A new initiative will help make Chicago’s 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) of alleyways more sustainable. The miniature streets behind homes and buildings, used mainly for garbage collection and parking access, keep main roads cleaner and less congested but are prone to flooding. The city’s innovative Green Alley Program promotes improved construction techniques and materials that can improve drainage, reduce runoff, and relieve strain on the city’s aging sewer system. Model “green” alleyways in Chicago have been re-surfaced with permeable or porous pavement, a relatively new technology that allows water to seep through asphalt, concrete, stone, or plastic.
After filtering through a stone bed, the water can then recharge local water tables, instead of becoming polluted runoff that flows off the road into streams and rivers. The new alley surfaces are made with recycled material and light-colored pavement that reflects heat, keeping them cool on hot days and reducing the “urban heat effect.” The alleys also use energy-saving overhead lighting that directs light downward to minimize light pollution.
Noelle dEstries
Noelle d'Estries, an early GO employee who took on the varied roles of Community Manager, green celebrity blogger, and more. She currently runs worstcookever.com GO entered Noelle's life in February 2007 while she was burning tires in her backyard. A phone call from the green gods at GO, burnt out the fires. Now, Noelle happily wears her GO sweatshirt while eating organic veggies and asking for paper, not plastic. A regular at the local farmer's market, Noelle shuns raking leaves and lawn maintenance, while making gourmet foods constantly. When not staring at her computer screen, she spends time with her equally attractive dog, Tessa, cat, Tim and lover Paul. She currently holds all three point records at RIT and could eat avocados and drink wine for the rest of her life.
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