Homeowners interested in sustainability often want eco-friendly smart homes, but face a real tension: upgrades can feel like a choice between disruptive green home remodeling and confusing tech that may not deliver on its promises. The most practical path blends energy-efficient home design with smart home technology benefits, so comfort improves while waste drops in the background. Done well, smart features support everyday habits instead of adding more devices to manage. The payoff is a home that runs cleaner and more predictably.
See the 10 Best Environmental Shorts from Around the World on Sept. 27, in Chicago
Travel to Earth’s core, listen to an AI bird translator, discover goats preventing forest fires, and more. View all 10 winning short films from the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in person at Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. Be ready to stretch your imagination and expand your understanding of going green. A special online screening for those in Asia/Pacific will also be available.
As Green As You Can Get: Turning an 1880 Building in the Historic Pullman Neighborhood into a “Green Dream”
OG. Original Gangster. An accolade for the coolest and most “with it” guy or gal on the block. The OG behind the Chicago-based organization “Share Your Soles,” Mona Purdy, was seeking a new headquarters for her expanding non-profit that recycles thousands of hardly-used American sneakers and other shoes discarded for the latest fashion.
How to Cut Your Digital Carbon Footprint: Smarter Habits for a Greener Online Life
Our online lives leave invisible footprints. Every email, photo upload, and streamed episode consumes electricity somewhere in a server farm — electricity often generated by fossil fuels. The good news? You can shrink your digital carbon footprint without giving up technology. By making mindful changes at home and at work, you’ll use devices, data, and energy more efficiently.
The Quiet Climate Impact of Your Digital Life—and How to Shrink It
Digital habits feel invisible, but they carry real environmental weight. Every streamed video, stored file, and unused device quietly draws energy from data centers, power grids, and manufacturing supply chains. The good news is that small, deliberate changes at home and at work can measurably reduce your carbon footprint without sacrificing convenience or productivity. What follows is a practical path from awareness to action.






