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IEC Blog

Congratulations, Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson

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 begin working with you on building the sustainable and healthy environment that all Chicagoans deserve.  Still on the heels of 2021’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passage in Illinois and President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, the message from every level of government is clear: we need bold climate action now. In the city of Chicago, there is no time to wait. We urge Mayor-elect Johnson to begin the important work of environmentalism swiftly.   The previous administration passed budgets with historically significant funding to environmental programs, including the single largest one-time investment in the environment in Chicago history in 2021; state and federal funding has additionally been allocated with climate action in mind. The stage has been set for Chicago to take critical action

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April 17, 2023

The Decisive Decade

IEC hosted President Biden’s National Climate Advisor, Ali Zaidi, at a breakfast with leaders from Illinois’ environmental community.

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February 7, 2023

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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December 2, 2022

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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December 1, 2022

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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August 17, 2022

Welcome Incoming Board Members

The Illinois Environmental Council is thrilled to welcome five new board members to our organization. Their expertise and experiences are as broad as they are impressive. We look forward to their contributions as we build power for people and for the environment. Reverend Darnell Johnson, IEC Darnell Johnson is the CEO and President of Urban Efficiency Group (UEG), Illinois’ first native, minority-owned utility implementation and sustainability design firm. Darnell is a spiritual and social architect, with over two decades of entrepreneurial and social science experience. His commitment to engineering solutions that humanizes the socio-economic existence of under-resourced communities and advancing energy equity in pursuit of achieving is fundamental to all of his work. Angela Foster-Rice, IECEF Angela is Senior Vice President of Strategic Business Development at Everland where she leverages her 20+ years of experience in sustainability, environmental policy and as an environmental attorney to help companies elevate their environmental

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February 1, 2021

A Threat to our Democracy is a Threat to our Environment

It’s probably no surprise to you that here at IEC, we believe government is meant to play a primary role in improving the quality of life for all– our communities, plants, animals and ecosystems. As imperfect as it is at the federal, state and municipal levels, and although governments cannot solve all of our problems, it is where we know we can make the most impactful change. We simply cannot carry out our mission of advancing public policies that create healthy environments in Illinois without fully functional and accessible government. That’s why we fight to make government more accessible, more transparent and to work better for our people and our environment. From environmentally focused town halls, to our popular civics workshops, to our annual scorecard, bridging the divide between Illinoisans and our systems of government is central to our work and our success. Civic participation is an organizational value at

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November 19, 2020

The Environmental Case for Voting in the 2020 Election

By: Jen Walling, Executive Director People often ask for advice on ways that the everyday person can actually make a difference for our environment. Voting always makes my top five list. Here’s why: Elections deeply impact environmental policy. So I hope that you have already voted or plan to cast your vote before the polls close tomorrow.  With Election Day right around the corner, I want to take the time to remind you that your vote matters. I understand that some people have grown skeptical of this premise, but let me offer a bit of proof for why I know this to be true. In 2014–just six years ago–a resolution denying climate change, supporting coal, and opposing the federal Clean Power Plan passed the Illinois House with a vote of 66-32. Environmentalists fought hard to defeat this resolution, but ultimately, the majority of the General Assembly voted in favor of

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November 2, 2020