The Chicago Traveler

Chicago is known worldwide for its architecture, but that doesn’t mean Windy City residents don’t appreciate “amber waves of grain.”
Openlands is a local, independent, non-profit conservation society that preserves and enhances public open spaces in northeastern Illinois. Since its beginning in 1963, the organization has secured more than 45,000 acres of land for public parks, forest preserves, and urban gardens.
You can do your part by volunteering in one of their many projects, including farmers markets in Humboldt Park and community gardens in Austin, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, and Lawndale. You can also get certified to care for and maintain the city’s …read more

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More and more people have been making a conscious effort to live “green.” The popularity of Chicago’s Green City Market is proof of that, as customers support local farmers and buy high-quality, organic foods. You can easily keep away from foods that put chemicals in your body, but what about the products you put on your body?
Many companies use animal byproducts, mineral oils, artificial colors, and harsh chemicals in their soaps, cosmetics, and lotions. In response to all this manufactured nastiness, Chicagoan Victoria Slone created Lotions & Potions. She has extensively studied the practices of aromatherapy, herbalism, and homeopathy and …read more

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Soaring gas prices and global warming issues remind us that we need to take care of our planet and be as fuel-efficient as possible. Our newest Travel & Culture Channel member, Liz Lewis, provides all kinds of great information on how to travel eco-responsibly at Traveling the Green Way. Welcome Liz!

Photo credit: b5media

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• Jim Jeffries, an Australian comedian whose R-rated humor has headlined the Edinburgh Fringe and Just for Laughs, performs at the Lakeshore Theatre. (May 8-9)
• At the new exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired, visitors can explore a real, three-story sustainable “green” home in the Museum of Science and Industry’s backyard featuring energy-saving techniques and environmentally friendly materials. (ends Jan 4)
• Watch an informal fashion show featuring styles from Erin Gallagher and other local boutiques at Mom and Me Fashion Tea. Located at the Four Seasons Hotel, guests can enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, scones, and (for an extra fee) champagne. …read more

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• Check out two local designers and their earth-friendly clothing for women at EcoFashion: Beyond the Basics. Sip on pomegranate martinis with organic vodka at Pivot, while seeing how scarves are made with natural pomegranate dye. (Apr 4)
• The 24th Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival features more than 100 short, animated, documentary, and feature films from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, and Spain. Screenings take place in several venues across the city and explore politics, race, sex, and social issues. (Apr 4-16)
• Doug Benson, as seen on VH1’s Best Week Ever, will be appearing at Lakeshore Theater. (Apr 4-5)
• …read more

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You are the Sudoku Master. You can parallel park like it’s no one’s business. But when it comes to cleaning your space, maybe you could use some help.
Sparkle Queen is the superhero-sounding service that will save your day. Not only will their team clean your place up, down, and sideways, they do it all using products that are eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-toxic, and pet-safe. For example, their hardwood-floor cleaner is derived from coconut, olive, and pine oils, with no artificial dyes or fragrances.
You’ll come home to a tidy bedroom, shining kitchen, sanitized bathroom, and clean everything-else. For first-time cleaning, Sparkle Queen …read more

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Maybe you’re not as eco-friendly as you’d like to be. You may not always recycle when you should, and on more than one occasion, you’ve left the kitchen light on. You can start making up for it at Pivot.
Owner Jessa Brinkmeyer proves that earth-smart doesn’t have to mean crunch, grungy, or hippie. Her eco-boutique (just north of Red Kiva) is filled with recycled furniture, bamboo flooring, fluorescent bulbs, and toxin-free paint. And the clothes themselves? They’re as “green” as the recycled-metal racks they’re hung on: organic cotton, bamboo, soy, hemp, recycled leather, silk, linen, etc. These are some of …read more

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