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Green Living

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2022 08:45AM • Subscribe via RSS • ATOM

Three seperate pics of a blue flower, a yellow flower and a pink flower
Create a Colorful Year-Round Landscape

Mar 31, 2022 ● By Melinda Myers

Kick off the growing season with color and look for ways to continue color throughout the growing season and into fall and winter. Melinda Myers provides expert tips.

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A hiking trail
Guided Nature Hikes Offer a Sneak-Peek at Spring

Mar 31, 2022 ● By Sheryl DeVore

As the natural world re-awakens in April, local forest preserves offer guided hikes for the public to witness the signs of a new season and get some exercise.

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Mass of monarch butterflies on plant in nature
Why We Need Wild Places: How to Invite Nature Back into Our Lives and Landscapes

Mar 31, 2022 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Saving wild places is critical for human health and well-being. Here are ways to create spaces, including our lawns, that are hospitable to wildlife and native species.

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Hands holding smartphone taking picture of plant outdoors
Technology Meets Nature: Apps Bring Us Closer to Flora and Fauna

Mar 31, 2022 ● By Sheryl DeVore

We can enhance our nature experiences with these smartphone apps that identify plants and animals, interact with scientists, share knowledge and observations, and contribute to science.

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The Great Global Cleanup Targets Expansion to 192 Countries

Mar 28, 2022

EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Great Global Cleanup, a worldwide campaign to remove billions of pieces of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks—reducing waste and plastic pollution, improving habitats and preventing harm to wildlife and humans, returns in April.

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Whitney Young High School’s Fair Trade Coffee Café
Chicago's Whitney Young High School Students Practice Fair Trade Activism

Feb 28, 2022 ● By Maya Westbrook, Lila Aspin and Vivian Miltner

Chicago Public Schools Whitney Young High School Fair Trade Club recently opened a coffee shop with help from Metropolis Coffee and Chicago Fair Trade. They sell Metropolis fair trade coffee and tea, plus fair trade hot chocolate to students and will donate any profits to mental health and workers rights organizations.

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A father and his son standing on a walkway bridge
Local Blogs Beckon Armchair Naturalists to Investigate Midwest Nature

Feb 28, 2022 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Nature blogs offer armchair naturalists a chance to go exploring. Local writers help nature lovers discover everything from the wildlife to the natural wonders of the Midwest. From the Great Lakes to the Great Plains, nature is never far away. Read more here.

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Person working food stand at farmer's market selling fruits and vegetables
The Bounty of Farmers Markets: Buying Local Boosts Health, the Economy and the Planet

Feb 28, 2022 ● By Sandra Yeyati

Farmers’ markets offer the freshest fruits and veggies around, encourage organic and seasonal eating, support local farmers, and lower the carbon footprint of buying and shipping produce.

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The male northern cardinal sings to attract a mate in late January and February.
Birdsong Begins in Mid-Winter

Jan 31, 2022 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Birdsong returns to the Chicago region in late January and February, even when it’s cold and snowy and the deciduous trees are leafless. Cardinals and other birds let us know that spring is on the way, says Sheryl DeVore.

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Purple flowers
5 Tips for Houseplant Success this Winter

Jan 31, 2022 ● By Tony Abruscato

The secret to helping plants survive indoors in Midwestern winters is adjusting care routines. It takes just a few modifications to keep houseplants thriving during the colder months. Get Growing Foundation's Tony Abruscato offers expert secrets to successfully growing houseplants in a Chicago winter.

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Person lying on couch shopping second hand items online through phone
Secondhand Fashion: Online Used Clothing Stores Good for the Wallet and Planet

Jan 31, 2022 ● By Sandra Yeyati

Fueled by the pandemic and economic downturn, online resale shops are booming, driven by younger, tech-savvy shoppers and a host of specialized apps and websites.

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Blandings Turtle
Nature Museums Offer Indoor Learning and Exploration in Winter

Dec 30, 2021 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Sometimes it’s just too cold to spend a lot of time outdoors exploring nature in winter. Local centers offer free indoor nature experiences for visitors that include holding a snake, studying animal tracks, watching birds at feeders or peering at bees in a hive.

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Chevrolet Bolt EV parked in front of house
The Electric Vehicle Revolution: Moving Toward an All-EV Future this Year

Dec 30, 2021 ● By Jim Motavalli

As global automakers begin switching over to electric vehicles (EVs), technological advances have improved the range, acceleration, fuel costs and purchase price of battery-powered vehicles.

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Stacy Iwanicki, who co-founded a nature book discussion group at Volo Bog, holds her favorite book, A Sand County Almanac. Iwanicki is naturalist at Volo Bog State Natural Area, in Ingleside
Nature and Environment Book Groups Inspire Readers

Nov 30, 2021 ● By Sheryl DeVore

Nature books make great holiday gifts for friends and family. Joining a local book group makes reading even more fun. Of Bogs & Books is one of a few book discussion groups in the Chicago region that focuses only on nature and the environment.

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Eco-friendly toiletry gifts wrapped in sustainable holiday packaging
Greening the Holidays: How to Celebrate Sustainably

Nov 30, 2021 ● By Sandra Yeyati

Sustainable modifications to the holiday dinner, eco-friendly decorating tactics and green gift ideas to celebrate the season in ways that are less harmful to the planet.

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