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Innovation in Urban Agriculture Design Initiative

In partnership with the Chicago International Charter School–Irving Park campus, Archeworks is developing innovative prototypes and programs to support the school’s “Zero Waste” plan for integrated recycling, source reduction, and composting systems.  We are designing several composter prototypes at various scales, including a year-round medium-scale composter that processes the school’s organic compostable food scraps and other materials. One or more of these prototypes may be used as learning tools in classrooms for grades 1-7. To support the school’s goal of preparing youth to become life-long ecological citizens, we will also develop related curriculum that ties student learning to Zero Waste principles.

We will also lay important groundwork for a public education and stewardship campaign that inspires students, teachers, parents, and the surrounding neighborhood to embrace core principles of resource conservation and locally sourced healthy food.  This awareness campaign will be an important first step for engaging the school as well as other community stakeholders and institutional anchors in a sustainable food and waste system. Our neighborhood engagement efforts will also include a foodshed mapping project supported by a team of undergraduate urban planning students at the University of Illinois-Chicago.