Chicago

Cash registers were ringing, with sights set on greening!

What sweltering heat?! Mobbers came from all over, some on special Carrotmob trips from out of town, to help Fox & Obel and Chicago go more green.

Volunteers handed out discount Carrot Cards and took the Colossal Carrot up and down the streets to drum up business. Tourists took pictures.

Live radio call-ins to the Mike Nowak Show helped creat buzz. Conscious Living TV came out to film — and buy!

It was a great community-building, green-inspired day!

And now — drum roll, please — the results. Carrotmob Chicago, August 9, 2009, brought in $4,300. And that means $2,150 will go toward energy efficiency improvements in Fox & Obel. With the energy audit as a guide, the store will know which improvements will give the biggest bang for the buck.

Thanks to all the Carrotmobbers and volunteers for making this a fabulous Carrotmob Chicago!

Posted by Christine

Sure, it’s going to be a hot one today. And you’ll probably work up a sweat getting yourself to Fox & Obel for the big Carrotmob. But oh how cool it’ll be inside. With cool drinks. Tasty treats. Even ice cream!

Get your carrot on and join us at 401 E. Illinois, noon to 6 pm. Look for the volunteers accompanying the Colossal Carrot, who’ll be handing out Carrot Cards with 10% coupons for today’s Fox & Obel purchases!

Donate a couple items to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, while you’re at it.

And enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping to make Chicago a greener place and creating a healthier environment for all of us as we support F&O’s efforts to become more energy efficient.

See you there!

Posted by Christine

Here it is, the eve of the big Chicago Carrotmob. We’ll see you tomorrow at Fox & Obel Market, 401 E. Illinois, noon to 6 pm. It may be hot out, but it’ll be cooool inside!

And to get you in a carrot kind of mood, check out this new video about the making of the Colossal Carrot.

May the mob be with you!

Posted by Christine

So you might be wondering, “How exactly will Fox & Obel become more energy efficient when I join the Carrotmob on Sunday, Aug. 9th?” Well the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center has done an energy audit of the store and come up with a list of improvements F&O can make.

Here are some of the upgrades possible if Carrotmob Chicago earns:

$600 – Replace the store’s exit signs with LED ones
$1,600 – Replace the exit signs and weather strip the windows

$3,100 – All of the above + add anti-sweat heater controllers to the refrigerator doors
$4,700 – All of the above + install lighting occupancy sensors
$6,700 – All of the above + replace the incandescent lights
$9,700 – All of the above + change the T12 fluorescent lighting to Super T8

The list goes on. But this gives you a taste of what’s possible through the power of the mob. The store saves energy, money and precious natural resources, while cutting emissions and helping to create a healthier environment for us all.

Posted by Christine

How exciting is it when people from around the globe tweet and blog about your upcoming Carrotmob?! We’re talking Hamburg, Sydney, Houston, New York City, San Francisco, Miami and of course Home Sweet Home Chicago.

Look for us on the Sundance Channel’s SUNfiltered, A Fresh Squeeze, Chicagoist, Gapers Block, The Beachwood Reporter, Chicagotalks, The Mike Nowak Show and more.

We’ll look for YOU this Sunday, August 9th, at Fox & Obel Market, 401 E. Illinois (a short walk from Navy Pier and the lakefront), noon to 6 pm. Keep an eye out for the Colossal Carrot, with a Carrot Corps entourage handing out Carrot Cards with a 10% discount at Fox & Obel for that day.

Let’s shake loose a little change to make a big change. And don’t forget the Greater Chicago Food Depository will be there accepting food donations, too.

Posted by Christine

People smiled. They took pictures. Some asked if it was a giant pinata.

The Colossal Carrot was a big hit on its tour through downtown Chicago and Fox & Obel Market. And if you ever need to get an el car full of people laughing and smiling, just board with a giant carrot.

See more Colossal Carrot photos on Flickr and Facebook.

Posted by Christine

What’s a Carrotmob? What’s happening in Chicago August 9th? Find out here.

Posted by Christine

Today, the much-anticipated Colossal Carrot takes to the streets. We’ll haul it from the Oak Park studio where it’s been under construction, onto the Green Line, transfer to the Red Line and hike over to Fox & Obel, where we’ll take a break in the café before heading out to tour the Streeterville neighborhood. Keep an eye out for it. We’ll be handing out Carrot Cards, which offer a discount at Fox & Obel.

Posted by Christine

Who could resist an opportunity at a Mayor Daley press conference yesterday to tell him about Carrotmob Chicago? He liked the idea and, passing an informational Carrot Card to Chief Environmental Officer Sadhu Johnston, said he’d like to talk more about it! Environment Commissioner Suzanne Malec-McKenna got excited about the idea, too, noting the August 9th mob date in her Blackberry on the spot. She also said she’d include the event in her newsletter this week. It’s great to have support in high places!

Posted by Christine

Oak Park artist Jenny Tiner, who is working on a special Carrotmob Chicago project for the big day, is a Carrotmob rock star. A self-taught artist who was inspired by Georgia O’Keefe as a child, she started her artistic career at the age of six when she began painting – rocks. Now she’s a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a teacher at the Lillstreet Art Center.

But between her rock painting and her art career, Jenny studied environmental stewardship at Columbia University, in New York City. As part of the program, she studied at the famed Biosphere 2, near Tucson, AZ, where she researched algae. Upon receiving her certificate, she went on to do water quality testing and later flood mapping research. (Could this interest in water have anything to do with the Blue Period she seems to be having in her painting?)

Her artwork reflects her environmental sensibilities; she likes to use recycled and re-purposed materials.

Jenny is a perfect fit for Carrotmob Chicago. Something else we like about her? She thinks big. Watch for the unveiling of her big Carrotmob mascot.

Posted by Christine