There is a story capitalism tells about itself, and it goes something like this: work hard, stay disciplined, and the system will reward you. The planet is a resource. Progress is inevitable. Growth is good. For a long time, that story held. People believed it - or at least accepted it. But right now, in the middle of an accelerating ecological crisis, the story is visibly, undeniably falling apart. What replaces it matters enormously. And if this semester in the Ecology-Phil

Have you ever looked at someone's lawn and thought, "What's the point?” I am always struck by the stark difference between a forest preserve and the property that backs up to it. One is a complex living entity unto itself, the other is a green scar that dots the landscape. One holds the promise of a thriving ecosystem with plants, animals and fungi all interacting to keep the forest alive, the other mows, sprays pesticides, and pulls unwanted inhabitants in order to keep its

One meaningful experience I had from our learning community was participating in an outdoor lab where we tapped sugar maple trees for sap. Although the lab was to introduce us to our community’s sustainability efforts, I found an interest in the Indigenous traditions and their relationship with the land. Amanda Krause, Oakton’s Naturalist, shared with our class that the Indigenous people used the same seasonal techniques to gather sap. Their practice consisted of tapping mapl

The Chicago Region is home to four native fully aquatic crayfish species, the calico ( Orconectes immunis ), virile ( Orconectes virilis...