You’ve probably heard that wind turbines result in epic bird kills. But ornithologist Caleb Gordon, PhD, believes that’s one epic misconception. With 20+ years studying migrant avian ecology, including creating the Shaw Woods Avian Monitoring Project at Lake Forest College and serving as a federally licensed master bird bander, Gordon now studies the ecological impact … Read more
Fishing for the Facts: Is It Safe to Flush Old Meds? What to do when it comes time to ditch old and unused medicine? Flushing old pharmaceuticals down the toilet may seem like a better option than simply trashing them. After all, the FDA recommends flushing some drugs in order to keep them from being … Read more
A Ticket to Ride…or Otherwise Actively Commute Remember how much you longed for your first car? Whether it was a hot rod or a hot mess, it didn’t much matter—a car meant freedom, a passport to the endless road. Today, though, there’s a growing movement away from the car culture, with close to 30 percent … Read more
Over the years, you may have heard that the recommended way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals is to flush them down the toilet or pour them down the drain—not anymore. The EPA and FDA backed off this recommendation for almost all drugs (exceptions are listed on the FDA website). Medicines are among the thousands of … Read more
Beetlemania: Is Eating Bugs Actually a Good Thing? Think eating bugs is gross? You’re not alone. To many Americans, bug eating, or entomophagy (yes, there’s a fancy word for it) belongs only on extreme TV and in remote corners of the world. But the truth is, most of us eat bugs on a daily basis … Read more
Zack Lemann thinks eating bugs is about to be the next big foodie trend. Why trust him on this? Well, when he started his career as an entomologist in the ’90s, he had no idea he’d find himself gaining international fame as a Bug Chef. But what began as a one-time fling with bug cuisine … Read more
—Tips courtesy of Debra Shore, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Replace an older toilet (pre-1994) with a new low-flow or dual flush model. Why? Toilets are the biggest water guzzlers in our homes, older toilets use approximately 3.5 gallons per flush (pre-1980 toilets can use as much as seven gallons per flush), and the typical … Read more
School (of Fish) Bullies: Are Asian Carp Really That Big a Deal? It’s back-to-school time and anti-bullying campaigns have been getting a lot of media attention these days (deservedly so). But there’s another kind of bully threatening to take over a Great Lakes school system: the Asian carp. True, it’s just a fish, so it’s … Read more
When my life is in balance, I just know it. There is no formula. The mix of what creates my personal balance changes over time and is likely not the same way you find balance. Hopefully, if some elements of my life become too demanding, I can make adjustments and put life back into balance. … Read more
