Green mothers try to save the earth

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and others who have helped young people reach their potential.

We know you've gotten Mom a very nice gift already, so give her a call or head on over if you can and take her to dinner.

If Mom is into "green" she might appreciate doing something with you rather than getting more stuff.

One event you might have heard about is the Green Festival, which will be Saturday and May 18 at Navy Pier.

The festival will include speeches, workshops, music, films and food.

You will hear about renewable energy, socially responsible investing, eco-fashion, eco-tourism, green building and green parenting.

Admission is $15, but there are several ways to get $5 off, including riding your bike to the pier, bringing three or more books to donate, being a student, senior citizen or 12 or younger, or riding public transit.

For details, visit www.greenfestivals.org or call (800) 584-7336.

What will you plant in Mom's garden?

Meijer and the Nature Conservancy will help you pick noninvasive plants for Mom's garden.

Up to 16 percent of Meijer's plants, trees and shrubs carry a tag saying they are recommended by the Nature Conservancy.

This year's choices include purple coneflower, white pine trees, big blue stem grass and flowering dogwoods.

The store dropped privet from its inventory this year, and last year quit selling Norway maple and Lombardy poplar.

The good news is that most plants that come from far away never become invasive.

An invasive plant multiples quickly and crowds out other plants by taking light, water, nutrients and space. Wildlife are then deprived of food and shelter.

Wrap her in soft and cozy bamboo

We all have times when we mess up and need a last-minute gift for Mom.

If your green mother needs new sheets, she might like a set of bamboo ones.

No, we are not recommending you buy her scratchy sheets.

Believe it or not, bamboo -- which many people consider green because it's a very renewable grass -- can be made into really comfortable, cottonlike fabrics.

Karen Neuburger's KN Luxury Home has a collection of sheets that mix 60 percent bamboo with 40 percent cotton. The colors are nature-inspired like leaf, bark and white. The line is called KN Luxury Home.

The queen set is $160, the king $180. They are available at Carson Pirie Scott stores and online at www.bonton.com.