If things look a little greener around here this April, there's a good reason. Our editorial staff is busy expanding the ideals of Earth Day into a month-long celebration of energy conservation, alternative transportation, recycling tips and about a million ways you can be a better friend to the planet. Welcome to Green Month, Milwaukee.

OnMilwaukee.com's "Green Month" isn't complete without reporting on The Outpost, a consumer cooperative with three locations that has been around for 38 years. Last weekend, the co-op offered a variety of free entertainment, but the green fun continues at The Outpost.

This Friday night, the Bay View location, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., hosts a free poetry reading by two of Milwaukee's earth poets, Jeff Poniewaz and Antler. The reading kicks off at 7 p.m. in the Bay View Community Room.

The next day, the Bay View store welcomes the Milwaukee Hybrid Group from noon to 2 p.m. and visitors can test-drive a hybrid car.

Also, all this month, The Outpost offers compact fluorescent light bulbs for 99¢ each after an instant Cash Back Reward through their partnership with We Energies and Focus on Energy program.

"Simply put, compact fluorescent light bulbs save money and energy," says Lisa Malmarowski, director of brand and store development. "A CFL lasts on average over eight years and uses less energy -- so little in fact that if an average household changed out the majority of their incandescents to CFL, the potential energy cost savings could be as high as 12 percent. That's a lot of green house gas that stays out of our atmosphere!"

The Outpost has a strong, independent history in Milwaukee. It opened in April of 1970 as the East Kane Street Food Co-op, and shares originally sold for $2.50 a piece. In 1971, the store moved to 800 E. Clarke St. and was renamed Outpost Natural Foods.

In July 1972, The Outpost moved to the corner of Locust and Bremen in Riverwest, and moved again in November 1979 to 3500 N. Holton St.

Finally, in 1990, The Outpost moved to its present location at 100 E. Capitol Dr. In March 2000, a second Outpost opened at 7000 W. State St., in Wauwatosa, and in September 2005, a third location opened in a former Kohl's in Bay View.

Malmarowski says Earth Day celebrations helped raise awareness of The Outpost's mission and contribute to the business' growth.

"The challenge is to keep the momentum going the other 11 months," she says.

"I also think Earth Day offers a simple way for large companies, especially those we don't normally associate with earth-friendly things, to make the message the louder and jump on the bandwagon as it were for the environment. Sure, sometimes you see the usual 'greenwashing' but what's heartening is to see places even like Wal-Mart adopting more and more earth friendly practices."