Why pledge allegiance to bees? For starters, they’re among the most important pollinators we’ve got. Check out the latest installment of The Bee Chronicles, to see Chicago Botanic Garden bee expert Becky Tonietto school EcoMyths’ own inimitably inquisitive Cliff Miller on pollination. Pollination Nation from ecomyths alliance on Vimeo. This is the second of three … Read more
Did you know that one out of every three bites of food you eat was created, at least in part, by the pollination of a bee? Really, one third! I was startled to learn this and many other surprising facts from the bee scientists I have had the pleasure to get to know recently. This … Read more
You better bee-lieve we’re proud to present the very first EcoMyths video, starring Chicago Botanic Garden bee expert Becky Tonietto and the inimitable landscape designer Cliff Miller as they discuss the fact that, contrary to popular opinion, bees are definitely not out to sting us. This is the first of three in The Bee Chronicles … 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
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
—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
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
How does a cricket taste? That’s what I was thinking recently while watching a mother bird feed its fat, hungry babies. As it happens, Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago has an insect chef serving crickets on the weekends this summer, so I had the chance to find out! Last Sunday, while visiting the zoo’s Xtreme Bugs … 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
