Volunteers Still Needed for Route 66 Tree Corps Planting this Friday October 28
8:30am-10:30
and/or 10:30-12:30pm
In partnership with the Friends of the Constitution Trail, help us plant sapling trees along Route 66/Constitution Trail to improve air quality, sequester carbon, increase wildlife habitat, provide shade, and more! Volunteers will use shovels and other tools to plant root-ball sapling trees - 6-8' tall. Volunteers must be 18 years old or older or alternately 12 years or older and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Tools and heavy equipment will be in use and all volunteers must be able to safely use hand tools, stay on their feet for 2 hours at a time and lift a moderate weight (~25 pounds). Please dress appropriately for weather conditions and working outside. Closed-toed shoes or boots are required – no sandals or flip-flops.
Natural gas prices doubled in June, and electricity costs doubled too! Let EAC’s professional energy efficiency staff help you find ways to reduce energy inefficiency in your home!
An $80 inspection (we can waive the fee if you have financial hardship) provides the following:
A walk-through visual inspection to check lighting and plug loads, door and window seals, attic and basement insulation levels, and to check for water-saving features like aerators, and low-flow fixtures
A visual inspection of the HVAC equipment to look for signs of back-drafting, duct leakage, and to check water heater temperature settings
A blower-door test, which depressurizes the house, and measures air exchanges per hour to determine how airtight the home is. Conducting blower-door tests when it is cold outside allows us to use an infrared camera while the blower door is running, to check for wall insulation, and visually pinpoint air leaks
An energy bill analysis to compare your energy usage against weather patterns and area averages based on home square footage
After the energy audit, you will receive a comprehensive report detailing immediate recommendations and energy efficiency best practices.
The cheapest kilowatt hour is the one you never use in the first place!
EAC Selected as Grassroots Educator for Illinois Solar for All for Another Year!
We are excited to announce we are in our fourth year serving as a grassroots educator for the Illinois Solar for All program!
Illinois Solar for All is a state program designed to increase access to solar for income-qualifying residents and for non-profits and public facilities that provide critical services in our communities.
They updated the income eligibility guidelines in September, so any household that meets these guidelines (for McLean County – figures differ for other regions) is eligible to participate.
Opportunities include:
Non-profits / Public facilities: Rooftop solar with NO upfront costs, and monthly lease payments that have guaranteed savings
Homeowners: Rooftop solar with NO upfront costs, and currently the two offers available for residents in our area offer $0 monthly lease payments
Homeowners / Renters with Ameren: Community Solar subscription – this is solar that feeds directly to the grid. Subscribers have a small portion of the large array and get credits on their energy bill for energy produced by their subscription. Energy produced by the community solar subscription costs 50% less than the Ameren supply rate. For example: if you used 600kWh of energy in a month, and your community solar subscription produced 500kWh. You pay the Ameren supply rate for the 100kWh difference at their 11.5 cents/kWh rate. You pay the community solar developer (currently there is a separate bill, but likely early 2023 all the savings will be reflected on your Ameren bill) for the 500kWh at a reduced rate of 5.75 cents/kWh.
These are all great opportunities to reduce your energy burden, save money, and reduce your carbon emissions all at the same time! Contact Larissa at larmstrong@ecologyactioncenter.org or 309-454-3169 x15 to learn more about how to participate!
Introducing Elizabeth Randerson
I joined the EAC team in October of 2022 as a part-time Administrative Assistant. I help with finance documentation, agency communication, and a variety of other office-management tasks that help to keep EAC programs running. I also currently work part-time as the Registrar for the Illinois Property Assessment Institute.
I was born and raised in Indiana and graduated from Ball State University with a bachelor's degree in Social Work and a minor in Counseling Psychology. Shortly after graduating with my BSW, I moved to Illinois and obtained my master's degree in Social Work from Aurora University. Before joining the EAC, I worked in several administrative and community-based jobs around the Chicagoland area, serving at-risk individuals by providing access to mental health resources and a variety of therapeutic interventions.
In my spare time I enjoy watching Netflix movies and TV shows, socializing with my friends, and spending time with my family.
Are You Smarter Than a Fourth Grader?
School is back in session, and fourth graders around McLean County are learning about what can and cannot be recycled in our community. We provide our streamlined recycling flyer to all students and teachers to help remind them and other members of their households to stop wishful recycling. Despite people’s best intentions, wishful recycling leads to recycling contamination, which has become increasingly problematic for the recycling industry over the past years. Contamination increases labor costs, and harms recycling resale markets.
So phone a friend with a 4th grader, ask your own child to play along, or challenge yourself with our recycling game! Don’t cheat because the answers are located below.
What are the four categories of plastic objects that can be recycled in Illinois? (Hint: BTJJ)
Should you put plastic bags in the recycling bin?
What characteristics must a tub have to be recyclable?
True or False: You can determine whether or not a plastic is recyclable by checking to see what number is on the container.
If you don’t know if it is recyclable or not what should you do?
Let’s tally up and see how much you and your fourth grader know!
When it comes to plastics recycling remember Bottles, Tubs, Jugs, and Jars!
No! Plastic bags can NOT be put in the recycling bin, but they can be dropped off at many local grocery stores that have plastic bag recycling.
Tubs must be round, opaque (including the lid), and have a lid that can come off and put back on again. This means clamshells, containers in which any part of them are see through, and containers with foil tops are NOT recyclable.
FALSE! The numbers inside the recycling symbol just indicates the type of plastic the container was made from. This does not mean that item is recyclable. Ignore the numbers! See the answer to number 1 - the ONLY plastic containers that can be recycled are bottles, tubs, jugs, and jars, rinsed out with the lids put back on.
When in doubt, throw it out…or call us at 309-454-3169! Or download the FREE Recycle Coach app today.
.jpg)
