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Category Archives: Environment
The Legacy of Local Environmentalist Bruce Hannon
“The rivers are the place where nature still exists.” – Bruce Hannon, 2017 interview for Prairie Rivers Network’s 50th Anniversary. Bruce Hannon, the founder of Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), passed away on Sunday, February 18, 2024. Bruce’s accomplishments are too … Continue reading
412 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Environment, Remembering
Tagged Allerton Park, land conservation, local environmentalism, Prairie Rivers Network
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Canada Goose Population Control: Homeowner Associations Become Experts
Spring is a good time to consider the giant Canada goose and methods of population control that are legal and humane. Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima), like all waterfowl, are protected at the federal level by the Migratory Bird Treaty … Continue reading
61 total views
Posted in Animal Rights, Community, Environment
Tagged Animal rights, community action, cruelty to animals, environment, geese
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Carbon Capture, Illinois’ Biggest Coal Fired Power Plant, and the Prairie Research Institute
Carbon capture has become the divisive hot topic in Illinois climate policy over the last year. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included substantial subsidies for carbon capture that have created an industry gold rush looking to build and operate carbon … Continue reading
447 total views
Posted in Climate crisis, Environment, Environment, IL, Section
Tagged carbon capture, climate change, energy, environment, pollution
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Rescuing the Embarras River
Tucked into the southwest corner of the University of Illinois’s Urbana-Champaign campus, just beyond student housing and mostly hidden by roadside grasses, a ditch runs along a solar farm and through research farmland. This is the humble beginning of the … Continue reading
547 total views
Posted in Environment, Environment, Section
Tagged environment, Illinois nature, pollution, water
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Remembering David Monk
David Monk, 91, died on December 2, 2022. For a detailed account of his life and accomplishments, refer to the News-Gazette article published on July 13, 2022, soon after he went into hospice care. It is not easy to summarize … Continue reading
1,789 total views, 2 views today
Posted in Community, Environment, Environment, Section
Tagged activism, environment, local community, prairie preservation
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Sola Gratia Farm Grows Good in CU
Here in Central Illinois, we’re surrounded by prime farmland—miles and miles of crops, primarily corn and soy, growing on some of the most fertile soil in the world. And yet, approximately one in seven adults and one in five children … Continue reading
395 total views
Posted in Community, Environment, Food Insecurity
Tagged community gardens, Food, food security, sustainable agriculture
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The Inflation Reduction Act: Historic Climate Legislation with a Lifeline to Fossil Fuels
With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August, many environmental advocates and others concerned about rapidly rising global temperatures breathed a collective sigh of relief. The US finally is taking historic action to address the climate crisis. … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Activism, Climate crisis, Environment, Environment
Tagged carbon capture, climate crisis, environment, Inflation Reduction Act
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West Virginia v. EPA: SCOTUS Decision Not Necessarily a Blow to Climate Action
Supreme Court rulings, once announced, sometimes take on curious lives. Understood in one way when released, they can, as precedent, shape the law in other, unexpected ways. The Supreme Court’s opinion in West Virginia v. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), … Continue reading
377 total views
Posted in Climate crisis, Environment, Environment, Supreme Court
Tagged climate crisis, EPA, federal government, Supreme Court
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Illinois Responds to “Code Red” Climate Alarm
IPCC Issues a Code Red for Humanity “Code Red for Humanity” has become the new rallying cry for climate action. The phrase was coined by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in reference to the August climate report, released … Continue reading
673 total views
Posted in Climate Activism, Climate Justice, Environment, Environment
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Victory! Dynegy Will Move Its Ash
No More “Cap and Run” After a multi-year campaign calling for the clean-up of coal ash along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion, Illinois’ only National Scenic River, Dynegy Midwest Generation, owner of the coal ash, has finally agreed to … Continue reading
1,435 total views, 1 views today
Posted in Environment, Environment, IL, Politics
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This is going to take more than windmills: Addressing Trauma at the UN Climate Summit
Climate activists from around the world converged on New York City during the United Nations Climate Summit in September, 2019, and I was lucky enough to be invited to contribute to this historic moment. There were scientists, lawyers, architects and … Continue reading
Posted in Co Counseling, Environment, Indigenous
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University and High School Students Collaborate to Host September 20th Climate Strike
Between September 20 and 27, over 6000 protests took place in 185 countries as part of the Global Week for Future. Students walked out of classes, workers went on strike, and millions gathered to demand climate justice and take action … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Students, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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After Statewide Coal Ash Victory, the Fight for the Middle Fork Continues
Protecting the integrity of our natural resources requires multigenerational vigilance, perseverance and dedication. Successes are rarely quick and easy, and generally only mark milestones in an unending quest to preserve what we hold dear. Such is the story of the … Continue reading
Posted in Environment
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Faith in Place: Twenty Years Protecting the Earth and All Who Depend on It
At the dedication of a community garden, in a smallish county seat, I met Robyn, whose high school class had sown and nurtured the vegetable seedlings that we planted that day. She told me: “My special-needs students learn so much … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Environment, Food Insecurity, Justice, Land, solar energy
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Unacceptable Levels—Our Body Burden, Our Planet Burden
Our planet is drowning in synthetic chemicals. Our bodies have become synthetic chemical processing plants. A 2005 Environmental Working Group study of umbilical cord blood revealed that babies are born already pre-polluted with over 200 industrial contaminates. Hundreds of the … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, film, Politics, Public Health
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No Time to Wait: Let’s Make a Green New Deal!
As a series of intergovernmental panels and the March 15 global wave of student strikes remind us, the environmental crisis is no longer a thing of the future. It is our here and now, exacting a toll on the world’s … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, labor
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Think Heliocentrically, Act Locally
“We are building solar at all scales.” Scott R. Tess, Urbana’s Environmental Sustainability Manager The Big Picture Solar power from photovoltaic (PV) panels has been around for a long time now, and the technology is definitely ready for prime time. Here, … Continue reading
Posted in Environment
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A New Option to Finance A Clean Energy Future for Everyone
While renewable energy technologies have made tremendous strides in recent decades, financing and investment options for those who want to go green have remained scarce. The Clean Energy Credit Union (CECU), chartered by the American Solar Energy Association in 2017, … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Environment, Environment, solar energy
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Air Pollution in Champaign-Urbana
By Jacquelyn Potter Why Should We be Concerned? Our most immediate necessity for life is breathing. It’s the process of taking in life-giving substances and releasing metabolic by-products; therefore, clean air is vital for survival. It’s only when substances are … Continue reading
Posted in Environment
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Ban Fracking in Illinois this Year
By Lois Kain Lois Kain lives in Urbana and is a member of Food and Water Watch and Sierra Club. Illinois has so far avoided the damages that inevitably result from horizontal, or directional, High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF), known … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Environment, Environment, health, Land, social services
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