All about our Springfield Trip
Even though next week is Spring Break, I am still reflecting on the fantastic "advocacy-cation" (is this a word?) to Springfield that I took with nearly a dozen other Go Greenies last week. We joined over 50 other individuals from the Coalition for Plastic Reduction for this day. We had a non-stop day that culminated in meetings with Glen Ellyn's state senator and representative, who both agreed to support legislation aimed at reducing single-use plastic! A very full recap of our journey is below for those who want to relive the excitement! If you prefer to not nerd out on plastics and civics, keep scrolling to your to-dos for the week :)
LEARN
What! A! Day!
Our Go Green GE team piled into a van on an early, snowy morning. Thank you again to our anonymous donor for covering our transportation! The drive was full of excited chatter and learning about the different bills and the legislative process. Once we arrived, there was not a second to spare as we immediately headed into a meeting with Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton. We shared information and asked questions, but left the meeting without a commitment on either bill.
Next we headed to the Senate Committee Hearing on SB 1531, the polystyrene foam foodware ban. In order to go to the Senate for a vote, the bill needed to pass through Committee. Last session, the bill was never even heard by to committee, so this was a HUGE step. I've personally been working on this bill for over two years, and being in the committee hearing was both exciting and frustrating. Exciting to hear individuals testify on the harms of single-use plastic waste, and frustrating to hear these harms dismissed by industry. Several senators including the bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Laura Fine, as well as Sen. Karina Villa and Sen. Julie Morrison, spoke up strongly in defense of the bill. Although sometimes it can feel like elected officials are not listening to us, hearing these Senators speak up to advocate for this bill was really powerful and encouraging. My heart raced as the roll was called, and the committee voted in favor, 7-2! Earlier that morning, the plastic bag ban bill SB 1872 also passed out of committee. This is a significant step towards passage of these bills! Now they will head to the Senate floor for a vote by the entire Illinois State Senate. If they are passed by the Senate, they will head to the Illinois House where the process will repeat, hopefully with success!
We had a very quick lunch and raced to our next meeting with Senator John Curran's chief of staff, Brian Burian. We had a great discussion and heard some of the concerns about the plastic bag ban bill (mainly, that there is a 10 cent fee for paper bags which is to be retained by the retailers). It was a good learning experience for all in the room.
GGGE volunteer Charlie may be our youngest advocate, but his voice is one of the most powerful. He shared his views and encouraged us all to adopt "when we know better, we do better." We know that these materials are harmful, so why do we keep using them? Charlie inspired not only our group, but the many Senators and Representatives he approached that day in the Capitol about this issue. Thank you, Charlie!
Next, GGGE volunteer Kathy shared her views as a nurse and public health advocate. Too often plastic is considered merely a litter problem, and Kathy helped illustrate how it impacts so many areas of our health from gut health, brain health, reproductive and hormonal health and more. Thank you, Kathy!
After the press conference, we were able to spend the remainder of the afternoon "closer to home" in meetings with Senator Laura Ellman and Rep. Terra Costa Howard. GGGE volunteer Kathleen shared letters from her students about this issue. Senator Ellman chairs the environment committee which heard about the polystyrene foam foodware bill that morning. She was as equally excited as us about this progress, and has officially co-sponsored both bills! And while these bills are not in the House yet, Rep. Costa Howard indicated she would support them. She has also co-sponsored another bill, HB 1600 "Skip the Stuff," which would make disposable cutlery a by-request item only for food takeout and delivery orders. It was a very long day with almost no breaks, but the team was so excited with the momentum of the day that we continued the conversation as we drove home to Glen Ellyn. Thank you to Charlie, Kathy, Kathleen, Amy, Andrea, Jennifer, Zoe, Meghan, Molly, and our friends from Greener Grove who joined us as well, Michelle, Clara, and Bob!
By the time we left Springfield, the snow had melted and the sun was shining! A perfect end to an exciting and impactful day.
DO
Your to-dos this week!
Say thanks!
Contact Senator Laura Ellman and/or Representative Terra Costa Howard to say THANK YOU for co-sponsoring bills that will reduce single use plastics.
Share the action alerts
We are still hoping to have additional elected officials co-sponsor and/or support SB 1531 and SB 1872. The action alerts below will take respondents directly to their representatives' inboxes. Please share to other Illinois residents!
View, sign, and SHARE the three action alerts below!Go Green Glen Ellyn is working with The Coalition for Plastic Reduction (CPR) campaign to ban polystyrene foam foodware containers and single-use plastic checkout bags in Illinois. We also support the reduction of microfibers in our water, so we hope you will do all three Action Alerts.
Please share these alerts with your family and friends. This is so important to helping move these critical plastic reduction bills forward! Our legislators need to hear our voice!
Action Alerts:
Farewell to Foam and Bye Bye Bags
Farewell to Foam only
Environment Illinois - Tell Illinois legislators: Say Farewell to Foam
Foam, Bags and Microfibers
Alliance for the Great Lakes - Tell Illinois: Keep Plastic Out of Lake Michigan & Our Drinking Water
Mark your calendars
On April 17, Jac will join Kay McKeen at SCARCE to present more about plastic pollution and actions we can take.