Wreath-Cycled Challenge Winners

In Shedd Aquarium's recent wreath-cycled challenge, local classes worked together to create wreaths made of recycled materials were displayed as part of Shedd’s holiday décor. The participating teachers, students and their families were also invited to a special event on Dec. 22 to celebrate their projects and participation! Enjoy photos of the winning wreaths in seven categories:

Overall Winner: Learn Charter School

Commit to Sustainability this New Year

As a year-end tradition, many of us will take time this week to grab a pen or a keyboard and write down resolutions for the New Year. While it’s a good time to reflect on the gifts that our Great Lakes give us every day—clean water, fresh air, good food—it’s also a good time to resolve to give back together. There are many resolutions that we can make to help keep the lakes great, but which ones can make a big impact? How can we inspire each other to have a sustainable 2012? A few small changes in our actions can mean big changes for the environment. Here are some green ideas to get you started:

Spotlight on Tyler

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Sea lion Tyler is a stand-out character in the already outstanding A Holiday Fantasea.

In fact, he just might upstage Santa with his expanded repertoire of natural behaviors that includes a front flipper stand and a stand-and-wave posture that will have you applauding this 375-pound pinniped with the thundering baritone bark.

Winter Arrives in the Great Lakes

Today marks the first official day of winter. Those of us in the Great Lakes region are no stranger to the season, and while we were busy preparing for the challenges of the snow, ice and plummeting temperatures, the world outside our doors was already a few steps ahead.

As we ready our heavy-duty shovel and cozy garments, Great Lakes plants and animals have their own response to the tough winters. Trees have to shed their leaves—a vital action for trees to survive the harsh winters associated with the Great Lakes region. Stems, twigs and buds can all survive in the extreme cold of winter while the tender leaf tissues can easily freeze.

Green Gift Wrapping with Shedd

‘Tis the season of last-minute gift wrapping! All of that paper used to conceal our gifts can add up to a lot of waste: A whopping 25% increase in what we throw out, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

It’s not just about the garbage. The new resources needed to make wrapping paper, such as fiber from trees, can place stress on forest habitats that animals call home. So skip the free in-store wrapping and find creative ways to have an eco-friendly holiday.

Nassau Groupers in Trouble: Shedd Field Research

The Nassau grouper was once one of the most important fishery species in the Caribbean region. Not so today: Populations are near extinction in many parts of the Atlantic and Caribbean, and the Nassau grouper is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Shedd Aquarium hosts mayors in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other participating U.S. and Canadian mayors in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative convened at Shedd Aquarium to commit to urban restoration efforts that will protect and restore the largest body of surface fresh water in the world.

December Fish of the Month: Oregon Pink Shrimp

Santa Claus is comin’ to town—what will be on his “nice” list this year? Mr. Claus and Shedd Aquarium support seafood that is abundant, well-managed and caught using ocean-friendly fishing gear. Shrimp is standard holiday fare, but the vast majority of these crustaceans arrive on our plates with significant sustainability challenges. December’s Fish of the Month, Oregon pink shrimp, is an exception and can be found on Shedd’s “best choice” list for sustainable seafood.

Teacher Feature: Freshwater Ecology Program

Last summer, Elmwood Park High School biology and physics teacher Matt Lazzarotto was accepted into the freshwater ecology program, one of Shedd's weeklong professional development programs. Shedd partnered with Minneapolis-based Wilderness Inquiry, an outdoor education company, to host 10 kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers from across the country. Matt and the other educators spent a week camping and kayaking on Lake Superior near Bayfield, Wisconsin, using the same techniques as park researchers to investigate the health of different aquatic ecosystems.