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by Clive Benedict Mendoza (EEC Intern) The Berwyn Neighborhood Greenway is more than paint on pavement. It is an example of what thoughtful transportation planning can accomplish when streets are designed for everyone. The Edgewater Environmental Coalition wants to express our sincere thanks to the Chicago Department of Transportation, Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th Ward), and Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward) for their incredible work on the Berwyn Neighborhood Gre

Your voice. Your vote. Your parks. The Chicago Park District's Citywide Participatory Budgeting (PB) initiative gives community members the opportunity to help decide how funding will be invested in parks across the city. Community members can rank the project categories they believe should be prioritized, with the top-voted category receiving funding for improvements throughout Chicago's Central, North, and South Regions. Voting is open to all community members ages 13 and u

8/15 Love Our Lakefront: Celebrating Nature in the City Once a US Steel Factory - Now Open Space & Quantum Campus Novel Ecosystems: Nature Reclaims the Lakefront! Activities: Information and Conversation, Free Snacks and Drinks Schedule of Activities: 10:00am-12:00pm: Climb a former Factory Wall - Supervision and equipment provided by the Park District 11:00am Talk and Walk on Novel Ecosystems: Nature changes old industrial sites 12:00pm & 1:00pm: Nature and Tree Walks by Ope

Hey folks! The name is Clive, and I'm absolutely excited to be joining the Edgewater Environmental Coalition as the newest intern this summer! I'm currently a student at Loyola University Chicago studying Environmental Policy. My interests are centered around community organizing, environmental advocacy, nature-based solutions, urban planning, and passing legislation across all levels of government. On campus, I serve as the Community Partnerships Chair for Loyola's Student E

Hi all! I have just completed my final semester at Loyola and am wrapping everything up with EEC. I really enjoyed my time interning here and am eternally grateful for the support I recieved from Renee, EEC, and the broader community. I loved getting to know the environmental community here in Edgewater, and I plan on staying involved as a volunteer in the future. Between planning events (shoutout Parkways for Pollinators bike ride and seed sharing!), sending the monthly news

Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! Happy (almost) Earth Day! In our last meeting, we discussed various local environmental initiatives, public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and home insulation and electrification in Chicago. Keep reading for more information about corresponding contacts and events for these topics and more! Are you a part of our Google group ? Join the forum here to receive local environmental updates from us an

Chicago has one of the most spectacular urban waterfronts in the world, but it faces regular threats. Concerted efforts can protect the lake, keep it free and open to the public, and expand awareness of nature-based solutions for shoreline erosion. It is especially important to include underserved populations and residents who live far from the water in the grassroots movement, to be empowered in leading the efforts to protect the lakefront. Why Chicago’s Lakefront Needs Prot

We invite you to join us for volunteering opportunities during the 2026 gardening season ! All reoccuring events are now posted. Stay tuned for one-off volunteering opportunities as we progress through the season. See you out there! Join us for a fun-filled day of volunteering at Vedgewater Volunteer Days and make a positive impact in our community! The first Vedgewater Community Garden Workday of the season is April 11th from 10:30am-1:30pm! RSVP here . Following workdays wi

Join EEC and the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition to raise your voice in opposition to Peoples Gas proposed $200 million rate hike! When: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Time: 5:30pm CT Daley Plaza 50 West Washington St. Chicago, IL 60602 Just three years after pushing for the biggest rate hike in Illinois history, Peoples Gas is back to ask for even more money from its customers. Peoples Gas wants to charge Chicago residents more money for its expensive pipelines that come with a

Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! Keep reading for updates on the repeal of the Endangerment Finding , upcoming Peoples Gas Rate Hike rallies , our upcoming events , and more. In our last meeting, we discussed further steps for EEC's campaigns and events, sustainable development in Edgewater, and saw a presentation about the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act . We look forward to seeing you soon! Meeting Highlights Read about the Environment

After an abundant 2025 growing season, the 184 Vedgewater plots, native plants, fruit trees, and garden beehive have been put to bed for the winter. With 173 plots tended by community members in 2025, including 39 new gardeners, we provided our community with the opportunity to learn about vegetable gardening, growing their own organic food, native pollinator plants, and sustaining our vibrant Edgewater community. Interest in the garden grew substantially in 2025, with 302

The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (FFDA) is a bill pending before the General Assembly. It would require five Illinois’ state-funded public pension funds to : (1) immediately stop new investments in the top 200 oil, coal, and natural gas companies ; and (2) divest from existing public holdings in the top 200 oil, coal, and natural gas companies over a period of five years. Now is the time to divest the Illinois pensions from fossil fuels! We can’t do this without you. Ple

Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! Help us support local policy initiatives, engage with Chicago Park District's first ever citywide participatory budgeting initiative, and more. In our last meeting, we saw presentations about a green infrastructure policy proposal in Edgewater and the Peoples Gas rate hike. We also discussed the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act and Chicago's citywide participatory budgeting. We look forward to seeing you s

Introducing the POWER Act: Protecting Our Water, Energy, and Ratepayers. This new legislation will hold data centers accountable, protecting our wallets and our communities. Without guardrails, data centers could increase our electricity costs by $37 billion through 2050. That’s a 24% increase! The POWER Act ensures Big Tech covers their own costs, not Illinois ratepayers. Requiring data centers to bring their own new clean energy means more wind, solar, and battery storage b

Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! We are excited to continue working with you all in 2026 through various campaigns, projects, partners, events, and stewardship days. In our last meeting, we discussed how we can change the format of our monthly meetings to better suit the needs of the people and initiatives we are working with, as well as updates and potential improvements to each initiative. We look forward to seeing you soon! Meeting

For the past few months, journalist Kyle Mucerino has been attending EEC events and reporting on them in a variety of articles. We much appreciate the awareness and involvement he has been bringing to the organization, and we wish him luck in his last year of school! See his bio and a few samples of his stories below. Kyle Mucerino is a reporter for the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he is pursuing his master’s degree as part of the class of 202

Hello EEC friends, community members, and environmental stewards! Get information about our upcoming seed saving and sharing event , 48th Ward participatory budgeting , and community solar funding below! In our last meeting, we discussed the establishment of a new community garden and food forest, the Lakefront coalition's efforts to protect North Lakeshore Drive in the midst of potential expansion, and end-of-the-year events . Meeting Highlights Help Park 559 close t

Join EEC and the 48th Ward Green Council in a post-Thanksgiving litter free Edgewater clean up at the lakefront! When? November 29th, 2025 at 11:00AM Where? Hollywood/Osterman Beach House (5800 Dusable Lakeshore Drive) Why participate? Get moving after the Thanksgiving festivities Make a positive impact on our local environment Meet and connect with community members Have some fun while making our park cleaner! Supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own bucke

LEARN ABOUT SEED SAVING AND HELP US PROCESS, ORGANIZE, AND SAVE SEEDS FOR THE PARKWAYS FOR POLLINATORS PROJECT!

We had a great time biking around and seed collecting from Parkways for Pollinator sites on November 1! Thanks to all who volunteered their beautiful gardens. We're looking forward to another year of cultivating pollinator parkways in 2026!