It's hard to believe that Earth Day is right around the corner. In some ways it feels like March was years ago and that we had so much time until Earth Day. When I look back before the "Safer at Home" state order was issued, we at the Urban Ecology Center were gearing up to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day through our Earth Day of Service event. We were excited to partner with Milwaukee Riverkeeper for their 25^th annual Spring River Cleanup, partner with organizations and businesses in our communities to work on projects in our parks, to partner with neighbors and schools to come together to clean up our community and celebrate the earth.

It's spring cleaning time! Time to put harsh chemicals into the air and water as we clean the house! Wait, that sounds a bit counterintuitive. Putting harsh chemicals in the air to clean the house? Maybe we should try something new.

We asked our staff to give us some of their favorite recipes for homemade household supplies. These options are better for the environment. The ingredients are cheaper and can be bought in large quantities, making these homemade concoctions better for your budget as well.

Every year around this time the Facility Rentals team at the Urban Ecology Center reflects on how many wonderful clients and vendors we had the opportunity to work with all year long. All of them believed in our mission to help reduce waste and host more sustainable events and we couldn’t be more thankful.

This time of year we are also prepping and planning for Eco I Do Green Wedding Expo which is another way we forward this mission. Guests who attend the event can learn how to host environmentally friendly events from local and eco-friendly caterers, florists, and rental companies. They are also able to try samples, talk with local businesses to find out about their green initiatives, and attend workshops on a variety of ecofriendly wedding topics.

Summer is finally here, tomorrow is the 4^th of July and for many people that means its cookout time! Cooking outside with friends and neighbors is a great way to enjoy the warmer weather, but these gatherings can also generate a lot of waste and have a negative impact on the environment. Here are some tips to make your cookout ecofriendly.

In the calendar year of holidays, Earth Day is the young upstart. Full of possibilities, but not clearly defined.

We can tick off common traditions for holidays like New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Halloween, but what about Earth Day? Yet, even without exciting customs of gift exchanges or dressing up in costume, Earth Day is celebrated in 193 countries all over the world! Cool, eh?

We’d like to help the young holiday of Earth Day have its own annual ritual to mark the important day.

We have a lot to be proud of here in our city. Milwaukee is at the forefront of US and global urban environmental initiatives, positioning itself as a world class eco-city. The city signed on to the international environmental principals of the Paris Accord. The United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All recognized Milwaukee for its innovative approaches through public-private partnerships that speed up implementation of efficient buildings. We’re the only city in the US contributing to this global effort.

Along with Milwaukee’s growing initiatives this year came a big change for the Urban Ecology Center.

The German zoologist Ernst Haeckel coined the word ecology almost 150 years ago. He combined a couple of Greek words to do this trick: “oikos” means "habitation" and “-ology” means "the study of."

This fact may already be part of your ample knowledge, but a quick reminder won´t hurt: ecology started off as the study of where things live. In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Who doesn't want to be diverse and productive indefinitely? I remember when I was younger and able to dunk a basketball…

Did you know that the average American wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of CO2? According to Eco Chic Weddings by Emily Elizabeth Anderson, American weddings are equivalent to 8.3 million cars driving on the road for a year. This includes flowers, paper (invitations), textiles (dress, suits), gas emissions (transportation), and everything else that can occur from the wedding. Holy matrimony! That is a huge carbon footprint on our world!

But have no fear – there are steps you can take to make your special day special for the Earth, too.