Stelle Earth Day Open House

Sunday - May 3, 2009

10 A.M. - 3 P.M.

One of Stelle's most popular events of the year, our Earth Day Celebration is an opportunity for visitors to learn of the different aspects of sustainability some Stelle participants have pursued over the years. Upon arrival, guests will be given a community map (with highlighted points of interest) along with a schedule of events. Feel free to just wander around the community on your own, or if you prefer, join one of the tours.

This is a full day of activities that is free to the public. To ensure you have time to experience all the day's sites and activities, we recommend starting your day with the 10:30 tour.

We hope you can join us for the entire day!

Be sure to check out our Afternoon Permaculture Workshop & Walking Tour 2:00 - 4:00 (details below).

Featured Events:

**Wilkerson Home**

1 Hour Community Guided Tour –
Beginning at 10:30 & 12:30
Our guided tours begin at the Stelle Community Center with a short introductory talk about Stelle before heading out around town. Stops will include Stelle's newest eco-friendly home (the Wilkerson's) and a stop at the solar powered Stelle Telephone Company where phone company manager Tim Wilhelm will answer your questions.

Tour of Gardens, Pond and Orchard – 11:30 and 1:30
Take a quick look at how folks in the Stelle garden co-op raise organic vegetables, chickens, and fruits. Sample fresh asparagus or rhubarb.

**Haeme Strawbale Home**

Strawbale Home Open House 10 A.M.– 3 P.M.
All visitors will receive a map describing how to get to Jon and June Haeme's strawbale home (3.6 miles from Stelle). Walk through their home and learn how they built it and why. Jon will also discuss his solar and wind applications which help reduce his electric bills to around $20 per month in the summer time and $60 to $80 per month in the winter using electric baseboard heaters. That cost includes both the house and Jon's workshop. Click here for an article on construction of their strawbale home - the first in Illinois.

Steve and Jan Bell's home with solar panels and windmill.
(click on photo to enlarge)

Steve and Jan Bell Home Open House 10 A.M.– 2 P.M.
Steve is one of the top residential and commercial PV and wind system design engineers in the US today and walks down the street daily to his work at Sunwize Technologies. Steve will be available to talk with visitors about his home and some of the more technical aspects of solar and wind technology. (Click here to view a Home Power article on Steve and Jan's home.)

Mark Giving a
Permaculture Tour

Permaculture Workshop with Walking Tour – 2:00 to 4:00
Mark Hoffman will provide a general overview of permaculture and how it could revolutionize the way we view agriculture by focusing on how we integrate ourselves into the ecosystem in which we live. Mark will give a tour of his yard where he and his wife Guia have built permaculture principles into their organic gardening system. Click here to see some examples of permaculture application in the yard at their Bed and Breakfast. This two-hour introduction will illustrate examples of how you can apply permaculture to your own garden and yard.
Cost $25 per person.

Please email us or call 708-828-4325 to register,
or register online.
-- Thank You --
Note: This presentation will be held at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast which is located 2 miles directly south of Stelle (click here for directions to the B&B). This program is NOT being held in Stelle.

Other Planned Activities:

Organically-prepared lunch, snacks & beverages in the Community Center (11:00 - 2:00)
Children’s Arts and Crafts projects at Community Center Courtyard (1:00 - 2:00)
Luethy Family Farm Petting Zoo – Happy, organically-raised creatures (outside Community Center)
The Herb Basket – Natural herbal products by Maureen Chappell (outside Community Center)
Mint Creek Farm – Organic pasture-fed lamb (outside Community Center)
Garden Baskets and Bedding Plants by Kassandra and Peg (outside Community Center)
55 gallon rain barrels will be available for sale

Click Here for Directions and Maps to Stelle

VISIT THE STELLE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR

LUNCH · SNACKS · BEVERAGES

(Activities Subject to change without notice. Thanks!)

Overnight lodging is available at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast, in the homes of Stelle residents, or in area hotels. Camping space is also available. Click here for further details on lodging.