City officials launched Envision Evanston 2045 — a process to create a new comprehensive plan and zoning code — during an event at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center Tuesday. The new plan will include goals and strategies for improving various aspects of city life, including by maintaining public health, supporting the economy and small.
The Evanston Environment Board announced a new proposal to tax single-use plastic bags in its Thursday meeting. These bags — currently banned for distribution in Evanston businesses larger than 10,000 square feet, with exceptions for grocery stores, restaurants and non-chain stores — would be taxed at 15 cents per bag under the new proposal. The.
Lake Michigan plastic pollution poses ecological and social threats
As advocates push for clarity within Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, local researchers and advocates are raising alarm about the growing social and ecological effects of plastic pollution in Lake Michigan.
According to a study from the Rochester Institute of Technology, 11 million pounds of plastic – the equivalent of 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools full of plastic bottles – are entering Lake Michigan each year. Scientists say this plastic threatens the lake’s wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the over 10 million people who rely on it for drinking water.
“We’re starting to see (plastic) creep into a lot of different parts of the food web,” Jaclyn Wegner, the director of Conservation Action at the Shedd Aquarium, said.