Clean Air Around the Corner in Chicago?

Congratulations White Sox fans. Now that Chicago is shedding its backward history and is the talk of the nation, isn't it time we joined the global push for clean and safe bars and restaurants by going smoke-free?

In the next week the City Council and Mayor Daley appear to be finally ready to decide on an ordinance to ban smoking in bars, restaurants, and public indoor places throughout Chicago. Sierra Club supports the proposal, because of the health threats posed to patrons and workers in smoky places.

This isn't just about whether your hair, coat, and clothes are going to smell like an ashtray after you get home from your favorite bar or a concert. Particularly for the people who work in Chicago's bars and restaurants, it's a matter of life and death.

The folks at the American Lung Association are doing a great job fighting for all of us who live in Chicago or spend time in its bars and restaurants. Call your Alderman, call the Mayor. Ask them to deliver another big victory for Chicago. Find out more at http://www.lungchicago.org/site/epage/26728_487.htm

Daley Leads the Way To Cleaner Air

Mayor Daley and the City of Chicago have been doing great work lately speaking up for clean air at a time when Congress is voting to weaken the Clean Air Act.

Chicago has endorsed the Kyoto Protocol, calling for real action to reduce global warming pollution. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0510130167oct13,1,820853.story

Last week, they filed an objection to proposed new coal-fired power plant south of Joliet that would be the biggest new source of air pollution in the Chicago area in a long time. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0510130184oct13,1,2838465.story

Thanks from the bottoms of our lungs to Mayor Daley, Environment Commissioner Sadhu Johnston, and everyone else from the City who is working to make Chicago the greenest city in America. There are still issues (the lame blue bag system, the dirty coal plants on the southwest side, a Chicago River that needs disinfecting), but the commitment to make progress is real and is making Chicago a better place to live and do business.

And go White Sox!

Mercury Pollution - Cut It Out!

Tonight we finished a statewide series of free hair testings for mercury contamination. At 11 locations around the state, we met hundreds of moms, dads, kids, young adults, and seniors who are concerned that pollution from coal power plants is ending up on their plate and in their bodies.

From Peoria to Pilsen, Carbondale to Highland Park, Illinoisans lined up to have a lock of their hair taken as part of a national analysis being done by the Environmental Quality Institue at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Each will get confidential results of their own mercury test, which will be part of a national study to be released in November.

Thanks to everyone who took part, and especially the salons and barbershops who hosted these community events and collected the samples. Until we require pollution controls on mercury from power plants, educating the public about how they can limit their own exposure through their diet is the best way to prevent children from suffering from mercury poisoning.

Got Mercury? Get Tested!

With evidence mounting about the dangers of mercury contamination to the health of Illinois children, Sierra Club is sponsoring a series of mercury testing events this fall at locations across Illinois. Sierra Club is teaming up with local hair salons to offer a simple test that measures mercury pollution in a person’s body from a sample of their hair.

1 in 6 women of childbearing age in the U.S. already has enough mercury in her body to put a fetus at risk of learning disabilities and developmental problems. Illinois residents who have been wondering just how much mercury is in their bodies—and what can be done about it, can now find out easily by having a small lock of hair clipped and tested for mercury exposure at one of these events.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued warnings about the dangers of eating large fish out of any Illinois river or lake. People who eat these fish, or certain types of ocean fish, including tuna and swordfish, may accumulate unhealthy levels of mercury in their bodies.

The test takes only minutes, and is free to the first 20 attendees at each location. Hair samples will be taken by a professional stylist. Individual results are confidential, reported only to each person tested. The samples are being taken as part of a national study of mercury contamination levels, with the samples analyzed by the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

The tests begin today with an event in Willowbrook, and include events in the north, west, and south suburbs, north and south sides of Chicago, Peoria, and the metro East region. For a complete list of events, and to make a reservation, see www.illinois.sierraclub.org.

Obama Calls For Sane Energy Policy In Wake of Katrina

We all know Barack Obama can give a great speech. Today's was stirring - a speech on the Senate floor about the lessons in the aftermath of Katrina for our nation's energy policy

"The days of running a 21st century economy on a 20th century fossil fuel are numbered - and we need to realize that before it's too late. "

You can read speech at http://obama.senate.gov/

For all the devastation, injustice, and despair to come out of hurricane Katrina, it is also beginning to sound like a loud wakeup call regarding the policies of our government in many areas. Let's hope that America follows the lead of Senator Obama and others who are speaking out at this historic time to not only seek aid and justice for those impacted by the disaster, but to change the way our government protects us and our future. Better yet, let's not just hope, let's help make it happen.

Gore's Katrina Speech

Al Gore's recent speech on Katrina is a must read. See it at:

http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/gorespeech/

Gore gave this speech to the Sierra Club's first-ever Summit meeting this past weekend in San Francisco. He initially declined to address the Summit, because he had been invited to address state insurance commissioners on the risks posed by global warming, but their conference was set for New Orleans.

ComEd Breaks Clean Energy Promise

Commonwealth Edison has apparently broken its commitment to meet the goals of Governor Blagojevich's Sustainable Energy Plan, notably getting 8% of the power they sell from wind and other clean sources.

ComEd has repeatedly and publicly expressed their support and commitment to acheiving this goal, and their commitment was poised to provide the market for one of the largest wind projects in the country. Having local wind power as part of our power supply would obviously clean the air, but also protect us against volatile prices, and benefit farmers and the local economy.

But Wednesday ComEd balked, and now the whole Plan is in question. It appears that ComEd is breaking their promise to the State and its customers as retaliation for Governor Blagojevich challenging their attempts to raise electric rates for residential customers.

Maybe ComEd is just posturing by doing this, but it is a severe blow both to Illinois' clean energy plans and to the company's credibility. Perhaps they will come to their senses, and keep their word. Come on, Com Ed!