Native Species Must be Protected A century ago, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was hailed as an engineering masterpiece. Built to carry sewage and ships, the canal created an artificial connection between the Great Lakes basin and the Mississippi River Valley – two ecosystems that evolved separately for millennia. Today the canal has become […]
Regenerative Agriculture
A Healthy Land Means a Healthy Ecosystem Food production and conservation can go hand-in-hand. Problem: Business As Usual Threatens Water Quality and Degrades Soil Illinois is dominated by corn and soybeans. These crops are planted every year with the use of large quantities of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, (in combination with genetically modified seeds), […]
Factory Farm Watch
Rivers are Not Dumping Grounds Animal waste does not belong in our water. Polluters must be held responsible for their pollution. It is plain and simple. Large scale animal feeding operations are called Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), and they have the potential to pollute nearby waterways. Factory farms are designed to produce meat, eggs, […]
Agricultural Runoff & Nutrient Pollution
Farmers are Partners in Protecting Water Quality Illinois is one of the top national producers of corn, soybeans, and swine, with approximately 75% of the state’s land area dedicated to agriculture. The economic contributions of agriculture are undeniably important. However, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found that pollution from crop production impairs approximately 20% of […]
Coal Ash
Making Polluters Pay Behind Illinois’ coal-fired power plants lies a dirty secret: coal ash, the solid byproduct that is left over after coal is burned for electricity. Coal ash is full of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic, selenium, chromium, and cadmium, which can cause cancer and brain damage in humans and are harmful to fish […]
