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John F. Wasik

Guest Columnist
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John F. Wasik is the author of 19 books, including “The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream.” An environmentalist, he is a member of the Lake County Board and vice president of the Lake County Forest Preserve District. He’s contributed to The New York Times, Forbes, Next Avenue, Reuters and Bloomberg.

Latest from John F. Wasik

Thousands of cyclists bike up and down DuSable Lake Shore Drive for the 22nd annual Bike the Drive in September 2023.
Chicago’s Next Voices
Make Chicago safer for bikers and pedestrians, Chicago's Next Voices columnist writes
City Hall could start by lowering speed limits and building corridors for cyclists and walkers, guest columnist John F. Wasik writes.
By John F. Wasik
 
Deshawn Willingham, owner and operator of Chicago Urban Farm Solutions, stands inside a hoop house at Chicago Urban Farm Solutions in Lynwood, Ill., Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Willingham graduated from Windy City Harvest’s Corps program before starting his own farm, which supplies vegetables and fruits to various neighborhood organizations. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
News
Windy City Harvest plants seeds for future careers of urban farmers, healthier communities
Since 2009, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture and jobs training initiative has a 91% job placement rate six months after graduation through its apprenticeship program.
By John F. Wasik
 
A view of the Chicago skyline from part of the old U.S. Steel South Works site near 85th and South Shore Drive in 2014.
Columnists
Chicago should lead the way in turning old industrial sites into green neighborhoods
On the Southeast Side, I discovered folks working to restore eco-preserves sprouting between shuttered mills. Here was a nascent template for the entire city and region.
By John F. Wasik