Apple pie lovers, behold: Wisconsin apples just got a lot greener. Ever since a 2011 myth-busting adventure in which I learned apples are epically difficult to grow organically, at least in the Midwest, I’ve been giving my once fave fruit the cold shoulder. After all, pears were easy enough to find locally grown and organic… … Read more
This past April, when torrential rains caused some of the worst flooding in Illinois history, many people were asking “why?” Roads were flooded, homes were deluged, and favorite family destinations were too flooded to operate—such as the perpetually-open Brookfield Zoo, which closed down for only the third time in 100 years. Many people in the … Read more
Living in a house that faces south and has tons of windows enables my house to get warmed by the sun on a typical sunny day. Does that mean I am harnessing solar power? If I wanted to install solar panels, would it save me energy and money? On Worldview, host Jerome McDonnell and I … Read more
—by Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of collections and animal care for the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo and member of the Board of Directors for the Turtle Survival Alliance You may never have seen a Blanding’s turtle because they are endangered in Illinois and threatened nationwide. That is why the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages … Read more
Let’s talk salamanders. Why should we get excited about these small secretive creatures? The blue-spotted salamander averages between 3.5-5.5 inches long. (Michigan DNR) Although they are very good at hiding under rocks and logs, they should not by any means be overlooked. There are just under 600 species of salamanders in the world. While most … Read more
Soap Opera! Are Antibacterial Cleaners Worth the Drama? A new scandal in hygiene has erupted. “95 percent of people wash their hands improperly: Are you one of them?” questioned a recent CBS news headline. Or, as the USA Today more delicately put it: “The art of hand washing has yet to be mastered.” So, how … Read more
—by Debra Shore, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner Great news. Yesterday, the board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District voted unanimously to award two contracts to construct disinfection facilities at the O’Brien (formerly North Side) Wastewater Treatment Plant and at the Calumet Plant. This means that the water discharged from these two treatment plants will … Read more
Sacré bleu! Scientists at London’s Kew Gardens recently predicted that before the century’s end, global warming could force into extinction the plant source of most of the world’s coffee. Two main coffee species create the coffees that most people drink: Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea robusta). Arabica is most widely enjoyed—about 70 percent of … Read more
Flight Club: Bird vs. City The average bird can cruise between three-inch openings in dense woodlands at upwards of 20-30 mph. So they should have no problem maneuvering their way around giant urban buildings, right? The answer is…not so much. Experts say that between 100 million and 1 billion birds die each year in North … Read more
As the mid-winter chill sets in, a tangy tasting ripe tomato with sweet fresh basil leaves can easily bring summer to mind. But often, grocery-store tomatoes don’t taste good at all times of year and fresh basil is expensive. So how do we find and choose good produce year-round? In this month’s EcoMyths Worldview segment, … Read more
