OUR WORK
NEWS & UPDATES
Building a Clean Heat Pipeline
Underneath the cranes and the glittering new apartment towers, something especially interesting is happening with how Vancouver heats and cools its buildings. Vancouver is embracing a growing system of thermal energy networks (TENs) to decarbonize both new and existing buildings.
The overwhelming problem of plastic
From flax that can be used in clothing and cars to robotic skimmers to stricter laws, researchers, activists and volunteers fight an industry intent on making more plastic.
Massive Public Transit Win in Chicago Shows the Power of Grassroots Coalitions
The upcoming overhaul of the Chicago region’s transit system shows how potent organizing around public services can be.
Army Corps resumes work at Brandon Road Project as invasive carp encroach on Illinois River
More than a month after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted work on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, part of a $1.15 billion project to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes, the agency announced last week it would resume construction.
Five Silent Auction Items I’m Especially Excited About This Year
IEC’s Mundra Turtogtokh shares some of the exciting items generously donated for our 2026 Environmental Leadership Dinner silent auction.
SCORECARD & NEWSLETTERS
Legislative Scorecard
See how your state legislators voted on bills affecting the environment.
Newsletters
Read the most recent IEC Newsletter and view our archive going all the way back to the 1970s.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
From Warning to Reality: One Year After the “Big Ugly Bill”
One year ago, the Illinois Environmental Council warned that H.R.1, dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill,” would impact Illinois’ clean energy economy, weaken environmental protections, and make it harder for families and communities to thrive. One year later, we revisited those projections by reviewing updated economic analyses, federal implementation, and conversations with our partners across Illinois to understand what has changed and what challenges remain.
Why Does My Street Flood?
Every spring and summer, Chicago basements flood like clockwork, but this isn’t just bad luck with the weather. It is the direct collision of a 1930s sewer network, a rapidly shifting climate, and decades of systemic urban disinvestment. Chicago’s Deep Tunnel project can’t save us alone, we need to embrace water policy and nature-based climate resilience.
Grayslake data center opponents call for wetlands protection: ‘Wetlands are incredibly important’
Opponents of the Grayslake T5 data center are focusing on almost 16 acres of wetlands on the site that developers have applied to fill in, seeing it as a potential stopping point for a project that has sparked increasing resistance.
Rockford CEJA Ecosystem Training Next Generation of Clean Energy Workers & Investing in Local Community
Rockford, Illinois – Today, The Workforce Connection, Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois (Goodwill), Think Big! Corporation, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Illinois
Data Center Policy Debate in Illinois Spans Environmental, Economic Goals
Andrew Montequin for WTTW: Data centers are a hot topic in Illinois and around the country. Alongside more construction comes more public scrutiny — of
2025 Annual Report
Explore our IEC and IECEF Annual Report to learn more about the state of our organizations and the progress we made in 2025.