UPTOWN — The Institute of Cultural Affairs in the USA is unveiling a $600,000 solar panel project on Sept. 24. Before then, it plans to spread environmental awareness around the neighborhood.
On Thursday, from 6-8 p.m. at its landmark Uptown building, 4750 N. Sheridan Road, ICA will live-stream a panel discussion about the public policy implications of climate change in the Midwest.
The discussion, happening live at 678 N. Wells, will feature WGN-TV weatherman Tom Skilling, Nobel Laureate Donald Wuebbles, Chicago's chief sustainability officer Karen Weigert, environmental law expert Mary Gade, and be moderated by MarySue Barrett, president of the Metropolitan Planning Council.
On Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon, ICA has scheduled a workshop titled "Communicating Sustainability within a Polarized Society," led by George Marshall, co-founder of the Climate Outreach and Information Network in the UK.
"This interactive workshop takes on the urgent question of why climate change is still being ignored in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence," according to a release. "Participants will develop an understanding of current theory, new tools to analyze existing communications and a step-by-step process for developing narratives for their own audiences."
The events are part of ICA's "Sustainable September" initiative, but the headline event comes next Wednesday, when the organization plans to unveil nearly 500 solar panels on the roof of its building. The $600,000 effort could save ICA more than $16,000 a month in electricity costs, ICA officials said.
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