Category: Allies

Ms. Linton Goes to Springfield

Ms. Linton Goes to Springfield April 28, 2023 I had not been to Environmental Lobby Day in Springfield since just before the pandemic. And I do mean “just.” The last Illinois Environmental Council sponsored lobby day we went to was on March 4, 2020, and within weeks all hell broke loose in New York City;…
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Students strike for more climate action

A Q&A with Jelena Collins, an organizer of the Earth Day Student Strike Protesters will meet up at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago for the strike on Earth Day, April 22 at 2:30 p.m. Learn more and sign up to attend! The following is an edited email conversation between editor Jane Goldenberg and Jelena Collins. JG:…
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COP26 showed me our climate crisis is a social crisis

COP26 showed me our climate crisis is a social crisis By Jelena Collins Attending COP26 — the UN’s 26th convention on climate change — in Glasgow, Scotland last fall was one of the best experiences of my life. I had never been in an environment where everyone was equally if not more passionate than I…
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Going to Glasgow with Rachel Rosner

Lifting up youth voices on a global stage, such as COP26, is essential for fighting the climate crisis.

Clean up litter with purpose!

The Zero Waste Warriors Litterati challenge By Madeline Stanton When I joined the Zero Waste Warriors, an initiative of Climate Reality Chicago, my first opportunity for action was an in-person cleanup (masked and socially distanced). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to join on that day. I realized we needed a way for people to participate in…
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Illinois needs a strong plan to electrify public transit

Illinois needs a strong plan to electrify public transit By Pam Tate and Kim Stone Since most capital investment has been put on hold by our transit agencies, due to the pandemic, members of our chapter’s Task Force for Electrifying Public Transit believe the time is now for the State of Illinois and transit agencies…
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A student activist finds his voice

A student activist finds his voice — Q&A with JACOB ABASTA — March 1, 2021 Jacob, a 17-year-old climate justice activist from Mount Prospect is the city coordinator for an international youth-led climate education group called Earth Uprising. He organizes young people around climate change in the Chicago area. He recently joined Climate Reality Chicago…
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Demanding climate action as a basic human right

Demanding climate action as a basic human right By Jean-Stéphane Naas When I was in elementary school, I spent weekends with my father picking up plastic bags from the street. We would then use them to dispose of our week’s trash. In other scavenging, we searched alleys looking for furniture that had been left behind.…
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Tales from the field: Lobby Day first-timers dive into advocacy

First-timers dive into advocacy Edited by Jane Goldenberg One of the best things about Zoom meetings is that they make attending meetings that otherwise would require travel far easier. As a result, we got lots of first-timers advocating for the Clean Energy Jobs Act during our Nov. 12 Lobby Day. Here are their stories. Regina…
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Earth Day: Energy & Climate

Today we focus on energy and climate change.  While being sensitive to the difficult challenges the world currently faces with Covid-19, one thing is visibly clear – lower fossil fuel consumption has quickly improved air quality worldwide. From industry to transportation, energy to food production, fossil fuels touch most of our lives every day. Carbon…
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