ANNIE GETSINGER
H&R Staff Writer

DECATUR - Not a plastic foam cup, plate or bowl was on the table when the Community Environmental Council assembled for its lunch meeting. Plastic soup spoons? No way. The council, a diverse collection of members representing local organizations and groups serious about local environmental issues, invited John Gaudette and Chrissy Maher from the Illinois Environmental Council to the meeting at Rock Springs Nature Center.

Members of the Decatur Audubon Society, Macon County Conservation District, youth Scouting organizations, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, outdoor activity clubs, neighborhood associations and other local groups with a stake in the environment were among those present Thursday to network and hear about the state council's recent efforts.

Gaudette, the state council's outreach coordinator, explained upcoming environmental action in the state legislature. He talked about a recent meeting to discuss issues with state legislators, the governors office, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and state EPA director Douglas P. Scott. Gaudette said the cause had made great strides since his early days as a lobbyist, when it took effort to just get lawmakers to pay attention.

"So you've got to understand that there's a completely different environment for the environmental movement right now," Gaudette said. "It's mainstream. Everybody's grabbing onto it. Everybody wants a bill attached to global warming, so you're at a unique time in our history, which we better embrace or lose."

Gaudette summarized upcoming pieces of environmental legislation, which are anticipated to include bills on recycling, agricultural conservation easements, open space, disposal of electronic equipment, toxic flame retardants and mercury pollution.

"Right now, we're working on a global warming bill," Gaudette said. "Global warming right now is the issue. I've never seen legislators' eyes widen like when you ask them if they want a global warming piece of legislation."

He said that in the time state council representatives had spent in the local area, the key concerns they had identified among environmental groups seemed to involve ethanol, the arrival of FutureGen and global warming.

Gaudette and Maher, the organization's membership coordinator, said they plan to meet with other local groups in the coming months to better understand how to advocate for the concerns of area residents.

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.

Copyright, 2008, Herald & Review, Decatur, IL