Chicago Region Trees Initiative Opens Applications for Urban Forestry IRA Sub-Grants

—Illinois government entities can apply now— LISLE, Ill. (Dec. 6, 2023)—The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) is accepting applications now through early 2024 for competitive sub-grants totaling $6.86 million for government entities in disadvantaged Illinois communities to improve their urban tree canopy. The sub-grants are provided through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding to […]
Leah Thomas to open 2024 Midwest Climate Summit

Leah Thomas to open 2024 Midwest Climate Summit

We are excited to announce that Leah Thomas, founder of the Intersectional Environmentalist and author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet will open the 2024 Midwest Climate Summit in Indianapolis on Wednesday, April 3 as our keynote speaker. Leah Thomas is a celebrated environmentalist based in […]
Midwest Climate Summit brings together diverse groups for a cleaner future

Midwest Climate Summit brings together diverse groups for a cleaner future (Links to an external site)

When I visit my family in Illinois, I’m greeted by my “favorite” discussion: “You heard about those activists, right? They keep trying to push that nonsense about climate change, but science shows we’re just on the verge of another Ice Age. It’s just a weather pattern, nothing more.” In the Midwest, I’ve spent many afternoons trying to convince my grandparents and some community members that carbon emissions are a real, serious concern. Thankfully, attending the first in-person Midwest Climate Summit hosted by the Midwest Climate Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis reaffirmed that there are, in fact, community and industry leaders in the Midwest who are passionate about climate action, contrary to the above-average Midwestern climate-denying tendencies.
US EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe to join Midwest Climate Summit

US EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe to join Midwest Climate Summit

Deputy Administrator McCabe has an extensive background in clean air, environmental health, and climate justice. She served with the EPA under President Obama for seven years, working as Acting Assistant Administrator and Principal Deputy to the Assistant Administrator in the Office of Air and Radiation. Prior to rejoining EPA, Janet McCabe was a Professor of Practice at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law and Director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute, where she started as Assistant Director for Policy and Implementation in 2017. She will be addressing how Midwestern communities can equitably build resiliency and mitigate climate change, including opportunities presented through federal funding and programs.