How is everyone being green today?

Whats in your fridge?

Whats in your fridge thats good, and whats in your fridge that isn't? Find out in this educational video.

Watering your plants

This is me teaching you how to water your plants properly without soaking them too much and killing them.

End result for the volunteering job!

So after we volunteered at millenium park with other groups, we took one big group picture! I was so happy that we actually went through with this and it took a lot out of our day, but it was worth it. Everyone in the environment, is.

Aquaponics system!

In biology we were required to make an aquaponics system to show what we learned about it. This is ours. It may not look on key, but it's the future of gardening since global warming has rendered some areas useless! Learn to make one and it's very simple to keep going!

Volunteering with group UMAD!

This is the time when we volunteered with team UMAD! We all helped clean-up downtown millenium park! This provided that we all had images and different ideas to all add to this idea! I really liked this idea so I helped out! What have you done lately?

Green CTA Hybrid Busses

If you live in Chicago, you may have noticed that many of our city's buses are toting the words "clean air hybrid bus". Starting in 2007, Chicago initiated the use of 20 hybrid busses, and by 2009 the CTA was running more than 200. Compared to the old diesel busses, the CTA's hybrids have a 20% greater fuel efficiency, meaning that less money is spent on fuel and they can go farther with lower amounts of gas. Around when Chicago received their first electric busses, San Francisco did the same. They now have the 3rd largest hybrid bus fleet in the nation. Through running hybrid buses instead of diesel ones, the cost of fuel that needs to be paid by the city is lowered, and the amount of running time for the buses increases. It just goes to show that more and more people are trying to do their part in helping the environment. Sources:
http://www.transitchicago.com/goinggreen/vehicles.aspx
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/hybrids.htm

Hybrid Car Rankings 2012

If you're looking into buying a hybrid car, the most important thing to do is to look for valuable reviews and customer insight to help you pick your vehicle. These days, there are endless options for buying a hybrid car to fit any setting, whether you live in the city or suburbia. With great fuel economy potential, environmental benefits and good performance, hybrids might seem like the ideal car. However it's important to view all the cars on the market that you're interested in. Therefore, it might be worth your time to take a look at this list: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Hybrid-Cars/. Here you will find critical reviews of the best cars on the market, as well as rankings based on performance, interior, exterior and safety.

The Food Truck Revolution

Ask any food lover and they'll all say the same thing: the biggest up and coming food trend is the food truck. Similar to an ice cream truck, these original menus-on-wheels are nothing short of delicious and convenient. One of the best things about them is that they're also local, so you can find a food truck at any time of day wherever you are; food trucks can be found in any major city, from Atlanta to Washington D.C. They sell everything from tamales to cupcakes to health food, making them an option for any  meal component you're in the mood for. See which trucks are near you at the truck tracker, right here: http://roaminghunger.com/

Green City Market

Here in Illinois, the farmers market season is readily approaching, as are the regular shoppers. But one market, the Green City Market, is truly unlike the others. According to the website, it's Chicago's only real "green" farmers market, setting the standard for other farmers markets around the nation. You can find all kinds of delicious, locally grown produce there year 'round. Also, each stand's owner will hold no bars on educating you about how their food is grown, where it's grown and what it's grown with, meaning that you always know the exact origins of your food. However, the recent plus is, they just started their outdoor season! Not every day do you find such a perfect opportunity to combine great, natural food with lovely, natural surroundings. So pay a visit to their website today to learn more: http://www.greencitymarket.org/

Festivals: Go Green Outdoors

Summer is almost here, and every avid music fan knows what that means! Yes! FESTIVALS! The highlight of many-a-summer, festivals are a beacon of joy for everyone from fangirls to groupies to people who just want to go out and have a good time outside in the sun. Coachella has come and gone, but now for Chicago locals, Lollapalooza 2012 is right around the corner! With performances from groups like the Black Keys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with some dubstep sets, who could resist buying a pass or two? Or maybe three? Or, if you're really in the spending mood, buy a VIP ticket. No matter what tickets you get, though, it's a great reason to go outside and hang out for a day; turn off all the lights and leave the car at home! Sounds like a great summer day to me!
Find more info on this year's lolla at http://www.lollapalooza.com/

Big Belly Solar

Hey readers!
As many of you who live in Chicago may have noticed, there are now solar compactor trash cans downtown! These eco friendly bins harness the power of the sun to compress trash and help recycle plastic and metals. These waste baskets "reduce collection frequency by 80%, [free] up resources, [slash] fuel costs and [increase] recycling opportunities". Each standard "BigBelly Solar"trash can holds five times the amount of waste that a standard garbage can does, making trips to the bins by waste management to pick up the trash a lot less frequent, and therefore slashing the pollution that is caused by the machines. So, next time you have an empty Starbucks cup that you don't know what to do with, look for a BigBelly Solar waste collector.
You can find out more at http://bigbellysolar.com/

Mighty Wallet: A Green Place to Store Your Green

If you're looking for a new, eco-friendly, and inexpensive wallet, you might want to pay a visit to www.mightywallets.com. There you will find uniquely designed wallets to fit every taste made of an innovative substance called Tyvek, which is a single, folded sheet of microfiber that has been bent to form a wallet. Also, 25% of the wallet is made of recycled plastic. And, naturally, 25% of the wallets themselves are also recyclable. The wallets are made in a lower-energy facility, which helps reduce Mighty Wallet's carbon footprint. Tyvek is also non-toxic and ph neutral, and only SGS certified, environmentally friendly inks. This is as good as it gets, and at only 15 dollars a pop, what do you have to lose?

50 Ways; an Online List of Ways to Help the Environment

Wondering what you can do to help the environment in a simple, convenient way? Well, now you have a solution. A production of Wire & Twine, "50 Ways" is a cool online list of 50 quick things that you can do to help the environment, and your wallet. Better yet, they're simple things that won't cost you anything significant in terms of time commitment. To see the list, visit here: http://www.50waystohelp.com/

Threadless Tees: Go Green, Look Awesome

Want an easy, non-expensive way to go green? If so, take a look at the site (or store) of t-shirt company Threadless. Not only is Threadless a place to get "awesomely awesome" tees, tanks and sweatshirts, but they also sell ridiculously cool-looking re-useable tote bags, among other items ranging from iPhone cases to scarves to backpacks. What could possibly be better?
As a business that operates locally inside the Chicagoland area with a warehouse down by the Madhouse and a sole store in Lakeview, their tees and other merch are produced solely to the amount required by the demands of the people, meaning that they can minimize waste through only manufacturing as much merchandise as they need. They also hold local design competitions, which people of all ages can participate in. The winning design in typically featured on a T-shirt, and the more successful designs can even make it onto the tote or messenger  bags. Threadless is, as a whole, a great way to support local business and reduce waste by buying a super-cool reusable bag.
You can visit their web page at http://www.threadless.com/

What Teens Are Doing to Reach Out!

All around the nation, there is an ever-increasing aspect of growing environmental awareness - especially among teenagers - that is encouraging people and families to take "green" action, especially in places such as homes and schools. Most people know that there are really simple things you can do to "go green"; you can change to fluorescent lightbulbs, buy a hybrid vehicle, or - even better - start riding your bike or taking public transportation instead of driving to places such as your work or the supermarket. But some teenagers are coming up with unique and inspirational ideas to help their communities go green. One 3 person group of Chicago teenagers have taken items such as trash bags and aluminum cans and have made dresses and shirts out of them as well as trendy accessories. What's even cooler? An elementary school is sponsoring the project, allowing them to use their auditorium and facilities to put on the show. Another group of 4 teenagers have organized a 3-part series of beach cleanups around Chicago, inspiring over 30 people to help clean up Chicago's shoreline. Steve Jobs once noted that "the [people] who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." So what are you waiting for?

Chicago Farmers Markets

Finally, Spring seems to be here to stay! With trees throughout the city bursting into full bloom and flower buds poking their heads out of the ground, one can not help but think how they can spend more time outdoors during the - in my opinion, best - but shortest season of the year. A great way to get out and around during the season are the Chicago Farmer's Markets. With over 70 vendors in places such as Beverly, Lincoln Park and Bucktown, there is almost certainly a farmers market near you. Although many vendors sell fresh produce among all other things, certain vendors will actually supply meals, such as fresh crepes, smoothies, burgers and even ice creams. You can find dates and other information through the official Chicago Farmers Markets website at: http://www.explorechicago.org/ key word "farmers markets".

Going Green in a Beautiful Way

As a girl, I love using makeup to enhance my natural features as well as cool gadgets to help speed up my daily routines. But more than once has the question of "how does all this packaging and energy waste impact the environment?" crossed my mind. Sadly, it's hard to find eco-friendly packaging and products at your run-of-the-mill Walgreens or CVS. Luckily, Seventeen magazine has responded to many-a-reader's plea to produce a small slide show of beauty products that zero in on minimizing waste in addition to energy use. This compilation of yummy looking lipglosses, colorful eyeshadows and smooth foundations is enough to make any girl drool. Bonus! You'll even find affordable gift ideas in there, too.
Here's the link: http://www.seventeen.com/beauty/tips/eco-beauty-products?click=main_sr#slide-1

Enjoy, Ladies!
-Kat

Working together with more teams!

We worked together with another group to create a safe environment in which we can clean up glass, paper bags, plastic bags, wrappers, and assorted scattered plastics. This gave us both a way to see the other side in working together and getting extra training.

Reactions to Cleaning the Beach.

This is the amazing reaction to doing something great in your community. It's fun and you feel satisfied immediately after! I think that if people would keep on doing this in their community, it can be really cool!   I brought along my brother and my friend and we all did this and they thought it was really fun, and cool!