Global Warming – Midwest Solutions
Clean Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency
Clean Transportation
Clean Buildings
Learn more about global warming
and how you can make a difference
at GlobalWarmingsolutions.org, our
comprehensive website focused on
climate change in the Midwest.
Clean Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency
About one-third of our country’s global warming pollution comes from generating electric power. How we produce that power, and how much we generate, has a profound impact on global warming. ELPC is a leader in the Midwest working to:
- Create Markets for Renewable Energy. Renewable energy resources such as wind and solar are the fuel of the future, and passage of renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in every Midwestern state is a critical step to building a clean energy future.
- Clean Up Dirty Coal Plants. The Midwest still depends on coal-fired power plants for more than 75% of its electrical power. Coal plants are among the dirtiest sources of power. ELPC is working to bring these older plants up to modern pollution control standards.
- Promote Farm Energy. Producing energy from biofuels, biogas, wind power, and solar energy can reduce our demand for foreign oil, create jobs in America’s heartland, and reduce carbon pollution.
Motor vehicles consume almost 75% of the oil we use and produce about 26% of our global warming pollution. ELPC is a leader in the Midwest working to:
- Advance High-Speed Rail. High-speed trains in the Midwest would be three times as energy efficient as cars and six times as energy efficient as planes. Choosing rail travel over driving or flying will decrease our dependence on foreign oil and reduce air pollution that causes global warming and harms public health.
- Create a Market for Cleaner Cars and Electric Cars. Under new federal standards, average fuel economy for passenger cars will increase from 27.5 mpg in 2009 to 37.8 mpg by 2016 – an improvement of nearly 40%. What’s more, electric vehicles are next generation clean cars — with smart strategies and the right locations, these vehicles present an exciting opportunity to reduce air pollution, save drivers up to $1,200 per year on gasoline, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
- Oppose Wasteful Highway Spending. ELPC partners with local environmental groups to oppose unnecessary highway projects, such as I-69 in Indiana, which promote sprawl and encourage more fuel consumption.
Heating, cooling, and lighting buildings is a major source of global warming pollution. ELPC is a leader in the Midwest working to:
- Implement Energy Efficient Building Codes. Doing energy efficiency “right” at the new construction and major rehab stage is by far the most cost-effective time to make these pro-environmental and energy cost reduction investments. ELPC was instrumental in getting a commercial energy efficiency building code passed in Illinois in 2004 and a residential energy efficient building code in Illinois in 2009.
- Demonstrate Modern, Sustainable Green Design. In 2010, ELPC moved into a state-of-the-art green office that combines open design and modern technology. It features efficient lighting, plumbing, heating and cooling, and toxic-free paints and adhesives. ELPC also chose affordable, off-the-shelf products that help demonstrate the practicality of green offices.
