As regular readers of Green Parent Chicago know, we support a less commercialized childhood, favor a return to the outdoors and often feature discussion on pervasive marketing tactics invading our everyday life and destroying our connection to the natural world.

At Green Parent Chicago, from the start we made...

Even if you don't want to admit it, even if you're embarrassed to admit it, you're very likely among the estimated 50 million Americans who have been overdrawn on their checking account in the course of any given year.

According to The Center for Responsible Lending, over 50...

Mayor Richard Daley announced Saturday the start of a new initiative aimed at increasing recycling efforts through the city's Blue Cart recycling program.

Under the RecycleBank program, households will be encouraged to increase their recycling to receive rewards based on the amount of recyclables they generate. RecycleBank will measure...

Ruby Roth, a former elementary school art teacher, has published a children's book about the suffering animals face in factory farm operations for the sake of our food supply.

Endorsed by Jane Goodall, That's Why We Don't Eat Animals (NorthAtlantic/RandomHouse) has been described...

Michael R. Taylor, the former Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto has returned through Washington's revolving doors and will now advise FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg on food safety.

We learn of this discouraging connection on the same day the White House announced its new commitment to...

Organic milk is now as readily available as conventional milk as more consumers and companies are recognizing its benefits and demand. A recent estimate by the USDA, says organic products are now available in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and nearly 3 of 4 conventional grocery stores.

If you and/or your children drink...

As three of the top medical organizations in the U.S. this month pronounced their support for a new vaccine schedule, leading doctors continue to disagree about how to counsel parents on the benefits and risks of vaccines.

On Jan. 4 the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy...

There are many ways to give a meaningful gift to someone you love and many ways to spread the Christmas spirit to someone who needs extra help or support this season.

Here are just a few ideas to begin your list:

"Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and...

Confusion has set in over the FDA's recent announcement it has set standards for safe melamine amounts in baby formula sold in the U.S. 

Just last week the FDA announced that levels of melamine alone or cyanuric acid alone, at or below 1 part per million (ppm) in infant...

The EPA extended the public comment period for 15 days to Nov. 28 before they make a final determination on the contaminant.

Advisers and critics strongly urged...

Hey Joy, I'm wondering about something... which homeschoolers do you know personally? Because I have to tell you, I think you're way out of line, saying that homeschooled kids are "demented" and that homeschooled kids are "afraid of other children" as you did recently on your show.

I'd...

The weather foretold it in Chicago. Rare is it to feel the warmth of southerly winds on an early November night in this city. Rarer still was the occasion of welcoming a president who means so much to the people he has set out to serve.

The gates were...

What kind of world will we leave behind for our children? What can we as parents do to ensure our children do not suffer the health effects of dangerous air quality and industry and government negligence?

Two Chicago moms working for environmental health and justice in the Little Village...

A new state law says young adults can be covered on their parents' insurance plans until age 26, regardless of their whether or not they still live at home or out of state.

The bill signed into law by the Illinois Senate this week and supported by Gov. Blagojevich, would...

Vegetarian diets are greener. Just reducing your weekly consumption of meat and animal products can make a big difference in your family's environmental impact.

Vegetarian meals for kids needn't be time consuming or require special planning. In fact, many kids favorites like pizza, mac and cheese and quesadillas are already...

There isn't any recent political figure I can say with honesty I have followed as closely in the past several years as I have followed John Edwards' campaign.

Perhaps it was the grave situation the country was in December 2006 and still is in (far worse now), that spurred me...

Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice and former CIA officer Bruce Reidel held a conference call yesterday to address what they consider the Bush Administration's failed approach toward Pakistan and toward the recently reported safe havens that exist there for Al Qaeda operatives. A McCain Administration, they said, would...

CHICAGO -- Like a mythical beast haunting the imagination, in recent years the Illinois Green Party has re-emerged on election day to the consternation of local Democratic party officials. Though as is often the case in Illinois, the Democratic challenger, (who now happens to be the city's homestate senator Barack...

This week OffTheBus is rolling out introductory columns by some of our star contributors, who will now be writing regular dispatches on their "beats." In her column, "Dateline: Obama's Chicagoland," Windy City resident Christine Escobar covers the national campaign from Obama's hometown, reporting on strategic and cultural developments at Obama...

The news media in Chicago is obsessed with R. Kelly's child pornography trial. The Chicago Tribune tantalizes readers today with its "Gavel to Gavel" coverage featuring "5 things you never knew about R. Kelly" including important morsels like Kelly's love of the movie "Space Jam."

But...