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Last Updated: Dec 01, 2024 04:01PM • Subscribe via RSS • ATOM

image of a cute bookstore

Explore These Local Bookstores for Nature-Inspired Reads

Dec 01, 2024

Discover some Chicago area bookstores offering nature-inspired reads. Find unique selections of environmental books, adventure stories and eco-literature perfect for nature enthusiasts. Support local, independent small businesses and fuel your passion for the outdoors.

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Must-Read Books for Nature Lovers This Holiday Season

Dec 01, 2024 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Gayle Brandeis, co-owner of Secret World Books in Highland Park, recommends Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden by Camille T. Dungy, praising its poetic prose and powerful themes.

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woman holiday shopping

Click Local: How Online Shopping Boosts Neighborhood Businesses

Nov 29, 2024 ● By Megy Karydes

Support your community while enjoying online convenience. Discover how local businesses combine personal service with digital tools to thrive in today's shopping landscape.

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Image credit Bartlett Tree Experts

Protecting Drought-Stressed Chicagoland Trees Before Winter Starts

Oct 31, 2024 ● By M.D. Skeet (“Skeet”)

Chicagoland's drought is stressing trees. Symptoms include wilting leaves and stunted growth. Arborists recommend focusing on watering, mulching, and fertilization, as well as inspections

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Photo with permission from the University of Illinois Extension.

Champion Trees Inspire Us While Battling Climate Change

Oct 31, 2024 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Illinois Big Tree Register program, by the University of Illinois Extension, highlights significant trees statewide to encourage conservation and appreciation of Illinois' tree heritage.

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light bulb for green building

Green Gadgets for the Home: Smart Choices to Save Money and Preserve Resources

Oct 31, 2024 ● By Deborah Bevilacqua

As consumers take steps to benefit the environment, companies are responding with eco-friendly products. From dryer balls to solar-powered chargers, these innovations reduce waste, save energy, and lower carbon footprints.

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Volunteer hawk watchers enjoy a cool autumn day counting raptors at Illinois Beach State Park. Photo by Vic Berardi.

Volunteers Celebrate 25 Years of Tracking Hawk Migration at Illinois Beach State Park

Sep 30, 2024 ● By by Sheryl DeVore

Hawk watching is a citizen science activity where volunteers track migratory raptors, such as hawks and eagles, to gather data on their migration patterns. Volunteers often observe migratory routes like mountain ridges, coastlines and land bridges, where raptors use natural updrafts to aid their flight.

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Fair-Trade Environmentalism: How Our Purchases Help Workers and the Planet

Sep 30, 2024 ● By Megy Karydes

A GlobeScan study shows 41% of U.S. consumers choose products supporting social and environmental causes. Fair trade is growing as shoppers seek eco-friendly, ethical, and sustainable options.

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Chicago Botanic Garden

Celebrate Fall and Stock Up on Bulbs at Chicago Botanic Garden

Aug 30, 2024

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s annual Fall Festival & Bulb Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., October 4 through 6.

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Planting tulip bulbs in fall Melinda Myers

Boost Landscape Beauty with Fall Planting

Aug 30, 2024 ● By Melinda Myers

Fall is an ideal season to introduce new elements to a landscape. Because the soil is warm and the air cool, newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials are less stressed and will establish more quickly.

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Photo credit Julia Lunn

Center for Conservation Leadership Impacts Lake County

Aug 30, 2024

Lake Forest Open Lands’ Center for Conservation Leadership (CCL) recently received two grants from the Illinois Coastal Management Program (ICMP), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), focused on the Great Lakes Coastal Region.

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Monarch on common milkweed

Monarch Butterflies How Urban Gardens Are Helping Them Thrive

Aug 30, 2024

Monarch butterflies, with their striking orange and black wings, are some of the most recognizable butterflies in North America.

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A monarch sips nectar from a plant at Lurie Garden in September

Lurie Garden Celebrates 20 Years of Diverse, Naturalistic Plantings in Chicago

Aug 30, 2024 ● By Sheryl DeVore

A September walk through Lurie Garden, located in Chicago’s Millennium Park, will reward visitors with spikes of bubblegum pink flowers called rough blazing star, along with the low-lying, deep-purple blooms of bottle gentian.

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wind and sustainable energy

Emerging Sustainability Drivers: From Artificial Intelligence to Citizen Scientists

Aug 30, 2024 ● By Kelcie Ottoes

Renewable energy, greenwashing regulation, artificial intelligence applications and biodiversity programs are all being championed by stakeholders for the greater good of our planet.

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Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve to Expand with Addition of 18 Acres

Jul 31, 2024

The Lake County Forest Preserves (LCFP) Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of 18.2 acres to expand Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, in Lake Forest, at a meeting in July.

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