Questionnaire Responses Show All Candidates Support “Green Growth Platform” of Leading Chicago Environmental Groups
Chicago - All of Chicago’s mayoral candidates committed to improving Chicago’s environment through their responses to the Green Growth Platform issued by the City’s leading environmental and conservation groups. The candidates’ responses are online at: www.mayoralgreenplatform.org.
All of the mayoral candidates have said they will increase renewable energy and make city buildings more energy efficient, increase Chicago Transit Authority funding, expand recycling citywide, disinfect sewage pumped into the Chicago River, and add parkland.
The Green Growth Platform asked candidates to answer 20 questions focused on: developing clean energy and cleaning up old highly-polluting coal plants, improving recycling citywide, conserving water, protecting Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, promoting clean transportation and better mobility, creating more parks and open space.
The Green Growth Platform was created by a coalition of 17 environmental, conservation and civic organizations, including: Active Transportation Alliance, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Blacks in Green, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago Recycling Coalition, Citizen Action/Illinois, Environment Illinois, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Friends of the Chicago River, Friends of the Forest Preserves, Friends of the Parks, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Metropolitan Planning Council, Nuclear Energy Information Services, Openlands, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and Sierra Club/Illinois Chapter. The groups will work to educate candidates on the issues and share the candidates’ responses with the public.
“Actions to make Chicago a leading ‘Green City’ attract jobs, people and businesses, and make our great city an even better and healthier place to live. All of the mayoral candidates clearly recognize that making Chicago a greener city is important to Chicagoans and voters,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “We look forward to working with the next mayor to move the Green Growth Platform forward.”
“Chicago’s longest border is uniquely defined by the world’s largest surface source of fresh water,” said Joel Brammeier, president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “While the next mayor of Chicago will not have to solve Great Lakes problems on his or her own, Chicago’s continuing leadership is absolutely essential to protect the lakes for all generations.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with all of the mayoral candidates so that they embrace transportation policies and investments that connect people and goods to their destinations, generate economic development, encourage healthy lifestyles, and reduce Chicago’s carbon footprint,” said MarySue Barrett, president, Metropolitan Planning Council. “And we encourage Chicagoans to consider the candidates’ responses to the Green Growth Platform as part of the information that helps them to make their voting decisions.”
“Cleaner air will mean healthier Chicago residents,” said Joel J. Africk, President and Chief Executive Officer of Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. “Whichever candidate wins will need to finish the job of cleaning up the two dirty coal power plants as well as the older diesel buses and trucks that pollute the air we all breathe.”