Make Our Environment a Top Priority Now
Jeff ’s Activities:
- Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Advisory Council
- Evanston Mayor's Wind Farm Committee (chair, Public Affairs task force)
- Evanston Climate Change Action Plan task force
- Director, Citizens' Greener Evanston
- Sierra Club volunteer and former Board member, Executive Committee, Sierra Club Chicago Group
- Evanston Lakefront Plan, participant/speaker
- Host, moveon.org screening of An Inconvenient Truth
- Volunteer/supporter, Friends of the Chicago River
- Pro bono representation of the Lake Michigan Federation
- Environmental litigation on behalf of Friends of the Fox River
- Served on Cook County State's Attorney's Environmental Task Force
- volunteer, beach cleanups and habitat restoration
Environmental issues can no longer be "siloed." Unprecedented candor and resolve are required to confront this multifaceted challenge, as well as elected officials with the experience, vision, and will to lead. As a candidate and once elected I will discuss what this really means for our society, and will seek out the best thinking about workable solutions.- Jeff Smith
Jeff ’s Plan for the Environment in Illinois:
- Fund public transportation fully and fairly
Illinois must treat public transit as necessity, not afterthought that produces annual fiscal crises. We can secure an affordable, comprehensive mass transit system via capital bonding, revision of the funding formula, and/or a gas tax increase of less than a dime.
- Reduce congestion
Our snarled highways and secondary roads are more than annoying; traffic jams and backups are costly to commuters, businesses, and families, add greatly to carbon footprint, and make air less healthy. Even with public transit, cars are a reality and real planning requires both recognition of this fact, and innovative thinking to keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely.
- Make food fresher, safer, and more local
Promoting fresh, organic food, produced as close as possible to where Illinoisans live, lowers risk from bacteria and chemicals, re-connects us with the earth, and reduces carbon footprint. We should implement the Food, Farm & Jobs task force recommendations ASAP.
- Invest in wind and other renewable energy; clamp down on dirty coal plants
We must emancipate ourselves from fossil fuels. Investing in decentralized renewable energy and the physical and regulatory infrastructure to deliver it to homes, businesses, and farms is both an environmental imperative and the single most promising hope for our economy.
- Incentivize energy and resource conservation
Reducing energy loss in homes and business is a huge, cost-effective resource, and reduces peak demand that drives utility costs. Illinois should spur weatherization, combat “vampire” appliances, and promote not just residential but industrial recycling.
- Restore and protect our watersheds and wetlands
We must act now to prevent mid-century water crises for communities dependent on Lake Michigan water and downstate areas. We must promote water conservation, accelerate long-range regional planning, and target pharmaceutical and other diffuse threats.
- Promote bicycling, walking, and car-sharing
Government built our automobile infrastructure. To mainstream “alternatives,” Illinois law and funding must prioritize them. Bike lanes must be funded as transportation, not just recreation. Traffic laws must incorporate energy as well as safety concerns.
- Commit to high-speed rail in the midwest
Illinois, of all places, should be a center of modern rail travel. The regional and Chicago-area benefits will be large, including creating many jobs. The Quinn administration deserves recognition for achieving federal funds for this priority project; we mustn't let it stall
- Protect and restore native species
The plants and animals here before us need protection both for intrinsic value and for our own economic good. The state should take action proportional to the large-scale threats from invasive species.
- Plan for sustainability
Planning must reflect the reality of a smaller planet rather than a Ponzi scheme of unending growth. State policy and funding must promote preservation and use of the communities and resources we have.
More of Jeff's Ideas on Environmental Issues
- The Environmental Emergency - "Ultimately the meltdown in the Arctic overshadows the one on Wall Street."
- Opportunities in Wind Power - "The industry is real, it's growing, and our state needs to step up."
- Clean Cars - How emission standards will help environmental change in Illinois.
- Jeff's Transportation issues page
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