Collaborate for the Future with New Allies
In creating new visions for the future of your own green community, it can be helpful to learn what others are doing. These videos, created as part of The Field Museum’s New Allies for Nature and Culture program—which was the inspiration for Go Green @ Your Illinois Library—reveal ways in which Chicago-area organizations are collaborating with unconventional partners on sustainability initiatives. Learn how various organizations and communities are finding solutions to social and environmental challenges, and discover how an innovative approach can improve both environment and quality of life.
You can watch the videos in any order or view them according to their themes. Each video is accompanied by discussion questions to draw out comparisons that highlight common concerns shared by community and environmental organizations.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHT: WAUKEGAN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Learn how Waukegan Public Library’s collaboration with the New Allies for Nature and Culture program blossomed into the annual Mariposa festival, which brings together diverse organizations from across Lake County, IL to engage residents in arts, nature, and heritage.
Video Activities
Watch the Intro | Watch the Conclusion | Video Credits
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Food
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Community
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Art
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Health
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Education
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| Watch the Videos: | Watch the Videos: | Watch the Videos: | Watch the Videos: | Watch the Videos: |
| Download the Discussion Guide >>  |
Download the Discussion Guide >> |
Download the Discussion Guide >> |
Download the Discussion Guide >> |
Download the Discussion Guide >> |
Watch the entire series >>Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |
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Foster Green Partnerships: A Workshop for Exploring Common Ground
Bring together community leaders and organizations to watch some of the videos above and begin to foster new alliances for green community action. The workshop described in this guide provides a starting point for exploring new partnerships to benefit people and the planet.
>> Download Facilitator's Guide
>>Download Facilitator's Guide - printable version
Additional Workshop Resources:
What Common Ground? (New Allies Project Report)
New Allies for Nature and Culture identified shared interest among environmental and community organizations in five areas: health/food, economic development, climate change, arts/cultural practices, and youth development. Read more about these “green” issues in the project report, “Creating a Sustainable Chicago Region.”
>> Download printable project report
What Does Green Look Like?
This interactive exercise is part of the Foster Green Partnerships workshop (and is explained in the Facilitator's Guide, downloadable above). It uses photographs to spark conversation about links between people and nature. Visual imagery is a fundamental and powerful tool for communication and an engaging way to explore people’s diverse perceptions about what environment means.