If it’s time to replace some household appliances, you can take advantage of the Missouri Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday Pay no sales taxes from April 19 – 25 on a qualifying Energy Star appliance during the Missouri Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday with savings up to $1,500 per appliance. Energy Star appliances that qualify include: Air conditioners Clothes dryers Clothes washers Dishwashers Freezers Furnaces Heat pumps Refrigerators Water heaters Qualifying items can be purchased in-store and online. In order to qualify, the appliance must have an Energy Star rating. Energy-effi ..read more

Kick off the growing season at the Eat Local & Organic Expo this Saturday. Shop the freshest spring goods from local farms, sign up for weekly farm shares, start your garden with locally-grown transplants, and more. The free, family-friendly event will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Johnson County Community College Gym, 12345 College Blvd. in Overland Park, KS. Hosted by KC Healthy Kids, it will feature over 25 KC Food Circle farmers who pledge to meet high standards for growing plants and mushrooms, beekeeping, and raising animals. Additional vendors include local farmers markets, the KC ..read more

By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss Are you sneezing more this spring season? Do the kids already have a poison ivy rash? Scientists are seeing signs of more allergy-causing pollen and faster spreading poison ivy as the climate continues to change. Pollen may be an unfortunate contributor to poor health in the first place, but there are signs that warming weather is making it worse for many, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Warm weather contributes to an uptick in pollen count, and air pollution can concentrate it, reports the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Cl ..read more

It’s time to start digging in the garden. Here’s where you can find the largest variety of native plant flowers, vines, shrubs, grasses, and trees. For the Kansas City area, here are upcoming native plants sales this spring. In addition to these sales, you can also shop at local native plant nurseries. Burr Oak Woods Nature Center Native Plant Sale Saturday, March 30: 12:30 – 4 p.m. Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center 1401 NW Park Rd., Blue Springs, MO Missouri Wildflower Nursery and City Roots Nursery will be on site with native plants for sale while supplies last. For more information ..read more

In the new documentary, “Hot Times in the Heartland,” explore regional stories on our warming planet and the solutions underway to strengthen climate resilience. This March and April, there will be free screenings and television broadcasts of the two-hour documentary. The documentary, produced by Prairie Hollow Productions, focuses on solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change and regional efforts in Kansas City and the greater Kaw Valley area of Kansas. Local individuals and organizations share their experiences in the film including Lindsey Constance, co-founder of Climate Action KC ..read more

Jumpstart your garden with upcoming plant sales that support local organizations and farmers. Spring sales featuring cool season crops like asparagus, berries, kale, lettuce, and more start this month. Explore these upcoming sales to start your garden.  1. Kansas City Community Gardens Plant Sales Plant sales start March 21 You’ll find a variety of plants that were grown in the Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) greenhouse, including asparagus, berries, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, and lettuce. Onion, leek and scallion plants and seed potatoes w ..read more

By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss It’s true that climate risks are increasingly a factor for Americans when purchasing their next residence. A September 2023 study by Zillow found that upwards of 80% of prospective home buyers in the U.S. consider climate risks—floods, wildfires, extreme temperatures, hurricanes, drought—when shopping for a new home. Climate considerations for home buying “Climate risks impact where most prospective buyers shop for a home,” reports Zillow senior population scientist Manny Garcia. “While all generations juggle trade-offs like budget, floor plans and commute times ..read more

Kansas City joins 25 cities for Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities (BASC), a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative supporting climate action, economic development, and racial wealth building. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the three-year initiative this week with $200 million in new funding to assist in accessing the historic levels of federal dollars available for building low-carbon, resilient communities. As part of the project, the city will build an innovation team that will work in partnership with its most vulnerable communities to identify solutions at the intersection of climate ..read more

In response to the growing awareness about plastic pollution, local refill shops are emerging to help reduce single-use plastic. By encouraging customers to bring containers and refill essential household items, these refill shops are helping curb disposable plastics one container at a time. One refill shop, the SOAP Refill Station in Kansas City, has now refilled over 70,000 containers since it first opened in 2020 – proving that refill shops can be a catalyst for good. We’ve rounded up local refill options in the Kansas City area to help you on your zero waste journey. Refill store basics Ho ..read more

Brighten your garden with spring ephemerals and hardy perennials for blooms from March to May. After winter, pollinators are seeking nectar and pollen. You can add beauty to your garden with flowering spring plants that help pollinators thrive. Here are 8 popular flowers that provide spring blooms, attract pollinators, and are native to Kansas, Missouri, and beyond.  1. Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) With early spring blooms in February-May, the delicate pink and white blooms of spring beauty can create a beautiful groundcover. The plant goes dormant soon after blooms, but does ..read more