Green Family Festival

I attended the Green Family Festival that was held at the Irish American Heritage Center on April 17th and 18th, 2010. I was on the advisory board for the festival, which was an Earth Day Celebration for families to share natural, healthy ways to raise children and positively impact their communities and the environment. It was a fun, interactive and educational festival for families with children of all ages. In the picture above, I am with the organizers of the festival: Tim McDonnell, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Center, Mary Johnson Gorski of the Irish American Heritage Center and Co-Chair of the festival, and Marybeth Rebedeau of the Green Parents Network and Co-Chair of the festival. I presented a MWRDGC resolution to the organizers in honor of the Green Family Festival. I appreciate and applaud their dedication to organizing the festival and promoting healthy, happy homes.


At the festival we had Chef Carole Nyitray cook up some tasty Asian carp dishes. In the picture above we are tasting the Asian carp tacos. Chef Carole also made Asian carpcakes, and Asian carp chowder.


I moderated the Asian Carp Update Panel at the Festival. Speakers on the panel included Ed Staudacher, Civil Engineer with the MWRDGC, Steve Pescitelli, stream biologist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Colonel Vincent J. Quarles, Chicago District Commander for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Mike Weimer, Assistant Regional Director for US Fish and Wildlife, and Todd Main, Senior Policy Advisor for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. We discussed the current state of the Asian carp issue here in Illinois.


I also helped organize the Environmentalism and Religion: An Interfaith Discussion Panel which was moderated by Tim McDonnell, Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Center. Featured on the panel were Jill Zenof, Director of the Gan Project, Father Thomas J Loya, STB, MA pastor of the Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, IL, Reverend Doctor Velma E. King, and Sheikh Kifah Mustapha an Imam and the Associate Director of the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, IL. The panel discussed the role that different religions can play in promoting environmental stewardship.