environmentalism

"A Survey of Elemental Gratitude," an exhibition currently at the Kansas City Public Library, showcases the beauty of the Flint Hills— and asks us to consider its environmental future. Philip Heying's photography will be on display until December 9.

Bunge Limited, headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri, is the world’s largest soybean producer and sells the overwhelming majority of inputs to Brazilian soy farmers. A new report from environmental and human rights group says that the company's practices incentivizes deforestation and illegal land grabbing.

A Missouri inmate serving life without parole on a gun crime says young inmates don’t seem to care if they come and go from prison. Plus: A growing legal movement to grant natural entities like rivers and forests legal rights is having a moment in the US. Now environmentalists are setting their sights on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Cities in Kansas and Missouri are finding that they often have too many of the same kind of trees, making them extra vulnerable to pests and diseases. Plus: Three companies in the Midwest want to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants and store it underground, but that idea worries some landowners.

The Missouri River Relief cleanup drew more than 150 volunteers, even with the threat of severe rain. Volunteers picked up a 10-mile stretch of the riverfront in Kansas City, finding everything from tires and lawn chairs to headlights and fenders.

The dead zone encompasses thousands of acres in the Gulf each summer and results in a significant impact to marine life.

Midwestern states — including Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska — exceed the national average of detectable levels of lead in the blood of children. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a new plan to reduce lead exposure.

Foodscaper Matt Lebon runs an edible landscaping business where he introduces the community to the many benefits of growing native plants in your backyard. In the face of climate change, he believes that understanding biodiversity is the key to resilience.

Hundreds attended the Go Green environmental fair on Saturday, which brought businesses and advocacy groups together from across nine Johnson County cities to educate residents on ways they can reduce their carbon footprint and make a positive impact in their communities.

Native plants are crucial to the "web of life" in any environment or habitat. So, the Missouri Prairie Foundation is holding a plant sale to help people incorporate those plants into their gardens and yards.

The plan is a roadmap for future environmental policy and aims for the city to be carbon neutral by 2040. Despite opposition from utility companies Spire and Evergy, the plan passed with few changes.

Locals say De Soto needs to improve its infrastructure before thousands of people potentially move to the town. The Panasonic battery plant slated for development on the site of an old toxic ammunition plant gives them pause.