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By IEC Executive Director Jen Walling“Soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) in Illinois are the only locally based infrastructure that protect Illinois’ soil and water. Cuts to these programs have cost taxpayers money through dirtier water and soil erosion, as well as harm to the environment and public health. To protect Illinois’s valuable soil and […]

“Here in Illinois, we’re choosing a different direction,” [IEC Executive Director Jen Walling] said. She pointed out that the legislature approved the Future Energy Jobs Act just weeks after Trump was elected. The wide-ranging measure established energy efficiency goals for electricity companies and started a fund to help pay for solar power in low-income communities.

The Illinois Environmental Council’s [Executive Director] Jen Walling said the council supports “a range of proposals that would reduce plastic pollution including education, increased littering enforcement, fees, and bans of single use plastic material, as feasible.” Read the entire article at Great Lakes Now.

“I think passing this law prompted a lot of schools to do testing and it showed there were issues there,” said [IEC Executive Director Jen Walling], who added the agency plans to advocate that testing be expanded to middle and high schools.” Hear and read the story at CBS News Chicago.

“I think passing this law prompted a lot of schools to do testing and it showed there were issues there,” said [IEC Executive Director Jen Walling], who added the agency plans to advocate that testing be expanded to middle and high schools.” Read entire article at The State Register-Journal.

“[IEC is] supportive of groundwater monitoring of these quarries. We think that would be a very positive step because with the material that they are taking – if they are going to take that in – we should have monitoring to make sure that they are not taking in anything that leaks to ground water…I

“Milkweed is labeled a weed because it’s something that in the past was a really prolific plant,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, which supports the bill. “Farmers had some issues with [milkweed]. But because of habitat changes, it’s not a noxious weed anymore.” For monarchs, the plant remains vital to

“This rule change would limit the state’s ability to enforce levee height limits,” Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council said. “Without oversight, these levees could increase flooding downstream which will not only harm communities, but devastate riparian natural areas and wildlife habitat.” Read the full article here.

Through his work with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the Illinois Environmental Council and Downtown Springfield Inc., [State Representative Tim Butler] has seen the benefits of local food systems.“I’ve seen firsthand over the years the impact that local food systems have on the economy, on people’s health and just the good things they offer through the

“While swimming in the river is unthinkable today, it’s important to remember that only a couple decades ago, fishing was not on the menu,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, in a press release. “This event served as a great reminder of the progress we’ve made, as well as the potential

“Illinois as a whole has a high number of lead pipes moving water within communities, and the problem has been a concern for decades,” Walling said.“With the crisis in Flint, there is an increased public awareness of the ability of lead pipes to contribute lead into the drinking water we have,” she said. “There was

The Bobcat Foundation worked with Illinois state Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and a number of other groups that were involved in the issue, including the IDNR, Illinois Trappers Association, Illinois Humane Society and Illinois Environmental Council.The new law would allow 1,000 permits, increasing from the present 500, but would limit the harvest to 350

“Open space provides real environmental and economic benefits to Illinois’ residents and should remain a consistent priority among decision-makers,” said Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “Conservation Land Trusts are experienced in managing natural areas, and therefore make an ideal partner for a public-private partnership designed to promote stewardship of natural areas.”

“I think this should be started as soon as possible,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “I think the sooner the better, the more people who get to participate the better.” Read the full article here.

A forum on renewable energy jobs expected from the Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Trutter Center on the campus of Lincoln Land Community College. Read the full article here.

In January, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a new law requiring schools and day care facilities to test for lead contamination of potable water in their buildings.The law was initiated by the Illinois Environmental Council and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, according to her office. Read the full article here.

In January, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a new law requiring schools and day care facilities to test for lead contamination of potable water in their buildings.The law was initiated by the Illinois Environmental Council and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, according to her office. Read the full article here.

A bill that passed unanimously in the Illinois Senate, and now goes to the House, would allow the Illinois Department of Agriculture to license farmers to grow industrial hemp.The Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Illinois Farmers Union initiated this bill, and have collaborated with the Illinois Environmental Council and Illinois Farm Bureau in a coalition of

An “emergency protest” against President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord will take place in front of Chicago’s Trump International Hotel and Tower. The rally is backed by more than a dozen groups including Indivisible Chicago, the Sierra Club, the Illinois Environmental Council and AFGE Local 704,

The Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act, established in 2008, currently covers 17 types of devices and banned their disposal as of 2012. The Illinois Environmental Council — which supports the amendments to update this plan along with other state environmental groups — reportedly fought to keep all of those devices on the list and