Chicago Center for Green Technology

Came for a class field trip and gotta say, pretty cool PV solar panels. Out tour guide was AWSOME and showed us their green roof. Wish I could’ve seen some bees at their bee display but they were out hunting. Parking is free and the also got a couple of bike racks.

What was an industrial environmental nightmare has become the premier platinum LEEDS certified building in the Midwest, if not America. If you want to learn to be Green, their classes are the best. You can even go for a GTU certificate, I have 4 of them!
This place is a serene oasis where you can just sit in the gardens and commune with nature, take a tour, or a class. There is something for both the novice and the professional. Their resource center can connect you with the professionals and services to make all your sustainable dreams come true.

we go here to drop off our recycling because nobody picks up in our neighborhood. nice facility, and the setup is great because it’s off the main road so it’s usually quiet and there’s no traffic. we hardly ever see other people, but the bins definitely get a lot of use because they are often times full of recycling when we get there. it’s a lot of fun for the kids… just wish we didn’t have to take the recycling anywhere!
the facility itself looks really nice, but we’ve never been inside.

Want to recycle? Can’t do so at home? Here’s your dumping ground. Er, less dumping and more recycling, but still.
They couldn’t make it easier. You don’t need to sort your stuff, you can drive right up: really, all-​around convenient. I suppose it might not be great for people who need to take public transportation, but if you’re doing that, I can’t imagine that you’re bringing a whole lot to recycle.
Even inside, they give you plenty of info about whatever green tech you might be interested in. Folks on staff can direct you to whatever resource you might want, either in their library or even online. Stellar staff.

For our recycling household this is as good as it gets. They have 5 large recycling dumpsters that you can actually drive right up to and most of the time you can find one that is not overflowing. Avoid weekends, since this is the only time I have seen garbage piled next to dumpsters that were too full.
The center has a very informative self guided tour that highlights environmental concerns and renewable energy sources. It is a great place to check out and learn what you can do. It just takes a little effort to make a difference.
It is easy to drive by, there is only one way in and out so pay attention to the signage.

After reading the other reviews, I didn’t realize so many great things went on in this building. I only came here to recycle. So this review is based soley on the recycling drop off.
On my drive going south on Sacramento I did appreciate the signs saying «Chicago Center for Green Technology.» But as soon as I was a few blocks away, I saw no signs or address numbers. After I passed the address number I turned around and drove the other direction (north). Low and behold, there it was loud and clear.
You have to drive back behind the building, past the an area resembling a green house to find the recycling area. Once you find it, there is also a great view of the city, and an interesting sculptures behind it.
I took away one star because it was a bit hard to find, and you might be able to get on the service road which runs in front of the center by turning left on Ohio and then right onto the service road. I’m not sure if it was one way or two way.

This place offers tons of informative seminars on environmental topics, free of charge. Topics range from drought resistant landscapes to solar systems to green furniture. Check out their web-​site for a schedule of classes.
They also have a self-​guided tour of the many environmental features of their building contains, such as a geothermal HVAC system, solar panels, and a green roof.

This center is the result of a $ 9 million project conducted by the City of Chicago, Department of Environment. In 1995, this 17 acre site was covered with 70 foot high piles or ruble due to the operations of the prior business. The operation was shut down by the city due to permit violations and was then abandoned. The city went on to clean up the site and rehab the building and grounds. The building now has a very high green building rating. Many recycled and local building materials, solar panels, rain receptacles, roof top gardens, a ground-​source heat pump, and habitat restorations helped this building to earn this rating. A self-​guided tour is available free of charge for people wishing to see such innovations in action. The guide provides a wealth of information and is very inspiring to see what is occurring in our city.