IEC Blog

Plastic Pollution in Chicago

Over the past few years, Illinois has seen plastic waste reduction legislative victories in Springfield. Advocates in its largest city, Chicago, seek to implement similar legislation to protect Lake Michigan and other water resources from dangerous microplastic pollution.

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Protecting Chicago’s Wetlands

Wetlands–home to a dazzling array of plants and animals–stand between us and some of the worst effects of climate change. Advocates in Chicago urge decision-makers to implement policy solutions to protect these incredible ecosystems.

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Lead Service Line Replacement in Chicago

For many Chicagoans, especially folks living on the City’s south and west sides, lead service line pollution is a daily reality. For households served by some of the city’s almost 400,000 lead service lines, this lack of access to clean water continues to be an environmental injustice.

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How Local Food Systems Can Transform School Lunchrooms and Brighten Futures

With locally-grown food in their diets, students have stopped getting fast food and vending machine snacks for lunch, feel sustained until dinner time, and are more alert in class. The students have also grown closer to the cafeteria staff and gained a greater appreciation for food and where it comes from. IEC pays a visit to Pawnee Schools to see their farm-to-table school lunch program!

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Space to Grow: Greening Chicago One Playground At A Time

As the climate crisis looms and the unending pace of development threatens natural spaces across the country, it is imperative that green initiatives are advanced and that the benefits of those initiatives are shared among those who are already experiencing the impacts of the climate crisis.

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The Decisive Decade

IEC recently had the pleasure of hosting President Biden’s National Climate Advisor, Ali Zaidi, for a breakfast with leaders from Illinois’ environmental community.

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A Southeast Side Story: A Closer look at Environmental Justice, Resistance and Sustainability on the East Side

Illinois is home to a diverse range of natural landscapes: from native prairie lands to forest preserves and state parks to marshes, rivers, and other iconic waterways. A large part of IEC’s mission is preserving these natural spaces and building healthy environments for the communities who call them home; however, this mission cannot be approached in the same exact way for each and every community across the state.

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2022 Legislative Tours: Legislators in the Wild

In June 2019, I wrote a blog post introducing readers to one of the Illinois Environmental Council’s most successful programs, legislative tours. Since then, we’ve conducted dozens of informative “tours” with legislators and local officials, taking them out of their office buildings and into the natural areas we need their help to protect.

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The Illinois is Beautiful Initiative

From our conversations in Illinois communities and the surveys we collected, it is clear there is overwhelming support for an increase and acceleration of conservation in Illinois. Over 85% of respondents believe that 4% of Illinois land in protection is not enough.

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