Parkways for Pollinators

EEC's Parkways for Pollinators program seeks to transform public spaces into pollinator forage and habitat, working to remediate the soil and capture carbon.

With seeds sourced from the community, growing resources provided by Loyola's Urban Agriculture Program, and distribution through the Edgewater Environmental Coalition, we are pleased to offer native plant seedlings for our registered Parkways for Pollinators sites.

EEC provides resources including education, designs, planting supplies and materials, and native plant seedlings to registered sites.

Resources for sites:

• Parkways for Pollinators Sign-up
  
  • ​Sign up to join the community and be a part of our native plant distribution
    
• Not sure where to start? Check out our how-to guide on establishing a native garden HERE.
• Get inspired for your site design with our planting guide HERE.
• For a list of 2022 seedlings and plant info, click HERE.
• Spring 2022 Seedling Identification Tool HERE.
  
• Check out photos from our 2021 plantings HERE.
• Does your site need a perimeter fence? See examples HERE.
• Got more questions? Check out our FAQ HERE.

Pictures
Please share pictures! Email them to sustainedgewater@gmail.com, tag EEC on social media (IG: @sustainedgewater FB: @sustainedgewater.org TWTR: @EdgewaterEnvCo) and use the hashtag #sustainedgewater.

Extras Tidbits

• Parkways are contaminated with heavy metals, avoid having bare skin touch the earth, and clean yourself and your clothes and gloves after interacting with the soil.
• ​Join iNaturalist and the Native Plants of Chicago group and document your observations for community science! 
• Think about hosting a mutual aid free food source in raised beds/planters at your garden with the Edgewater Mutual Aid Network.
• Consider the area beside parked cars and your garden, you'll want to leave space so people getting of cars don't trample your garden. 
• Rabbits love little native seedlings! Take measures to prevent them from munching on your small plants. 
  
  

Site Details & Criteria:

• Acceptable sites are any publicly accessible spaces, including community's gardens, school yards, natural areas, parkways, and corner gardens.
• Native plant recipients are encouraged to make a small donation in support of the program.

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Volunteering & Donating:

• Volunteer opportunities include sorting and organizing seeds, preparing native plants for distribution, and helping prepare site locations for planting.
• Donations of native plant seeds are accepted, please contact us for more info on how to donate.

If there are any questions about registering a site, volunteering, and/or donating, please contact us at sustainedgewater@gmail.com!