The quality of our air is a sign of the health of our environment and community as a whole. Poor air quality negatively impacts human health, the health of living creatures around us; in addition, the emissions contributing to poor air quality are also a driver of climate change. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required by the Clean Air Act to set national standards for six common air pollutants, and to monitor and control these pollutants nationwide. Those standards are called the National Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Clean Air Act calls for state, local, tribal, and federal governments to work together to monitor air quality, fix air quality issues, and maintain standards for healthy air. The Ecology Action Center is taking on the issue of local air quality to make sure that our local residents have healthy air.
The six air pollutants the EPA monitors and regulates under the NAAQS are: ground-level ozone (O3), particulate matter, carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). When left unchecked and unmitigated, these pollutants increase risk for cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition to the negative impacts on human health, these pollutants contribute to the formation of acid rain, damage crops, and weaken the ozone layer in our stratosphere that protects against harmful radiation.
The Ecology Action Center is creating initiatives with local partners to keep air pollution in our community within the National Air Quality Standards through a variety of interconnected strategies: conducting periodic greenhouse gas inventories, creating a Community Energy Strategic Plan (CESP), and coordinating local tree plantings to sequester emissions through the new Tree Corps initiative. A greenhouse gas inventory is the process of measuring and reporting the level of greenhouse gas emissions generated in a community, and identifying the sources of those emissions. This inventory is a crucial tool for determining air quality over time, and evaluating trends that impact to local air quality.
The Ecology Action Center is also working with community stakeholders to develop a CESP which uses data gathered by greenhouse gas inventories to create a framework, list strategies, and identify goals to reduce air pollution over the long-term to improve human and environmental health. Lastly, the Ecology Action Center launched Tree Corps at the end of 2020. This initiative aims to plant 10,000 trees in McLean County every year for at least the next ten years. These trees will remove pollutants, sequester carbon, lower surface temperatures when planted in urban areas, provide habitat for animals, and space for recreation. Visit Tree-Corps.org to learn more about our tree planting efforts, and to make a donation to plant trees in our community. Donations for trees can be gifted to another person in tribute, or in memory of a loved one.
Save BIGMoney with Income Qualifying Energy Programs
The Ecology Action Center is currently working on two initiatives to help income-qualifying residents with Ameren and Nicor utility service reduce their energy costs.
The Ameren-Nicor Pilot Program for Bloomington-Normal is offering free comprehensive energy audits to homeowners (or renters with landlord permission) to Bloomington-Normal residents that have both Ameren and Nicor utility service and meet the below income eligibility requirements.
Based on the results of the audit, homeowners can receive free air-sealing, attic insulation, a furnace tune-up, and other energy saving items. If you are interested in a free home energy assessment with insulation and air sealing service, contact Larissa at the EAC for an application.
Illinois Solar for All (ILSFA)
ILSFA is a statewide program that aims to increase access to solar for income qualifying residents. This program also uses an 80% Area Median Income guide, but income amounts differ from the Ameren-Nicor program because ILSFA does not update income eligibility annually. Any Illinois resident that meets the below income maximums is eligible to participate in ILSFA.
Through ILSFA residents can access solar in two ways: rooftop solar or community solar subscriptions.
Rooftop Solar
Income eligible homeowners with decent sun exposure and a sturdy roof can get solar installed on their roof at no upfront cost to them. The energy generated from the solar installation is then leased to the resident at a cost guaranteed to be lower than their current energy costs. If you think your home might be a good fit for rooftop solar and you want to learn more, please contact Larissa at the EAC.
Community Solar
Income eligible residents with Ameren electricity service can also save money on their energy bills through community solar. Community solar is a great option for renters, or homeowners where rooftop solar is not a viable option (too much shade, roof in poor condition).
What is community solar? A large solar array in your utility territory (in central Illinois that means Ameren ONLY) feeds the electricity it produces directly to the power grid. Customers sign up for their own shares of the array, the size of the share is based on your home electricity usage. Subscribers receive credits on their utility bill for the energy generated by their community solar subscription, and they purchase those credits at a discounted rate from the company managing the community solar array.
As an example: let’s say you use 600kWh of electricity in a month, and your community solar subscription generated 500kWh worth of electricity. Your Ameren bill will show the 600kWh usage, with a 500kWh credit. You will pay your Ameren supply rate for the remaining 100kWh. You will still pay your delivery fees and taxes to Ameren for the full 600kWh (because you are still using all of their infrastructure to receive your electricity). You will also receive a subsequent bill from your community solar provider for the 500kWh your subscription produced– but Illinois Solar for All guarantees the rate you are charged for the energy your community solar array subscription produces is at least 50% lower than your Ameren supply rate charge.
There is an ILSFA community solar array in the Urbana area that is still looking for subscribers. For more information about community solar or any of these other income qualifying energy savings opportunities, please contact Larissa at larmstrong@ecologyactioncenter.org or 309-454-3169 x15.
Sugar Creek Stewards is part of the Ecology Action Center's clean water program. Sugar Creek Stewards work along designated areas of Sugar Creek in Bloomington and Normal, removing invasive species, making room for existing native plants to thrive, and creating space to add more native plants. This work will improve the creek banks, improving storm water runoff filtration, creating space for wildlife, and improving the aesthetics of the creek.
We need volunteers to help us in this effort! Join our Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Bair, on Sugar Creek Stewards workdays held on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 9am - noon.
New volunteers will learn about rivers and floodplains, the importance of native grasses and flowers to wildlife and humans, the benefits and the differences between native, non-native and naturalized plants, as well as what “invasive” means.
Volunteers must be 18 years old or older (or 14 and accompanied by a parent or guardian) and be able to hike along uneven terrain and safely use basic hand tools such as loppers and bow saws.
Join us at our next workday on Saturday, March 19 - Register here!
Here are other environment-related activities/events happening in our community in the coming month. You can find details on these events and more in the BN Green Events section of the EAC website.
Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch: The History, the Raptors, and the Data - March 3 @ 7pm
Vic Berardi will give a virtual presentation on “The Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch: The History, the Raptors, and the Data.” Vic will discuss counting migrating raptorial birds (i.e., hawks, falcons, and eagles) each fall for 22 years at the Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch. He will highlight species that migrate through Illinois on their autumn journey to their southern wintering grounds, and the importance of documenting this annual wildlife event. Vic, who founded the Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch, is an expert on raptor identification and an exquisite wildlife photographer; his photos have been used in many books on raptor identification. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hawk Migration Association of North America. This presentation is virtual - join via Zoom.
Home, Lawn, & Garden Day 2022 - March 5, 8:30am - 12:30pm
Join fellow nature-lovers virtually this spring to learn about all things garden at the 20th Annual Home, Lawn, and Garden Day sponsored by University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners. This event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Saturday, March 5 via Zoom. Registration is now open!
Attendees will attend three live workshops on trending horticulture topics, including tree care in the home landscape, cut flower gardening, and vegetable gardening in your backyard. Master Gardeners featured on the popular Gardening Q & A show on WJBC radio will host a question-and-answer segment, so this is your chance to ask that gardening question you have been pondering all winter. Researched-based solutions will be presented by the panel, combined with fun and practical advice!
The keynote presentation by Jan Bills, horticulturist, author, and landscape business owner will inspire us all to develop a shift in perspective as we explore how to garden with comfort, ease, and simplicity. Discover how sustainable gardening includes a variety of practices that respond to environmental concerns. These practices can be used in every stage of gardening including design, planting, and maintenance.
A $10 registration fee includes the 4 live presentations and Q & A session with the Master Gardeners. For more information and to register online, please visit us at go.illinois.edu/HLGD. Registration is open now through March 2! For more information or assistance with registration, please contact us at the McLean County Extension Office at 309-663-8306.
Chasing Ice, part of the Green Screen: Climate Change Film Series - March 15 @ 7:00pm
Directed by Jeff Orlowski Photographer James Balong deploys cameras to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers and compress years into seconds. The film captures ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.
Illinois State University’s Office of Sustainability and the ISU Center for Mathematics, Science and Technology invites campus and community members to: “The Green Screen: A Climate Change Film Series.” Films feature a different topic each month, with a focus on the global climate change crisis. *ALL SCREENINGS ARE AT THE NORMAL THEATER AND ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
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