Recently featured in Mashable's list of eight amazing green buildings, the Michael Yarnell residence in Ravenswood is the highest scoring LEED building ever built. more ›

Uncommon Ground holds the top two spots in the Green Restaurant Association's restaurant rankings. more ›

Chicago is certainly not as green as it could be. The city can always be expected to fudge up certain environmental initiatives — such as recycling — but even so, small companies in Chicago continue to paint more green in their niche markets, regardless of how much progress city hall is or is not making. The Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is one such new company bringing a fresh, green perspective to yet another market. Founded by a group of eco-friendly business owners in Chicago, The Chicago Green Wedding Alliance aims to encourage greener and less wasteful weddings. They group started with a group of environmentally responsible vendors, and continues to add more approved vendors to their list. And, since fall is prime planning time for next season’s weddings, Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is partnering with Fork and the Road for a bike tour for couples interested in hosting an eco-friendly wedding. The Brides on Bikes tour will introduce riders to the city’s top wedding vendors committed to local, seasonal and handmade foods, drinks, pastries and confections. more ›

The grants will go a long way toward taking The Plant off the grid completely. more ›

Chef Scott Walton tends a serious rooftop garden that provides some great ingredients to the kitchen. more ›

Last Friday the organizers for the Green Music Festival announced their Subterranean and Big Creek Productions curated 2011 lineup and we instantly had some crazy déjà vu. The weekend of June 25 Wicker Park's streets will not only be line with family and eco-friendly vendors and activities, but musical acts like Yo La Tengo, The Life and Times, Les Savy Fav and The Thermals. Does this lineup sound vaguely familiar? Well, it really should since it is really close the the line-up of the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. Don't get us wrong, we aren't complaining. For a $5 donation Green's lineup is pretty freakin' great and we are really intrigued by the green and organic festival food options that will be presented. more ›

Real Naked Food, a new small organic grocery store, has just opened in Wicker Park. The store, which carries organic produce, packaged goods and cleaning products, also has a huge bulk section - perfect for the local baker who needs a few pounds of flour. The store officially opens on April 22, but it's open right now with limited stock. We visited last week and snapped a few pictures - don't worry, the shelves will be full soon. more ›

Carry your St. Patrick's fever into the weekend and try this ultimate "green" sauce - chimichurri. Chimichurri is a versatile condiment that can be used as either a marinade or a sauce. Its bright Kelley green color matches the Chicago River - this sauce should really put you in the mood for spring. The sharp bite of raw garlic packs a punch for your meat or fish. In this recipe, we used the chimichurri as a sauce for roasted salmon filets. Try marinating chicken or beef in the chimichurri before throwing it on a hot grill. Money. more ›

We've been feeling a tad nostalgic for the '90s lately (even if Liz Phair doesn't share our sentiment) so when Jon called us all into his office to watch this 1990 Dutch documentary on Chicago legends Green and Eleventh Dream Day we were seated in front of his wide-screen computer with a bag of freshly popped popcorn in no time. The hair! The noise! The fonts! House music versus hip-hop! The Chicago music scene! Dig it. more ›

Curbed Chicago editor Mark Boyer has an interesting piece about plans for the Washington, DC-based National Museum of Health and Medicine's plans to open a satellite museum in the old Rock Records store at 175 W. Washington. more ›

Truth. I once described Missouri-based indie-rock group Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin to a friend as a band of guys who look like Michael Cera who play music that sounds like something Michael Cera would make. Having said that, a news release of the preciously named band's piqued my interest, as it had a surprising Chicago music connection. Along with tour mates Telekinesis, SSYBY have released a cover of "Gotta Get A Record Out" by Chicago power-pop group Green. more ›

Ever wonder how they dye the Chicago River green? Sure, there's all that fanfare with the boats. But Copyranter has uncovered the true source of all that green: a giant Shamrock Shake. more ›

In light of the climate summit currently happening (or not, depending on your point of view) in Copenhagen, the BBC is visiting eight cities around the world to assess how governments and citizens are tackling climate change. Chicago is the only city in North America to have received a visit. The BBC Climate Connections team set out to find out whether we actually are one of the greenest cities in the country. Their findings are available in the form of a Newshour Live broadcast through WBEZ (embedded below) and coverage on the BBC website. 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 ›

Chicago Public School buses got a technology makeover this summer, and they’re ready just in time for school to start next week, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.The fleet’s 1,600 buses have been outfitted with remote GPS systems and in-vehicle mobile data terminals, which together will make the buses more efficient and safer—particularly for special-needs students. And, by December, the older buses will be outfitted with cleaner-running technology, thanks to a $1 million Environmental Protection Agency program. more ›

When Chicagoist caught up with environmental expert Danny Seo last Thursday afternoon, he was sitting by himself at a table just outside the doorway of the Anthropologie clothing store in Lakeview, quietly examining the contents of his new box of assorted candies. Dressed in jeans and a buttoned-down shirt, he looked like a regular guy just out for some casual Southport shopping -- not at all like a someone who is often referred to as "the Green Martha Stewart." But while Stewart provides counsel on how to make "creative cupcakes" (if such a thing can even exist nowadays) and scrapbooks, Seo pushes his passion for eco-living: getting his message across by developing super-organic bath and beauty products and his own mattress line sold at JCPenney; writing books on environmentalism, green living and home decor; and partnering up with green companies such as Method, which sells eco-friendly personal care and household cleaning supplies. Among other things. more ›

We should start this review by saying that we aren’t usually cereal fans. Oatmeal, maybe, or a nice omelet, but cereal has never appealed to us. Either it’s full of sugar and artificial colors or it’s tasteless cardboard “health food” that’s hard as a rock. Custom-made cereal offered the possibility of creating something that was both tasty and healthy at the same time… but we weren’t getting our hopes up. more ›

Could one of Chicago's most famous landmarks be getting a new wardrobe? The owners of the Sears Tower, which has soared over the city's skyline since 1973, have proposed a silver paint job for the iconic black tower. So why is silver suddenly the new black? Is the Sears Tower jealous of the attention the glimmering Trump Tower demands on account of the way it reflects the sun's rays? more ›

Looking for an fun, educational, and cheap way to entertain the family tomorrow? Look no further than Hyde Park. The Museum of Science and Industry is open tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and offering up free admission all day. Can't make it by tomorrow but still looking to entertain those out of town guests? The MSI will be open all weekend (at regular admission, of course) and with some great exhibits like the Smart Home and Christmas Around the World, it's a great time to pay a visit. The MSI is open Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 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 ›

Emanuel Kuntzelman, founder of the Greenheart Initiative, will be at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts tonight to host a free "lively” discussion called Our Singular Moment, a look at how the present time has the potential to change the world. Kuntzelman’s theory is based on the idea that while society creates its own realities, it can transcend cultural conditioning to evolve a healthier personal and social awareness. The discussion has a foundation in Kuntzelman’s research and experience from his travels, using quantum physics, systems and chaos theory to support his model of social evolution. more ›

According to industry expert Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, as of 2007 Chicago has surged ahead of all other American cities to become the green roof top dog, with our green rooftop space totaling 517,633 square feet last year. Our fair city is also expecting an additional 4 million square feet of gardens to be completed or under construction by the end of 2008. more ›

Meet the Chicago Climate Action Plan: a fabulous, flexible, long-term plan unveiled by the Daley Administration last week that outlines how the city plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the onset of permanent climate change in Chicago. From the Climate Change 101 section of the website: more ›

Oh Lord, do we like hearing about things like this: a new company called The Special E functions solely to salvage leftovers from special events like weddings or conferences, often rescuing mighty amounts of food and other event leavings from getting tossed in the trash. The for-profit “green” organization, which services 30 major metropolitan areas, has already been hired for half a dozen Chicago events, including Ameriprise Financial's recent national conference at the Field Museum. 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 ›

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 ›

Could Chicago cabs be going hybrid? Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th) and Transportation Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th) are proposing a city mandate requiring cab companies to begin incorporating hybrids into their fleet of vehicles, with a complete conversion of all Chicago cabs by January 1, 2014: more ›

A report from the Brookings Institute today examines "metropolitan areas' progress toward achieving productive, inclusive, and sustainable growth that drives national prosperity." How's Chicago doing? more ›

One could make the argument that a zoo, by nature, is already organic. But this weekend, the Lincoln Park Zoo is implementing one step in a five-year plan to reduce the attraction’s impact on the environment when they open the Cafe at Wild Things. The cafe will only feature organic, sustainable, locally produced snacks. Even the utensils will be made of biodegradable cornstarch-based plastics. more ›