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.
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.
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!
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.
Here’s some conservation news years in the making: in 2016, Illinois passed a law greenlighting a monarch license plate decal which would generate funding for pollinator habitat in IL. A few years, and 2,000 pledges from enviros later and the Decal is finally here!
Our 2023 Legislative Tour season has come to an end, which means it’s time to take a look back on all the amazing places we took legislators and other key decision-makers to over the past few months.
The Natural Areas Stewardship Act allows IDNR to award grants to conservationists like land trusts. Now, over 5 years into the law, take a look back at the impacts of this bill with IEC’s Conservation Director Lindsay Keeney— the wins, progress made and the work that couldn’t have been done without it.
By: Iyana Simba, City Programs Director The Illinois Environmental Council congratulates incoming Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on their recent election victory. We are excited to
Illinois needs to break up with plastic. For decades, we’ve known that single-use plastic items, including polystyrene foam cups, plates, and containers are among the most common and harmful forms of pollution found in the environment. So, what are Illinois’ plans to eliminate outdated foam foodware?
IEC hosted President Biden’s National Climate Advisor, Ali Zaidi, at a breakfast with leaders from Illinois’ environmental community.
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.
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.
End of life planning is not the most exciting subject for many people. Folks tend to avoid it whenever they can! But not having the conversation means people are unaware of their potential opportunities.
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.
With gas prices skyrocketing, the need for increased investment in clean energy has never been greater. To understand the current situation and what needs to happen next, let us take a look at history and how we got here.
A decade ago, the Emanuel administration dissolved Chicago’s Department of Environment. It’s time to bring it back.
Lindsay Keeney and Eliot Clay sit down with Mike Chandler and Bob Caveny of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to discuss the department’s agriculture lease program.
Though Chicago has recently made historic climate and environmental justice budget investments, the city still has much to do in the way of ensuring equitable public health and environmental protections in our EJ communities.
Get a peek behind the scenes during some of our farm and conservation tour stops with Illinois legislators and decision makers.
Don’t wait on leadership to act on climate– here are some simple ways to start decarbonizing your own home!
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