Blacks in Green creates sustainable vision for Woodlawn

Blacks in Green Founder Naomi Davis in front of Till Home. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLACKS IN GREEN.
Blacks in Green Founder Naomi Davis in front of Till Home. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLACKS IN GREEN.

Blacks in Green creates sustainable vision for Woodlawn

By Tia Carol Jones

Recently, Blacks in Green received $10 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to serve as an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center. The hope is that investment will result in clean water, clean air and clean energy. The organization was one of 17 organizations to receive this investment.

Nuri Madina, Sustainable Square Mile Director with Blacks in Green, said that while the organization has been doing environmental justice work for years, the government, foundations and public are starting to recognize the importance of this kind of stewardship in communities, especially communities of color.

Blacks in Green was founded by Naomi Davis, with a focus on environmental energy and sustainable communities, with eight green building principles: energy, housing, horticulture, waste, organization, culture and tourism. Green worked for years in West Woodlawn, informing and educating people on the importance of sustainability.

The Sustainable Square Mile is an example of those principles with a concept that enables residents to walk to work, walk to shop and walk to play.  “The philosophy that we’re working through is that only a whole system approach can solve a whole system problem that is common in Black communities everywhere,” said Nuri Madina, Sustainable Square Mile Director with Blacks in Green.

Renovation of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House is part of the Sustainable Square Mile Model. Blacks in Green acquired the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House, located at 6427 S. St. Lawrence.  With the help of a preservation team, Blacks in Green was able to get the building landmarked by the City of Chicago. A $250,000 grant enabled the organization to start the process of renovating the exterior of the building.

There also is a schematic plan for the interior of the building. David Yocca, Director of Green Infrastructure for Blacks in Green, said the goal is to be restorative and net positive. “Eventually the neighborhood will produce more energy than it consumes and more food,” Yocca said.

Blacks in Green is using programs to ensure the Emmett Till Campus and Sustainable Square Mile is designed to fit into the organization’s principles. Active House is one of the programs, which takes into consideration comfort, energy and environment in the construction of buildings.

High performance landscape is also part of the Emmett Till Campus, with a focus on green roofs and green walls, biodiversity and habitat. A key component is locally available nutrient dense food.  “We know that these high performing living surfaces help improve air quality, reduce particulate matter and promote cooling, which directly relates to energy efficiency and general human health,” Yocca said.

Food gardens are a big part of Blacks in Green’s programs. Blacks in Green owns and maintains gardens in the Woodlawn and West Woodlawn communities. One is the Mamie Till Forgiveness Garden, located on the Northwest corner of 64th and St. Lawrence. There also is the Garden of the Ancestors, located near 61st and St. Lawrence, and a garden at 60th and St. Lawrence, at the entry of Washington Park.

“Over the past few years, we’ve planted more than 300 trees here, in the community, in conjunction with our green infrastructure program,” Madina said. For more information about Blacks in Green, visit blacksingreen.org.

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