Foods that are purchased locally have fewer "petroleum miles" than foods shipped across the country. Support your local farmers by purchasing foods from farmers’ markets and co-ops in your area. Visit Local Harvest or USDA to find one near you.
LOS ANGELES — Bees play an important role in agriculture, pollinating crops and providing us with the natural sweetener, honey. Environmental stresses are taking their tolls on the insects, however, and this year’s Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement has gone to researcher May Berenbaum, who is studying solutions to the bee crisis.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Something new is sprouting up at the Cook County Sheriff’s boot camp. The Cook County Sheriff’s boot camp is designed to give young men who have made some mistakes a second chance. Organizers think getting them back to nature might also help get their lives back on track. >> Read the full story
CHICAGO (WLS) — They say you’re never too young to learn how to take care of the planet. It’s all happening at a child care center in Chicago’s West Loop, where they take the phrase “living green” very seriously. They are making environmentalists out of youngsters who can’t even say the word. In this place, they’re teaching those lessons — almost from birth. >> Read the full story
Hard Rock Cafe Chicago Hosts 2009 Listen Green Tour featuring Maggie Speaks
Chicago
April 22, 2009 – 8 p.m. Doors open | 9 p.m. Event begins
Hard Rock Cafe Chicago
63 West Ontario
312-943-2252
Maggie Speaks is launching its 2009 LISTEN GREEN TOUR on Wednesday, April 22nd at Hard Rock Cafe Chicago to celebrate Earth Day with fellow Chicago fans. Don’t miss this opportunity to ROCK & RECYCLE, live with Maggie Speaks at Hard Rock Cafe Chicago. Proceeds from the show will benefit the charity, Keep Chicago Beautiful [ www.kcb.org ], and its education programs. Tickets are only $10 at the door, beginning at 8pm or are available online (www.ticketweb.com). The event will be implementing green efforts during the show including recycling bottles, reducing waste and utilizing recyclable trash bag liners.
CHICAGO — Renewable energy is not just a concept at one Chicago business, but the owners are putting it into practice, and it’s on display for everyone to see.
The city of Chicago’s skyline is always changing. One company is now making it a little greener, by tapping into the wind and sun.
If you’ve passed by the intersection of Jefferson and Monroe recently, you probably noticed a new addition.
Atop Pepsico’s Chicago headquarters are wind turbines that catch wind to produce electricity. Solar panels harness the sun to generate more power.
CHICAGO — If you’re looking for a fresh start and don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty, the Windy City Harvest may be a perfect fit for you.
“I’m learning all kinds of things about why plants that I tried to grow before didn’t grow. I’m getting all of the book knowledge as to why my thumb wasn’t green enough,” said Renee Mack.
Mack is one of several new students enrolled in a nine-month urban horticulture program offered by the Chicago Botanic Garden at the Arturo Velasquez West Side Technical Institute. It’s free to participants and includes a three-month paid internship.
Chicago — Some parents are combining nutrition, convenience and eco-friendliness and they’re bringing it to a school cafeteria near you.
Parents get a guarantee that their kid’s lunch won’t consist of cheese pizza or chicken nuggets and for $5, they’ll also know they’re helping to protect the planet.
Check this out. No parents around and one kid chooses to devour apple chunks before a chocolate brownie with edamame as a close second. It’s every parents dream. He’s one of the students at Wilmot school in Deerfield who gets a green bag lunch.
CHICAGO — Over 40 percent of the material that goes into landfills comes from construction and demolition waste. Now, two non-profit organizations have joined forces to reduce that number while offering bargains to consumers.
A non-profit organization called “The Reuse People” is taking apart properties piece by piece instead of flattening them with a wrecking ball. The process is called deconstruction. It costs more in time and money, but up to ninety-percent of building materials can be recovered and reused. The next step is to get the salvaged items into the hands of those who can use them.
CHICAGO, Ill. — The next time you feel the urge to indulge in a chocolate treat, you can ease any guilt by telling yourself — your purchase is helping to save the planet.
It’s luxe chocolate that’s made right here in Chicago and it’s produced by a company that carries a green mission from its administration to its manufacturing.