By a set of lucky circumstances, I have gotten to know a person named Marcy Newman who lives in Bangalore--the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, in south India. Marcy lives with her husband in what she referred to as an eco-community, and I wanted to know more, so despite the time zone difference (when it’s 8:30 am in Chicago, it’s 8:00 pm in Bangalore), we arranged a time to talk.

At One Earth Collective, we have something special for our readers today. In honor of Black History Month, we had the privilege of speaking with a true trailblazer in the environmental justice movement, Cheryl Johnson. Cheryl is the daughter of Hazel M. Johnson, widely regarded as the mother of the environmental justice movement and a local Chicago icon.

Chicago’s legendary rock music hall Double Door is overcoming the typical odds faced by those looking to preserve the best of a historic building while revamping it with both modern and green features. To paraphrase George Harrison, it takes plenty of money, a whole lot of precious time, and much patience, to do it right.

The fusion of technology and sustainability creates opportunities to address pressing environmental issues. Incorporating digital tools into daily life can encourage more eco-conscious habits and reduce waste. Technologies like energy-efficient devices or digital alternatives to paper are reshaping routines in favor of greener choices. Embracing these advancements enables individuals to contribute to a healthier environment while simplifying their lifestyles. Such actions reflect a broader movement toward responsible and thoughtful living. This article can help you understand how.

These days, we head into an era of conscious effort to positively change the climate. The argument over electric vehicles vs gasoline fuel dominates the conversation about emissions and human footprint. However, I would venture to argue that considering high-speed rail could be one of the best economical, climate-conscious cultural shifts that we could make.

In collaboration with One Earth Collective, the Austin Eats’ Verses & Vittles Lyrical Slam aimed to promote healthy eating and advance food justice in Chicago’s West Side neighborhoods. This year’s event featured a screening of They’re Trying to Kill Us, a documentary about the intentional inaccessibility to healthy food options in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. The poetry slam was a chance for attendees to share their responses to themes in the film, as well as personal observations of food injustice and associated health crises in Chicago.