I can't exactly remember why, but for some reason Taylor Gendel and I have pretended to be bother and sister for as long as we've known each other. We met freshman year of high-school, through mutual friends, and soon became fast friends ourselves. More than one occasion was spent sneaking into her basement late at night (oops, sorry mom) with other friends, in the middle of winter, and watching stupid early-YouTube viral videos online and eating copious amounts of snacks.
Those were good times, spent with a great friend. A friend who has since become an entrepreneur, activist, organizer and music devotee. (Check out her personal music blog here!)
Taylor has a clear understanding that the best way to get people involved and interested in sustainability and the environment is to start from within a local community, and to include the celebration of music and art as incentives for participation.
With a degree in environmental sociology, Taylor and has worked at several environmental nonprofits in Chicago, doing work that includes sustainable waste management education, zero waste program development, and solar energy advocacy.
Her ongoing project Streets & Beats (which she co-created with Emily Dahlquist), has been a way to combine her passion for the environment and sustainable education, with her love of the Chicago music and art scenes.
Learn more about Streets & Beats, Taylor's insatiable concert apatite, and her dedication to environmental education and activism below:
1) What gets you out of bed in the morning? And what did you eat for breakfast this morning?
For the past couple of years, I have worked my day job remotely from my apartment. So it’s been pretty easy for me to roll out of bed and shuffle into “the office”. On a deeper level, I am very motivated by environmental work and I strive to make an impact in whatever small way I can. Today I had a smoothie and toast for breakfast.
2) For those that don't know you yet, could you please tell us a bit about yourself? What are you up to currently?
Right now I am working part time for a solar energy nonprofit until I start a full time fellowship in the fall. I’m lucky to have the support and flexibility to work in a field that I love but unfortunately that doesn’t provide the stability of a full time for-profit position. I’ve found that environmental work is generally underfunded and difficult to break into at the entry level. So I’ve found ways to make it work, like waitressing and temporarily living at home, because I know this is what I want to do. I wouldn’t sacrifice working in a field I am passionate about for making more money at a job I don’t care about. Streets & Beats came from this flexibility and passion. Currently I am trying to keep that alive.
3) Could you give us a bit of history on Streets & Beats? What was the "ah ha!" moment?
The year I moved to back Chicago after graduating college, in addition to pursuing work in the environmental field, I also nourished my passion for music. I attended over 50 concerts and often wished I could find a way to merge my personal network of music enthusiasts with my professional goal of environmental advocacy.
I hatched the idea and brought it to my friend Emily Dahlquist, who has a background in event production, and is someone I would often run into at concerts and events. (SIDE PLUG- Emily is also a talented artist and works her ass off to pursue her passions.)
After months of excited deliberation and brainstorming, Emily and I created a project with my original goal in mind. Streets & Beats was born, and we aimed to foster a connection between environmental action and creative communities.
We facilitated grassroots street cleanups in Chicago neighborhoods our first summer. Once a month we gathered to pick up trash and recyclables, and for each project we reached out to artists and venue representatives to provide volunteers exclusive access to a concert as an incentive.
4) What has been the most challenging part of creating an organization like this? How about the most rewarding?
The biggest challenge is perseverance. It isn’t a job, so it can be hard to prioritize. Also keeping in line with the original mission is often difficult as you move forward and things change.
The most rewarding part is the positive feedback I get from friends and strangers. Everyone is incredibly supportive of not only the project’s mission but of the fact that we turned an idea into a reality.
5) Quick, look at whatever music streaming source you use: What's the last song you listened to? What band or artist have you been jamming to recently?
Currently listening to:
I’ve [also] been listening to a lot of Chance and Anderson Paak but on a search for a slower tempo I also recently discovered the bands Phox and Whitney. Beyoncé obviously.*
*No link needed ;)
6) What do you do to recharge? How do you stay motivated to continue to organize Streets & Beats events and projects, while still working a day job and trying to maintain a social life, etc?
The best way for me to recharge is to travel. It seems counterproductive but it always does the trick. I get to step back and explore someplace new, and I always come back with a new appreciation for Chicago and what I’m doing there.
Streets & Beats is an escape in itself. I’m lucky that my job is in the field that I want to be working in, but day to day work can be mundane and frustrating. Streets & Beats is where I turn when I want to put in work on something I can guarantee will excite and inspire me. I highly recommend finding an outlet like this for everyone our age struggling with work (and if you can’t find one, CREATE one). I’m lucky to have a supportive network of friends that have both encouraged me to pursue this project and participated in projects.
7) So far, Streets & Beats has successfully completed three full project-based events, each one with a distinct mission, from literal clean-up, to discussion, outreach, and recruitment. Why is it important to keep each project fresh and focused on the various aspects of environmental awareness and activism?
I would say that is the more the result of the organization’s continual evolution than a focus on keeping things fresh. As we moved through planning those first projects, we always kept our minds open to new ideas. There are a million ways to do environmental work, and we never wanted to pigeonhole ourselves into one specific approach to activism. We constantly seek new collaboration, consider any and all ideas, and focus on mobilizing a group of volunteers that may not have ever had an outlet to do environmental work.
8) What's a book/movie/album that's on your list, something you've been meaning to read/watch/listen to?
My mom gave me a book called 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. That’s a pretty lofty goal, but I’d like to try and make a small dent.
9) In addition to the reward of positively contributing to the community and environment, Streets & Beats offers volunteers the opportunity to see an upcoming live show/concert for free. How do you organize this? Have venues and artists been excited and welcoming to S&B?
Sometimes we have connections to people or venues, but usually we just find contact info and reach out. Most everyone we’ve ever proposed a collaboration with has been enthusiastic. That’s the thing I’ve found about environmental activism. People are usually on board with doing good for the planet. They just want an easy way to participate.
10) If you could have ANY superpower, what would it be?
The power to stop climate change??????
11) What're you most excited for in the coming months? Any cool projects or events for Streets & Beats? Any personal projects?
I am traveling to Hawaii for the first time in a few weeks so I’m the most excited for that. Streets & Beats is continuing to collaborate and plan. We had our first clean at a beach and we have another coming up soon. For this upcoming project we have partnered with You Are Beautiful, who will be installing their art as we clean the surrounding neighborhood.
Chicago folks- join our mailing list or like us on Facebook to stay up to date or to reach out to collaboration.
12) Final question: Who's your cool friend?
Sincerely, I think that all of my friends are super cool. One such friend, and one of my roommates is Claire McFadden. She is a brilliant and hilarious writer/performer and if you want a good laugh you should check out her Youtube channel, Bonkey. Bonus: If you watch all her shorts carefully, you will discover my professional acting debut. As you will see, I am... er....Claire is a star.
Make sure to follow all of Streets & Beats activities on their Instagram here, their aforementioned Facebook here. And if you live in or near Chicago sign up for one of their events and get involved!