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Salt is a necessity for keeping roads clear in the wintertime ... or is it? And what is its use doing to our environment?

No one needs to tell you that salt is a wintertime go-to. Much like warm blankets and hot toddies, it just goes with the territory. (Wait, what is a hot toddy? Does anyone actually know?)

Anyway, salt. It’s everywhere this time of year. And while we’re definitely in favor of Not Sliding Off The Road To Your Death, we’re not so in favor of the environmental side effects of this annual chemical overload.

So what’s the deal with salt? And what can we do to be better Earthling stewards, even in winter? Let’s take a look.

Detroit Stormwater Hub is paving the way toward a new kind of discussion, one that promises to be a lot more productive.

One of the biggest problems with stormwater management to date is that individuals, corporate entities, NGOs and municipal institutions have a hard time talking to one another about the issue.

This has several drawbacks, including making it harder to craft a case for green infrastructure – a problem, since many cities still lean toward existing grey stormwater management systems – and reducing the overall effectiveness of individual efforts.

Not everyone took this reality lying down. The City of Detroit wanted to do something different, so they crafted a Stormwater Hub.

Luckily for us, it’s something we can all learn from. Ready to take a page from the rejuvenated auto capital? Keep reading.

If we want to understand climate change and all its facets, we must also understand the concept of lag.

Climate change is inescapable.

Yes, in that it’s real, and it’s coming for us. *cue grim music*

But more importantly, it’s “coming for us” in the sense that it is impossible to turn on a laptop or a phone without being bombarded by the calamitous prophecies of doom stemming from experts and fearmongers alike.

It’s time we cut through the BS and take a realistic look at climate change, from all angles.

First up, we’d just like to say that no, we’re not all going to die in a decade because of global warming. That’s absolute tripe and we’re tired of it. However, we do need to take into account the results of our actions in future – and how those results will carry forward even after we change our fossil-fuel-guzzling ways.

One of the most important facets being missed by many people is the concept of climate change lag. It is critical we understand this if we’re to have truly meaningful discussions about our planet’s climate and steward it properly in future.

Making the world a better place one toilet at a time, Bill and his wife Melinda are frontrunners for environmental change.

Bill Gates has a spotty reputation in the American mind. His brusque nature and the endless, agonizing antitrust proceedings at the turn of the century position him, even today, for suspicion and even scorn.

Which is a crime, since arguably the Microsoft leader is am

ong the world elite when it comes to doing good therein.

You heard us correctly: When it comes to the environment, and to the health of the people living in it, few are making more of a difference than Bill and Melinda Gates.

Chicago is taking a stand for birds, and we’re totally behind it.

You know how much we love birds.

I mean, everyone should love birds. And we’re part of everyone, so obviously we do as well. (If that’s not compelling enough for you, feel free to read up on some bird-centric goodness here or here.)

As we’ve discussed before, cities are extremely dangerous for birds, and Chicago is one of the biggest offenders. In fact, it has the dubious honor of being the riskiest skyline in the country when it comes to avian traffic, contributing hugely to the billion bird deaths from collision each year.

It hardly bears saying that we need to do something about it.

Which is why we were delighted to discover that Chicago has proposed a bird-friendly building ordinance that will mandate city-wide protection of our feathered friends and do much to promote urban ecology.

It’s true that we at Ecogardens don’t grow food for a living. But if we did, we would totally do it the regenerative agriculture way.

Human agricultural methods have evolved over thousands of years. While a thorough investigation of the human relationship with farming methods is beyond the scope of this spotlight, suffice it to say:

Our modern methods are not what they used to be. They are, in fact, harming the Earth.

Killing it, even. We take from the soil and we don’t give back. We add nutrients that will enable monoculture crops to grow, but we don’t truly nourish the land. We strip the soil through obliterative farming practices that leave it barren for future generations.

*cough* dust bowl *cough*

Well, good news: Regenerative agriculture is a type of stewardship that has the power to change all that.

Green roofs are unique environments, so you can’t just throw a batch of soil up there and call it good. What media should you use instead? And does it need to be customized or not? We answer those questions here.

Thinking about a green roof? There are a lot of factors to consider, as you already know.

What will you plant? How do you want it to look? Can you, like, eat breakfast on it and stuff?

Well, that all depends. Not only on your space and your vision, but on what kind of plants your particular ecosystem can support and the benefits you hope your green roof will achieve.

And that in turn depends a lot on the media you use.

Many people ask us whether or not they need custom media for their green roofs, so we thought we’d take a crack at answering that today.

We’re all for a good green roof. In fact, at one time, Ecogardens boasted the world’s largest monitored rooftop right here in Chicago. But soon, the medal for largest green roof globally will pass to Paris.

Paris is known for many things.

Baguettes. Hunchbacks. Rats that can cook.

It will soon be known for something else: the world’s largest green roof.

According to Forbes, the city – which woke up to the benefits of green infrastructure decades ago and is a world leader in pledging to install greenspace – will shortly be home to a 150,000-square-foot rooftop oasis.

You know we need more native plants up in here … but where exactly should we put them? Is it enough to plant them in your garden, or should you be looking elsewhere?

Native prairie is rare enough these days to make passing one remarkable. Perhaps you whip out your camera phone, or maybe you point out the rolling landscape to your kiddos. If you see a bison, you basically throw a ****ing party. Because really, who sees bison outside of Yellowstone?

That’s the problem … we shouldn’t be jumping for joy when we see a tiny sliver of landscape that once dominated this continent.

Before Europeans arrived, the United States was composed of vast swaths of native prairie and savanna (prairie with trees dotting the landscape). According to Yale University, these rich grasslands are irreplaceably diverse.

For instance, “The Southeast is one of North America’s great, but forgotten, grassland regions. Its native prairies and savannas have been reduced by more than 90 percent since the first Europeans arrived, almost 100 percent in many areas. Yet the remaining scraps include more grassland plants and animals than the Great Plains and Midwest combined.”

If you’re thinking “Dang! That’s like some rainforest style diversity right there!” then you are correct. And we need to bring it back. To the Plains, to the Midwest, to the South. To everywhere.

But how?

By finding the right locations for planting natives and putting them to good use in stewardship of the Earth.

It is no secret that we are facing a mental health crisis here in the United States. Buckle up, because this might get a little depressing – but don’t worry, Nature is once again here to save the day!

According to a recent study undertaken by Mental Health in America:

• In a 5-year period, rates of severe youth depression have increased.
• 50% of screeners age 11-17 often think about suicide or self-harm throughout the week.
• Over 76% of youth with severe depression – 1.7 million kids - did not get treatment they need.

And that’s just our kids. Adults also face steep rates of depression, much of which is caused by lack of access to proper care, other research finds.

“Mental health services in the U.S. are insufficient despite more than half of Americans (56%) seeking help,” says the National Council for Behavioral Health. “Limited options and long waits are the norm, but [there are] some bright spots with 76% of Americans now seeing mental health as important as physical health.”

That’s good news indeed. Better news, if you’re one of the enlightened who knows how important it is to seek out mental health improvement: Nature can help.