What is community solar?
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For many Bloomington-Normal residents, leaf-raking efforts are already underway. While raking leaves isn’t rocket science, some leaf-raking practices can be harmful. Raking leaves into the street clogs storm drains, causing street flooding; if they don’t clog but rather wash down into the storm drains they become a storm water pollutant. The additional nutrients from the massive amounts of leaves decomposing in creeks, streams, or lakes removes oxygen from the water, suffocating plants and wildlife, and causing algae blooms that can result in bad odors and unpleasant tastes in drinking water.
The Ecology Action Center urges residents to help keep our local waters clean by using by using the following leaf management practices:
Information on protecting our local watersheds is available at mCLEANwater.org, a clearinghouse of local resources about our water and efforts to protect it.
The Ecology Action Center is a not-for-profit environmental agency with a mission to inspire and assist residents of McLean County in creating, strengthening and preserving a healthy environment. The EAC acts as a central resource for environmental education, information, outreach, and technical assistance in McLean County.
Explosive. Corrosive. Flammable. Toxic.
A comprehensive description of 2020? No. Well, maybe. But these terms do capture another topic of imminent concern: Household Hazardous Waste. Household hazardous wastes are substances that can harm human health or the environment.
This year McLean County residents have been carving out space for home offices and homeschooling. As residents have been cleaning out garages, sheds and basements, the Ecology Action Center has received a great many inquiries about proper HHW disposal practices, drop-off sites, and collection events. We know that getting hazardous household waste items out of your way has been a priority, and we’re glad to hear from so many members of our community acting on that personal responsibility to protect the environment by disposing of items with warning labels. What can you do to safely and lawfully dispose of cleaners, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, oil-based paints, antifreeze, pesticides, and similar hazardous household products? Here are your options:
Community Reuse
The fastest, easiest, and most environmentally sound way to get these items out of your way is to donate them to someone who will use them. Online platforms like Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor.com offer convenient, safe venues where community members can offer or seek items for reuse. If you’ve hesitated or shied away from these online platforms because you’re not sure how to use them, we’ve created a step-by-step guide to help you get started: https://ecologyactioncenter.org/guide-to-community-reuse/
Recycling
Some hazardous items can be recycled, or materials reclaimed. Automotive fluids such as oil, antifreeze, diesel and gasoline can be reclaimed through local drop-offs. Automotive batteries and used tires can also be reclaimed, and are accepted by some local retailers. Visit RecycleBN.org or download the Recycle Coach app for up-to-date listings, hours and contact information.
HHW Collection Events and Collection Sites
These events/locations do not accept:
Locally Funded Collection Events
At the last McLean County HHW Collection in the fall of 2019, our new drive-through appointment system worked wonders to increase efficiency. The average time on site for a drop-off was under 20 minutes, and some residents were in and out in as little as 7 minutes! Fundraising is now underway for the fall 2021 McLean County HHW collection event. We need your help to make this happen! Please donate today at HHWmclean.org.
State-Funded Collection Events
The Illinois EPA is increasing the number of one-day HHW collection events and hopefully will soon fund another McLean County event. Meanwhile, there are other events within a reasonable drive; as these are state-funded, they are open to any Illinois resident bringing residentially-generated hazardous waste items.
October 10, 2020
Iroquois County Administration Building
1001 E. Grant St.
Watseka, IL 60970
November 7, 2020 **
Illinois State Fair Grounds (specific location TBD)
801 E. Sangamon Ave
Springfield, IL 62702
** This event requires registration in advance. Register at www.springfield.il.us/hhw
HHW Permanent Collection Sites
The State of Illinois provides four household hazardous waste drop-off facilities. Though they are not conveniently located for central Illinois residents, they do provide an outlet when other options simply won’t work for you. Just like the HHW collection events, these facilities accept residential waste only. In some cases storage capacity may be limited, so please phone ahead before dropping off items.
City of Chicago – Goose Island
(312) 744-7672
1150 N. North Branch / Chicago, IL
Tue 7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Thu 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
1st Saturday of every month 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Naperville
(630) 420-6095
156 Fort Hill Drive / Naperville, IL
Sun 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Sat 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Rock River Reclamation District
(815) 987-5570
3333 Kishwaukee Street / Rockford, IL
By appointment only
Solid Waste Agency of Lake County
(847) 336-9340
1311 N. Estes St, Gurnee, IL 60031
By appointment only
The Ecology Action Center is always available to answer questions, provide community education, offer alternative options when possible, in order to help ensure these substances are handled properly so they don’t end up in our regional landfills or waterways. We continue to monitor policy and new developments surrounding safe disposal of HHW. We are working very hard to meet the needs of McLean County residents, and are optimistic about our prospects for more convenient options in the near future. Your help and financial support can help make that happen.
You can help!
The Ecology Action Center announced Monday that four Bloomington-Normal nonprofit agencies are among the first in McLean County selected for solar projects through the Illinois Solar for All program. The solar projects were selected on Wednesday, September 9, and are subject to the approval of the Illinois Commerce Commission in the coming weeks. If approved, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the Wayman AME Church, the Normal Township Activity and Recreation Center, and the Christ Church PCA will all receive solar installations that will significantly reduce their overall energy costs for years to come. Local solar installer StraightUp Solar is working with all four organizations on their solar installations. The Ecology Action Center is a grassroots educator for Illinois Solar for All and works to promote and educate the local community on the program.
Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA) is a key outcome of the 2016 Future Energy Jobs Act and is designed to increase access to solar energy for low-income and environmental justice communities. ILSFA works by increasing incentives (solar renewable energy credits or SRECs) for income-qualifying projects. The solar developers and contractors (called Approved Vendors) who complete projects in ILSFA receive these increased incentives and are then able to offer installations with no upfront costs for income-qualifying residents and low or no upfront costs for qualifying nonprofits and public facilities. Approved Vendors are not allowed to charge participants more than 50% of the value of the energy produced by the solar systems. This enables ILSFA participants to reap the energy-saving benefits of solar without having to overcome the obstacle of financing a solar installation all at once.
The Ecology Action Center (EAC) just started its second year serving as a grassroots educator for ILSFA. EAC worked directly with several of the nonprofits selected to receive solar through the program to both educate those organizations about the benefits of ILSFA and to reach residents those organizations serve. ILSFA is a multi-year program, and there are still opportunities for McLean County residents to participate. Larissa Armstrong, EAC Assistant Director said, “We are really excited to see local organizations benefit from the ILSFA program, and are hopeful even more residents and organizations in our community will get to do the same.”
On-site solar installations are available for single-family homes that meet the income eligibility requirement, and for multi-family properties where half the residents meet these income requirements. Community solar is available for any household in Ameren territory that meets the income eligibility requirement. Check the EAC’s energy program site at bnenergybright.org/illinois-solar-for-all for details on income eligibility.
The Ecology Action Center’s role is to educate residents and organizations on how they can benefit from this program, either providing information directly to individuals or offering brief online overview presentations to organizations and community groups. The EAC helps eligible residents and organizations access the ILSFA program and the benefits of solar. Contact Larissa Armstrong, at [email protected] or 309-454-3169 x.15 to learn more or schedule a group presentation.
PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release July 13, 2020
Contact: Michael Brown 309-454-3169 x.11
McLean County’s recycling rate stayed relatively steady from 2018 to 2019 with only a 1.4% decline. The Ecology Action Center’s annual calculation of community-wide waste generation and recycling shows that the County reached a recycling rate of 45.74%, dropping from the all-time high of 46.44%. As a result, the County maintained progress towards the new community-wide recycling rate goal of 50% set in 2017 under the new 20-year solid waste management plan. No single category of recyclable materials saw significant fluctuations from the year prior, while there were minor fluctuations across the board in all material streams.
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
Total MSW Recycled (tons) | 73,833 | 85,196 | 81,302 | 83,335 | 88,459 | 94,804 | 88,330 |
Total MSW Landfilled (tons) | 121,991 | 141,068 | 154,662 | 120,815 | 124,364 | 109,467 | 104,772 |
Total Municipal Solid Waste Generated (tons) | 195,824 | 226,264 | 235,964 | 204,150 | 211,230 | 204,271 | 193,102 |
Percent Change from Previous Year | 6.96% | 15.54% | 4.29% | -13.48% | 3.47% | -3.29% | -5.47% |
Recycling Rate | 37.70% | 37.65% | 34.46% | 40.82% | 41.88% | 46.41% | 45.74% |
Percent Change from Previous Year | 3.43% | -0.13% | -8.49% | 18.47% | 2.59% | 10.82% | -1.44% |
With the closure of the McLean County Landfill in late 2018, the Ecology Action Center continues to focus on waste management priorities as outlined in the Twenty-Year Materials Recovery and Resource Management Plan for McLean County, Bloomington, and Normal, Illinois. This includes diversion strategies for waste that would otherwise require landfill disposal further away from the source of origin. The impact of the new multifamily recycling ordinance in Normal was undetermined as of yet with only a partial year of the program activity.
McLean County waste rates are converging
The Ecology Action Center annually collects waste and recycling data to calculate the amount of municipal solid waste generated and recycled for all of McLean County as a lagging indicator of the impact of local recycling and outreach programs. Among other services, the EAC acts as the solid waste agency for Bloomington, Normal, and McLean County and provides technical assistance, recycling promotion, household hazardous waste coordination, education and outreach.
Information on residential recycling, recycling of nontraditional materials, and information on disposal of household hazardous wastes is available by calling (309) 454-3169 or visiting ecologyactioncenter.org. Find comprehensive online listings for recycling and waste disposal at RecycleBN.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2020
CONTACT: Michael Brown, 309-454-3169 ext.11
The Ecology Action Center condemns the inordinate use of force against people of color across the country. The EAC recognizes the disproportionate impact of pollution and other environmental problems on communities of color due to systemic racism. The Ecology Action Center staff and board believe that black lives matter and pledge to actively partner with our local communities of color to address environmental issues.
The mission of the Ecology Action Center is to inspire and assist our community in creating, strengthening, and preserving a healthy environment. The EAC acts as a central resource for environmental education, information, outreach, and technical assistance in McLean County.
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50 years ago the modern environmental movement was launched on the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970. This single event turned around a dangerous decline in environmental conditions impacting public health and the survival of many endangered species as it inspired the establishment of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and much more. We’ve come a long way and yet today we are facing unprecedented rollbacks of environmental regulations. What are the significant areas of progress we have seen in the past five decades and what does the future hold?
A panel of local environmental professionals explore these questions and take your questions live via Zoom chat. Confirmed panelists include:
Attendees will have the option to participate via Zoom Webinar and engage with the panel, asking questions by chat. Alternately, viewers can watch the live stream of the panel discussion via EAC’s Facebook Live.
limited space available-registration required
Hosted by StraightUp Solar. Learn how solar plays an intergral role in a sustainable future. Full details and registration via EventBrite.
Join us for a short online family-friendly celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day including a live reading of the Dr. Suess classic The Lorax, music by Bruce Bergethon, and a special compilation of crowd-sourced environmental activities. You don’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime production!
Viewers can watch the live stream of the event via EAC’s YouTube channel or Facebook Live.
4/22/2020 7:20 p.m. update: VIRTUAL SHOWING NOW OPEN!
USE THIS LINK TO WATCH THE STORY OF PLASTIC NOW!
We are in a plastic crisis.
Plastic pollution is everywhere we look, smothering our oceans and poisoning communities around the world. Meanwhile, Big Plastic only plans to expand production. We need to chart a different course.
Plastic pollutes at every step.
Long before it reaches the environment, plastic harms people and the planet. From production to disposal, our plastic obsession has serious consequences.
As part of Earth Day 2020 observations, the Ecology Action Center is proud to host the local premiere of the new documentary, The Story of Plastic, as a virtual showing.
The link to the virtual showing will be provided on this page at 7:30 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22, 2020. We anticipate that our limited number of views will run out–please plan to start watching the film on Earth Day evening to ensure that you don’t miss your opportunity. Please bookmark this page and mark your calendar to join us for this special Earth Day 2020 virtual showing of The Story of Plastic.
The EAC launched Green Reads, our first community-wide book club, in April 2020 in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and as a way to build community during the pandemic.
The purpose of Green Reads is to create opportunities to build knowledge, deepen commitments, and take further action to protect clean water, improve air quality, reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency, and reduce waste, for a more sustainable a healthy local environment for all.
Green Reads Facebook Group: The Facebook group membership will be not limited in size; anyone can keep pace with the reading assignments there and engage in discussion with other readers. Please join us on Facebook!
Green Reads Zoom Group: Green Reads Zoom participants will participate in real-time book club meet-ups using Zoom remote meeting platform every other Thursday from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. starting February 25, 2020. Participation in the Green Reads Zoom Group is limited to twelve participants in order to allow for a small enough group to allow for easy discussion and participation by all of those attending. Please only register for this if you are available at this weekly meeting time. Participation in this limited group is first-come, first serve. The Green Reads Zoom Group registration is open until full using the ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM. Once the group has reached capacity, this link will be deactivated.
Starting Thursday, February 25, and meeting every other week for 4 sessions we will read a collection of essays by Helen Macdonald.
Our first book of the year will be Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald. Meeting dates for this book are the following Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:00pm: 2/25/21, 3/11/21, 3/25/21, 4/8/21.
“Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing massive migrations of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife.”
*The links provided for books link to the Bobzbay page in Bookshop.org. Purchasing books online through Bookshop.org supports independent booksellers across the country, including our own local independent bookstore – Bobzbay*
NOTE: Participation in either the Green Reads Facebook Group or Green Reads Zoom Group is limited to individuals 18 years old or above. This is an adult level discussion group and the Ecology Action Center has no responsibility for the opinions or comments presented by any participants. At the same time, participation is contingent upon respectful conduct. The Ecology Action Center reserves the right to mute, remove, or block any individual at any time.