Category Archives: Water Stories

Stories about people like you, who use and value our region’s water supply

Where does the water go?: A visit with the water level wizards at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District

By Abby Crisostomo When it comes to water resources in Chicago, most people think immediately of Lake Michigan. But increasingly, the rivers, creeks, canals and channels that weave throughout the region are getting their day in the sun – from … Continue reading

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It’s not easy selling green (infrastructure)

By Abby Crisostomo Kirsten Bjork and Bill Brown purchased their first home in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in May 2012, and like many first-time homeowners, they immediately started dreaming about home improvements. When they received a postcard from the Metropolitan … Continue reading

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The Twelve Months of Water Stories

By Lauren Contorno Since its launch in 2010, What Our Water’s Worth (WOWW), a joint campaign of Openlands and the Metropolitan Planning Council, has brought readers the stories of real life water stewards from the Chicago and northwest Indiana region. … Continue reading

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How soon is now? The future of water reuse becomes reality at an Oak Park home

By Matt Nichols Many people report that their best ideas come to them in the shower.  In the case of Oak Park, Ill., homeowners Ana Garcia-Doyle and Jim Doyle, their great idea was the shower itself. Or more specifically, the … Continue reading

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Seizing the Rain in Blue Island

By Matt Nichols You don’t have to be an expert in stormwater management to make improvements that can help prevent flooding in your neighborhood. With assistance from a slew of project partners who have diverse expertise and missions, the City … Continue reading

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Lurie Garden thrives in drought, pointing at-home green thumbs to native plants

By Tina Seaman Due to this summer’s record heat, the native plants in the Lurie Garden, a perennial garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park, bloomed up to five weeks early. When WOWW spoke in early June to Jennifer Davit, the director … Continue reading

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Turf’s up: Maintaining a healthy lawn during drought

By Matt Nichols When Skokie resident Rachel Rosenberg was pregnant with her first child, she had an epiphany: The chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides she was spraying on her lawn not only were environmentally unsustainable, but also potentially dangerous to … Continue reading

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Loyola teaches lakeshore stewardship by example

By Abby Crisostomo When administrators at Loyola University Chicago set out to plan for the school’s future through a campus-wide master planning process, they identified the university’s environmental impact—both from the people comprising its community and the buildings within its … Continue reading

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Programs in Chicago and the suburbs help property owners save water, energy, money and the environment

By Abby Crisostomo and Erin McMillan Too often, heavy rains conjure flooded basements, murky pools of water mucking up neighborhood streets, damaged property – and hefty price tags for residents, business owners, and municipalities that have to clean up the … Continue reading

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Coca-Cola saving water, energy through corporate sustainability strategies

By José Ilarraza-Boyed For more than 125 years, Coca-Cola has been “refreshing the world” with its products, some 3,500 beverages, including its namesake soda as well as more unique offerings such as Andina Juice distributed in Chile and Burn energy … Continue reading

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