It's almost ironic that Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley was born on Arbor Day. He's pledged to try to restore the Windy City to the "urban forest" he remembered as a kid, and he's succeeded in making Chi-town one of the greenest cities in the U.S. -- all thanks to a little mulch.

There is mulch around the 30,000 trees planted annually. There's mulch along the 70 miles of green medians. There's mulch in the open space that's required to accompany new homes and offices. And there is mulch on top of the energy-saving green roofs of 200 buildings. 

Daley's report card is coming up pretty green as a result -- he's put in 500,000 trees, is putting in the most energy efficient and environmentally sensitive municipal buildings in the country, helps fast-track building permits if they're for green buildings, and promises that 20% of the energy used by the city will be from clean and renewable sources.

Read more about Daley's green efforts in this NYT article .