In honor of Earth Day, over 50 Chicagoans journeyed to the northside on an unforeseen sunny Saturday to clean the Sierra Club’s adopted Montrose beach. The efforts of the green-minded beachcombers resulted in a successful spring cleaning. The Chicago Group of the Sierra Club will be hosting monthly nature tours and bird walks from 7:30-10:00am starting Saturday, May 21, 2011. The designated Illinois natural area is home to migrant and nesting birds, foxes, coyote, beavers, and indigenous plants. To learn more about the Sierra Club outings, visit their website. more ›

Maybe it's Earth Day or something, but lately it seems like everyone is clamoring to be a friend to the environment. Or, at least they're clamoring to say they're a friend to the environment. In honor of the, er, "holiday," we take a look at some greening efforts related to transportation. more ›

If an outdoor festival with face-painting and former members of the Grateful Dead doesn't excite you, Earth Dinner may be just what you’re looking for to commemorate Earth Day 2010. This week through April 24th, several local restaurants are serving special Earth Dinner menus to reconnect us with our food and where it comes from. more ›

Yesterday was Earth Day, so to demonstrate the need for more clean energy, some people from Greenpeace attached 16-foot mini stationary windmills to the railing on the west side of the Michigan Avenue bridge. They were put up around 9:00 a.m., and they were taken down by 11:00 a.m. because the organization did not have a city permit. Also, CDOT spokesperson Brian Steele said that the windmills were a danger to pedestrians and to the movable bridge's delicate weight balance. (Uh, just how delicate? Should we be worried?) more ›

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Jesse White unveiled a program that allows Illinois motorists to recycle old or obsolete license plates. For a few weeks now, license plate recycling bins have been available outside each of the 136 Secretary of State vehicle facilities, but the recycling program was officially announced on Tuesday, in order to coincide with Earth Day. more ›

Earth Day is right around the corner (next Tuesday!) and one of the biggest celebrations is happening Sunday. It's all part of the Green Apple Festival, happening nationwide on Sunday at locations in Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, Denver, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The Chicago event will take place at Lincoln Park Zoo and is hosted by Bears neck-beard sportin' backup QB Kyle Orton (what, Ronny Cedeno wasn't available?) and Jodi Murphy from Discovery Channel's Wrecklamation: Planet Green. more ›

As if you needed reminding, it's Tax Day, one of the more stressful times of the year, especially with the economy in the toilet. But maybe you're lucky enough to get a half-decent refund from the Federal Government this year and feel like treating yourself to something nice. more ›

Launching on Earth Day late next month: organic Frango mints. The Tribune reports that Macy's and Frango producer Gertrude Hawk will make the organic mint chocolates using organic vanilla, organic milk chocolate and organic cane sugar, and that the mints will be packaged in recyclable paperboard boxes printed with vegetable-based inks. Macy's says that the decision to sell organic Frangos is part of an effort "to keep pace with growing consumer demand for organic products." more ›

Your theme this week, in honor of Earth Day/Week/Month: "Being Green." This is the song that Kermit the Frog made famous, but Ray Charles did a knockout version of it, and our favorite take on the song has to be Van Morrison's version from 1973's Hard Nose the Highway. It's so good, we insist on this song being played while our casket's being lowered to the ground. Let's dive in, shall we? Moo Moo, I... more ›

Usually Chicagoist is all for getting outside on Earth Day and planting a tree or cleaning up a park.. but this year.. uh.. have you looked outside. Ick. We're staying in. For those of you who love the earth more than us and aren't as big of sissies, there are a few things going on in honor of Earth Day that you may want to get in on. The Brookfield Zoo (home of the horny... more ›

Bloomin' Terrific, the City's celebration of springtime, starts off it's season today at Daley Plaza. Every Thursday around lunchtime there are activities and a market from now until May 12. It's probably too late for you to attend today's event on creating herb containers but you can still stop by the market, which is open from 8 am - 2pm every Thursday to sell flowers and plants. So get offya butt, outta your cube for a while and attend one of the other weekly events: more ›

Earth Day may not fall until April 22, but the tree-hugging people of Evanston are rejoicing this morning about the city's latest environmental policy. Following City Council approval last night, Evanston's 2005-6 budget will now include $858,000 that will be used for preservation and inoculation of more than 3,000 elm trees, threatened by the ravenous Dutch Elm Disease. more ›