Category: Blog Post

How to Grow, Cook, and Enjoy Stir-fry Kangkung (Water Spinach) in Chicago

Posted on by Caroline Williams in Close to Nature, Green Idea, Inspiration, Life Hacks

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, with more than 17,500 islands. The country is a home of 600 distinct ethnic groups with different cultures and traditional dishes. There are various Indonesian traditional plant-based dishes and my favorite one is a stir-fry Kangkung (Water Spinach).

Indonesia Map (Source: Google Map)

This dish has a special place in my heart because it was part of my survival meal when I was a cash-strapped college student living on an island far away from my parents after high school. For me, who had never cooked before, this dish was cheap and easy to prepare .

Now that I live in Chicago, this dish also cures my homesickness. Thanks to the Asian (Thai-Vietnamese) grocery stores in the Uptown Chicago neighborhood, I can get all the cheap ingredients I need for this dish.

After years of buying Kangkung from the store, I recently started to grow it in front of the window. Instead of composting the leftover stems like I used to do, I placed them in jars full of water. They surprisingly grow well even during winter as long as they are not deprived of water.

After about 4-5 months, I harvested Kangkung and stir-fried it with sambal I prepared days before which consisted of red chili pepper, garlic, shallots, candle nuts, lime leaf, and salt. I also added a bit of dried shrimp, slices of ginger, a tablespoon of soy sauce, and cherry tomatoes.

I used the cherry tomatoes that I harvested from my garden and froze them in a Ziplock bag. Cherry tomato is an easy plant to grow from seed. I am grateful to have an abundant harvest every time I grow them and they last for more than a year being frozen in a Ziploc bag. I simply throw frozen cherry tomatoes in a dish or soup whenever I need them.

After finished cooking, I love to enjoy Kangkung with white rice, fried tofu and more sambal. I usually can finish this Kangkung dish all in one sitting.

It feels great to be able to grow veggies and enjoy them in a meal that can remind me, an immigrant, of how I survived my past difficult life in my home country, far far away from Chicago.

An Eco-friendly way to start the new year in Manhattan, NYC

Posted on by Caroline Williams in Close to Nature

“If your New Year’s resolution is to get healthy, join the Urban Park Rangers on a lengthy hike.” That’s the invitation written on the NYC park website for the New Year’s Day Super Hike, a free public event at Central Park on January 1st.

Manhattan, NYC is famous for its Time Square New Year celebration but not many people know there are healthy and eco-friendly events available for locals and tourists to enjoy for free of charge during the holiday season.

The hiking event at Central Park is part of nationwide First Day Hikes organized by America’s State Parks. It aims to encourage individuals and families to start the year on the right foot – by getting outside and connecting with nature. According to the Park’s website, there are more than 1,000 hikes available, including at Illinois State Parks.

At the hike, the Urban Park Rangers guided us for two hours exploring the park and shared awesome and interesting facts about rock, animals, trees, and history of the Park. For example, the fact that Central Park is a manmade park but it’s a home to natural rock that was formed around 500 million years ago left by a large glacier that covered all of New York City.

Another interesting fact shared by the Rangers is about the Eastern White Pine tree that can be found at the Arthur Ross Pinetum, a four-acre arboretum at Central Park that features a collection of 17 different species of pine trees. The White Pine is a magnificent and historically significant tree. Almost all parts of the tree, including needles, bark, resin, and wood are beneficial for humans.

The Lenape, a Native American tribe who originally inhabited New York used the herbs from the tree to make tea and medicine. The evergreen tree was also a symbol of great peace for native Americans. For the British, it was once the most valuable tree to build and maintain their huge number of ships to defend the Empire. In 1772, Pine Tree Riot happened due to the American colonies’ opposition to the King’s “Pine Tree Law” that culminated in the American Revolution.

After visiting Arthur Ross Pinetum, the Rangers guided us to Seneca Village and shared a history about forced displacement of a thriving community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property. This happened in the 1850s for the City government to acquire the land for the Park. The history of Seneca Village was long hidden until 2011, when an archaeological excavation of the area uncovered significant remains.

In this two-hour hike, we also visited other interesting spots like The Pool where we learned interesting facts about the ducks, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, Turtle Ponds, Belvedere Castle, Bow Bridge and the famous Bethesda Terrace.

For locals and tourists in NYC, the annual First Day Hike event at Central Park is undoubtedly a perfect eco-friendly event to appreciate our health, nature, and history on the first day of the year.

Eastern White Pine Tree

2024 World Water Day, From Drinking Water to Plastic Waste

Posted on by CMGT in Advocacy, CMGT News, Environmental Justice

In the CMGT’s Executive meeting on March 16, CEO Layalee shared this disturbing info from uselessplastic Instagram about water privatization.

“Nestle Waters pumped almost 79 million gallons of water from the area surrounding Flint, Michigan in 2016, and paid just $200 to the state to do so. They made $7.4 billion in bottled water sales alone that same year.”

Flint, Michigan is where the clean water crisis happened in 2014 after the drinking water for the city was contaminated with lead and possibly Legionella bacteria.

CBSNews (3/23/2023), Michigan still dealing with fallout from Flint water crisis 9 years later; Plus new water worries.

On March 20, MCC (Muslims Community Center) Green Team member, Rohina shared the following article in the WhatsApp group:


NBC Chicago (3/20/2024), Nearly 70% of children in Chicago are exposed to lead-contaminated water: Study.

Here are more news about lead issue in Chicago’s drinking water:

Back in 2019, the CMGT (Chicago Muslims Green Team) had a table at IMAN’s Farmer Market in Chicago Lawn, southwest side Chicago neighborhood. We helped a researcher from Virginia Tech to share free lead-test kits to the residents. Our campaign at that time was, “What’s in Your Water?”

Here are pictures from our activities.

This lead-contamination in Chicago drinking water may motivate many Chicagoans to buy water bottles which contributes to the amount of plastic waste. It also bring lots of profit for businesses on water privatization.

In March 2021, to commemorate the World Water Day, the CMGT published an article, Water as Traded Commodity from Muslims’ Perspective, written and edited by our volunteers Caroline and Kaylee.

The article discussed the answer to “What does water mean to me?”, the issue of water supplies in Chicago, the value of water from Muslim’ perspective, and reminders from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), why and how we should save water and protect the water resources for the benefits of all.

It is no doubt that there are so many things we need to do to ensure the access of clean water for our communities’ health benefits, to protect our water resources, and to reduce bottled water plastic waste.

One of the solutions is to install water filter. Here is the recommendation from The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) on Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead.

We hope that our mosques or Islamic Centers will participate in raising awareness on this issue and installing water filters for our communities.

Welcome our new CEO!

Posted on by CMGT in Blog Post, CMGT News

Layalee has volunteered her time to help grow Chicago Muslims Green Team. With her efforts, CMGT has expanded both financially and individually as a team.

Layalee is Palestinian/American and graduated high school in the West Bank, Palestine. There she discovered the true meaning of living through occupation. During her college studies, Layalee was president of MSA and Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa’s honors society at Moraine Valley Community. There, she won an award in Washington, DC for “Most Distinguished Chapter,” mainly due to a “2015 Student Success Conference” she helped run on campus.

She believes that all people deserve access to healthy lifestyle and resources to advance overall health. Receiving her doctorate in Pharmacy degree from UIC, she enjoys caring for people and advancing their health outcomes. She has a passion for the environment because she believes the environment is the root of having an “ideal” lifestyle. This could include eating wholesome food, being outside, being aware of resources available and working together as a community is a legacy she wishes to accomplish.

Living in Palestine for over 6 years has inspired her in wanting improvement in environmental services that include waste and recycle. After moving back to the states in 2014, she received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2021.

She has accepted her position after being appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Muslims Green Team.

As CEO, she hopes to fulfil CMGT’s mission and vision in connecting Chicago Muslims and the greater community to issues of environmental justice while spreading awareness on eco-friendly lifestyles based on Islamic teachings. Hoping to advance scopes of work that include Building Bridges, Green Ramadan, Green Mosque, and Capacity Building.

Layalee volunteered at VeggieMijasChicago to prepare 372 plant-based sandwiches that were distributed to 5 Chicago Community Fridges

Recycle Art & Craft: Crocheting Plastic Bags

Posted on by Caroline Williams in Info, Life Hacks, Recycle, Waste Management

Clean and used grocery plastic bag is not a waste and should not end up in the landfill. We can turn the bags into many useful and fun items, for examples: Welcome Mat, Sleeping Mat, a tote bag, a banner, even a dress to play costume or for other fun occasions.

Here is a very simple guide on how to start the project to upcycle plastic bags:

How to collect Plastic Bags

DO. NOT. PURCHASE. THEM. or collect them from restaurants or other stores.

In Chicago, we have to pay 7 cents to get plastic bags at grocery store. What a waste of money! Yes, we still can get plastic bags from restaurants, but that is NOT an eco-friendly way to collect plastic bags.

The best way to get them is from collection bins located in many grocery stores. Or, ask people to donate their plastic bags.

How to store plastic bags

If you end up collecting lots of plastic bags, save space by folding them into a triangle. This will not only save space but also keep your plastic bags clean and ready to be used for crafting purpose.

Step 1: Fold the end corner of plastic bag into triangle shape
Step 2: Fold it again
Step 3: Repeat it until the end
Step 4: At the end of it, fold the remaining part of the plastic into the pocket

How to create Plarn (plastic yarn)

To create the plastic yarn for crocheting, follow these simple steps:

Step 1:
Cut the plastic bags into 3 parts as shown (top, middle, bottom). Fold the middle part into two and folded it again. Cut it into 4 pieces with the same size. Keep the top and bottom parts to be used for the project or other purposes.

Step 2:
Open up all the 4 pieces to make 4 plarns, as shown in this picture.

Step 3:
Connect all the 4 plarns like shown in the picture. To make it clear, here we use different color of plarn.

Step 4:
After all plarns are connected, we are ready to crochet. For crocheting plarn, we use 19-20 mm hook.

How to crochet plarn for beginners

There are many videos on the internet on how to crochet plarn. This is one of them. It also explains from the beginning how to create plarn and provides many useful tips on crocheting plarn.