Chicago's Greenest Person? begs question--Why in the world would anyone want to live that way?

In an article published on Sep. 23, writer Nara Schoenberg selects from a team of 11 finalists, who actually is the greenest person in Chicagoland. The selection of Ken Dunn over some of the other finalists is based upon his "carbon footprint size." {To find out what your carbon footprint is, click here}

Dunn, a 65-year-old Hyde Park resident, rides a bicycle all-year-round, dries his clothes on the front porch, grows his own vegetables, and feeds wood into his furnace for winter warmth. The more disturbing thing, though, is that he eats expired or discarded food that he presumably gets from the supermarket.

The runner-up has no running water in his home and collects his fecal matter in a 30-gallon tub for his compost pile.

I couldn't help but wondering if these are sacrifices anyone should really make.  The article says, "...Dunn is already living at roughly the level of carbon emissions that scientists at the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say the average human must achieve by 2100 if we are to avoid dangerous effects of global warming."

Given that, the outlook for 2100 looks bleak, I must say.

This feature article captures Dunn's story in a very effective way for the reader.  An attention-getting lead followed by an informative nut graf, interesting quotes & anecdotes, and a conclusion that brings the story full circle make this story dynamic and a classic example of a classic feature story. 

Find the full article at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-greenest-person-0923_qsep23,0,6678000.story?page=1 .

Introduction

To officially christen this blog, allow me to give some background information about my topic, and my source of information for this topic (The Chicago Tribune). 

First, the Chicago Tribune has an enormous amount of articles geared towards living a greener life. On their website they have a section deemed "Living Green." The New York Times does not have such a specific section on their site. 

Also worth noting is the fact that many of the articles printed in the Tribune or posted on the site are written by staffers from the L.A. Times. The L.A. Times is owned by the Tribune Company, and it would not be a hyperbole to say that environmental issues are handled with a gravity that is incomparable to the emphasis in the Midwest. For the purposes of my blog, however, I will concentrate on articles written by Chicago Tribune writers with a local focus.