Earth Month 2024

In This Issue

• Events

  • Come Along for the Ride: A Journey through Climate Grief

  • Global Strike to End Fossil Fuels

  • OneEarth Film Festival

• In Brief

  • Recap: April 3rd CABO Hearing

  • Illinois Climate Bank awarded $5 billion

  • European Court of Human Rights Rules on Climate Change

  • Electrified Trucks Catching On

• Main Stories

  • Support a Bold and Transformative ICJC Platform

  • 350 Chicago’s Earth Month Fundraiser

Events

April 17th & 25th: “Come Along for the Ride” Readings

As the climate crisis deepens, many more of us are experiencing collective climate anxiety. One way to explore and alleviate this challenging feeling is through theater. Join Eco.Logic for a table reading of “Come Along for the Ride: A Journey through Climate Grief," on April 17 and on April 25 at the Climate Action Museum, for a performance that explores climate anxiety, climate-migration, and coping with complicated feelings in a rapidly changing world.

April 19th: Global Strike to End Fossil Fuels

Join us on April 19th at 2:30 pm as we take to the streets with the youth of Chicagoland, marching to demand the End of the Era of Fossil Fuels. We will raise our voices for future generations, for frontline communities, for BIPOC communities, and for all those affected by the climate crisis and corporate greed. Learn more at the Fridays for the Future Instagram Account, and RSVP here.

April 21st: 350 Chicago at OneEarth Film Festival

The OneEarth Film Festival takes place from April 17th to 23rd. 350 Chicago will be tabling on April 21st from 12:00 - 1:30 at the Chicago Cultural Center during the showing of Common Ground. Come say hi and learn more about what we do!

In Brief

Recap: April 3rd CABO Hearing

On April 3rd, a subject matter hearing for the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance (CABO) was held at the Chicago City Council. CABO would require new residential and commercial construction to be all electric and outlaw gas hookups for cooking and heating. It’s one of the first major steps toward decarbonizing Chicago's building stock. In the city council chambers, nearly every seat in the gallery was filled and an overwhelming number of comments were in favor of the ordinance. Supporters of CABO cited the benefits of cleaner indoor air quality, energy efficiency, lower energy bills, and the city being seen as a leader in transitioning away from fossil fuels. Further hearings on CABO will occur over the next couple of months and 350 Chicago will continue to monitor and report on the ordinance's progress.

Illinois awarded $5 billion in Clean Energy Funding

On April 4, 2024, the EPA announced winners of $20 billion in grants to mobilize private capital in support of clean energy solutions in communities across the United States. The Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), the designated Climate Bank of Illinois, is part of a $5 billion winning application from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created through the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Illinois partnered with the Coalition for Green Capital, and Reed Hundt, CEO and Co-Founder of the Coalition reflected on the significance of the awards: “The EPA’s awards of $20 billion compose the largest single capitalization of green banks in any country in the world. The United States now can lead all nations in showing how public-private investment can deliver cheap clean power faster than anyone has predicted.”

European Court of Human Rights Finds Inaction on Climate Change to be Humans Rights Violation

In a landmark climate judgement last week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France delivered its ruling that Switzerland violated human rights by failing to adequately address the climate crisis. The case, initiated by a group of 2,000+ Swiss women, argued that climate change-fueled heat waves not only undermined their health and quality of life but also increased their risk of death. The court ruled that the Swiss government had violated human rights due to “critical gaps” in its national legislation to reduce planet-heating emissions, as well as a failure to meet past climate targets.

Electrified Trucks Catching On

Per Cleantechnica, work trucks only represent 4 percent of vehicles on the road, but are responsible for a quarter of the nation’s transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions. While electric trucks are still rare, a growing number of commercial truck drivers who use electric trucks are impressed by their quiet operation, acceleration, and smoothness compared to the diesel trucks of yesterday. “Everyone who has had an EV has no aspirations to go back to diesel at this point,” said Khari Burton, who drives an electric truck for transport company IMC in the Los Angeles area. “We talk about it and it’s all positivity.”

Support a Bold and Transformative ICJC Platform

by Madeline Puffenbarger

Illinois communities continue to struggle with the impacts of pollution, extreme weather, and undue consumer burdens.  Even with the passage of CEJA, Illinois remains the 7th most climate polluting state in the nation.

Our friends at the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition are working on a package of bills to advocate for lower GHG emissions, green job creation, and safer and healthier communities in our state. They include:

• The Clean and Reliable Grid Act: Accelerate our path to 100% clean renewable energy by upgrading our electric grid, removing barriers to clean energy development, and requiring transparency and public participation for ALL utilities.

• The Clean and Equitable Transportation Act: Expand opportunities for walking, biking, public transportation, and the use of electric vehicles, to put us on a path to a zero emissions transportation sector.

• The Clean and Healthy Buildings Act: Expand access to energy efficiency and electric appliances, and enact an equitable transition away from use of fracked gas in buildings.

This Earth Month, take time to voice your support of the ICJC platform to your Illinois legislators and Governor Pritzker.

Earth Month 2024 Fundraiser

by Larry Coble

This Earth Month, 350 Chicago is fundraising to support our divestment team. We’re pushing the State of Illinois to divest money from its pension plans away from polluting fossil fuel companies and the banks and insurance companies which fund and support them. We already won in Chicago, now we’re looking for the same victory in the state of Illinois.

Donations will support a fossil fuel divestment study to be shared with Illinois legislators. Why do we need this study? Our team has been told that Illinois legislators need Illinois-specific evidence before voting for divestment. Even though Chicago and many other institutions have already divested from fossil fuel assets, our state legislators want to make sure this is the right move for Illinois.

This is your opportunity to advance divestment in Illinois by funding this vital research. Help us meet our goal by providing a generous gift today. For every $25 you give, you will receive one raffle entry for an Earth Month Gift Set.

We already know that fossil fuel assets have produced the worst returns by sector over the last decade in the S&P 500. Our study will demonstrate the relevance of this underperformance to our state's finances. We have good reason to believe that with data-backed evidence, many legislators will support divestment as a financially prudent tool for fighting the climate crisis.