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Urbis in Horto is the motto for Chicago and in Latin it means City in a Garden.   Over the last several years Chicago has gained a reputation as a green city.  It is a motto that has been earned and is deserved.   The city has undergone a real green transformation in the last several decades.  However, from the deep tunnel project to the recycling bins that have appeared in certain wards to the fish hotel on the main branch of the Chicago River; all are the result of the city’s tax largess.  

One program that I care about has fallen victim to the budget axe and it leaves me wondering what can be done to fill the void.   Read More

When you can’t afford to shop at Whole Foods anymore is it harder to be environmentally friendly?

If you are asking that question, you may discover that you have gotten into the habit of expressing your environmental values primarily though consumerism.  As is the way of American business, marketers have jumped on the green bandwagon.  While there is a genuine environmental ethic that has been adopted by business in recent years, the inauthentic “green washing” of some companies is pretty easy to spot.  Consider the audacity of a certain car company attempting to associate the phrase “Eco” with an 8 cylinder engine on a passenger vehicle.

While our purchasing choices will remain important forces in causing a sustainable future, they are only a portion of what needs to be addressed.  We all must be honest and confront the fact that we will not be able buy our way out of this.

Here are some ideas for deepening your environmental impact while on a budget.

1) Re-purpose as Family Project

There is no shortage of obsolete stuff (Junk) in a typical household.   Create a contest with your kids and their friends to come up with the most valuable re-use of a piece of junk in the house. Let them vote and the winner of the contest gets to pick what is for dinner one night.

2) Start a garden or join a community garden

No matter how impractical or inconvenient it may seem to take a whirl at growing your own food, the rewards of learning, health and quality time with your family are profound.  No matter what the scale you take on.  Do it.

3) Turn your community into a Blue Zone

There are many places in the world where people regularly live to be over 100 years old.   Researchers have coined the term Blue Zones to describe these areas.  There are a number of common factors in each of these areas of the world that have been studied and put to the test in the town of Albert Lea, MN.  The adoption of these virtually zero cost practices has raised the scientifically verifiable life expectancy of people in this town by over three years.

4) Walk to work, use public transportation or work from home

Walking to work can kill two birds with one stone (daily exercise and transportation). Using public transportation allows you to get things done while commuting.  Working from home gives you more time with your family.

5) Make the next birthday gift you give with your hands

It may not happen often, but when you get a gift that someone actually made for you, it means something. (Ask any Mother) A gift that is handmade by a friend or family member carries special significance and will always stand out among things that are simply bought.

These are just a few small ideas. When applying creativity to the challenge of being green in a down economy, there is no shortage of options and in the long run it is a lot more satisfying than retail therapy ever was.

A cottonwood seed lands on a 23rd story ledge and begins to pursue it’s destiny as a tree. Never mind what the laws of physics and probability have to say about it.

Crossing paths with a lucky young woodpecker on Wacker Drive

Each year , tens of thousands of birds collide with urban skyscrapers.  For maintenance staff of high-rise office buildings picking up a dead bird on the sidewalk is a daily occurrence.  Biologists say that the lights of office building that confuse migratory birds at night may be as big a cause in their decline as tropical deforestation.

Whether going from one end of the planet to another or staying put for the winter, there are many species of animals that spend time in major cities that we would find surprising.   Read about this juvenile woodpecker and other forms of urban wildlife in an article I wrote for the Examiner: