2024 Accomplishments
Every winter, we’re excited to remind you how vital you are to everything we do. From our battle against pesticides to the effort of protecting our rivers to assisting in the clean energy transition, your support, actions, and inspiration make all the difference. We’re proud to share what we’ve achieved together in 2024!
Protect Water
- Clean Water Forever: Continued statewide advocacy to protect Illinois’ water resources, giving talks and presentations and building coalitions for legislative action to protect wetlands and access to rivers.
- Water Quality Monitoring: We launched a water quality monitoring effort with our members and the Environmental Working Group to look at fertilizer and pesticide pollution.
- Pond Creek Coal Mine: Secured stronger protections and transparent limits on pollution from a coal mine in Southern Illinois.
- Abandoned Mine Lands: Celebrated the once-in-a-generation funding available to reclaim abandoned coal mines in Illinois, leading education and outreach efforts to communities in Illinois.
- Coal Ash: Our hard-fought coal ash rules are finally giving the public a voice in coal ash regulation, with our first two public hearings this summer. We are supporting communities with the technical expertise they need to advocate for proper coal ash clean up in their communities.
Heal Land
- Quad Cities Climate Assessment: Released the report “Navigating Climate Challenges in the Quad Cities,” focusing on climate risks and solutions. The report will empower community leaders to make investments in resilience planning, including protecting, strengthening and restoring natural features and implementing nature-based solutions.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Released our report on six years of monitoring for herbicide drift injuries. We continued to lead advocacy efforts for stronger pesticide regulations and protections for biodiversity. We gained extensive media coverage on the issue of drift, including in the Chicago Tribune and on NPR.
- Zombie Coal Mines Advocacy: Launched the Zombie Mine legislative platform in an effort to fight for the cleanup of inactive coal mines that are permitted but have been stalled for years.
- Coal Community Transition: Supported coal communities in applying for CEJA’s Energy Transition Community Grant that will help them navigate the challenges of a post-fossil fuel future.
Inspire Change
- Protect Biodiversity: PRN and the Save Our Trees Coalition launched an awareness campaign around the emotional, financial, and environmental impacts of herbicide drift. Events included art installations in Urbana Parks and at the Boneyard Arts Festival, and a benefit concert.
- Clean Energy & Climate Advocacy: Launched the Illinois Climate Jobs Coalition policy platform and hosted community conversations to advance real climate solutions.
- Technical Assistance: Supported communities through the Great Lakes Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC), helping communities navigate water, environment, and energy challenges and opportunities.
- Rural Co-op Engagement: Released the Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative Scorecard, a roadmap to empower rural communities to adopt clean energy and build resilient futures in the face of climate change.
- Staff Expansion: We have welcomed eight new staff members in the past year and a half, enhancing our reach, regional advocacy impact and community engagement.
Accomplishments from Previous Years
2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2020 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2019 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2018 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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