Press Releases

ICYMI: Illinois Environmental Council Organize Art Activation on Climate Action in Woodstock, Illinois

Aug 24, 2021

Mika Hyer, mhyer@lcv.org, 940-783-2230

Illinois Environmental Council organize community art activation highlighting the need for climate action, justice, and clean energy jobs

Woodstock, IL — In case you missed it, Illinois Environmental Council organized a community art activation last week with local artist Nina Tiberi-Sawica outside of the Woodstock Farmers Market to unveil a climate art activation connecting Illinois’ urgent need to invest in clean energy to protect our farms and way of life.

The piece highlighted the urgent need to address environmental injustices, extreme weather and flooding in the state, as well as aging roads, bridges and water infrastructure in Northwestern Illinois, where significant flooding, crop loss and water quality issues have become all too frequent for farming and working-class communities in Illinois impacted by the climate crisis. On the heels of the release of the latest IPCC climate report, communities are mobilizing to demand action at the scale and urgency that the science demands. See more photos from the art activation HERE.

“Nina’s art piece and the hundreds of folks who passed by to take it in have made it clear that we need robust funding for clean energy and resilient infrastructure for our states’ diverse communities,” said Brian Gill, federal policy director at the Illinois Environmental Council. “Illinois, like the rest of the country, needs climate action now for a fossil fuel free future, and we need Congress to act quickly to get us there.”

“Climate action for our planet and our people is the ultimate act of kindness — all of our communities are suffering from the consequences of the climate crisis every day,” said local artist Nina Tiberi-Sawica. “This mural amplifies our collective voice to call for funding for clean water in our communities, clean transportation for our children, and a clean energy economy to tackle climate change and environmental injustices.”

“People come into our bookstore from all backgrounds, in search of stories that connect us. The climate crisis is a story that connects us all, from extreme weather across the country, to undrinkable water and unbreathable air, to having to leave your home from rising sea levels or devastating wildfires, ” said Sophie Juhlin, manager of Read Between the Lynes. “Our communities need modernized infrastructure to tackle the undeniable realities of the climate crisis, especially in communities on the frontlines of climate change and pollution.”

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