Good morning friend,

As 350 Chicago looks forward to a new year of new initiatives and actions, we also want to reflect on a year of accomplishments.

We kicked off the year by closing out our fossil fuel divestment campaign in Chicago with a huge victory! Watching the Chicago City Council pass the divestment ordinance with a unanimous vote was one of the most gratifying moments in this year of activism. The City divested over $70 million dollars in fossil fuel assets from their portfolio. We couldn’t have achieved this without the constant effort of our volunteers and the full encouragement of our supporters.

In September, 350 Chicago helped organize and lead the Chicago version of the Global Climate Strike, partnering with youth groups, faith based institutions, labor unions, climate, and environmental and social justice organizations to protest the Federal Reserve and the Big Banks’ financing of fossil fuel infrastructure. We finished our action at the Kluczynski Federal Building to deliver a letter to Senators Durbin and Duckworth, telling them to vote NO on Manchin’s Dirty Deal. Here’s a link to a video of the action.

This year, we also

• Allied with the Illinois Green New Deal Coalition, expanding our outreach to the environmental justice community.

• Joined the People vs. Fossil Fuel campaign, uniting with climate fighters and environmental justice communities across the country.

• Participated in a nationwide coalition to successfully stop Senator Manchin’s Dirty Deal in the fall and during the lame duck session of Congress.

• Worked with coalition partners to provide policy advice and feedback to the city of Chicago regarding the development of the City’s Climate Plan.

• Promoted community solar through a Grow Solar Power Hour event, teaming with the Citizens Utility Board to showcase options for buying into the program.

• Partnered with the Chicago chapter of the Climate Reality Project to advocate for a swifter replacement of diesel buses with electric versions at the CTA.

• Advocated for an electrification ordinance for new construction and a building performance standard with ambitious emissions reductions goals for existing buildings.

To our volunteers and supporters: 350 Chicago says thank you for all the inspiration and positivity this year. We look forward to working with you more in 2023.

in solidarity,

Team 350 Chicago