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April Newsletter: Read up on Love Our Lakefront, electrification, and more!

 


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 and other community members.

 

We look forward to seeing you soon! 

 

Our monthly meetings take place at 6:30 PM every second Thursday of the month, they are all posted on Upcoming Events. Our next meeting will take place on April 9th.




Meeting Highlights


  • Looking for a way to show your support for Edgewater Environmental Coalition and the initiatives that we support? We are shortly kicking off our annual fundraiser with a goal of reaching $1000. We're asking for a one-time gift of $30 from our supporters, but anything helps! Donate here.

  • Parkways for Pollinators signups are still open for the upcoming season. Join other Edgewater residents in livening up the parkways and contributing to local sustainability with pollinator gardens. Sign up here!

  •  Public EV Charging Infrastructure in Edgewater — An Urgent Call for Ward Leadership. Electric vehicle chargers have been removed from Edgewater grocery stores and there isn't currently any infrastructure to support EV charging. Some community members are looking into petitioning for better infrastructure and chargers on residential streets. Reach out to us if you are particularly interested in this issue or know of any local connections!



Love Our Lakefront


Join us in celebrating and caring for lakefront at the first Love Our Lakefront event on Sunday April 26! It will include a nature walk, tree-tour, beach stewardship, City Nature Challenge, partner booths, recycled art & crafts, and more. This event is a great way to get involved with personal stewardship and learn more about our lakefront. We're excited to see everyone out there!





Community Connections


Home Electrification


A new study on electric resistance to heat pump upgrades was recently published by RMI. Over 60 million U.S. households (almost 1.4M in Illinois) still heat their home or water with electric resistance coils. When those homes upgrade to heat pumps, they:

 

  • Cut energy bills – $1,500+ per year on average, even higher in colder climates (for Illinois, it is over $2.6k)

  • Slash peak demand – Illinois could reduce winter peak by .82 GW (≈ 3 gas power plants) 

  • Lower emissions – Average home could reduce by well over 50% in Illinois

 

And there are clear actions to help these homes upgrade today. Read more.


Native Plant Sale


2026 West Cook Native Plant Sale Is OPEN and TAKING ORDERS, pre-order by 5/11: New plants this year are prairie milkweed, black cohosh, mistflower, meadow blazing star, and more … Garden kits (5 species, 15 plants):

 

  • Monarch and Friend Paradise Garden

  • Rain Garden

  • Woodland Edge Savannah Garden

  • Made in the Shade Garden

 



In Case You Missed It


  • All of our recurring 2026 events have been posted! See more here.

  • Participate in the plastic pellet count at Montrose Beach on May 2! This information will help raise awareness and pass legislation to reduce plastic in Illinois waterways.

  • The 48th Ward Participatory Budgeting projects have been announced! See the selected projects here.

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