Eat Well. Eat Smart.

Author: Jessica Levin

If you are a frequent Chicago Farmers Market shopper, you may be familiar with the company Tomato Mountain.

Tomato Mountain is a certified organic, 12 acre farm located 25 miles north of Madison, Wisconsin. Chris Covelli, who owns and operates Tomato Mountain, is a unique individual with a plethora of knowledge relating to farming.

In 2009, Covelli brought Robin Schirmer onto his team as the Chicago-area Sales Manager. She has helped recruit 7 Chicago representatives who will attend at least twenty-two markets this summer, a common strategy used by other farmers to increase their market presence. Tomato Mountain wants to have more than a warm body at markets; representatives must have a consistent presence at the same markets each week and be well informed and passionate about the products they sell.

Covelli differentiates himself by adding value to his homegrown organic products at the height of their freshness by jarring and preserving them. This way he is not selling the same products as other farmers, which decreases competition. His premier products are salsas, preserves, soups, pasta sauce and Bloody Mary mix, all available on his website. Or, if you’re in the mood for immediate gratification, go to a farmers market and taste the samples yourself.

Tomato Mountain cultivates quality products with sturdy seedlings, which are available at markets during the beginning of the season. Additionally, the farm harbors 14-16 hoop houses, a type of enclosed greenhouse used to protect plants from harmful weather conditions. Most farmers use this method to extend their season but Covelli farms this way all year long. The result of this farming is that he can offer premier products weeks before other farmers and harvest 40-60 varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes.

Covelli also raises celery leaves, garlic, onions, basil, raspberries, strawberries and a variety of peppers. All of these products are used in making his fruit preserves. Supporting local Farmers Markets is one way you can help support a sustainable food system.

It is no secret that today we face a multitude of environmental issues that have been a negative impact on our planet. Environmental concern has gained much momentum and a number of non-profit groups, businesses, and even ordinary people have begun taking action. The Obama administration has noticed this and begun addressing these issues, but the truth is that addressing the problem is not enough. It is time for everyone to take immediate responsibility for the environmental damage humans have caused. You would be surprised that making a big difference can be as easy as purchasing locally grown food.

Buying locally gives the consumer the opportunity to make a socially-responsible decision, while positively impacting farmers’ businesses by allowing them to earn a fair wage. Communities throughout the Chicagoland area host several farmers markets all year long. Finding a market near your community is as simple as visiting www.localharvest.org.

Wouldn’t you rather meet the farmer who grew your food?
Chicago 2009 Farmers Markets: www.explorechicago.org

A special thanks to Robin Schirmer, who was kind enough to educate me about Tomato Mountain

Pivotal Welcomes New Team Member!

We are so pleased to welcome Sarah Snyder to the Pivotal team for the summer!

Sarah is a student at Lexington College studying Hospitality Management with a concentration in Event Planning.

It's only day 2 and she is already invaluable!


Sarah can be reached at sarah@pivotalchicago.com

Pivotal Guest Spot on Metro Minutes

Click Here

Friday Night Farmers Market at Uncommon Ground

Every Friday
Uncommon Ground Restaurant
6/5/09-10/30/09 4-8pm

in the parking lot
1401 West Devon Avenue

Featuring:
Harvest Moon Organic Farms
Goose Island Brewery
Mint Creek Farm
Seedling Farm
BarkBarkClub
Delightful Pastries

Don't miss it!

CSA's Good for You...Great for Your Kids

Pivotal is pleased to introduce guest blogger Caitlin Murray Giles.

Are you thinking about ways to make your family a bit "greener" this summer? I have the perfect idea for you -- join a CSA. Here, I'll tell you why I think that our CSA has been great for my kids and then you can decide for yourself.

My kids' approach to vegetables is fairly typical: skeptical about most and downright oppositional about others. Sure, they'll eat broccoli or mixed greens. Maybe even the occasional roasted pepper or grilled ear of corn. But serve them a roasted beet or a bowl of butternut squash soup and expect some serious resistance.

My husband and I are trying to raise good eaters because we love food and we want our three little ones to love food too. So we spend a lot of time together thinking about food, preparing food and eating food together as a family. Sometimes our brood devours dinner plates full of the season's finest offerings and other times we get scrunched up faces, skeptical scowls and "no thanks."

But we press on.

I think that the first step to healthy family eating is actually getting the fresh produce into your house. And that is why I absolutely love our CSA. What the heck is a CSA, you ask? A CSA (short for Community Supported Agriculture) is an arrangement where the "shareholders" (that's you) pay a group of farmers in advance for a "share" of their collective crop throughout the growing season. Under this model, the farmers get a steady market for their crops and you get to enjoy the fruits of their labor throughout the summer and fall. It is like having a mini farmer's market in your own kitchen!

We are about to begin our third season with Home Grown Wisconsin, a cooperative of over twenty farms committed to using sustainable and organic practices. We pick up our weekly box at a location less than a mile from our house. The contents of each week's box are always a surprise, although we get an email a day in advance telling us what to expect -- plus recipes and tips for storing and using the produce.

Our CSA experience has opened up a whole world of produce for our entire family. I am the first to admit that things like lacinato kale, kohlrabi, and garlic scapes make me a little bit nervous. But each week, we pick up our box and open it together. We immediately devour the berries or split open the melon. We examine the contents and talk about what looks good, what looks unfamiliar and what looks like it would be fun to play catch with (usually an eggplant or something). We touch. We smell. We taste. We do it together.

Our CSA has been a great opportunity to teach our children that zucchini and blueberries don't just appear on grocery store shelves. This is a weekly chance to talk to my urban-dwelling babes about the fact that people work hard to grow the food we eat.

My kids aren't willing to try every single item in our weekly boxes. But they do try some new things. And they watch Mom and Dad eat all sorts of things and talk about how delicious it all was.

It has quite simply been a very good thing.

If you think that a CSA would be a good thing for your family too, check out Local Harvest to find one that fits your needs.

Caitlin Murray Giles is a freelance writer and mama of three living in (and loving) the Wicker Park neighborhood. She chronicles her adventures with her little ones at A Hen and Two Three Chicks. Her work has appeared locally in Chicago Parent and Mindful Metropolis.

Internship Opportunity

Looking for a summer internship with a super fun, green minded, event company?

Pivotal is currently seeking a fun and focused intern with the following skills & abilities:

*Social Networking Knowledge (Facebook, Twitter)
*Press Release and Marketing Content Writing Abilities
*Skilled in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint
*Committed to Environmental and Social Responsibility
*Online research skills
*Marketing, PR, Event Planning Majors Preferred
*Women, GLBT, and Minorities highly encouraged to apply

Must be organized, personable and flexible (and like dogs)

Please send resume and writing sample to shannon@pivotalchicago.com
(This is an unpaid part-time internship for the summer)
Hours are highly negotiable. I am willing to work with your college to secure you credit hours.

Fun Free Summer Fun!

Starting June 3rd

Free Concerts!
Music without Borders at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park

Sample the city's ongoing celebration of international music with 8 don't miss concerts at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. This year featuring performers from South Korea, Pakistan, Mali, Cape Verde, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Morocco and COLOMBIA!

Visit the website for more information
http://www.millenniumparkconcerts.org/musicwithoutborders/

A Fresh Squeeze at Green Festival

What an amazing experience! We had such a great time designing this great booth for A Fresh Squeeze's booth at Green Festival. It looked amazing and drew a crowd all weekend long.

Everyone certainly knew 'A Fresh Squeeze' was back for good! Sign up for this great newsletter and learn all about all things green in Chicagoland.

Photo by Woodbury Photography

Love the booth? Want to rent it out and fill it with something fun for your next trade show or event? Give me a call 773.983.6328

Green Festival Chicago!

This Saturday and Sunday at Navy Pier, Global Exchange and Green America bring you Chicago Green Festival.

125 speakers. 300 Exhibitors and sooo much green! Tons of information and giveaways. Pivotal designed the booth for 'A Fresh Squeeze' newsletter and it is dope people. Stop by booth 1111 to check it out. If you can guess how many oranges I used you could win a flip cam.

I would love to see all your shining faces so be sure to say hello...I'll be in that booth both days all day! Phew...I need some good shoes.

Pivotal featured in A Fresh Squeeze

Pivotal was just featured in the online newsletter
'A Fresh Squeeze'
This wonderful newsletter features stories of all things Green in Chicago...sign up today!

Click Here to check out the article

They will be exhibiting at the Green Festival so be sure to drop by and say hello!

Lincoln Park Pedicab

How much fun is this?
A very Chicago-chic tuk tuk.
Ah how I miss traveling through Thailand by tuk tuk!

How about being driven to your wedding in a zero-emission totally green pedicab? Or riding through the city handing out samples of your new green product using the cargo bike? Oh the options are endless!

These bad boys are for rent (with or without driver) or purchase and for a bit extra how about custom signage?! Can you say mobile green billboard people?

Check them out: www.lincolnparkpedicab.com

Happy Earth Day!

I believe Earth Day should be like New Years and inspire everyone to make a New Earth Day resolution or two about how you are going to make a change toward living a Greener lifestyle.

This year my resolution is going to be to consciously use my buying power to support other small, local, sustainable, socially responsible businesses. I do this but I think I can do better...especially in the realm of home improvement. So I am happy to report I look forward to supporting the following businesses in the upcoming "Earth Calendar" (I just made that up...feel free to use it)

Colori (an eco-paint boutique) www.colorichicago.com

Greenwerks (Chicago's green contractor) www.greenwerkspro.com

Green Maker (Green Living Supplies) www.greenmakersupply.com

Conquest Pest Solutions (Quick, clean, green) www.conquestpestsolutions.com (Ok I am hoping not to need them but you just never know)

Granite Transformations (Green counter tops & mosaic tiles) www.granitetransformations.com

The ReBuild Exchange (ReUse Building Materials) www.delta-institute.org/rebuildingexchange/

What are you going to do this Earth Day to make a move towards a greener lifestyle? (Besides support Pivotal Production ;)

Pivotal Favorites Part I

In the interest of sharing the green love and helping to spread the word about good folks doing good things, I am releasing Pivotal's favorites! I hope you support these lovely folks in their various missions to do good. (Hey if Oprah can do it so can I!)

Media

Mindful Metropolis - www.mindfulmetropolis.com New Chicago Magazine Launching May 1st.

Conscious Living TV - www.consciouslivingtv.com Learn about making conscious choices for a better life through interesting and fun webisodes



Paper/Printing

WomanCraft - www.womancraft.net Handmade recycled paper by women working to create new beginnings

Consolidated Printing - www.consolidatedprinting.net Pioneers of green and sustainable printing



Food/Catering

Monogramme Events and Catering - www.monogrammeevents.com Delicious, delightful, sustainable, and they run a non-profit too! Purple Asparagus www.purpleasparagus.com

The Balanced Kitchen Catering - www.gfreev.com/balancedkitchen.html Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Scrumptious Catering

Uncommon Ground Restaurant - www.uncommonground.com Delicious, committed to local, organic and sustainable, gorgeous space and lovely, lovely people

Katherine Anne Confections - www.katherine-anne.com Truffles! Amazing!



Photographers

Vrai Photography - www.vraiphoto.com Brilliant and Oh so Green

Woodbury Photography - www.woodburyphotography.com - Up and Coming!



Venues

Woman Made Gallery - www.womanmade.org -
You can rent out this beautiful and green minded gallery AND be supporting women made art in the process. It gets no better than that folks

West Loop Studio - www.westloopstudio.com
So much natural light, great furniture, urban loft vibe, green minded folks, Great space for a meeting or brainstorming session!



Floral

Flowers with Feeling - www.flowerswithfeeling.com Beautiful florals and commitment to green (and getting greener everyday...great recycled glass products)



Bloggers

The Eco Chic Organizer - www.ecochicorganizer.com Smart, funny and green!

Goodness that was fun! I'm going to do this more often ;)
Up Next...Pivotal's Favorite Artists!

Support Women in the Arts!

Pivotal Production is pleased to be helping Woman Made Gallery with their annual art auction. Here is the info...

Woman Made:
We are pleased to announce plans for this year’s annual Gala, themed “In Good Taste,” including several entirely new features. First, we’re delighted to have Alpana Singh from TV’s “Check, Please!” as our celebrity host. Second, we will host the event at a new venue, EnVent, which is just five minutes from the Gallery, at 344 N. Ogden. Delicious food and drinks will be donated by Chicago's most enjoyable restaurants, including The Italian Village Restaurants and Caterer Amazing Edibles.

Under the guidance of Co-Chairs Pamella Capitanini and Amy Stoeffler, and members of our hard-working board and auction committee, we will rely again on many individuals to make this a successful fundraising event. Contact us at gallery@womanmade.org or 312-738-0400 if you wish to get involved in any way, be a host or sponsor, purchase admission tickets ($65) or an ad in our event brochure, buy raffle tickets, or give a monetary donation. This is a great opportunity to support Woman Made Gallery's programs, which have helped thousands of women artists to exhibit their work.

Please join the ranks of sponsors who have made it possible for Woman Made Gallery to celebrate its 17th anniversary this year. Because of widespread funding cuts, especially in the arts, the annual Gala offers a greater opportunity to support our programs, which have helped more than 6000 women artists to exhibit their work.

We hope that you will support Woman Made Gallery by becoming a sponsor and joining us on Saturday, April 25th, from 6:30 to 10:00 pm, for a spirited and fun-filled evening.

This year’s sponsor levels are:

* Collector Circle - $2500 - ten tickets
* Art Angel - $1000 - six tickets
* Visionary - $500 - four tickets
* Patron - $250 - two tickets
* Friend - $100 - one ticket

Or buy individual tickets for $65

Live Auction Items include:
1) Artwork by Francine Turk
2) Artwork by Uli Osterman
3) Alpana Singh Private Wine Tasting party for up to 12
4) Reception for 40 at Woman Made Gallery

Endless Silent Auction Items

Raffle Prizes Include $1,000 CASH

We hope to see you there!

Earth Hour is TOMORROW!

With the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote, Vote Earth is a global call to action for every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet.

Turn off your lights from 8:30 - 9:30!

How Do Green Companies Prove Themselves?

Read this great article -

http://www.greenexchange.com/read.php?id=40

PIVOTAL TURNS 2 TODAY!!!

Could I be any prouder right now of this company?! The answer is nope.
What an amazing and inspiring two years. We are living the dream and want to thank all of you for helping us have such a productive and successful 2 years.

Looking forward to so many more!

Ironically, this lovely article came out today about Pivotal...such a nice birthday present!
Check it out http://chicagonista.com/articles/?p=643

The article was written by the amazing Jen Khatchatrian who is co-editor of Chicagonista, founder of Chicago Green Families and the blogger aka The EcoChic Organizer.

Just the most lovely woman who might be the greenest mom on earth!

THANK YOU ALL! You are soooo appreciated. Big Hugs!

Green Exchange Features Pivotal

Want to learn more about Pivotal and how it all started?

Check out this great interview I did with the folks at the Green Exchange...

Pivotal Productions - Creating Planet-Friendly Parties and Eco-Events
Founder Shannon Downey shares her eventful story...

Click Here to Read the Full Interview!

Pivotal is moving to the GREEN EXCHANGE!

We are so proud and excited to have signed our first commercial lease!

Pivotal Production will be moving into a very hot loft office space at the Green Exchange when it opens later this year.

The building will feature a beautiful green event space with gorgeous gardens.
We look forward to helping you plan a beautiful event, wedding, or party at the GX!

What is the Green Exchange You Ask?

"Imagine a place where more than one hundred of the country’s leading green businesses share ideas, services and customers under one giant green roof. Envision a rich array of products, services and showrooms all available in an iconic, state-of-the-art green building overlooking Chicago’s most traveled thoroughfare.

Later this year, Green Exchange will open its doors as the country’s largest sustainable business community, offering 272,000 square feet of convenient one-stop shopping options where the public can engage directly with the country’s leading green businesses, eco-speakers, events and ideas.

Green Exchange is committed to shifting the green marketplace from niche to mainstream, making green living easy and accessible for the public, and giving green businesses and innovators the national stage they need to grow exponentially."

We look forward to having you all to our new offices soon!

Sylvia Goes Green!

Pivotal Production is pleased to be helping Sylvia go Green! Get your tickets today for this exciting event!

Enjoy a rare opportunity to spend an evening with Nicole Hollander, creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon, Sylvia. Nicole will discuss her life in comics, Sylvia's origins and getting syndicated, read a few odd fan letters, and wonder about what's next.

This special evening will be held at Woman Made Gallery on January 24, 2009 6:30 until 8:30 p.m.
Tickets are $150 per person.
All proceeds benefit Woman Made Gallery. For more information, call 312-738-0400.

www.sylviagoesgreen.org