Stories by Alex Ruppenthal

Chicago is seeking proposals to install solar panels on 30 acres of previously developed land in Austin, Englewood, West Pullman, Riverdale and South Deering. 

Local public health experts are set to testify at a Chicago hearing next week on the Trump administration’s proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which established limits on pollution from power plants. 

A new federal grant aims to help educators use the Chicago River as a “living classroom” to teach students about water quality issues. 

An effort that began two decades ago to restore the banks of the North Branch of the Chicago River in Horner Park is finally complete.

The zoo’s former curator of birds becomes the first woman to hold the position of director in the zoo’s 150-year history, and the first zoo director since the institution privatized in 1995.

Nearly three months after the controversial firing of Susan Russell, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named Kelley Gandurski as executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control.

Two parking spaces in River North will be transformed into a temporary dog-friendly area as part of PARK(ing) Day, a global movement calling attention to the need for more open space in cities. 

Since the launch of #SheddTheStraw last spring, businesses across Chicago have taken steps to eliminate their use of single-use plastic straws. Now, one of Chicago’s biggest events is getting involved.

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.

The aquarium is preparing for a new – and very large – resident whose arrival is expected next summer.

Pull over to the side of the road and consider the world-ending event taking place before your eyes. That’s essentially the message conveyed by the newest piece of public art on display at Navy Pier.

As part of a new partnership aimed at preserving the endangered Great Lakes species, the turtles will remain at Shedd until they are big enough to be released back into the wild at a protected site in DuPage County.

Ten soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard have been deployed to North Carolina to support relief efforts during and after Hurricane Florence. 

The number of rescued cats at Chicago’s Animal Care and Control shelter reached a high of 300 earlier this week, prompting the agency to sound the alarm on social media.

If successful, the portable, smartphone-sized sensor will measure human exposure to toxic metals like lead and manganese using a single finger prick of blood  – and deliver results in minutes.

The completely blind amphibians, found in Texas, are a translucent white color with bright red gills. Brookfield Zoo is one of just three North American institutions to host the rare creatures.

Chicago has become the seventh city in the world to receive top-level certification for its sustainability efforts focused on green buildings.

Chicago’s bag tax has resulted in a decrease in the use of disposable bags since taking effect early last year, but a majority of shoppers still use at least one disposable bag per trip, a new study shows.

A lawsuit filed Thursday by Illinois and seven other states challenges a Trump administration plan to eliminate long-standing protections for migratory birds.

The aquarium’s initiative to offer free admission to Illinois residents this month has a new twist that could help you avoid rush-hour traffic.

About 2 million people visit the Indiana Dunes each year for its hills of sand and sprawling beaches. But the beloved site on the southern shore of Lake Michigan is changing – and not in a good way.

Cook County Jail detainees will train dogs from the city shelter as part of a new program aimed at preparing for adoption larger dogs that often struggle to find permanent homes.

Learn about the history, science and uses of alcohol during a discussion series in September at The Whistler as part of the Field Museum’s 125th anniversary celebration.

A new law allows Illinois farmers to grow cannabis for non-drug uses, making Illinois the latest state to legalize a crop that experts say is growing in demand.

For the fifth straight year, dozens of animals have returned to O’Hare International Airport, where they are helping to clear invasive vegetation that can harbor wildlife and pose risks to aircrafts during takeoff. 

More than a million pangolins have been poached from the wild in the past 10-15 years, according to Brookfield Zoo. What conservationists are doing to change that.