Category: Local

Community solar is for everyone

If you want to save money on your electric bill and are interested in supporting the growth of renewable energy in Illinois, you should sign up for community solar!

How I learned to love my laundry Part II

How I learned to love my laundry Part II By Leah Sorini A few easy procedures can make all the difference to making your laundry more sustainable. An important first step is to sort your clothes into blacks, whites, warms and cools, according to How to Love Your Laundry: Sort your smalls, save the planet…
Read more

Chicago’s lakefront: A source of deep pleasure and rising unease

Chicago’s lakefront: A source of deep pleasure and rising unease By Leah Sorini Nov. 22, 2021 Whether it’s a muggy, July morning and the lake is dotted with boats and swimmers or a brisk November afternoon and leisurely walkers of all ages pass me by, their dogs gleefully leading the way, one of my favorite…
Read more

Chicago’s Tree Canopy Needs Nurturing

Photo: Inside Graceland Cemetery on Chicago’s North Side. Chicago’s Tree Canopy Needs Nurturing We must save our mature trees By Karen Daiter | November 14, 2021 Editor’s Note: Ald. Andre Vasquez, Jr., (40th) introduced a resolution in the Chicago City Council that calls for the Department of Streets and Sanitation to reinstate the treatment of…
Read more

How to shop sustainably for clothing

Shop sustainably for clothing By Leah Sorini Recently, I wrote about ways you can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) when shopping for food. I soon wondered where else might I make changes. With a bit of research, I discovered that fashion has a comparatively large carbon footprint. “Nearly 20 percent of global waste water…
Read more

Clean up litter with purpose!

The Zero Waste Warriors Litterati challenge By Madeline Stanton When I joined the Zero Waste Warriors, an initiative of Climate Reality Chicago, my first opportunity for action was an in-person cleanup (masked and socially distanced). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join on that day. I realized we needed a way for people to participate in…
Read more

Let’s all take climate action now!

Learn how to use the Climate Action Now app and start action to combat our climate crisis today.

A student activist finds his voice

A student activist finds his voice — Q&A with JACOB ABASTA — March 1, 2021 Jacob, a 17-year-old climate justice activist from Mount Prospect is the city coordinator for an international youth-led climate education group called Earth Uprising. He organizes young people around climate change in the Chicago area. He recently joined Climate Reality Chicago…
Read more

Where are the reusable containers? They’re coming!

Where are the reusable containers? They’re coming! By Jane Goldenberg Editor’s Note: This article continues a series about new/local companies that are working to reduce waste. Please send us tips about others we should know about. — Part II: How the system of containers works in restaurants — Dispatch Goods, which distributes reusable containers for…
Read more

Help, I’m drowning in takeout plastic!

Help, I’m drowning in takeout plastic! By Jane Goldenberg Editor’s Note: With this article, we begin a series about new/local companies that are working to reduce waste. Please send us tips about others we should know about at climaterealitychicago@gmail.com — Part I: Pushing toward a more circular economy — With every takeout order I unwrap,…
Read more