Gateway Green Turns 20, Drinks Anyway
By Joanna Miller in News on May 24, 2006 11:47AM
Ever notice those signs along the Kennedy with the big leaf? They signify the work of Gateway Green, the group dedicated to beautifying Chicago’s landscape through the help of corporate sponsors. Gateway Green celebrated its 20th anniversary last night, and Chicagoist stopped by the party because (a) there were free food and drinks, and (b) we wanted to find out just what it is that they do.
Turns out, they’ve done a lot. In the last 20 years, Gateway Green has planted 2,500 trees, 48,000 flowers, 56,000 shrubs, and removed over 400,000 pounds of litter. They say that’s enough trees to absorb the emissions from a single car driving 98,000 miles. They’re also responsible for sculptures such as “Flame of the Millennium” at the Ohio Interchange on the Kennedy and “The Runners” at the I-190 exit to the city from O’Hare.
Da Mare himself made an appearance and gave a quick speech, in which he praised the Chicago business community for its commitment to beautifying the city, remarked that none of this would have ever happened if the city had waited around for the state to get involved back in the ‘90s, and gave the Sox a quick shout out.
As for that free food, well, it’s not every day that we get to eat scallop mousse.