Making Amends With Adopt-A-Beach

When I moved to Chicago back in 1992 I knew I had to live near the lake. Not only because it is where the action is, but because I have a special connection with this body of water- Lake Michigan. Growing up it was a symbol of decadence for me with those speed boats luxuriating near Oak St. Beach as I swam or the tall, crisp, clean sail boats resting peacefully at Monroe Harbor like trophies on display.

Every chance I got I sneaked away to the lake soaking up that feeling of freedom and chance. Who knew that a couple years later I would leave Chicago to travel the country and beyond, always proud to call this city my home.

Sure, there were places out there where I felt an overwhelming sense of peace- Denver, Laguna Beach, Boston. I just never felt the urge to permanently live anywhere else. Never did I feel a sense of longing like I do for this bustling hub of architecture, culture and water.

When I made the decision to leave flying behind and settle down for the first time in years, I had a bit of a rough adjustment. My only solace was accepting my friend's suggestion that we run the Chicago Marathon, which meant spending countless hours on the most dynamic 26 miles of uninterrupted lakefront. It was like therapy as I ran finding a strength I had never known, healing the loneliness and pain of the past, looking forward into the horizon where all dreams are possible. It's like my life began again.

Now like an old friend I visit the lake as often as I can to reminisce and dream. And I know over the years I have gotten way more than I have given... and that is about to change.


My most rewarding project with Chicago Green Families is the adoption of two beaches, 12th Street Beach at Northerly Island & Hartigan Beach at Loyola, on a year round basis. Yesterday we kicked off this adventure by picking up trash and recording every single thing we found (including a strip of astroturf!) as well as collecting all sorts of data like the pH level of the water, turbidity, temperature, longshore currents, bather loads and pollution sources.

By far the most interesting part of the project is the bacterial sampling performed by capturing a sample of the water (25 feet off the shore, 6 inches below the surface... click the video to see what it looks like to be wading in 44 degree water!) and using sterilized pipettes to transfer the water sample to a petri dish to grow e coli & coliform.

I am so honored to be working with the Alliance for the Great Lakes & the Chicago Conservation Corps to raise awareness of how precious our water really is. 20% of the fresh water in the world is here in the Great Lakes & 95% of the fresh water in the US is in the Great Lakes. Why then aren't we doing more to protect this water?

Once we were done, a rush of emotion came over me. As I looked out at the lake and saw the people enjoying the beach around me, I was overflowing with gratitude. Grateful for having found a way I can finally earn my enjoyment of this rejuvenating space.

For years I simply took and took wherever I went. I consumed things (and if I am truly honest, people too) like it was all free for my taking and then discarding carelessly when the fancy wore off. How wasteful. How empty.

Maybe this is my way of making amends with all that I have thrown away over the years.

Join Chicago Green Families as we make a difference every first Sunday of the month at the 12th St. Beach at 1pm and Hartigan Beach every third Thursday of the month at 10am (starting in June).