Chicago has no shortage of “green” organizations and advocates, but sometimes it can be difficult to see the forest from the trees. Since January 2011 a group called Accelerate 77 has worked to catalogue and connect the city’s community gardeners, environmental justice groups, energy efficiency entrepreneurs and environmental initiatives of all stripes throughout Chicago’s 77 designated community areas.

What can the Bridgeport farmers market learn from Roseland’s Developing Communities Project? That’s up to them to decide, but a crowd-sourced effort to map hundreds of neighborhood programs should help them connect.

The group is currently holding meetings across the city, soliciting ideas from environmental organizations for ways to help the many disparate groups work together. A West Side meeting at Garfield Park Conservatory Thursday counted among its attendees West Garfield Park community gardeners, 29^th Ward Ald. Deborah Graham and educators from CCA Academy.

The next meeting is Sunday March 17 at Morgan Park Seventh Day Adventist Church (Morgan Park Farms) at 1543 W. 110th St., from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.

They are planning follow up meetings on the North and Southwest sides for April. RSVP here. Accelerate 77 is sponsored by the nonprofit Institute of Cultural Affairs.

View the map here: http://accelerate77.net/map/view-the-map