Chicago’s Ecotourism

Welcome back to Sustaining Our City! In this segment, we’ll discuss the concept of Ecotourism and how that can apply to our time living in Chicago.

As students, many of us will only be in the city for the short 4 years that we’re in school, with exceptions staying a potential extra few years. Our time in Chicago may be temporary, but there are endless experiences to be had here, and we can do them all with an environmentally-conscious lens. It’s hard to imagine during the bitter cold winter, but come spring, we’ll all be on the edge of our seats to explore the city and spend our weekends outdoors. This is the perfect opportunity to experience the eco-friendly initiatives around our city!

The term ‘ecotourism’ essentially refers to responsible travel. Intentionally looking for places and attractions that are mindful of conservation and choosing to give them business and time are all aspects of ecotourism. While this sounds quite niche, the list of experiences to be had in the city that fall under ecotourism is endless! Let’s take a look at a few:

Green Spaces:

This one is so simple, but any city parks or conserved green spaces are excellent ecotourism spots! Millennium Park is an incredible choice, with the utilities of green roofs to reduce surface temperature and increase sustainability, as well as over 25 acres of protected and maintained green space for any and all enjoyments by residents and visitors. The Chicago Parks District hosts two more incredible green spaces to spend time in, namely, the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Conservatory. These spaces house hundreds to thousands of plant species, a flourishing habitat for tourists to protect and enjoy. Plus, all three of these spaces are FREE to enjoy!

Green Museums:

Our city is home to nearly 100 beautiful and legacy-filled museums. Several came together in 2005 to form the Green Museums Initiative, which strives to make museums’ buildings, practices, and outreaches more sustainable. Several of these are free or discounted with student IDs, and all are an absolute joy to visit! See the list of these amazing facilities below:

-Adler Planetarium

– Art Institute of Chicago

-Chicago History Museum

-Climate Action Museum

-Field Museum

-Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

-Museum of Contemporary Art

-National Museum of Mexican Art

-Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

-Shedd Aquarium

Ecotourism efforts are incredibly accessible in Chicago, and it’d be a shame to miss out on any of these green spaces or museums during our short time here. One ecotourist effort deserves particular emphasis for its development, contribution, and legacy to environmental consciousness; we’ll step into that topic next time! Until then, start filling your spring bucket list with Chicago green spaces, and brave the cold to visit any of these amazing museums this winter!

The information in this blog was in reference to:

https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/ecotourism-in-chicago/

https://ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism/