If the Chicago river smelled a little less offensive than usual this morning, it’s probably a coincidence. more ›

The grease will be turned into fuel for Park District vehicles. more ›

Bill Haney's film of the war between the people of Coal River Valley, WV and the energy companies literally blowing up mountains to more efficiently extract their coal, should be required viewing. more ›

Last night, the Shedd Aquarium teamed up with Chefs Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris of Prairie Fire to teach diners about sustainable seafood. While there is something a bit counter-intuitive about an aquarium teaching people how to eat their charges, this education is important, as consumers have a real ability to impact the health of the oceans. Best of all, you can learn while eating some darn good food. Join us for a belated World Oceans Day and learn what you can do. more ›

The USDA regularly tests produce for pesticides and other chemicals - and they were surprised to find cilantro (the first fresh herb tested) was absolutely loaded with pesticides. The Tribune's Monica Eng reported that 94% of the samples taken by the USDA tested positive for at least one pesticide, and 44% showed pesticides not approved for use in Cilantro - the number in apples was 2%. more ›

Chicago’s eco-activists, socially responsible folks, and an assorted group of friends gathered this weekend at the Green Festival. Over the course of ten years, the event, hosted by the Global Exchange and Green America, has attracted over one million people. The 2011 tenth annual celebration kicked off in Chicago and will be moving to five cities across the United States. Some of the event highlights include: more ›

One day after the EPA made it clear that they won't abide a Chicago River rife with poo germs, regional water regulators emphatically said they were not ready to clean up. The icky water in question comes from treatment plants operated by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, whose Board President Terrence O’Brien came out swinging at a press conference on Friday. Despite a recent court ruling ordering improved water quality on stretches of the waterway and calls from just about everyone else (including the City, State, Feds and local environmental groups) for the District to end the practice of dumping “undisinfected effluent” into the River, O’Brien called cleaning up the Chicago River a waste of taxpayer money. That is quite a statement coming from someone who publicly claimed, "It's my job to clean up our water and keep pollution out of Lake Michigan..." more ›

For the past few years, there has been plenty of talk about Colony Collapse Disorder, a drastic and sudden depletion in the number of honeybee colonies in North America. In 2010, for example, the USDA estimated total honey bee losses to be about 34%, an astounding number. What is currently a huge headache for beekeepers could have an out-sized impact on the food chain if left unchecked. Honeybee populations affect crop yields because the insects are responsible for the pollination of hundreds of the items you expect to see at the supermarket, from apples to zucchinis. The economic impact has been frequently estimated to be as high as $15 billion annually. more ›

When thousands of blackbirds wound up dying in Arkansas on New Year's Eve, and another 500 later in Louisiana, we chalked it up at the time to some hillbilly messing around with a giant Tesla coil. It seemed as reasonable an explanation as the "they was spooked by the holiday fireworks" theory bandied about by some Arkansans. So what's to explain the thousands of dead gizzard shad that geese and mallards are feasting on along the lakefront? According to one biologist, they're sensitive. more ›

We're proponents of tap water over bottled water, but this makes us take some notice. A new study commissioned by an environmental watchdog group found elevated traces of a metal that has been known to cause cancer in tap water samples from 31 cities, including Chicago. more ›

During dinner with a close friend this weekend, we started discussing the menu in some depth. "At these prices, this can't be sustainable salmon," she said, and we agreed that it probably wasn't. "Maybe I should ask the waiter," she wondered aloud, before deciding to order something else. And this brings us to our question of the week - what do you do when you are afraid that considering sustainability might be rude or embarrassing? more ›

According to the study the plants cause more than $127 million in 2010 dollars in health damages yearly, based on 2005 emissions. Particulate matter released into the air causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, heart attacks, premature death and more. A spokeswoman for Midwest Generation told WBEZ that there is no tie between the plants and public health, putting the blame on traffic instead. The ELPC supports the Chicago Clean Power ordinance, which would require Midwest Generation to reduce PM pollution within 4 years. Howard Learner, executive director for the ELPC said via press release “Soot and smog from Chicago coal plants is making us sick and costing us millions. Cleaning them up is the right thing to do for our health, our environment and our economy.” more ›

On the northern outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, a dump truck is tipping its payload onto a football field-sized patch of uncovered trash at the edge of the world's largest landfill, the Jardim Gramacho. Before the garbage is even out of the truck, a few dozen people scurry up the sides of the still-forming pile, plucking prized recyclables from the waste with desperate, practiced quickness, flocks of vultures circling overhead and a post-apocalyptically barren man-made desert stretching all around. These are the catadores, or pickers of recyclable materials, who work among the trash and live in the nearby favelas. Waste Land follows artist Vik Muniz as he attempts to document this community of 3,000 or so pickers who extract 200 tons of recycling as they work day and night, extracting an honest living out of the things we all throw away... more ›

For this year's Fourth of July fireworks display, city officials have announced plans to stage three synchronized events along the lakefront to save money and improve public safety issues. The three events--at Navy Pier, at Foster and Lawrence in the north, and at 59th Street in the south--are set to replace the annual celebration in Grant Park on July 3. Jill Niland, along with other conservationists and nature lovers, is worried that the north and south celebrations will draw huge crowds to the Montrose and 63rd Street beaches, both of which contain "ecologically sensitive nature areas," according to the Chicago Tribune. more ›

Worried about sustainable seafood and where to buy it? Greenpeace has just released it's most recent report, "Carting Away the Ocean," on grocery stores and their efforts (or lack thereof) to ensure the existence of tasty fish for the next generation. Last year, the big loser was Trader Joe's. TJ's sold so many types of fish on the "Red List" of threatened species that Greenpeace branded them "Traitor Joe's" and started a parody website. It worked - Trader Joe's agreed to change it's buying practices. more ›

Whether or not you still have sore feelings about one of Chicago's most recognizable landmarks being renamed by the Brits, there is at least one good thing coming from the switch: the building will receive an upwards of $300 million green makeover. more ›

Updated studies show that by 2015 some outlying suburbs could face a long-term water shortage according to Crain's. Water supplies are not going to dry up but projections by the University of Illinois Water Survey show that water supplies won't be able to keep up with population growth. As a result, pumping water from them will become cost-inefficient said Josh Ellis, a water policy expert at the Metropolitan Planning Council. He told Crain's:

Communities served by Lake Michigan face the same long-term problem. From drinking water to the reversal of the Chicago River, the Chicago region is now diverting 85% of the lake water that a Supreme Court decision allows; without conservation, that limit could be reached in 15 years.

The Illinois attorney general's office has sued a Chicago recycling company for misusing $88,000 of state grant money administered during former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's term, the Tribune reports. more ›

• Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide.
• It was a clout-y first day of the Fall 2009 term at the University of Illinois today.
• Bensenville's village president has conceded the fight against O'Hare expansion but is still expressing concern for effects on the city's maintenance.

It seems a Chicagoan was in on the act the other day when a bunch of environmental protesters unfurled a giant banner over the face of Abe Lincoln (outrage!) at Mt. Rushmore yesterday. According to the Daily Herald, Chicagoan Mary Sweeters was involved and Greenpeace officials indicated at least one more Illinois resident may have been a part. The Daily Herald has the full scoop on what went down. more ›

A hotel for Chicago's aquatic citizens has recently opened for its fifth season. more ›

If President Obama gets his way, the Great Lakes could be in for a nice clean-up come next year. The President's 2010 budget, released in February asked for an additional $475 million in funds to clean the Lakes; if the funding were approved, it would put the yearly cost of funding for the Great Lakes at over $1 billion per year. Per the Associated Press (via WBBM): more ›

We're still wading our way through the behemoth that is the Chicago 2016 Bid Book (no, seriously, it's f#$@&%! huge) but the Associated Press has already latched on to one of the aspects of the bid that the city is hoping will put us over the top: bein' green. At the heart of the green aspect of the city's proposal is the usage of lots of green space and space along Lake Michigan for event venues. more ›

Since May 8, thousands of visitors have been amazed by the style, innovation and comfort of the Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home: Green and Wired. The Museum, in partnership with Wired Magazine and architect Michelle Kaufmann, built an entire house, complete with landscaping, on the lawn outside the Henry Crown Space Center. Visitors can tour the entire house (including the utilities spaces, the roof and the grounds) with a guide for a small additional fee. We had the opportunity to visit the Smart Home a few weeks ago, and our recommendation is simple: If you haven't been, go right now. more ›

No updates yet on that proposed mandate which would require Chicago cab companies to convert to hybrid cars, but it seems that a high number of Chicago and other Illinois residents are personally making the switch. While California strongly outpaces all other states for new hybrid vehicle registrations, statewide financial incentives and the price of gas are helping to keep both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois in the top five on lists for new hybrid sales. more ›

According to a letter the EPA sent Governor Blagojevich, air quality in 14 Illinois Counties—Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Kendall, Rock Island, Massac, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair and Randolph—does not meet federal pollution standards. Prepare ye wrists for slapping, Illinois! "The EPA said it intends to settle on its final soot nonattainment list by Dec. 18. Counties included on that list would face pressure to cut levels of microscopic soot produced by power plants, diesel-burning trucks, cars and factories." [AP, Trib]
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Swiss adventurer Louis Palmer is driving a solar-powered car around to highlight the feasibility of alternative fuels. He cruised through Chicago yesterday in his two-seat, three-wheeled contraption that tops out around 55mph. [AP, ABC 7]
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Vendors at any of the 24 Chicago-run farmers markets won’t be able to participate in next year’s selling season unless they stop using plastic bags. The bag ban, imposed by the city of Chicago, is meant to reinforce the city’s message to “go greener.” more ›

Hundreds of pounds of garbage, including medical waste, have washed up on a 10-mile stretch of shoreline in Michigan. The Coast Guard doesn't know where the trash came from, but some of it apparently contains Wisconsin names and addresses. [AP]
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Get ready for tonight's finale of with this sorta spoof, sorta recap. more ›