Chicago: "City of Big Shoulders"

A documentary about the restoration and growth of the city of Chicago.

This one hour PBS special portrays the determination of ordinary citizens who gather the community together in order to improve the quality of the landscape. Restoration of the prairie lands and wildlife habitats are a growing issue in the urban environment. In order to restore, the citizens of Chicago have worked hard to promote environmental education to the youth and clean up the lakes and rivers. They also develop new systems to prevent future destruction of wildlife areas. The film displays the issues of improving the well being of citizens within the community. Rooftop gardens are growing in popularity to decrease pollution and ambient temperatures. School systems take an active role in restoration in order to lower poverty and dropout rates. They also repair wastelands to remove harmful chemicals such as lead and asbestos.