IEC Blog Archives - Illinois Environmental Council

How Local Food Systems Can Transform School Lunchrooms and Brighten Futures

January 29, 2024

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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Our Top Stay-at-Home Sustainability Tips

April 13, 2020

By Jen Walling | IEC Executive Director When so many of us are spending more time than usual at home due to the novel corona virus, Team IEC is sharing some of our favorite home sustainability tips and resources to help give a boost to our planet and your pocketbook. If you’ve had a chance

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Sterigenics, Ethylene Oxide and Human Health

October 4, 2018

Jen Walling Executive Director, Illinois Environmental Council Without a family history of breast cancer, no one can pinpoint how my mother developed cancer. I was ten years old at the time, and as everyone who has gone through a similar experience knows, the diagnosis was incredibly hard on my family. The experience made enough of

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Federal Setbacks and the State of Illinois Energy Policy

August 24, 2018

By Cary Shepherd Policy Director, Illinois Environmental Council The federal administration unveiled its latest attempt to prevent our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy earlier this week. After announcing the repeal of the Clean Power Plan – the Obama Administration’s signature climate change policy – the EPA has proposed to replace it with the

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Legislator Feature: Robyn Gabel

July 18, 2018

Representative Robyn Gabel has represented the 18th District since 2010, and during that time she has earned a reputation as a champion for environmental issues.

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The State of Water Infrastructure in Illinois

June 13, 2018

More and more emergency situations are arising from substandard water infrastructure, with the tragedy in Flint drawing national attention to this critical issue.

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IEC Affiliate Interview: Environmental Defense Fund

April 5, 2018

IEC Interviews: Lavannya PulluveetilClean Energy Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund Meet LavannyaIEC: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your background. How did you come to work on policy issues related to clean energy access?Lavannya: I’m a recent grad with a degree in in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences as well as International Agriculture and

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Staff Feature: Lindsay Keeney

December 18, 2017

By Lindsay KeeneyDownstate Outreach Director, Illinois Environmental Council You can’t protect something you don’t love. Nurtured in central Illinois creek beds that had a tendency to banish a nice pair pair of school clothes straight to the dirty clothes pile, I love water. Geography gifted me the chance play, fish and study water from an

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Legislator Feature: State Representative Carol Ammons

November 27, 2017

IEC is excited to release our first “Legislator Feature” on our blog! Through this series, we hope to share with our supporters how legislators think about environmental issues, and what areas they are specifically interested in. For this entry, we are pleased to interview State Representative Carol Ammons. Representative Carol Ammons is serving her second

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Why the Race for Attorney General Matters for Environmentalists

November 15, 2017

By Jen WallingExecutive Director, Illinois Environmental Council I’ve never imagined an Illinois where Lisa Madigan was no longer attorney general. She has been an immutable figure on the Illinois political landscape for two decades, and a reliable decision-maker and partner on many of the environmental community’s campaigns. When embarking on a campaign, we begin by

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Dynegy’s Double-Bailout

November 7, 2017

11 Senators and 33 Representatives Oppose SB 2250 and HB 4141, Dynegy’s Double-Bailout Dynegy, a Texas-based energy giant, has been busy pushing bailouts in multiple venues with Illinois policymakers, while at the same time entering into a mega-merger with another Texas-based energy giant, Vistra Energy. This sale is estimated to add $1.7 billion to Dynegy’s

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Affiliate Feature: HeartLands Conservancy

October 5, 2017

By Mary VandervordPresident/CEO, HeartLands Conservancy What’s the mission of your organization?To sustain and enrich the diverse environmental resources of southwestern Illinois. To accomplish our mission HLC works with individuals, local governments, state and federal agencies, and other organizations on three priorities: conservation of open space, building greener communities, and engaging people with nature. Where in

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Unprecedented number of retirements include many environmental champions

September 15, 2017

By Colleen SmithLegislative Director, Illinois Environmental Council Many of the environmental community’s top legislative champions will not be returning to the Illinois General Assembly for another term. Just yesterday, we heard the devastating news that Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, a winner of IEC’s lifetime achievement award for her environmental leadership, will not run for

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Illinois Bobcat Hunting Program is Flawed

September 13, 2017

By Jennifer WallingExecutive Director, IEC Governor Rauner’s Illinois Department of Natural Resources recently increased the number of bobcat hunting permits from 500 to 1,000 for the upcoming season. The announcement of an increase in the number of permits was issued despite the fact that there is currently a bill sitting on the Governor’s desk that

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