Humanity seems to be running full steam ahead off the end of a steep cliff — and that cliff is our unsustainable energy practices that serve narrow special interests and threaten the health of our planet. I find it appalling — and I want to be a part of the solution. We need a shift in our energy paradigm to focus on clean, efficient energy.
I lived and studied in Iceland during the summer of 2009 and witnessed firsthand how forward-thinking energy policies increase security and keep an economy competitive, even after their epic collapse, or kreppu, as it is called in Icelandic. Believe me — I understand Iceland is a unique place and may be a difficult example for other countries to emulate, but it serves as a fantastic microcosm for clean energy solutions that benefit the entire economy while maintaining a high standard of living.
Outside of my time in Iceland, I never left Chicago. I love the windy city where I grew up and feel fortunate to live and work here — where my goal is to transform the energy economy to a cleaner one.
Posted April 1, 2013 by Nick Magrisso in Health and the Environment
That is the question policymakers should be asking when it comes to dealing with the disposal of toxic oil and gas wastes. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking for natural gas and oil has, in large part, both complicated and expanded the...continued→
Posted November 15, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment
Earlier this fall, a horizontal drilling permit was issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to SM Energy, a company engaged in oil and natural gas development in North America. While SM Energy has stated that it does not...continued→
Posted August 27, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Reviving the World's Oceans
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn vetoed the Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Act (SB 3442); a controversial state senate bill that passed the legislature in May, and was the source of much contention as it limited local home rule authority to implement...continued→
Posted July 2, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
I've been blogging about the effort to get an Illinois shark fin ban bill ever since NRDC started working on the issue here; from the introduction of HB 4119 – a ban on the sale, trade, distribution, or possession...continued→
Posted June 5, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Curbing Pollution
You wouldn’t know it from some of the coverage evaluating the end of the Illinois General Assembly’s session last week, but along with the disappointments there were some very significant environmental victories. The failure to address some epic challenges lends...continued→
Posted April 25, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
Springfield, Illinois – thousands of miles away from any ocean coast, and void of any charismatic ocean predators, like sharks, Illinois is moving swiftly to pass legislation that would help save our oceans by protecting declining shark populations around the...continued→
Posted March 8, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
It is not often that the State and people of Illinois have the opportunity to take action to help protect the world’s oceans so acutely. Today, as I write from the Illinois State Capitol, I am excited to share...continued→
Posted January 19, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming, U.S. Law and Policy
For the past 40 years the Clean Air Act has protected Americans from harmful air pollution and saved hundreds of thousands of the lives. But this bedrock environmental law has recently come under unprecedented, breathtaking assault by an increasingly hostile Congress....continued→
Posted January 18, 2012 by Nick Magrisso in Solving Global Warming
This is the second in a series of video blogs I’m doing to explore how energy efficiency is creating jobs all over Illinois. The carpenter-training center in Elk Grove Village is making Illinois a better place in three ways. First,...continued→
Posted October 21, 2011 by Nick Magrisso in Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
How did Jeff Holt, Commercial Property Manager for Fridh Corporation of Rockford, save $60,000 a year on energy costs at the Fifth Third Tower? The answer is that a convergence of technology and state energy policy made possible a successful...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
