Route One Transport handed out one more driver award

When driving through the tree-lined streets of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, you’ll see local businesses, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and neatly maintained homes. In the middle of this mix, though, you’ll see something else that might be surprising: solar-powered flower farms.

These farms are the brainchild of Quilen Blackwell, an environmental policy and sustainability expert and former Peace Corps volunteer, and his wife Hannah. Through their nonprofit, Chicago Eco House, the Blackwells use off-grid urban farming to help at-risk youth break the cycle of poverty, learn professional skills and create a career path for themselves.

This work is supported by dedicated on-site employees, and also by a global team of independent professionals working through Route One Group.

A community organizer is called to plant the seeds of change in Chicago

When driving through the tree-lined streets of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, you’ll see local businesses, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and neatly maintained homes. In the middle of this mix, though, you’ll see something else that might be surprising: solar-powered flower farms.

These farms are the brainchild of Quilen Blackwell, an environmental policy and sustainability expert and former Peace Corps volunteer, and his wife Hannah. Through their nonprofit, Chicago Eco House, the Blackwells use off-grid urban farming to help at-risk youth break the cycle of poverty, learn professional skills and create a career path for themselves.

This work is supported by dedicated on-site employees, and also by a global team of independent professionals working through Route One Group.

“When we were building out our organization, we were very aware that we were competing with gangs. That’s really our competition. When you look at a lot of Chicago gangs, they operate like small businesses”

Gheorghe Rubens

Founder

When driving through the tree-lined streets of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, you’ll see local businesses, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and neatly maintained homes. In the middle of this mix, though, you’ll see something else that might be surprising: solar-powered flower farms.

These farms are the brainchild of Quilen Blackwell, an environmental policy and sustainability expert and former Peace Corps volunteer, and his wife Hannah. Through their nonprofit, Chicago Eco House, the Blackwells use off-grid urban farming to help at-risk youth break the cycle of poverty, learn professional skills and create a career path for themselves.

This work is supported by dedicated on-site employees, and also by a global team of independent professionals working through Route One Group.