Citizens' Greener Evanston

Citizens' Greener Evanston (previously known as "Citizens for a Greener Evanston") is an environmental organization in Evanston, Illinois that works primarily on strategies for reducing carbon emissions and increasing community sustainability. Its origins were in Network for Evanston's Future, an umbrella group started c. 2000 for a half-dozen organizations in Evanston working on various aspects of sustainability in the municipality, to wit, Evanston's Affordable Housing Future; The Citizens' Lighthouse Community Land Trust; Evanston's Transportation Future; Evanston Interreligious Sustainability Circle; Evanston's Energy Future; Evanston Food Policy Council; and The Talking Farm.^[1] After the City in October 2006 voted to sign the United States Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement,^[2] Network leaders, after public meetings, convened a number of citizen taskforces, which began working in the fall of 2007 to develop a plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint.^[3] The result was the Evanston Climate Action Plan ("ECAP"), passed in November 2008, which proposed over 200 different tactics to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Evanston with respect to transportation, buildings, energy sources, waste, and food production.^[4][5] The Evanston effort was singled out by the State of Illinois as a "best practices" model for developing such a plan.^[6] The ECAP was presented to the Evanston City Council, and "accepted" by it, in November, 2008.

After the ECAP was final, many of the citizens who had worked on it continued to meet, first as Citizens for a Greener Evanston, often referred to as CGE. In 2010, the group incorporated as Citizens' Greener Evanston.^[7]

Since formation, the group has expanded its reach to partner with the City, local school districts, institutions such as Northwestern University, businesses,^[8] and resident groups in an effort to reduce the City's carbon-based emissions by 13% by the year 2012. CGE set in motion City discussion of a wind turbine farm based offshore of Evanston in Lake Michigan;^[9] the effort resulted in formal City request for information in 2010, garnering widespread attention.^[10]

CGE frequently presents public informational sessions, such as a lecture and book-signing by author Christopher Steiner.^[11] The group partnered with the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, ComEd and the City in sponsoring a free breakfast presentation on energy efficiency, targeted at local businesses, in September, 2009.^[12] Many members of CGE worked to develop a green building ordinance in Evanston.^[13] The group does not endorse, support, or oppose candidates but in the 2009 municipal elections, sponsored an informational candidates' forum open to the public, and in the 2010 primary election, issued questionnaires to state legislative candidates and published the results online.

References

1. ^ "Network for Evanston's Future". http://evanstonfuture.org/eefNetwork.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-19. The Network's main site currently refers visitors to Citizens' Greener Evanston, but cached copies of the organization's newsletters from 2004-2007 in PDF format are accessible at http://evanstonfuture.org/eefNews.htm. 
2. ^ "Mayors Climate Protection Center". United States Conference of Mayors. http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/revised/. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
3. ^ "City of Evanston - Office of Sustainability > Warming". City of Evanston. http://www.cityofevanston.org/global/green/warming.shtml. Retrieved 2010-02-18. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ City of Evanston, Evanston Climate Action Plan
5. ^ "ECAP - Citizens for a Greener Evanston". http://www.greenerevanston.org/index.php?cat=23. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
6. ^ "green.illinois.gov: Case Studies". http://www2.illinois.gov/green/Pages/CaseStudies.aspx. Retrieved 2010-03-19. 
7. ^ "Citizens for a Greener Evanston". http://www.greenerevanston.org/index.php. Retrieved 2010-02-18. 
8. ^ Concept A (2009-06-12). "Citizens for a Greener Evanston (CGE) / Concept A". http://www.concepta.us/blog/?cat=12. Retrieved 2010-03-19. 
9. ^ Kelly, Laura (2009-04-17). "Evanston proposing wind turbines on lake". Daily Northwestern. http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/2.13893/evanston-proposing-wind-turbines-on-lake-1.1918217. Retrieved 2010-03-19. ^{[dead link]}
10. ^ Barrett, Joe (2010-04-20). "Wind Farms Catch a Gust on Great Lakes". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304180804575187980582948818.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_3. Retrieved 2010-04-20. 
11. ^ Galland, Ellen (2010-01-19). "The Advantages of $20/Gallon Gasoline". Evanston Roundtable. http://www.evanstonroundtable.com/main.asp?SectionID=20&SubSectionID=29&ArticleID=1939&TM=34219.33. Retrieved 2010-03-19. 
12. ^ Palmer, Eric (2009-09-16). "Get Green, Go Green, Save Green Presentation". Press Release, City of Evanston. http://www.cityofevanston.org/global/pressreleases_archives/documents/GetGreenGoGreenSaveGreenBreakfast.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-19. ^{[dead link]}
13. ^ Evanston Passes Commercial Green Building Ordinance - A Fresh Squeeze

External links

• Citizens' Greener Evanston