it takes the kind of instinct and intuitive talent that a Chicago-based Public Affairs Communicator can offer in terms of strategy and implementation of a multi-pronged project such as this. The campaign would require information sharing and discussions with Macy's marketing team, state representatives, city officials and pertinent social service organizations to gain perspective. Meanwhile, the support of Mayor Daley, Chicago environmental advocate organizations, educators and more would be crucial. Consider tapping the University of Chicago Center for Development, Economics and Poverty Reduction along with Rainbow Push Coalition for their input and suggestions.
Macy’s compassion and leadership is already evident and appreciated. This proposed pilot project would be the icing on the cake: it's fun; it's creative; it's upbeat and it's vibrant. Actual implementation would make Macy's a model for genuine and practical sustainable development.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Artificial floating island sweeps waterways
Environmental innovation gobbles up pollution
By Ann Piasecki, M.A.
Public Affairs Specialist
For Public Affairs/Communications Expertise
Send Email to: Apiasecki2000@aol.com
BARRINGTON, ILL.--A secluded island paradise away from the hustle and bustle of the city is attractive to waterfowl and people alike. The difference is in the amenities. On the island of Aruba, night clubs and sandy beaches attract crowds like flies to light. On a set of isolated islands in an 8-foot deep pond in a preserve in Barrington, Ill., ducks, geese and a growing variety of migratory birds find the freshly plotted man-made land mass alluring.
In the northwest suburbs of Chicago, 10 islands ranging in size from 25-to 250-square feet have been installed. In essence, they have bypassed evolutionary process in regard to land mass development, and they also work to clean the waterways. These manufactured land masses trap polluting nitrates, ammonia and phosphates, which posed a particular problem for the survival of a 3-acre pond within the Barrington-based Citizens For Conservation (CSF) preserve. The prairie preserve is located at the foot of an upscale housing development, and chemical runoff from lawn fertilizer was polluting the fragile pond, complained CFC President Thomas Crosh. Over a two-year period, 2006-2007, CFC introduced the artificial land masses. And, according to Crosh, they’ve proven effective in cleaning up the pond, which is part of the Flint Creek Watershed system that spreads out over Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois.
Crosh was so enthralled by the results witnessed in Barrington that he acts as an ad hoc ambassador of the project. In a Sept. 15, 2009, telephone interview, he pointed out the long-term benefits of these manufactured wetlands. Known within the scientific community as BioHavens®, these manufactured wetlands are designed to function with minimum maintenance. They’re solar powered and made of plastic, which last for nearly a thousand years. The potential for large-scale projects continue to evolve as the powers that be in government acknowledge a responsibility for actively cleaning up the world’s waterways.
Practical Aspects
In practice, the filtering system works because it consist of a buoyant combination of recycled plastic and foam that makes up the island base; it’s then fortified with an enriched potting soil mixture and woven within the fabricated botanical surface. Set loose for only a few short weeks under the sun’s nurturing rays, and the floating man-made mass becomes a bona fide wetland.
This revved up process of vegetative growth is the brainchild of Bruce Kania, who is an inventor with a passion for nature as well as the founder of Floating Island International (FII) LLC in Shepherd, Mont. On the cusp of 21st century environmental innovation, the Montana project demonstrates how a profusion of flora can mature almost at the speed of light. The result is a cost-efficient way to manufacture a fabricated island designed for rapid fire environmental transformation. Kania’s goal is a multifaceted one, including collaboration with wildlife by offering the features of a natural wetland habitat, purifying waterways and launching environmental/business partnerships with governmental agencies, aquatic distributors and university researchers.
Since 2006 FII has established several nationwide distributorships and launched more than 3,000 islands around the globe. Fabricated islands have proven themselves successful in filtering out pollutants from a sewage plant holding pond in Daughin County, Penn. to a highly polluted coastal region in Singapore.
Anne Kania, spokesperson for FII, in a telephone interview noted that the fabricated islands are modeled to mirror as close as possible the planet’s natural wetlands. “We base ours on natural habitats. They mimic floating peat bogs,” a type of wetland that brews the stuff of life. Its mushy terrain nurtures creation above and below the water. On top a potent supply of peat attracts microbes and provides a home for windblown seeds that sprout into a variety of thick-leaved shrubs, plants, grasses and trees. Waterfowl and insects make their home on the spongy habitat as well. On the underside is a diverse haven of organic matter that works as a natural filtering system and the more regal roots from the plants above sink down into the water where they thrive on the rich source of floating nutrients. The dangling, tentacle-like roots invite fish to feed off their excess.
Lab research has proved that the artificial bog, which the Kanias define as a Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW), is capable of neutralizing major water pollutants, such as phosphates and nitrates along with suspended and dissolved heavy metals. So far the company has launched islands in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as the United States. Meanwhile Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the United States Department of the Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been receptive to Kania’s project as it concerns watershed clean up.
Since the artificial islands are put together like modular puzzles, the eventual dimensions, including size and thickness, are never an issue; it’s never too heavy, she said. In fact, an FTW installation in Montana served as the site of the Kania’s wedding ceremony and reception, which was attended by 50 people and featured a gazebo.
The FTWs can be as hardy as necessary and constructed with a glass bottom feature for viewing and research purposes, she said. The possibilities and applications of BioHavens® or adapted configurations are endless, according to Anne.
Ultimately, she said, these accelerated versions of natural models are intended as a way to give back to humanity by helping to heal the environment, she said.
To arrange for a guided view of the floating islands, contact Crosh at:
Citizens For Conservation, (847) 382-7283, 459 W IL Route 22, Barrington, IL
Check out Kania’s Web site at: http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/index.php
Piasecki’s original article, published in Fall 2008 in the Wheaton Franciscans’ Mother Earth Sister Peace magazine, was updated in September 2009.
By Ann Piasecki, M.A.
Public Affairs Specialist
For Public Affairs/Communications Expertise
Send Email to: Apiasecki2000@aol.com
BARRINGTON, ILL.--A secluded island paradise away from the hustle and bustle of the city is attractive to waterfowl and people alike. The difference is in the amenities. On the island of Aruba, night clubs and sandy beaches attract crowds like flies to light. On a set of isolated islands in an 8-foot deep pond in a preserve in Barrington, Ill., ducks, geese and a growing variety of migratory birds find the freshly plotted man-made land mass alluring.
In the northwest suburbs of Chicago, 10 islands ranging in size from 25-to 250-square feet have been installed. In essence, they have bypassed evolutionary process in regard to land mass development, and they also work to clean the waterways. These manufactured land masses trap polluting nitrates, ammonia and phosphates, which posed a particular problem for the survival of a 3-acre pond within the Barrington-based Citizens For Conservation (CSF) preserve. The prairie preserve is located at the foot of an upscale housing development, and chemical runoff from lawn fertilizer was polluting the fragile pond, complained CFC President Thomas Crosh. Over a two-year period, 2006-2007, CFC introduced the artificial land masses. And, according to Crosh, they’ve proven effective in cleaning up the pond, which is part of the Flint Creek Watershed system that spreads out over Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois.
Crosh was so enthralled by the results witnessed in Barrington that he acts as an ad hoc ambassador of the project. In a Sept. 15, 2009, telephone interview, he pointed out the long-term benefits of these manufactured wetlands. Known within the scientific community as BioHavens®, these manufactured wetlands are designed to function with minimum maintenance. They’re solar powered and made of plastic, which last for nearly a thousand years. The potential for large-scale projects continue to evolve as the powers that be in government acknowledge a responsibility for actively cleaning up the world’s waterways.
Practical Aspects
In practice, the filtering system works because it consist of a buoyant combination of recycled plastic and foam that makes up the island base; it’s then fortified with an enriched potting soil mixture and woven within the fabricated botanical surface. Set loose for only a few short weeks under the sun’s nurturing rays, and the floating man-made mass becomes a bona fide wetland.
This revved up process of vegetative growth is the brainchild of Bruce Kania, who is an inventor with a passion for nature as well as the founder of Floating Island International (FII) LLC in Shepherd, Mont. On the cusp of 21st century environmental innovation, the Montana project demonstrates how a profusion of flora can mature almost at the speed of light. The result is a cost-efficient way to manufacture a fabricated island designed for rapid fire environmental transformation. Kania’s goal is a multifaceted one, including collaboration with wildlife by offering the features of a natural wetland habitat, purifying waterways and launching environmental/business partnerships with governmental agencies, aquatic distributors and university researchers.
Since 2006 FII has established several nationwide distributorships and launched more than 3,000 islands around the globe. Fabricated islands have proven themselves successful in filtering out pollutants from a sewage plant holding pond in Daughin County, Penn. to a highly polluted coastal region in Singapore.
Anne Kania, spokesperson for FII, in a telephone interview noted that the fabricated islands are modeled to mirror as close as possible the planet’s natural wetlands. “We base ours on natural habitats. They mimic floating peat bogs,” a type of wetland that brews the stuff of life. Its mushy terrain nurtures creation above and below the water. On top a potent supply of peat attracts microbes and provides a home for windblown seeds that sprout into a variety of thick-leaved shrubs, plants, grasses and trees. Waterfowl and insects make their home on the spongy habitat as well. On the underside is a diverse haven of organic matter that works as a natural filtering system and the more regal roots from the plants above sink down into the water where they thrive on the rich source of floating nutrients. The dangling, tentacle-like roots invite fish to feed off their excess.
Lab research has proved that the artificial bog, which the Kanias define as a Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW), is capable of neutralizing major water pollutants, such as phosphates and nitrates along with suspended and dissolved heavy metals. So far the company has launched islands in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as the United States. Meanwhile Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the United States Department of the Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been receptive to Kania’s project as it concerns watershed clean up.
Since the artificial islands are put together like modular puzzles, the eventual dimensions, including size and thickness, are never an issue; it’s never too heavy, she said. In fact, an FTW installation in Montana served as the site of the Kania’s wedding ceremony and reception, which was attended by 50 people and featured a gazebo.
The FTWs can be as hardy as necessary and constructed with a glass bottom feature for viewing and research purposes, she said. The possibilities and applications of BioHavens® or adapted configurations are endless, according to Anne.
Ultimately, she said, these accelerated versions of natural models are intended as a way to give back to humanity by helping to heal the environment, she said.
To arrange for a guided view of the floating islands, contact Crosh at:
Citizens For Conservation, (847) 382-7283, 459 W IL Route 22, Barrington, IL
Check out Kania’s Web site at: http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/index.php
Piasecki’s original article, published in Fall 2008 in the Wheaton Franciscans’ Mother Earth Sister Peace magazine, was updated in September 2009.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Drug store outreach campaign looks to enhance reputation
By Ann Piasecki, M.A.
Public Affairs Specialist
This past summer Walgreens Corporation bulked up an existing Community Store Manager (CSM) program that is far more than a Band-Aid® approach to boost sales. It demonstrates a commitment to spread an authentic healing salve over the budget gaps of needy charities. The remedy calls for one CSM for every five stores in a district to take on additional responsibilities associated with outreach projects.
The opportunities for creative execution are boundless. Already one CSM has paired his enthusiasm for golf and store management skills by organizing a golf outing to benefit Easter Seals. A few well-placed ads in community newspapers and on radio stations along with in-store posters attracted enthusiasts enough to raise $50,000 for the organization that serves people with disabilities.
Under the direction of Mark Wagner, executive vice president of operations and community management, the program has become a feature that highlights Walgreens’ overall mission, which encompasses civic responsibility.
The intention of the CSM program is laudable, but it doesn’t have to eliminate the potential for profit. In this highly competitive market, customer loyalty and trust are the decisive factors in maintaining and increasing retail sales.
First, knowledge of the particular community—accessible health care, economic development, education, housing and transportation—is basic to successful relationship building. However, each region is left to deal with its own blend of positive and negative realities. As such, the characteristic traits of a good CSM should reflect an intuitive and sensitive nature so as to understand in broad strokes the societal implications that mark the immediate community. He/She should be ready to become a presence in pertinent civic organizations.
For example, in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago a savvy CSM would get the biggest bang for his/her buck by participating in the Will County Economic Development Commission. That relationship would open doors to the plans by municipal and county leaders, and serve to build a sense of camaraderie between Walgreens and community through work on joint service projects.
Meanwhile, Walgreens could take advantage of the multiple aspects of the Green Movement as they are realized in the particular region. Certainly an association with the Hickory Creek Watershed Committee, an open-to-the-public advisory organization that serves the Illinois communities of Mokena, New Lenox, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Joliet and Tinley Park., would fit the bill. The CSM would learn first-hand about the opportunities to diminish non-point pollution through the use of implementation tools that could be sold through Walgreens Online.
Combine that with insights about current environmental legislation coming down the pike at the state capital. Specifically speaking, composting—the way it’s done in Europe—has found tremendous support in the Illinois General Assembly. In light of the fact, selected Walgreens stores might consider hosting composting demonstrations put on by bona fide environmental organizations, and then feature these items along with other environmentally friendly products already available through Walgreens Online.
And when the time is ripe, Walgreens could generate a public relations bonanza by including a green rooftop or install solar windows on new or updated retail sites.
Certainly health fairs and community events, such as Relay for Life, would welcome a Walgreens exhibit/booth that offers free blood pressure testing and measures cholesterol levels and the like. In addition, build on the success of an already established relationship with the four-campus Lincoln-Way High School District by reaching out to include the elementary districts. For instance, at New Lenox School Dist. 122 junior high school students annually work on Web page design projects for local businesses. Why not authorize a region-specific Walgreens Web page, showing YouTube presentations of kids serving the community together with a Walgreens volunteer as well as the video of the composting demonstration, and, of course, advertising kid-friendly products sold in the stores and online.
The kudos that result from a grateful design class, other featured students, their parents and grandparents, are bound to generate not only an increase in store sales but also an allegiance to a store that thoughtfully invests in the community through educational support initiatives and more.
The CSM program has the potential to build on the notion of community mutuality—benefits for the community and profits for a retailer. It takes a seasoned public affairs specialist and experienced outreach professional to identify appropriate organizations for the purpose of maximizing the benefits that come from a relationship built on trust and caring. The cost of one additional corporate position to facilitate the CSM program would enhance profits and assist the community.
Public Affairs Specialist
This past summer Walgreens Corporation bulked up an existing Community Store Manager (CSM) program that is far more than a Band-Aid® approach to boost sales. It demonstrates a commitment to spread an authentic healing salve over the budget gaps of needy charities. The remedy calls for one CSM for every five stores in a district to take on additional responsibilities associated with outreach projects.
The opportunities for creative execution are boundless. Already one CSM has paired his enthusiasm for golf and store management skills by organizing a golf outing to benefit Easter Seals. A few well-placed ads in community newspapers and on radio stations along with in-store posters attracted enthusiasts enough to raise $50,000 for the organization that serves people with disabilities.
Under the direction of Mark Wagner, executive vice president of operations and community management, the program has become a feature that highlights Walgreens’ overall mission, which encompasses civic responsibility.
The intention of the CSM program is laudable, but it doesn’t have to eliminate the potential for profit. In this highly competitive market, customer loyalty and trust are the decisive factors in maintaining and increasing retail sales.
First, knowledge of the particular community—accessible health care, economic development, education, housing and transportation—is basic to successful relationship building. However, each region is left to deal with its own blend of positive and negative realities. As such, the characteristic traits of a good CSM should reflect an intuitive and sensitive nature so as to understand in broad strokes the societal implications that mark the immediate community. He/She should be ready to become a presence in pertinent civic organizations.
For example, in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago a savvy CSM would get the biggest bang for his/her buck by participating in the Will County Economic Development Commission. That relationship would open doors to the plans by municipal and county leaders, and serve to build a sense of camaraderie between Walgreens and community through work on joint service projects.
Meanwhile, Walgreens could take advantage of the multiple aspects of the Green Movement as they are realized in the particular region. Certainly an association with the Hickory Creek Watershed Committee, an open-to-the-public advisory organization that serves the Illinois communities of Mokena, New Lenox, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Joliet and Tinley Park., would fit the bill. The CSM would learn first-hand about the opportunities to diminish non-point pollution through the use of implementation tools that could be sold through Walgreens Online.
Combine that with insights about current environmental legislation coming down the pike at the state capital. Specifically speaking, composting—the way it’s done in Europe—has found tremendous support in the Illinois General Assembly. In light of the fact, selected Walgreens stores might consider hosting composting demonstrations put on by bona fide environmental organizations, and then feature these items along with other environmentally friendly products already available through Walgreens Online.
And when the time is ripe, Walgreens could generate a public relations bonanza by including a green rooftop or install solar windows on new or updated retail sites.
Certainly health fairs and community events, such as Relay for Life, would welcome a Walgreens exhibit/booth that offers free blood pressure testing and measures cholesterol levels and the like. In addition, build on the success of an already established relationship with the four-campus Lincoln-Way High School District by reaching out to include the elementary districts. For instance, at New Lenox School Dist. 122 junior high school students annually work on Web page design projects for local businesses. Why not authorize a region-specific Walgreens Web page, showing YouTube presentations of kids serving the community together with a Walgreens volunteer as well as the video of the composting demonstration, and, of course, advertising kid-friendly products sold in the stores and online.
The kudos that result from a grateful design class, other featured students, their parents and grandparents, are bound to generate not only an increase in store sales but also an allegiance to a store that thoughtfully invests in the community through educational support initiatives and more.
The CSM program has the potential to build on the notion of community mutuality—benefits for the community and profits for a retailer. It takes a seasoned public affairs specialist and experienced outreach professional to identify appropriate organizations for the purpose of maximizing the benefits that come from a relationship built on trust and caring. The cost of one additional corporate position to facilitate the CSM program would enhance profits and assist the community.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Wastewater reclamation plan gains wave of respect
By Ann Piasecki, M.A.
Public Affairs/Communications Specialist
Proposal replenishes Lake Michigan; serves rural and urban economic interests
WHEATON, Ill.—When hydrologist Jack Sheaffer offers an explanation on waste water management he begins with a statement simple enough for a 5-year-old to understand. “All the water that ever was or ever will be has been here since the earth was formed.” A completed impact study of the Hammond Water Reuse Project is slated to demonstrate the societal, economic and environmental benefits of a no-discharge wastewater effluent management and reuse plan funded by a system of carbon credits and commodities trading enough to cover the $150 million outlay.
The practice of carbon trading is routinely relied upon in Europe to fund major infrastructure projects, he said. Already carbon credit experts and Chicago-based commodities investors are planted firmly in the overall project design.
In consideration of the serious implications of climate change and the growth in population, Sheaffer said water and natural nutrients are no longer elements to be wasted. The irrigation effluent not only meets U.S. EPA standards for nutrient release, it also satisfies public health regulations, which mandate regular testing. The project design does not allow for the intrusion of solid waste, Sheaffer stressed.
As Managing Director for the Center for Transformation of Waste Technology (the Center), Sheaffer has designed the kind of project that gets environmentalists, economists and engineers alike cheering for a no-waste, cost-savings, holistic approach to water conservation. His plan is unique because it reclaims pre-used water and uses it to generate wealth. Having gained support for a proof of concept investigation from Indiana’s Sanitary District of Hammond, Sheaffer’s process aims to halt the discharge of sewage effluent into Lake Michigan tributary streams and to reuse the nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which are the ingredients contained in crop fertilizer. Built on a system of integrated designs that operate to produce revenues enough to cover construction costs along with the financial obligations associated with systems operations and maintenance, the Hammond Water Reuse Project offers an authentic solution for the multi-pronged aspects for sustainable development and environmental preservation.
“We have to unlearn the traditional methods for treating sewage and use sewage instead to generate wealth,” said Sheaffer, a retired research professor at the University of Chicago and nationally acclaimed floodplain specialist.
Project implementation and job creation:
Implementation of the Center project begins by diverting 38 million gallons of already treated effluent from the Sanitary District of Hammond and moving through underground pipes that extend along abandoned railroad tracks to a storage reservoir. From there, the water would be pumped to irrigate 11,350 acres of cropland, parks/open space, designated parcels within the northwest Indiana flood control project, golf courses, property surrounding local airports and cemeteries.
“All in all, it’s a synergistic plan that generates jobs by creating small business opportunities, which provide for a sustainable rural economy,” said Sheaffer. A combination of enhanced crop production and expanded agri-business opportunities calls for the creation of an estimated 100 permanent jobs in the immediate region, he said.
Since 6,900-acres of the total project consist of active farms where corn is the primary crop, Sheaffer has estimated a 57 percent increase in yield due to the draught resistant reclaimed source of irrigation. The option exists for crops to be sold as animal feed or feedstock for use in a newly created ethanol processing plant. The water supply for the ethanol plant itself would come from the storage reservoirs rather than relying on Lake Michigan for its source of operational water.
A project-integrated ethanol plant would produce an estimated 1.49 million pounds of corn oil, which translates into one pound per bushel of feedstock along with 7 million gallons of ethanol. As for the leftovers—mainly protein residuals—they’re not wasted either. Protein residuals would become the basic diet for dairy cattle in a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). A 500-head dairy operation in Lake County, Ind. has been identified as a project partner. The CAFO’s animal manure would be conveyed to an anaerobic digester, which then produces biogas to help power the ethanol plant. In addition, the residuals from the anaerobic digester can be further used as fertilizer on crops.
Environmental improvements to realize goals of 1972 Clean Water Act:
The Hammond Water Reuse Project would manage and reuse the daily release of 38 million gallons of wastewater effluent, which currently is being discharged into the Lake Michigan basin. Specifically, the project would eliminate the unnecessary delivery of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the lake. Sheaffer explained that the practice of irrigation allows for the natural cleaning of water. When land is irrigated with an almost mist-like process delivered weekly through center pivot rigs, the water percolates through the roots of prairie grasses and other plant systems before seeping back into Lake Michigan.
At the same time, the project is designed to serve as a model of clean water practices. Sheaffer’s plan has found support from USDA offices in Northwest Indiana, the Northwest Territory Resource, Conservation and Development Council, Farm Bureau, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission and Northwest Indiana Focus along with municipal and county planners. The project puts into practice the goals identified in the 1972 Clean Water Act, which Sheaffer co-authored in his role as Chief science Advisor over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A crucial aspect of the federal act is the integration of organizations for best practices in the reduction of pollution, conservation of resources and increased revenue streams.
A member of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Group and advisor for the planning organization’s 2040 preparations, Sheaffer is a strong advocate for authentic environmental solutions. “When you’re dealing with water, you have to consider storm water management (including the rate of the flow and the pollutants it carries).” With that information at hand, it makes sense, he said, “to link the hydrologic cycle with the nutrient cycle and the nutrient cycle with the carbon cycle.”
Practical social justice measures:
These implications, taken together with wastewater management, pose an environmentally sound strategy. “It’s as matter of applied stewardship as it concerns the earth. Protecting the earth’s resources is a social justice issue on a grand scale,” he said.
At the same time, project experts at the Center are in the process of arranging for further financial benefits for the region around Hammond, Ind. “As we recycle the nutrients in wastewater, we can gain carbon credits. As we arrange for the capture and storage of storm water runoff, we reduce non-point source pollution, such as storm water runoff.”
The Center is intent on implementing a plan that uses wastes to generate wealth and model safe practices. Full implementation of the project provides overall society with a windfall—improved crop productivity and a cleaner Lake Michigan. The intricacies of the project require a unique collaboration between urban and rural communities along with environmental and conservation entities. Eventually business and industrial partnerships are anticipated to take shape. The practicality of the project relies on a series of agreements between the sanitary district that treats the wastewater and the farmers who supply the food for the cities.
Equally important is the fact that the reuse of wastewater nutrients is a proven method for protecting water quality and preserving farmland. Wastewater reclamation cannot be accomplished without a partnership between environmental program initiatives, businesses, governmental agencies and private concerns. According to Sheaffer, “a tunnel vision” approach is no longer acceptable. The Center has identified its moral responsibility to seed and support economic opportunities that target sustained environmental improvements.
Sheaffer said he looks forward to helping to provide clean water solutions for citizens around the globe and addressing issues specific to the “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and in the oceans.
For information on the Hammond Water Reuse Project or the Center for the Transformation of Waste Technology, call (630) 456-8585. The Center's Web site is currently under construction.
Public Affairs/Communications Specialist
Proposal replenishes Lake Michigan; serves rural and urban economic interests
WHEATON, Ill.—When hydrologist Jack Sheaffer offers an explanation on waste water management he begins with a statement simple enough for a 5-year-old to understand. “All the water that ever was or ever will be has been here since the earth was formed.” A completed impact study of the Hammond Water Reuse Project is slated to demonstrate the societal, economic and environmental benefits of a no-discharge wastewater effluent management and reuse plan funded by a system of carbon credits and commodities trading enough to cover the $150 million outlay.
The practice of carbon trading is routinely relied upon in Europe to fund major infrastructure projects, he said. Already carbon credit experts and Chicago-based commodities investors are planted firmly in the overall project design.
In consideration of the serious implications of climate change and the growth in population, Sheaffer said water and natural nutrients are no longer elements to be wasted. The irrigation effluent not only meets U.S. EPA standards for nutrient release, it also satisfies public health regulations, which mandate regular testing. The project design does not allow for the intrusion of solid waste, Sheaffer stressed.
As Managing Director for the Center for Transformation of Waste Technology (the Center), Sheaffer has designed the kind of project that gets environmentalists, economists and engineers alike cheering for a no-waste, cost-savings, holistic approach to water conservation. His plan is unique because it reclaims pre-used water and uses it to generate wealth. Having gained support for a proof of concept investigation from Indiana’s Sanitary District of Hammond, Sheaffer’s process aims to halt the discharge of sewage effluent into Lake Michigan tributary streams and to reuse the nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, which are the ingredients contained in crop fertilizer. Built on a system of integrated designs that operate to produce revenues enough to cover construction costs along with the financial obligations associated with systems operations and maintenance, the Hammond Water Reuse Project offers an authentic solution for the multi-pronged aspects for sustainable development and environmental preservation.
“We have to unlearn the traditional methods for treating sewage and use sewage instead to generate wealth,” said Sheaffer, a retired research professor at the University of Chicago and nationally acclaimed floodplain specialist.
Project implementation and job creation:
Implementation of the Center project begins by diverting 38 million gallons of already treated effluent from the Sanitary District of Hammond and moving through underground pipes that extend along abandoned railroad tracks to a storage reservoir. From there, the water would be pumped to irrigate 11,350 acres of cropland, parks/open space, designated parcels within the northwest Indiana flood control project, golf courses, property surrounding local airports and cemeteries.
“All in all, it’s a synergistic plan that generates jobs by creating small business opportunities, which provide for a sustainable rural economy,” said Sheaffer. A combination of enhanced crop production and expanded agri-business opportunities calls for the creation of an estimated 100 permanent jobs in the immediate region, he said.
Since 6,900-acres of the total project consist of active farms where corn is the primary crop, Sheaffer has estimated a 57 percent increase in yield due to the draught resistant reclaimed source of irrigation. The option exists for crops to be sold as animal feed or feedstock for use in a newly created ethanol processing plant. The water supply for the ethanol plant itself would come from the storage reservoirs rather than relying on Lake Michigan for its source of operational water.
A project-integrated ethanol plant would produce an estimated 1.49 million pounds of corn oil, which translates into one pound per bushel of feedstock along with 7 million gallons of ethanol. As for the leftovers—mainly protein residuals—they’re not wasted either. Protein residuals would become the basic diet for dairy cattle in a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). A 500-head dairy operation in Lake County, Ind. has been identified as a project partner. The CAFO’s animal manure would be conveyed to an anaerobic digester, which then produces biogas to help power the ethanol plant. In addition, the residuals from the anaerobic digester can be further used as fertilizer on crops.
Environmental improvements to realize goals of 1972 Clean Water Act:
The Hammond Water Reuse Project would manage and reuse the daily release of 38 million gallons of wastewater effluent, which currently is being discharged into the Lake Michigan basin. Specifically, the project would eliminate the unnecessary delivery of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the lake. Sheaffer explained that the practice of irrigation allows for the natural cleaning of water. When land is irrigated with an almost mist-like process delivered weekly through center pivot rigs, the water percolates through the roots of prairie grasses and other plant systems before seeping back into Lake Michigan.
At the same time, the project is designed to serve as a model of clean water practices. Sheaffer’s plan has found support from USDA offices in Northwest Indiana, the Northwest Territory Resource, Conservation and Development Council, Farm Bureau, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission and Northwest Indiana Focus along with municipal and county planners. The project puts into practice the goals identified in the 1972 Clean Water Act, which Sheaffer co-authored in his role as Chief science Advisor over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A crucial aspect of the federal act is the integration of organizations for best practices in the reduction of pollution, conservation of resources and increased revenue streams.
A member of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Group and advisor for the planning organization’s 2040 preparations, Sheaffer is a strong advocate for authentic environmental solutions. “When you’re dealing with water, you have to consider storm water management (including the rate of the flow and the pollutants it carries).” With that information at hand, it makes sense, he said, “to link the hydrologic cycle with the nutrient cycle and the nutrient cycle with the carbon cycle.”
Practical social justice measures:
These implications, taken together with wastewater management, pose an environmentally sound strategy. “It’s as matter of applied stewardship as it concerns the earth. Protecting the earth’s resources is a social justice issue on a grand scale,” he said.
At the same time, project experts at the Center are in the process of arranging for further financial benefits for the region around Hammond, Ind. “As we recycle the nutrients in wastewater, we can gain carbon credits. As we arrange for the capture and storage of storm water runoff, we reduce non-point source pollution, such as storm water runoff.”
The Center is intent on implementing a plan that uses wastes to generate wealth and model safe practices. Full implementation of the project provides overall society with a windfall—improved crop productivity and a cleaner Lake Michigan. The intricacies of the project require a unique collaboration between urban and rural communities along with environmental and conservation entities. Eventually business and industrial partnerships are anticipated to take shape. The practicality of the project relies on a series of agreements between the sanitary district that treats the wastewater and the farmers who supply the food for the cities.
Equally important is the fact that the reuse of wastewater nutrients is a proven method for protecting water quality and preserving farmland. Wastewater reclamation cannot be accomplished without a partnership between environmental program initiatives, businesses, governmental agencies and private concerns. According to Sheaffer, “a tunnel vision” approach is no longer acceptable. The Center has identified its moral responsibility to seed and support economic opportunities that target sustained environmental improvements.
Sheaffer said he looks forward to helping to provide clean water solutions for citizens around the globe and addressing issues specific to the “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and in the oceans.
For information on the Hammond Water Reuse Project or the Center for the Transformation of Waste Technology, call (630) 456-8585. The Center's Web site is currently under construction.
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