Students from eight schools celebrated the planet and their roles in protecting it at the annual Earth Flag Awards at Rialto Square Theater.

Friday the 13^th turned out to be a lucky day for Melanie Howard this year.

The Will County Land Use Department’s second annual Pumpkin Pitch gave participants an opportunity to get rid of pumpkins and leave with information.

Nov.15 is America Recycles Day, and Will County wants to thank residents and non-profits for all they do to improve the environment by offering them a chance to win refurbished iPad2’s.

About 69,000 books went home with new readers from the “busiest” Will County Reuse and Recycle Book Event to date.

Tim Anderson of the Will County Land Use Department’s Resource Recovery and Energy Division said the event at the Pilcher Park Nature Center June 5-7 “was the busiest in both number of people who attended and books.” Anderson has spearheaded the event, which began in 1999, the last four years. The event is co-sponsored by the Joliet Park District.

Students gathered around the plant with its one strawberry, not yet ripe, careful not to dislodge the fruit from the vine.

The strawberry plant was one of several attractions as students, staff and guests milled around the raised garden beds at William E. Young School, christened the Young Sprouts Grow and Learn Garden, during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 15.