July 30, 2021
Itâs not easy being green â but over the past decade and a half, Evanston has done just that, making a name for itself as a sustainable city.
From being the first city in Illinois to commit to full carbon neutrality to utilizing community participation every step of the way, the city has implemented a wide range of plans to address the climate crisis. The fight against climate change is ongoing, but to understand the cityâs future, itâs important to look back at its past.
In 2005, community organizers focused their efforts toward getting the city to commit to taking meaningful action on climate change. They were successful in getting then-Mayor Lorraine Morton to sign The U.S. Mayorsâ Climate Protection Agreement, which committed the city to achieving the Kyoto Protocolâs greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
Evanston’s Community Solar Program, a cheaper alternative to other available renewable energy sources, has been open for resident subscriptions since May 2021.
The program aligns with the goals of the city’s Climate Action Plan, according to Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th).
The Evanston Climate Action Plan was established in 2008 with the goal of a 13-percent carbon emission reduction by 2012. The second version of the plan, the Livability Plan, passed in 2014 and raised the bar to a 20-percent carbon emission reduction by 2016. The most recent version of the plan, created in 2018, is the Climate Action Resilience Plan, which aims to reach zero carbon emissions in Evanston by 2050.