Go Green Chippewa Valley

Our annual green feature reinvigorates the eco scene with a selection of tips, tricks, and articles that make living sustainably second nature here in the Chippewa Valley. Take baby steps toward a change using the tip calendar, find out what's hot and what's not, see who's picking up on the trends in the community, and recycle in ways you never imagined possible.

Go Green is sponsored by:

Xcel Energy
Eau Claire

Places & Resources

Community Gardens 4

Plenty of places to plant and sprout and grow

Environmentally-Friendly Builders & Contractors 11

If you're looking to build or remodel, check out these ecologically-minded services.

Green Energy Programs 3

Groups, organizations, and cooperatives that work to provide efficient and sustainable energy.

Green Groups 16

Organizations you can join to work for a sustainable future.

DNR Calls For Recycling Excellence Award Nominations

Wisconsin communities, orgs, schools, businesses and event organizers can nominate themselves or others now through Sept. 14

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has celebrated organizations and initiatives through its Recycling Excellence Awards for over a decade. From now through Sept. 14, the DNR is accepting nominations for the 2026 awards iteration ...

Downtown Eau Claire Now Home To ‘Bee Haven’

pollinator sanctuary is blooming at the corner of Madison and Forest streets, official unveiling set for Aug. 24

Last summer, Volume One heard cross-community concerns from local enthusiasts and experts regarding a nationwide decline in pollinators like honey bees. While that issue is still present today, at least one in-progress effort to support those pollinators has been nurtured to life – the Eau Claire “Bee Haven.” The Chippewa Valley Biodiversity Partnership (CVBP), a local initiative born in 2022 and now supported by nearly two dozen area organizations, took the lead on developing the pollinator ...

Community Invited to Phoenix Park For Inaugural Bee Haven Biodiversity Celebration

local nature-focused organizations plan all-ages shindig with live music, food trucks, arts activities and hands-on education

The summer sun will begin to settle back just as the inaugural event gets going on Monday, Aug. 24 at Phoenix Park (330 Riverfront Terrace, Eau Claire). Slated to run from 5-7:30pm, the Bee Haven Biodiversity Celebration will offer hands-on “nature tables,” face painting, chalk activities, free Olson’s Ice Cream scoops and the official unveiling of the “Bee Haven” project ...

Earthbound Environmental Solutions Reflects On 10 Years Of Impact

curbside organic waste collection is just a small portion of Earthbound’s work as they convert compost into new revenue streams in Eau Claire

Just one year after the Pappas’ introduced their waste management and composting business – Earthbound Environmental Solutions – to Eau Claire, this duo reflected on the trajectory of zero waste choices to impact not just the town, but the world at-large. Now a decade later, those foundational realities – the hard-won triumphs, failures to begin and the tireless pursuit of local engagement in waste – still resonate as Earthbound marks 10 years of working alongside its...

BIG BUDDY, MEET EV: Kwik Trip & Xcel Energy Team Up to Make EV Travel Easier

New fast-charging stations at familiar stops help electric vehicle drivers travel the region with more confidence

But for electric vehicle drivers, just one thing often shapes the route: Where can I charge up? Xcel Energy and Kwik Trip are collaborating to make that answer easier. The Midwest-founded companies partnered to bring direct-current fast chargers to seven Kwik Trip locations across Wisconsin, giving EV drivers more options at safe, well-lit locations – with Dunkers and Big Buddies never far from reach – along some of the region’s busiest roadways ...

Area Organizers Welcome You To The Eau Claire Earth Fest

Eau Claire County, UW-Eau Claire and local vendors will gather on April 18 to showcase environmental solutions in the Chippewa Valley

As Earth Day draws near, county stakeholders, area universities and small businesses will come together to organize accessible events to share their goals outward. With these goals in mind, the former “Earth Week Open House,” previously hosted in late April at the Brewing Projekt in downtown Eau Claire, will transform into the “Eau Claire Earth Fest” on Saturday, April 18 at The Sonnentag Center in Eau Claire...

Nominations Open For 10th Sustainable Eau Claire Awards

individuals, initiatives, organizations and businesses can be nominated across a dozen categories

The City of Eau Claire’s Sustainability Advisory Committee is calling for nominations, pivoting to a spring nomination cycle with 12 categories for its 10th year. The Sustainable Eau Claire Awards initiative honored its inaugural awardees back in 2016, and over the years has changed its nomination categories a handful of times ...

The Sonnentag Center Rises to a New Level of Sustainability

working with UW–Eau Claire to power a one-of-a-kind clean energy facility

As the largest indoor event venue in northwestern Wisconsin, the Sonnentag Center is poised to be a critical community hub for generations to come. From the state-of-the-art fieldhouse to the Mayo Clinic sports medicine center to the large indoor arena, the Sonnentag is not making any compromises on amenities for the students and residents of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. And quietly powering the whole operation is an Xcel Energy solar array 13 miles away ...