Protecting the planet for future generations is a cause we all have a responsibility to support. The threats posed by climate change can be overwhelming, but experts remain hopeful that our environment can still be healed. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we’re highlighting individuals and organizations — in Chicago and nationally — that are focused […]
Curbing climate change seems a nearly impossible feat, so daunting that many Americans give in to “climate fatigue” and avoid taking action out of a sense of hopelessness and avoidance. But the enormity of a challenge has never stopped paleontologist Dr. Lonnie Thompson, whose very career defies the odds and represents the triumph of determination […]
Japan holds a very special place in my personal and professional life. I have walked the Nakasendo, hiked the Michinoku Coastal Trail; paddled the mangroves of Amami and Iriomotejima; climbed Mt. Fuji; bathed in countless onsen and sento for my book, “The Way of the Japanese Bath”; documented the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the […]
Looking back on the past three years, we can finally see some of the silver linings of the pandemic. The ability to work at home more often; more precious time with our kids; adopting a pet that is now a treasured family member; discovering gifts and talents that we never knew we had in the […]
In 2015, the United Nations proposed a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere by 2030. Seventeen goals were adopted by all UN Member States as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Although progress is being made, with less than a decade […]
To Jane Goodall, Chicago is more than just a pitstop on her voyage to save the environment. It is the place where the trajectory of her career was forever altered. In front of a packed audience at the Chicago Theatre on her current “Inspiring Hope Through Action” tour, Goodall described attending a conference in 1986 […]
As glaciers melt, coastlines crumble and weather patterns all over the world become more chaotic, you’re probably asking yourself: What can I do to slow climate change? If you are an investor, one thing you can do is to create a climate-friendly portfolio. But how to get started? Even if you have a sizable fund […]
It has been shown that women are especially effective leaders when it comes to combating global warming. Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, architects of the 2015 Paris Agreement, report that “Nations with greater female representation in positions of power have smaller climate footprints. Companies with women on their executive boards are more likely to invest […]
Though it has its carved out spaces of greenery and occupies the northern tip of the prairie state, Chicago is still primarily a concrete jungle, removed from the nature it emerged from. To combat the aggressiveness of metropolitan living on human lifestyles, there are Chicago-based companies and firms looking to undo some of the damage. […]
What is often forgotten about Chicago is its humble origin story. One of the world’s great cities emerged from the wild prairie of Illinois as Fort Dearborn was established in 1808, and the city later built around it. At the time, wildlife not only populated the area, but was drawn to it in great thanks […]
