For many years Chicago's motto has been "Urbs in horto" or "city in a garden." Today the city showcases world-class conservatories, historic lagoons, bird and wildlife gardens, thousands of acres of parkland, dozens of beaches, miles of lakefront, and bike paths.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum inspires visitors to learn about and care for nature by offering public exhibitions and programs that foster green living by restoring local ecosystems through conservation science. Expect to find incomparable collections of nearly 250,000 specimens, including plants, animals, fossils, and minerals. The most popular exhibition is the Butterfly Haven where over 1,000 butterflies flutter by visitors, 75 species on any given day. But the largest exhibit is outdoors, from the top of the roof to under the prairie, the blooming greening project is a showcase of eco-friendly, energy-efficient green technology which is a winning combination of beauty and brains!
Learn about green architecture by taking the Green Inside Out tour by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which addresses the ways architects have (or have not) taken the environment into consideration over the past century of commercial design in Chicago's Loop - the birthplace of the skyscraper. The tour will also discuss current trends of green architecture including district cooling plants, rooftop gardens, and commercial interiors.
Chicago offers visitors and residents alike a beautiful Green City Market, the city's only sustainable green market, which is a proactive venue with over 45 sustainable or certified organic farmers and thousands of shoppers.