The new film by Mike Gebert features Rob Levitt, Paul Kahan and Bartlett Durand. Paired with a 3-course dinner, this is a don't-miss evening for any meat lover. more ›

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

A few weeks back, we got a chance to have a long chat with Ann Wright, Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Wright was speaking at the Family Farmed Expo, promoting a new USDA initiative, "Know your Farmer, Know your Food" that works to promote local and regional innovations in American agriculture. Wright was an advocate for organic and sustainable agriculture and an agriculture advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid before she was appointed to her current post, and has been at the USDA for almost two years. We talked with Wright about what the federal government can do to promote sustainable agriculture, the USDA's sometimes-troubled history with small farms and her belief that large-scale change in the way we farm and eat has already begun. more ›

If you missed the debut screening of "Ingredients: The Local Food Movement Takes Root" last month, you've got another chance this Sunday, March 27. Actually, even if you saw the movie last month, see it again - this event is too good to miss. Chef Dirk Flanigan has created a four-course meal to accompany the movie, which will be screened in the private Theodore Ascher room at The Gage. The meal will feature local meat and produce from Cook's Bison Ranch, Nichols Farm, Swan Creek Heirloom Farm and Seedling Orchard. The cost is $75, and the menu is after the jump. But wait, it gets better. If you make reservations by 5 PM on Thursday, you will be entered into a drawing to win a special prize from the sponsor, Local Food Wisdom. more ›

We don't spend enough time inside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. We go fairly often, especially during the winter, since it's the site of the Green City Winter Market, but it's rare that we bother to look at the exhibits. Which is a darn shame, because there are some pretty amazing things to see. Take in the butterflies, see the beautiful nature dioramas, marvel at the wonderful pictures of the Chicago River, and after you're done, sit down for a snack. Why? Because the lunchroom at Notebaert hosts "Nature's Lunchbox," an exhibit on healthy and sustainable eating. more ›

We feel the best way to get to know where your food comes is to begin working with it and going straight to the source. So, we've been excited to start up our series of cooking class reviews to fine-tune our skills, share with you and get a little more knowledge on what goes into what we eat. With this week's review, The Greenheart Shop exceeded our expectations on the educational front. more ›

In the gray days of March, when the produce at the store is looking its most tired and our spirits really need an infusion of chlorophyll, we start to crave farmer’s markets. Fresh vegetables, flowers, being outside, and getting as much produce as we can eat for whatever cash happens to be in our wallets; farmer’s markets help revive us after the long, hard winter. Daley Plaza (our usual haunt) doesn’t open for another month and a half, so that’s clearly out. Luckily, Green City Market has come to the rescue. more ›

Are there any spas near Chicago that specialize in green/non-toxic spa treatments? I'm especially interested in one that might offer pre- or post-natal treatments for an environmentally conscious new mommy, but any non-toxic services would be great! more ›