In 2003, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had 1,265 employees. By 2018, that number had fallen to 639, according to a new report that a former IEPA director describes as “both a wake-up call and call to action.”
Environment
Oct 31, 2019 |
A 67-acre Southeast Side site served as a dumping ground for Republic Steel for nearly 30 years. Inspection records show the property is contaminated with lead, cyanide, mercury and other potentially harmful pollutants.
Oct 30, 2019 |
Emmanuel Pratt will use a South Side community farm he developed as a “living laboratory” to teach students about contemporary sustainability initiatives.
Oct 29, 2019 |
Buying in bulk and hunting down package-free items can be a challenge that often requires trips to multiple stores. To make sustainable shopping more accessible, two Chicago sisters plan to open a zero-waste marketplace by spring 2020.
Oct 23, 2019 |
A team led by several Chicago-area researchers has developed a new method to “upcycle” single-use plastics into a number of commonly used products, such as motor oils, detergents and cosmetics.
Oct 11, 2019 |
A group of 30 states and cities are taking legal action to defend the federal government’s authority to regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Oct 10, 2019 |
Hundreds of bird species in North America are at risk of extinction from climate change, according to an alarming new report from the National Audubon Society.
Oct 4, 2019 |
An increasing number of veterans are pursuing careers in fast-growing environmental sectors, like solar and wind energy, says Jessica Klinge, who will lead the Illinois chapter of Green Veterans.
Oct 4, 2019 |
The Low-Income Solar Energy Act would expand an existing program and create new ones to make solar energy more affordable for low-income Americans.
Oct 2, 2019 |
The polar bear has become the poster child for climate change, but increasing temperatures impact many forms of life – including insects. Dr. May Berenbaum weighs in on what that means for the rest of life on Earth.
Sep 26, 2019 |
Illinois experienced more than 1,500 flood events from 2000 to 2018 – an average of 1.5 floods per week – resulting in $3 billion in property damages, according to a new report from the American Geophysical Union.
Sep 20, 2019 |
The bill, which still needs approval in the full House and the Senate, would expand a 10-year effort to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, manage invasive species and reduce runoff pollution in the Great Lakes.
Sep 16, 2019 |
A longtime scrap metal recycler reaches a deal with the city to close up shop at its location next to the Lincoln Yards site and move operations to the Southeast Side. But not everyone is happy about it.
Sep 10, 2019 |
The National Wildlife Federation warns that pollution from PFAS chemicals – often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down over time – could be one of the most serious threats facing the Great Lakes region.
Sep 9, 2019 |
Humans in many areas of the world were farming, burning forests, grazing their animals and causing major changes to the environment some 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Sep 5, 2019 |
Five U.S. states have passed laws regulating the intentional release of balloons amid growing concerns over the risk they pose to wildlife. Illinois could be one of the next states to take action.
