Environment

Harder times are ahead for Chicago’s Resource Center, the non-profit that runs a number of community recycling centers on the North and South sides.

Chicago drivers will keep paying more than most Americans at the pump this summer due to state taxes and environment compliance standards, local experts say.

“The bad news this summer is that higher prices are probably going to hit Illinois first,” said Illinois Petroleum Council executive director David Sykuta. “That’s due to the Illinois goofy sales tax and local taxes adding another 11 cents on top of that.”

As the organic industry makes the shift from niche to mainstream, a debate has developed in regard to “greenwashing”--the alleged misleading of consumers by companies regarding the environmental benefits of a “green” product or service.

“Consumers are inundated with products that make green claims,” stated Scott McDougall, president of Philadelphia-based TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc., in a press release. “Some are accurate, certified and verifiable, while others are just plain fibbing to sell products.”

Food frequently travels thousands of miles before it reaches the dinner table in the United States. Buying direct from the producer at farmers markets like Green City is one way to reduce your negative impact on the environment.

Food frequently travels thousands of miles before it reaches the dinner table in the United States. Buying direct from the producer at farmers markets like Green City is one way to reduce your negative impact on the environment.

The American lawn, the pride and joy of homeowners everywhere, needs more tender, loving and ecological care.

That is the message of Lawn Nation, an exhibit opening Friday at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. This means using less water, chemicals and gasoline for its maintenance.

"If you walk away with one thought after seeing [the exhibit]," said Shane DuBow, strategic projects manager at the Nature Museum, "our hope would be that lawn is a choice, and that this is not a biological imperative."