SEVEN GENERATIONS AHEAD
Building healthy and sustainable communities
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
MISSION Founded in 2001, Seven Generations Ahead's mission is to promote the development of ecologically sustainable and healthy communities. OUR WORK SGA works with local government, community and private sector leaders to help communities make the changes they need to create a healthy and sustainable future. Through community-wide sustainability planning and implementation, project design and implementation, educational conferences and forums, community network development, consulting, and programs, SGA is a catalyst for local community solutions to global environmental issues. SGA's work covers a broad range of sustainability topic areas, including: energy efficiency and renewable energy; transportation; healthy community development; waste reduction; water conservation; green business; procurement; local, sustainable food; healthy eating; open space and ecosystem enhancement; and sustainability education.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Illinois Food Scrap Coalition
SGA began the year disseminating its Food Scrap Composting Challenges and Solutions in Illinois Report and Food Scrap Composting Economic Assessment Report to 50+ Illinois state legislators and other industry stakeholders and advocacy groups. The report contains a national survey of effective policies and programs that are advancing food scrap composting and creating economic development. In summer 2017 SGA held legislator lunch forums to share detailed strategies in the report and explore interest in adapting policies within Illinois. SGA is organizing 4 policy stakeholder forums that will educate compost site operators, waste haulers and food scrap generators about specific state policies that are working elsewhere. SGA is implementing the WeCompost project in restaurants and food establishments in the west loop of Chicago, designed to establish food scrap collection systems. SGA is working with large institutions, including Stroger Hospital, UIC, Malcom X College, and CPS schools to analyze their waste systems and hauling contracts toward establishing food scrap composting systems. August 2017 to May 2018, a total of 638,131 pounds of local or regional food was procured by
our program participants.
Farm to School
SGA is leading the facilitation of the Illinois Farm to School Network (IFSN), and has implemented multiple activities and initiatives including:
a) three local food procurement training for food service directors
b) policy forums on national and state policy related to healthy eating in schools
c) the Great Illinois Apple Crunch – which in 2017 had over 400,000 children from 150 schools crunching into Illinois apples at the same time on the same day while participating in nutrition education activities related to apples and healthy fresh fruits/vegetables
d) Illinois Harvest of the Month (IHOM), which expands Apple Crunch to include procurement, promotional and educational activities related to one fruit/vegetable per month for school lunches and is projected to reach one-half million students in Illinois in 2017
e) organizing of annual Illinois Farm to School summits. SGA is working with Kane County government to implement a project that incorporates development of a local food hub (potentially linked to the Northern IL Food Bank) that would aggregate and distribute local farm food to schools and institutions – and school garden implementation, curriculum training for teachers, and healthy eating education within Aurora, IL and Carpentersville, IL public schools.
SGA co-leads a task force on food recovery and composting in the Chicago metro area.
PlanItGreen
SGA continues to drive the implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Plan for Oak Park, IL and River Forest, IL, which has included:
a) development of a Community Solar initiative designed to establish a 2 megawatt community solar array and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that community institutions can buy into
b) implementation of a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly Safe Routes to School project incorporating parent surveys, safe routes development, barrier identification and solutions recommendations for 4 Oak Park and River Forest schools
c) establishment of a 200-Native Garden/Butterfly Garden Corridor
d) implementation of a Green Guides program designed to educate residents about waste reduction, water conservation and garden development
e) production of forums on climate change adaptation, energy efficiency, and institutional food scrap composting
f) presentations to community institution boards on the recent Community Sustainability Report Card and strategies for aligning budgets and strategies with the goals of the plan.
Fox Valley Sustainability Network (FVSN)
SGA created the Fox Valley Sustainability Network (FVSN) in collaboration with Kane County, the City of Aurora, and a5 Branding and Digital. The FVSN produces 6 topic-specific forums each year for 75 municipal, community institution, university and business practitioners to learn, network and develop collaborative “big idea” projects related to 7 sustainability topic areas. SGA produces an annual mayors breakfast, a large GreenTown conference event, and facilitates project teams designed to achieve specific sustainability and healthy community outcomes.
GreenTown
Since 2007, SGA has produced 20 GreenTown events in cities across four states - Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio – which have brought together public and private sector leaders and advocates to network, learn about sustainable and healthy community best practices, and develop plans for action.
Healthy West Chicago
SGA is supporting the implementation of the Healthy West Chicago Community Action Plan – which SGA created last year – designed to increase healthy eating and physical activity toward reversing the obesity trend in the City of West Chicago. SGA is working on strategies including:
a) Rethink Your Drink Campaign (to reduce intake of sugar sweetened beverages)
b) a walking campaign for city residents
c) farm to school programming
d) overall strategic direction
e) a Healthy West Chicago Community Report Card.
Zero Waste Ambassadors
SGA has implemented its Zero Waste Schools program across the Chicago metro area since 2008, with a focus on increasing recycling, eliminating waste sources, and diverting food scraps for composting. SGA successfully established 14 food scrap collection systems and hauling contracts with 14 Chicago Public Schools, while training teachers on its Zero Waste curriculum.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of carbon emissions prevented (estimated by CO2 equivalent)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
PlanItGreen
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Specifically for Oak Park and River Forest institutions participating in our PlanItGreen initiative.
Material diversion from landfill rates among schools.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Zero Waste Ambassadors
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Covid interrupted this metric for 2020
Number of tons of waste diverted from landfill through work with Chicago Public Schools.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Zero Waste Ambassadors
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Covid kept students and SGA out of schools, and interrupted data for this metric
Number of children accessing local, healthy and sustainable food through our farm to school programs.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Farm to School
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Covid interrupted this metric for 2020 and part of 2021
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
a) Combat Climate Change. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase renewable energy procurement and development in the Chicago metro area in alignment with global renewable energy targets and ghg emissions reduction targets.
b) Grow Local, Sustainable Food Procurement and Production. Increase the volume of locally and sustainably raised food that is procured by schools toward increased local, sustainable food access for children and the benefits of healthy children, clean waterways, healthy soils and a vibrant local economy.
c) Eliminate Waste and Drive Composting. Eliminate waste, increase recycling and divert food scraps from landfills toward creating significant volumes of food scrap-amended compost.
d) Equip Youth to Advocate for their Futures. Educate, engage and train youth to advocate for climate change solutions in their local communities. Connect youth through school-based programming and community sustainability initiatives to take action on behalf of people and the natural environment.
e) Build Sustainable Communities. Catalyze communities through planning, implementation and measurement to achieve sustainability outcomes related to renewable energy; energy efficiency; waste reduction and composting; water conservation and water quality protection; education; bikable/walkable communities; zero waste; ecosystems preservation; native gardens; local sustainable food; local sustainable economic development; and youth development.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Climate Change
-educate institutional, municipal and private sector leaders about the reality of climate change, the changing economics around renewable energy, and opportunities for purchasing solar or other renewable energy and/or installing solar panel arrays on-site.
-connect institutions to an easy-to-use, web-based solar energy purchasing platform.
-analyze energy use data, conduct on-site solar panel installation analyses and connect institutions to solar developers and funding support.
-educate and link institutions to energy efficiency rebates and programs.
Local, Sustainable Food
-educate schools about options for accessing local, sustainable food and enroll them in participating in SGA’s Illinois Harvest of the Month and Apple Crunch programs
-connect schools to an easy-to-use technology platform for local, sustainable food purchasing
-train food service personnel on scratch cooking, menu development with local foods, and support resource acquisition for kitchen equipment upgrades
-enroll stakeholders across Illinois to participate in the Illinois Farm to School Network (IFSN), facilitate the IFSN, and drive action on policy development, local food procurement resource dissemination, training and other opportunities to increase local, sustainable food access
-train teachers to utilize healthy, local food educational curricula and resources
Eliminate Waste and Drive Composting
-implement SGA’s Zero Waste Schools program to educate students on waste reduction and incorporate systems that increase food scrap diversion/composting, increased recycling, waste elimination and food recovery
-work with hospitals, universities, jails, municipal governments and other community institutions to implement food scrap diversion systems
-support strategic planning, implementation and metrics through composting work linked to the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition
-drive state policy that supports organic materials ban, waste diversion goal establishment and strategic planning and other policies and funding programs that build a robust food scrap composting industry
-facilitate the Illinois Wasted Food Solutions Task Force and related learning forums and project teams that drive food scrap composting and food recovery outcomes
Equip Youth to Advocate for Their Futures
-connect youth to Zero Waste Schools program implementation and the importance of waste reduction
-educate youth about healthy eating and the benefits of local, sustainable food and agriculture
-build the It’s Our Future youth sustainability leadership program that empowers youth to advocate for climate change solutions
Build Sustainable Communities
-catalyze Midwest and Illinois sustainability plan development, implementation, metrics and report cards
-facilitate educational forums and action teams linked to the Fox Valley Sustainability Network
-produce GreenTown conferences that bring together public, private and community sector leaders to learn, plan and act on best practices
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
- SGA has 12 staff members and consultants that have deep technical expertise in solar energy, local sustainable food, zero waste, composting, community sustainability planning/implementation and youth development. SGA is a leader in the development of networks and coalitions that address specific sustainability topic area challenges and that approach sustainability within a sub-region.
- SGA has an 11-member Board of Directors, interns and volunteers that support multiple aspects of the organization. SGA’s annual budget is $850,000.
- SGA partners with multiple for-profit and non-profit organizations to complement its skills and capacity, including the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, The Metropolitan Planning Council, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Elevate Energy, the Delta Institute, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, county and municipal governments, and many other NGOs and private sector businesses.
- SGA has founded and/or facilitates regional and statewide networks including the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, the Illinois Farm to School Network, the Illinois Wasted Food Solutions Task Force, the Fox Valley Sustainability Network, GreenTown: The Future of Community, and the Zero Waste Schools Program (and network), and works regularly with county and municipal governments across the Chicago metro area.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
SGA Farm to School Program Growth and Impact over 4 years
The Great Apple Crunch: (child and adult)
2015: 35,000 Illinois participants
2016: 339,103 Illinois participants
2017: 469,848 Illinois participants
2018: 586,331 Illinois participants
2019: 605,530 Illinois participants
Illinois Harvest of the Month:
2016: pilot year, 5 school districts participants; 70,213 children participating
2017/18: inaugural year, 28 participants including 23 school districts and 5 individual school garden programs, 8 partner organizations; 477,605 children participating; Withdrawal Rate: 6 schools
2018/19: year two, 50 participants which include 27 school districts, 5 residential programs, and 3 early childcare facilities. And, 12 garden program sites represented by 1 residential facility and 11 individual schools. We have 4 partner organizations sharing program information this year.
HOTM program total includes 519,035 children participating in all.
Withdrawal Rate to date: 3 schools
SGA Zero Waste Schools Program Impact:
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Total # of students impacted = 15,893
Total # site visits = 39
Total # emails/calls for support = 152
Pounds of waste diverted from landfills = Over 342 tons/year
Greenhouse gas emissions avoided = Over 376 MTCO2E/year
CPS Commercial Composting and Recycling Program:
Number of students impacted = 10,126
Site visits in 2018 = 20
Emails/calls for support in 2018 = 62
Solar:
Total Kilowatts of Solar installations SGA helped to catalyze: 353 kilowatts/4 projects
PlanItGreen:
PlanItGreen recently produced the 2018 Community Sustainability Report Card for Oak Park, IL and River Forest, IL. The report card issues letter grades for progress against goals in each of 9 topic areas across Energy, Waste, Transportation, Education, Water, Community Development, Food, Economic Development, Open Space/Ecosystems. These results are to be used to further catalyze advancements across each topic in the community.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SEVEN GENERATIONS AHEAD
Board of directorsas of 06/26/2023
Mark Ledogar
Mark Ledogar
The Ledo Group
Pete Case
Northwestern Mutual
Alan Shannon
USDA
Amy Antoniolli
Schiff Hardin
Colleen Feeny
Blue Earth Deconstruction
Joey Rath
Ferrara Candy
Tracey Nicastro
Sidley Austin
Rowan Richards
Assemblize
Warren King
Wellspring Ltd
Treijon Johnson
Mars Wrigley
Gary Cuneen
SGA
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
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