Chicago Sun-Times January 19, 2006 (continued)

Growing produce on the premises is a great way to assure her customers it's fresh, reasons Paula Companio, owner of a natural food store in the Edgewater neighborhood.

And at her True Nature Foods, 6034 N. Broadway, the veggies and herbs will grow literally on the premises -- in a green roof capping the store.

Companio is one of 20 owners of homes or small businesses to win a $5,000 green roof grant from the city, the Department of Environment said Wednesday.

About 120 applied for the money, to go toward green roof design, installation or both. Owners promise to maintain the roofs for at least five years.

The grants, offered here for the first time, "will increase the amount of green space in Chicago and help push forward Mayor Daley's goal of making Chicago the greenest city in the United States," Environment Commissioner Sadhu Johnston said.

Provides insulation

Green roofs are easy on the eyes and the environment, he noted. They help warm buildings in winter and cool them in summer, reduce and slow stormwater runoff and lessen the "urban heat island" effect that contributes to smog.

Companio hopes her grant will pay for the first of three installations to cover her 3,000-square-foot roof. A team from the nonprofit Urban Habitat, nearby residents "who all have jobs in the green world," will do the design and landscaping for free.

She will raise rosemary, thyme, basil, cabbage, kale, bok choy and other herbs and vegetables. Much of her produce now is trucked in from 150 miles away.

"Herbs start dying as soon as they're cut," Companio said. "I'll be able to bring them right downstairs and sell them in the produce area."

Grant winner Sherry Byrne's roof will be on a two-story home being built over the next 12 months in the 1800 block of West Morse.

She'll live there with her partner, Fred Frank, an architect who is designing the residence.

Solar construction

Visibility was one of the criteria for grant-worthy roofs. Byrne's 1,200-square-foot roof garden will be seen by riders on the Metra a half-block away.

They'll see flowers, shrubs, ground cover and "a lot of native grasses and prairie plants," said Byrne, holder of a gardening certificate from the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Under the roof will be many of the elements that are turning up in environmentally friendly buildings these days -- passive solar construction, photovoltaic energy, a "super-insulated building envelope" and geothermal heat pump technology, among others.

"What better place to employ these features than in your own home?" Byrne said.

 

Chamber Report March 2005 (continued)
 
Published by the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce
1210 W. Rosedale, Chicago, IL. 60660
Phone: (773) 561-6000    Fax: (773) 561-8584
www.edgewater.org     info@edgewater.org.
 
True Nature Foods Begins Major Expansion
            It’s a win/win for Edgewater as True Nature Foods, 6034 N. Broadway moves into their long awaited expansion mode. Edgewater’s truly organic food store, with affordable prices, is expanding from 1,100 sq. ft to 3,100 sq. ft by taking over the entire building. 
            Owner Paula Companio is working toward this becoming a LEED building, the most environmentally friendly, energy efficient building designation in the nation.  The Edgewater Chamber of Commerce and the City’s Departments of Energy and Planning and Development are assisting her.   She is in the process of applying to the City’s Façade Rebate Program for assistance. Her landlord, Devon Realty, has helped throughout the process.   True Nature will stay open throughout construction and the addition is expected to open mid or late April.
            Plans include removal of the existing driveway and the addition of on street metered parking.  Expansion will allow True Nature to be a full service natural food shopping store and will allow current vendor lines to expand their offerings.  Additional vendors will also be featured.  Fresh flowers and plants will   be sold   Also available are many vitamins, teas, and other health products such as soap from Israel’s Dead Sea.  Specialty items such as organic, kosher baby food and pet foods are available.  Bread from Breadsmith has recently been added.
            Over 300 local families participate in the organic co-ops, which deliver to the store. These are Kings Hill Farm, Wisconsin; Green Meadows Farm, Michigan; and Family Farms, Indiana.  . Each co-op has separate membership and offerings range from produce to fish, meat and cheese.  Our readers should note that this is why Amish in traditional dress are often seen in the area.
            Edgewater’s other win was the removal of a problem business that formerly occupied the premises.  The business which was known by various names including A&A Towing, Chicago Tire Shop, & Affordable Auto among others was forced to move once before, when the Edgewater Community Council purchased 6044 N. Broadway for a headquarters for itself and Care for Real.   Neighbors have remarked on how many parking spaces are now available in the area, especially on Norwood, since they are gone.

Time Out Chicago Magazine Sept. 2005 (continued)

Once a typical coner crocery, Edgewater's True Nature Foods is growing into the city's first natural-food cooperative. When Paula Companio started gathering information on natural and organic food cooperatives eight years ago, few residents of Edgewater, where she worked at a grocery store, were familiar with the concept. But after getting financial assistance from the city and community support, Companio's little corner store that could, True Nature Foods, is on its way to becoming Chicago's first natural good co-op.