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Climate Action

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.

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5 Years of CEJA, 5 Tours With IEC: Bearing Witness to Illinois’ Growing Clean Energy Workforce

Clean energy workers are building the wind, solar, and battery storage projects to help build Illinois’ climate resilience and clean energy future. The training programs equipping those workers with the skills necessary for Illinois’ green economy were made possible by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which turns five on September 15, 2026.

5 Years of CEJA, 5 Tours With IEC: Bearing Witness to Illinois’ Growing Clean Energy Workforce Read More »

Orange sun over water at a beach.

Rising Temperatures and Rising Costs: Heat Deaths as a Consequence of Climate Change and The Affordability Crisis

This year’s extraordinary heat made July 2026 Cook County’s deadliest month for heat deaths in a decade. Regardless of where you live, heat waves have become the most lethal weather phenomenon in the world, killing an average of 12,000 people every year. Like many other environmental injustices, heat deaths do not impact everyone equally.

Rising Temperatures and Rising Costs: Heat Deaths as a Consequence of Climate Change and The Affordability Crisis Read More »

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.

From Warning to Reality: One Year After the “Big Ugly Bill” Read More »

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.

Why Does My Street Flood? Read More »