The\u00a0Loop Value: How Much Does It Cost? Shop<\/strong>\u00a0welcomes visitors into what looks like a retail store, complete with departments such as Electronics, Pets and Shoes.<\/p>\n In the Garden Department, \u201cshoppers\u201d encounter an issue they may never have pondered before: what happens to storm water that falls on paved surfaces in our cities and neighborhoods?<\/p>\n \u201cChicago has more than 1,900 miles of paved alleys, and when storm runoff goes from these channels into our sewer systems, local waterways suffer,\u201d notes\u00a0Ingrid Haftel<\/strong>, associate curator of How Much Does It Cost? Shop.<\/p>\n Pervious concrete \u2013 which filters storm water and rapidly channels it back into the ground \u2013 can be used to rebuild alleys, protecting our water supplies, reducing flood risks and easing stress on wastewater systems, she explains.<\/p>\n Visitors to the exhibit\u2019s Garden Department can see and touch this innovative material, thanks to a sample of\u00a0StormHandler\u2122<\/a>\u00a0concrete donated by Prairie Material.<\/p>\n StormHandler has been part of Chicago\u2019s solution for responsible storm water management since 2006, when it was first used to repave sections of municipal\u00a0alleys<\/a>. Last month, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago announced that pervious pavement can be used to meet storm water detention requirements in Cook County \u2013 a move other water districts may soon follow.<\/p>\n Municipalities near lakes and rivers are using pervious concrete to manage flood risks and keep water supplies clean.\u00a0Des Plaines, Illinois<\/a>\u00a0has approved StormHandler for all future alley reconstruction, citing its value in protecting the nearby Des Plaines River.<\/p>\n Landscape architects and homebuilders use StormHandler for walkways,\u00a0sports surfaces<\/a>, patios and much more. Chicago\u2019s\u00a0Pritzker Park<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 just blocks away from the CAF exhibit \u2013 features plazas and paths made with the material.<\/p>\n Pervious concrete\u2019s value in protecting the environment is just one of the eye-openers in the exhibit.<\/p>\n For example, \u201cshoppers\u201d will learn why the hair dryer they purchase for $21 today will ultimately cost them $291 \u2013 and why bottled water costs 2,000 times as much as tap.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether high or low, price tags can hide more than they reveal,\u201d Haftel explains. The How Much Does It Cost? Shop contrasts the \u201csticker price\u201d with the true environmental, social and economic cost of what we buy and build, she says.<\/p>\n Adds\u00a0Gregory Dreicer<\/strong>, CAF\u2019s vice president of exhibitions: \u201cWe\u2019re encouraging people to ask themselves: what am I willing to pay in order to create livable communities \u2026 for myself, my family and my kids?\u201d<\/p>\nA ground-level view<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nFrom city streets to garden paths\u200b<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nThe power of choice<\/h2>\n