On March 10th, over 100 environmentalists from around the state descended on Springfield and the State Capitol to paint the town GREEN. Those environmentalists met with their legislators to lobby for the banning toxic chemicals, protection of floodplains, and renewable energy. Typically, lobbyists get to talk to a handful of lawmakers on a good day, but Environmental Lobby Day 2010 brought together about 100 volunteers from around the state who converged on the capitol to talk to their elected officials about clean energy, toxics, and other key issues. The event, which was hosted by the Illinois Environmental Council, Sierra Club, Protestants for the Common Good, Environment Illinois and Faith in Place. The citizen lobbyists discussed several pieces of legislation, including The RENEW Solar Energy package, a ban in children’s food containers of the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A, and the STAR bonds Act which threaten critical floodplains in the Metro East Area. They visited legislators in their offices and called them out of session to talk to them at the rail outside the Senate and House chambers. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row the Governor re-scheduled his budget address for the same day as the environmental community's annual lobby day. The good news was that it didn't faze the dedicated volunteers who came from all around the state. The citizen lobbyists started earlier and it paid off. If you happened to be on the third floor of the capitol that day or anywhere in the hall ways, you would have seen a friendly, enthusiastic mob of Illinois citizens waiting patiently to speak with their elected officials and have their voices heard. In a noisy area jammed with dozens of other lobbyists and under pressure for time, our budding eco-lobbyists presented their messages succinctly, politely and powerfully to the busy, often distracted legislators. The volunteers performed well under difficult conditions and staked out a rare but growing presence in the corridors of power in Illinois.
Environemntalists Paint the Capitol Green, IEC Annual Lobby Day
Creating Jobs and Saving the Planet
March 11, 2010
