Environment Illinois

06/18/2026

Thank you Rep. Mike Bost & Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi for cosponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act 250. This bipartisan bill will fund projects in places like Shawnee National Forest and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.

06/17/2026

A step forward: On May 29th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a critical habitat for an endangered species, the rusty patch bumblebee.

Despite an Endangered Species Act listing in 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not designate critical habitat for the bee -- until recently.

06/08/2026

Celebrate World Ocean Day and earn a "save the whales" DIY patch with our toolkit for young environmentalists.🐋 https://environmentamerica.org/illinois/resources/how-young-environmentalists-can-help-save-the-whales/

06/03/2026

We need your voice: Our public lands are a cherished legacy to be passed along to future generations, but the Senate is preparing for a vote that will impact whether or not our public lands can be sold to the highest bidder.

Contact your U.S. Senator today urging them to keep public lands in public hands.

Our public lands are a cherished legacy to be passed along to future generations, not sold off to the highest bidder.

06/02/2026

05/30/2026

Less than a week into Chicago's 2026 summer beach season, one beach already had a swim advisory due to water quality issues. If you're headed to the beach this weekend, you can equip yourself with information to keep you and your family safe by checking online and heeding posted flag advisories and warnings.

Even as Illinoisans are once again enjoying the splash of waves at the beach, pollution is still plaguing too many of the places where we swim.

05/28/2026

The Illinois General Assembly just took a first step in addressing pollution from plastic pellets!

From Lake Michigan to the mighty Mississippi, Illinois’ waters support healthy wildlife and communities, but plastic pollution is impairing our waters and harming wildlife. Given the small size and large number of plastic pellets, spilling is inevitable. And when someone dumps these nurdles, cleanups are exceedingly difficult.

We applaud the action of the General Assembly to address this often unseen, but always concerning, source of pollution and look forward to the Governor signing the bill into law.

Once signed into law, Illinois will be the first Great Lakes state to pass a bill to directly address this source of plastic waste.

05/21/2026

BREAKING: New report testing over 30 waterways in Illinois for microplastic. From Lake Michigan to the mighty Mississippi we looked for a nearly invisible, but pervasive pollutant.

With microplastic becoming a growing area of concern, especially to our health and our environment, we tested water samples from over 30 sites along Illinois waterways to better understand the problem here at home.

05/15/2026

May is American Wetlands Month, and with only around 10% of Illinois' historic wetlands remaining, now is the time to establish statewide protections for these important places.

Wetlands play a vital role in a healthy environment, but due to sprawl and other human activity only around 10% of Illinois’ historic wetlands remain. We’re supporting a state wetland protection program to safeguard what we have left.

05/13/2026

In 2025, Illinois produced the equivalent of 25% of the electricity it consumes from solar, wind and geothermal power, compared with just 8% in 2016, part of a larger transition toward clean energy technologies, according to our updated online dashboard: The State of Renewable Energy.

“Illinois has made real progress in growing renewable energy over the past decade, but to usher in a greener, healthier future, we need to pick up the pace,” said Emily Kowalski, associate director of Environment Illinois Research & Education Center.

Renewables are on the rise across America. America produces more than three times as much power from solar, wind and geothermal sources as we did 10 years ago – enough to power more than 80 million homes. Key technologies such as electric vehicles and battery storage are also growing.