Posts by Matt Steffen

By Jim Meadows | Illinois Public Media “A group gathered on the University of Illinois Urbana campus Friday to call for action to combat climate change. “Climate Strike Two” was a follow-up to the Climate Strike event held on the U of I campus September 20. That event was part of a student-led global protest…

By the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition | Medium The fall veto session of the Illinois General Assembly has come and gone, but the urgency of Illinois taking control of its energy future has never been greater. Climate change is real — just ask Illinois farmers who have dealt with one historic flood after another. Ask leaders of…

Communities across Illinois are picking up the pieces after the closure of a number of coal plants owned by Vistra Energy. These closures hitting small cities like Havana particularly hard with the plant being an important employer and source of tax support. It was closed by Vistra citing new Illinois pollution standards. Despite the hardships,…

Emma Edmund | The Daily Northwestern A new Illinois state law could allow more aggressive action to be taken by the state against climate change. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 15 signed a bill, which repeals the Kyoto Protocol Act of 1998. The Kyoto Protocol Act previously barred Illinois from reducing carbon and other greenhouse…

OakPark.com | Letter to the Editor Farmers Market table partners raised 1,000 signed petitions in support of the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2019. Last April through October, volunteers from Oak Park Area Climate Action and Illinois Sierra Club shared a table at Oak Park Farmers Market dedicated to soliciting  citizen signatures in support…

Illinois State House District 58 recently issued the following announcement. Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM CST Location: Highland Park Police Department Address: 1677 Old Deerfield Rd, Highland Park, Illinois 60035 Details Learn more about climate change, how you can benefit from clean energy, electric vehicles, and the Clean Energy…

Our state and city should put up as big a bulwark as possible against the president’s attacks on all things green. By Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board Illinois already is experiencing the kind of effects scientists warned us would come with climate change. Lake Michigan has swung from a record low to such high levels that…

Bill aims to put Illinois on path to 100% renewable energy by 2050 By Alex Ortiz | The Herald-News Even after a busy spring legislative session in the state capitol, activists in Will County are pushing for one more significant bill to pass — this time on environmental issues. More than 200 environmental groups, health…

By Megann Horstead | Chicago Tribune Clean energy can be profitable, as well as practical, and should be pursued, said one of the state legislators who came to Oak Park recently to discuss the topic. Other legislators focused on environmental justice and creating opportunities for diverse employees in the growing environmental economy. They made the…