THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF ELMHURST, ILLINOIS

A look at the impact of Illinois' fiscal crisis on our own communities.

How does the Illinois fiscal crisis affect you and your neighbors?

The Elmhurst League, along with others across the state, surveyed a variety of local governmental entities, not for profit agencies, and private sector providers to find out where state shortfalls are and how these groups are coping with late and/or reduced funding. Please click here to review our summary of the survey results. The League also hosted several survey respondents at our January 2011 Meeting so that the public could learn the impact on local government entities and social service organizations.

Become a Grass Roots Advocate!

Would you like the Illinois State League to alert you when key decisions are pending on the issues you care about? Sign up to be a Grassroots Advocate here!

Resolve to Become a Cool Citizen!

The Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition is a volunteer coalition of local institutions, organizations, business leaders and citizens working to achieve the goals of the Sierra Club Cool Cities campaign and the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.

The Sierra Club Cool Cities campaign empowers city residents and local leaders to join and encourage their cities to implement smart energy solutions to save money and build a cleaner, safer future.

The City of Elmhurst, along with more than 900 other cities around the country, has made a commitment to stopping global warming. Elmhurst Mayor Thomas Marcucci signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement in October of 2007.

Initiated and led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement (USCPA) is a pledge by mayors to reduce global warming pollution in their cities by 7% below 1990 levels by the year 2012.

In Elmhurst, the League of Women Voters has been instrumental in forming and leading the coalition, along with local Sierra Club members. See accompanying article about how the Elmhurst Coalition got started in 2007.

Global warming requires solutions at every level. Cool Cities not only brings real solutions at local levels, it also showcases solutions for others to model and builds leadership to ensure solutions are implemented at state levels and nation-wide. Hybrid cars, energy efficient buildings, and renewable energy are just a few of the many ways to make this real.

(Taken from the Elmurst Cool Cities Coaltion Web-site at http://www.elmhurstcoolcities.org/who-we-are.html).

Read an overview of Elmhurst Cool Cities' history and activities, and the Elmhurst Cool Cities Pledge. You can help by taking the Cool Cities Pledge yourself and making a personal commitment to keep our environment at the forefront of your daily activities.

2012-2013 Meetings of the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition

The Coalition welcomes new organizations, business leaders and citizens to join its efforts and promote its mission. Come to its monthly meetins to share your ideas, or come to learn more about how you can help make the Elmhurst community a more environmentally friendly and sustainable place to live. The Coatilion meets at the Elmhurst Public Library on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. Meetings are scheduled as follows:

2012: September 4, October 2, November 6, and December 4
2013: January 8, February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7, June 11, July 9, August 6

Green Fest in Elmhurst

When held, the goal of Green Fest is to educate our community on ways individuals can reduce their tCO2e footprint (Carbon footprint) through fun, hands-on exhibits, interesting speakers, and the introduction of eco-friendly products and services.

LWV Elmhurst Board Members Cheri Niewiara and Connie Zillig
enjoyed the 2nd Annual Green Fest in Elmhurst.

Notes from the Cool Cities Coalition

The Citizens Utility Board is offering FREE energy audits on-line for Com Ed customers. You need your Com Ed account number to receive a personalized analysis of your energy usage and ideas for reducing your energy use. 190 residents in Evanston have saved over $15,000 by implementing the energy-saving ideas. Go to http://www.cubenergysaver.com/ to sign-up for the audit, and also learn about how much other municipalities have saved.

Elmhurst Energy Audit

Click here, to view Elmhurst's Energy and Emissions Profile, which provides information about how energy is consumed by the residents and businesses in Elmhurst, and to help us prioritize strategies for energy efficiency and conservation.

Here's what the Illinois Constitution says about the environment:

SECTION 1. PUBLIC POLICY - LEGISLATIVE RESPONSIBILITY The public policy of the State and the duty of each person is to provide and maintain a healthful environment for the benefit of this and future generations. The General Assembly shall provide by law for the implementation and enforcement of this public policy.

SECTION 2. RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS Each person has the right to a healthful environment. Each person may enforce this right against any party, governmental or private, through appropriate legal proceedings subject to reasonable limitation and regulation as the General Assembly may provide by law.