Clearly Time to Eat

More than 250 pulsing moon jellies mark the entrance to Wild Reef and can also be found in the Oceanarium. Twice a day they are fed an assortment of live and frozen food, including larval brine shrimp, small copepods and shaved frozen small krill. It takes the jellies about eight hours to digest a meal. Most of the food items have some color – and the jellies don’t – so we can see when the stomach sac is full and when it’s empty.

Posted by Karen Furnweger, web editor

Biking to Work

I gave up my car five years ago, around the time I learned that for every mile driven by the average American car, one pound of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.  CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases responsible for fueling climate change and I just couldn’t justify adding 12 pounds to the atmosphere every day I drove to the work.  So out went the car, in came the bus, train and…gulp…a bike.

Memories of Earth Day, 1970

I have a really neat memory of being part of the first Earth Day organized in 1970. I was on the campus of Northern Illinois University planting trees with my classmates and favorite botany professor. My professor led the initiative because he believed strongly that more people needed to start paying attention to the environment. I wanted to be involved because I loved being outdoors and wanted to give something back to the environment. While digging, planting and watering on campus, I was thinking, “The idea behind this day is great, but I wonder how long Earth Day is really going to last?” Well, here we are 39 years later and I am proud to say we are still going strong!

Posted by Jim Robinett, administration

Sustainable Supper

Are you looking for a fun and creative Earth Week meal? Why not try a great seasonal and sustainable fish choice? A fish I recommend that is now is season is the Pacific halibut. The fishery opened about a month ago in Alaska and is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. This means the fishery went through a rigorous assessment to prove it sustainably manages the fish stock and works to protect the marine ecosystem.

If you are looking for different seafood choices check out our Right Bite wallet card to find a different option from our green column.

Happy Earth Week!

Kassia Perpich, conservation

A Clean and Healthy Home

I was raised in a pretty typical American home, where the scents of lemon or pine mixed with chemicals meant the house was clean. A few years ago, I was cleaning my bathroom and noticed that my cats, who are normally glued to my side, were nowhere to be found. I also had a pounding headache which had begun when I squirted a scrubbing cleaner into the tub. That was the first time I thought – is this stuff toxic?

Please Pass the Salt!

Oceanarium progress update: The pools are filled with water! But that’s just the first step in preparing for the much-anticipated return of the belugas, dolphins and other marine mammals.

Shedd’s Facilities team is involved in a two-week process to take delivery of salt – lots and lots of it. On Monday, April 6, we started receiving the first shipment of 403 bags of Instant Ocean Sea Salt®, a commercial marine salt mix.

Filling the Oceanarium Pools

Amphitheater

Keep Your Home Ecofriendly

We're celebrating Earth Week at Shedd April 20-26 with special giveaways, free programs and animal encounters. You can celebrate at home, with these tips to keep your home environmentally friendly:

At Shedd we use ecofriendly cleaning products for the safety of our animals. Try our favorite green cleaner at home by mixing two parts vinegar and one part water to keep your surfaces sparkling.

At Shedd some of our animals eat vegetables grown on area farms. At home shop for seasonal local produce at your local farmers market to support small farms that are keeping our environment healthy. Bonus points for buying organic!

First Look at Polar Play Zone

Here's a look behind the scenes of the new Polar Play Zone, Shedds first permanent children's exhibit opening on May 22.

Learn more about the reimagined Oceanarium.

Posted by Bryan Schuetze, exhibit design

What We've Learned about Iguanas

The scientists, staff and volunteers of Shedd's annual West Indian Rock Iguana Research Expedition have returned home after a successful trip to the Bahamas.

Working with Dr. Chuck Knapp gave us a new appreciation for the difficult and rewarding nature of field work. Our team of volunteers and scientists have returned to our day jobs, but the work of Dr. Knapp and Dr. Trevor Zachariah (pictured) continues. One of Dr. Knapp's goals is to use the data the volunteer groups gathered to help the Bahamian government protect a large part of South Andros Island. The 47 iguanas collected, carefully measured and tagged will bring Dr. Knapp closer to his goal of securing a protected area for the Andros Iguanas.