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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