Guest guest Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 Helen, Thanks for telling me about this! We'll be going up that way several times this summer on the way to visit family. Nickolas Hein Morgantown WV - Helen RawSeattle Saturday, June 05, 2004 1:50 AM [RawSeattle] sustainable living Just outside Chicago... ... there's a place called STELLE! Just outside Chicago, there's a place called Illinois! This was our slogan when I worked for the Illinois Office of Tourism in the late ''70s. Accompanied by a catchy little jingle, many people still remember it. Between my job as a public relations assistant promoting tourism sites in and outside Chicago, and my college days a few years earlier at Illinois State University rising up out of the cornfields of Central Illinois, I became very familiar with the names of many small towns in Illinois. I still remember the procession of communities along old Rt. 66 as we approached ISU and Normal/Bloomington: Chenoa, Lexington, Towanda, Normal! One sleepy litle town off the beaten path escaped me--an intentional community founded in the early 70's as a model for human development and sustainable living--Stelle. Truthfully, I wouldn't have had much interest in Stelle back then anyway as this was long before I developed a passion for organic food and green living. Stelle itself wasn't quite ready for the world to know about it either! It had no tourism sites to visit, let alone write about. No quaint shops for plunking down toursim dollars, no restaurants to sample homecooked flavor, not even a gas station to fill up at on the way to somewhere else! In fact, all it really offered was a quiet life far--but not too far--from the hectic pace of Chicago and the boisterous lifestyles of nearby college towns. For over 30 years, Stelle has attracted people interested in living in community with like-minded others in a way that is harmonious with the Earth and modern life. Yes, modern life! This is no Amish town! Over the years, Stelle has found ways to be in sync with technology and sustainability. A windmill turns complacently in the breeze generating electricity for the water treatment plant and telephone company also offering high speed internet service. (On its website, Stelle Telephone claims to be the first solar-powered telephone switch in North American totally independent from the electric grid.). Most of the homes boast of solar panels as Stelle houses the midwest office of Sunwize, a pioneering solar engineering company. A little closer to the ground, many families share in the work and harvest of a community organic garden and orchard. Community activities include Earth Day and other seasonal celebrations as well as school, lunch and dinner co-ops. Have I heard you let out a sigh yet? Recently, Paul and I had the pleasure of visiting Stelle and meeting the board of directors of Center for Sustainable Community, a not for profit organization founded in 2001 by half a dozen or so residents who share a vision of helping others create their own sustainable ways of living. Located about 30 miles southwest of Kankakee, halfway between interstates 55 and 57, there is no way to get to Stelle without weaving through picturesque fields of corn and soybeans. It took us about an hour and a half from my home in the far western sububrbs. As we zig zagged across the landscape, we spotted the windmill serving as an unofficial landmark for the tiny community. Entering Stelle is like turning into a well-kept subdivision of mostly ranch style homes with neat lawns and perennial flowers waving everywhere. At first the windmill and gleaming solar panels are your only clues that something is different about this country community. Center for Sustainable Community, located at 123 Crescent St., has converted one of the few dozen homes into its office and gathering place for monthly open houses (see the following e-mail on its next open house this Sunday, June 6th) and other activities. Simple furnishings and books and posters on sustainable living welcome both the curious and the well-entrenched. Bedrooms have been converted into treatment rooms for visiting holistic practitioners. After hearing about Stelle's history and plans for its future including hosting the International Institute for Ecological Agriculture's premier permaculture designer's certification course July 17-August 1st, we headed just outside Stelle to nearby Kempton and Greenhouse B & B for a delightful dinner. Greenhouse B & B is run by Mark and Guia Hoffman who turned their family home into a cozy bed and breakfast inn three years ago to accommodate would-be visitors to Stelle. While the stately farmhouse itself is painted green, the name really comes from the Hoffmans' committment to sustainable living. Guia is a professional chef and Mark wears many hats including beekeeper. They use as many ingredients from their garden and farm as they can including asparagus, strawberries and eggs. The fragrant fresh dill in our salad that evening was most inviting! The grounds surrounding the home are nothing less than breathtaking featuring a meandering pond and bridge, a gazebo and an Asian-influenced arbor. Hundreds of perennial flowers offer spectacular color. All of it is a labor of love by Mark, Guia and their now grown children. We have already been back to Stelle since our first visit and plan to attend this Sunday's open house featuring intuitive Amy Biank. Greenhouse B & B and Center for Sustainable Community are members of the Organic Food Network and we plan on working with them as they grow and offer with love what they've learned about sustainable community. We invite you to explore the websites listed here and of course, Stelle itself! Greenhouse B & B offers a nurturing overnight stay and a delicious breakfast. Just outside Chicago, there's a simply stellar sustainable community called Stelle! www.CenterforSustainableCommunity.org www.stellecommunity.com www.stelle.net www.greenhousebed.com Eat healthy and enjoy, Laura Black, CN Director, Organic Food Network Paul Stillman Assistant Director www.organicfoodnetwork.net AS THE NETWORK GROWS SO DO THE POSSIBILITIES! -- This message scanned for viruses by CoreComm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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