On the longest night of the year, surrounded by family, friends, the woods and a roaring fire, Nick and Leslie promised themselves to each other at the end of their beautiful ecofriendly wedding at Riverside Park.

One year prior, the couple signed a contract to rent the Urban Ecology Center for their winter solstice wedding and the planning began. “Being eco-minded is the foundation of who we are already,” they told me and it helped form what they wanted to do for their wedding. To assist with planning, they attended the UEC’s Eco I Do Green Wedding Expo to get some ideas.

Once upon a summer day in 2016, an Urban Ecology Center member named Marybeth (same name – but not me!) decided to borrow a canoe through our equipment lending program and go out to explore the Milwaukee River. She knew that a week from then, she was going on a first date with a close friend and wanted it to be special. After that test run she decided to have their date on the river - an intimate time together in nature.

Baby showers and birthday parties and weddings – oh my! When the education classes wrap up and our public programs are done, the second life of our classrooms and branches emerges. Retirement parties, memorial celebrations, bridal showers, company retreats and more! Our spaces get used all over again – a repurposing of space if you will – with our facility rental program.

As the thaw of spring teases our impatient senses, and the red-winged black bird harmonizes with the drip drip drip of the melting snow, the anticipation of wedding season lingers around the corner at the Urban Ecology Center's Riverside Park branch. Couples planning their magical day look for just the right venue, and the Urban Ecology Center becomes an eco-friendly option host to one of the most important days of their life. Green weddings are not just a trendy theme but a smart approach to making that special day mean even more – and we can help!

Can you believe it’s been only seven years since we hired our first staff member to start up our Washington Park branch? The growth there has been amazing! With the start of a new year, we, like many of you, are reflecting on the past and thinking about our plans for the year ahead. These two perspectives, hindsight and anticipation, seemed like the best way to give an update on our Washington Park branch! Wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It all started with...