SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — At 5 a.m. on Earth Day, DePaul students rolled out of bed, piled onto buses and headed down to Springfield to celebrate both the environment and their role in the legislative process. Earth Day doubled as Lobby Day this year, and students showed their interest in both by participating in an Earth Day rally for the clean jobs bill.
“If I stand for it and believe in it, then I have to take action, and going to Springfield for this rally is once way to take action,” DePaul freshman and anthropology student Karin Gredvig said.
Gredvig and 23 other DePaul students joined over 500 Illinois residents at the Capitol to create a sea of green shirts and bright posters. The group of Clean Energy Bill supporters took over the area in front of the statehouse and their energetic chants filled the quiet streets of Springfield Wednesday afternoon.
Many groups of students from high schools and colleges around the state led chants which included, “The future is in our hands, wind and solar yes we can! Ain’t no power like the power of the people, cause the power of the people don’t stop!”
The bill would increase investments in wind and solar energy in Illinois to 35 percent by 2030, create an estimated 32,000 clean energy jobs, increase energy efficiency to 20 percent by 2025, and, based on research done by Citizens Utility Board, save customers a minimum of $1 billion through 2030.
“This will be the first bill of its kind in Illinois in terms of how it addresses the issue of sustainability. I think it is cool to get it out there and to see what will happen. Maybe it will lead to bigger laws being passed in the future,” DePaul junior and environmental studies student Alli Preble said.
Proponents of the bill came out in large numbers to show lawmakers that this is what the people want.
“I am really, really worried about climate change and the emphasis on short term profits before peoples’ health through forms of energy that don’t do us any good,” Caroline Wooten, a conservation organizer with the Illinois chapter of the Sierra Club said. “This bill is good for public health, the environment, and the economy. It’s a win-win-win bill.”
Many of the DePaul students who attended the rally are in a service learning course called Environmental Justice and Advocacy taught by adjunct professor Krista Johnsen Mikos. This is the second group of student Mikos has taken to Springfield for Lobby Day.
“Going to Springfield to rally and speak to their representatives teaches the students political efficacy,” Mikos said. “Young people don’t realize how little amounts of effort can make a huge difference when taken in the right context.”
The rally lasted an hour and mostly consisted of speeches from supporters of the bill, which included State Sen. Don Harmon from Oak Brook, owner of Wind Solar USA Michelle Knox, and Reps. Will Guzzardi and Christian Mitchell.
After the rally, the students had the opportunity to go to the office of their senator or representative to deliver a handwritten letter or discuss the bill in person. The senators proved difficult to get in touch with and many students expressed regret that they were unable to have a conversation with their representative.
After leaving petitions with lawmakers and touring the statehouse, the students headed back to Chicago.
“I loved the day because I was able to see the processes that people go through from simple advocacy like us to professional lobbyists. I saw how we actually can be heard, and it has given me a lot of encouragement in continuing my advocacy work,” Preble said.
