This year’s third annual Evanston Green Ball, the City’s premier environmental event, will showcase the best local restaurants and live music from Grammy Award winners to raise funds for the Evanston Ecology Center, which is celebrating 40 years as the City’s sole community center devoted to environmental education.

The 2014 Green Ball, hosted by the Evanston Environmental Association (EEA) and the City of Evanston, will be held 7-10 p.m. on May 30 at the Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave. Tickets are $75.  “Friend of the Ecology Center” tickets are also available at $100, and purchasers of those tickets will be listed in the event program. All tickets include food, drinks and live entertainment. Wine can be purchased separately.

All proceeds will go to support the Ecology Center’s programs and operations, and this year will primarily target classroom upgrades and improvements to the animal environments.

Tickets sold out last year, so the EEA encourages people to buy them early this year by visiting www.evanstonenvironment.org/greenball.html or paying by cash or check at the Ecology Center at 2024 McCormick Blvd. The 2014 Green Ball will feature: 

• The “Taste of Evanston” – free food from the best local restaurants, caterers and greengrocers, including Hecky’s Barbecue and Whole Foods Market;

• Drinks from Green River, Goose Island and Sips on Sherman (formerly WineStyles Evanston);

• Live music performed by reggae band Gizzae, which includes Grammy Award-winning artists;

• Eco-fashions from local designers and a showcase of Evanston’s best green groups;

• One-of-a-kind “packaged” raffle prizes.

“The annual Green Ball is the Ecology Center’s premier event, and we’re grateful that it helps us provide programs that educate and inspire people to appreciate the environment,” said Claire Alden, a program coordinator at the Ecology Center.

“This year’s Green Ball will provide a fun way to say happy birthday to the Ecology Center, but it’s also our chance to say thank you to the community for supporting us throughout the year,” Ms. Alden added.  

The Evanston Ecology Center was built in 1974 by a group of local citizens.  The EEA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the long-term success of the Evanston Ecology Center.