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Our History

Our story began in June 2020, when Katherine Tellock recognized that many Chicagoans had questions and concerns about things like composting, recycling, wildlife issues, litter, and other environmental concerns. She decided to start a group on social media dedicated to these like-minded individuals that welcomed people at every stage of their eco journey: those with a deep passion and long history of involvement in environmentalism, and those who clearly cared and wanted to do more, but didn’t know where to start. Miranda Carrico joined the group early and was a frequent and knowledgeable contributor. Katherine and Miranda's partnership began over a discussion of dog poop bags, and Miranda joined the first cleanup event that led to the development of Cleanup Club Chicago. With this, the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ group was born! The group is now an inclusive sustainability community, with a forum for discussing topics like zero waste living, recycling, composting, environmental justice, renewable energy, eco policy, local businesses, wildlife conservation, environmental news, events, and more.

Our Team

Katherine Tellock, Co-Founder and Executive Director

Katherine Tellock is an environmental advocate who wants to dedicate her life to fighting climate change. She strongly believes that an environmentally sustainable society is the best long-term economic and social decision, and is within reach for all people. Having grown up near an EPA superfund site, she has always been acutely aware of the impact of industrial pollution. However, she didn’t get heavily involved in environmental issues until spring 2020, when she started tackling litter through Friends of the Chicago River's Summer Challenge. She eventually started ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ group with Miranda, as well as Cleanup Club Chicago. She took the Chicago Conservation Corps sustainability leadership training in 2021 and completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in 2022.

She has a bachelor's degree in Economics and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently lives in Irving Park with her very sweet cockapoo. In her free time, she enjoys true crime, kickboxing, and stand-up comedy.

Miranda Carrico, Co-Founder

Over the past ten years, Miranda Carrico has transitioned toward a "Zero Waste" lifestyle and has become very familiar with Chicago's sustainability scene; especially related to recycling and waste reduction.  Miranda is passionate about educating individuals on actions they can take to lessen their environmental impact, as well as advocating for sustainable business practices and environmental legislation.  She became more involved in Chicago’s larger environmental scene after teaming up with Katherine on the first Cleanup Club event. This led to brainstorming ways to improve environmentalism in Chicago and the creation of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ. She is Co-Founder of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ, Assistant Director of Cleanup Club Chicago, and completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training in 2021. 

Miranda works in healthcare and has been a Chicagoan for over 10 years, residing in Lakeview. When she's not finding creative ways to reduce waste, she enjoys traveling, exploring the city via bike and by foot, making "mixtapes," and spending time with her husband and dog, Greta von Goof.

Kara Cooke, Website Consultant

Kara Cooke has been deeply committed to environmentalism for most of her life, but it wasn't until she completed the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) training in April 2021 that she found a way to channel her passion. During the program, she connected with Katherine and joined forces with her and Miranda to advocate and educate through their organization, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ. What began with designing logos for ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ and Cleanup Club Chicago quickly evolved into much more. Her dedication to a "Zero Waste" lifestyle, composting, cleaning up trash, and protecting the Great Lakes continued to grow. Professionally, Kara has been with Smithbucklin for the past decade, where she currently serves as an Art Director and Website/Accessibility Consultant.

Sophie Shulman, Blog Manager & SEO Specialist

After discovering her passion for conservation and clean energy in her college town of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sophie came back to Chicagoland to pursue a lifelong commitment to sustainability. She works in communications for a Chicago-based renewable energy developer and enjoys reading, learning new languages, and playing guitar in her free time.

Michael Curiel, Website Manager and Graphic Designer

Michael is a Chicagoland native born and raised and he currently lives in Evanston with his husband and their spoiled kitty Phoebe. Michael is a Senior Graphic Designer at Antenna Group, a marketing and PR agency focusing on social, economic, and environmental research and innovation. Passionate about sustainability, Michael lives a low-waste lifestyle both at work and in his personal life. In his free time, he loves to travel the world, discover new music, and explore Chicago's incredible foodie scene.

Manisha Devidi, Website Coordinator

Manisha moved to Chicago in 2023 to pursue her passion for building a career in sustainability and the circular economy. For the past 13 years, she’s been deeply concerned about environmental issues, recognizing how everyday waste impacts not only our planet but also our economy. She’s now channeling this commitment into a purpose-driven career, with a Master’s in Engineering Management and a specialization in Product Management. She aims to design impactful, scalable solutions that align sustainability with business practices. She has interned with Compass Group at Northwestern University, and loves engaging with sustainability-focused groups where she can contribute meaningfully while continuing to learn and grow.

Facebook Group Moderators

• Ivy Leung

• Jessica Rekar