HOW TO GET INVOLVED

​Action you can take today to support a healthier community for us all! ​

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Get connected to local resource sharing, mutual aid, and community organizing groups, such as North Chicago Think Tank @northchicagothinktank and Clean Power Lake County @cleanpowerlc. Follow their work!

Become involved in local community groups.

LAKE COUNTY’S EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM 

Climate impacts like increased flooding, high heat indexes, tornados, and dangerous air quality are all being felt in Lake County.  Impacts from these crises can be mitigated by being prepared and aware of risks.  We encourage folks to sign up for the Lake County Emergency Alert System to stay informed on potential risks.

PLANT A NATIVE GARDEN

Native plants can help pull carbon out of our atmosphere, reroute rainwater and mitigate flooding, and support our local pollinators.  Learn more about ways you could plant a native garden in your community through the resource below.

​LEARN ABOUT SUPERFUND SITES

What’s a SuperFund Site?
​
​Superfund sites are polluted locations in the United States requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardousmaterial contaminations. These sites have been identified by the government as extremely hazardous and as a priority for clean up,
 though the actual process of cleaning up the sites is more complicated. They were designated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. There are 11 Superfund sites in Illinois.  

Five of these eleven sites are in Waukegan.  You can explore these sites and other toxic sites through the virtual Toxic Tour Map below.
Click on each colored polygon to learn more about the history of that site:

​UTILIZE LOCAL GREEN & BLUE SPACES

​Enjoy these spaces with your friends, family, and neighbors, engage in community clean ups, and vote for the restoration and maintenance of these spaces. Use this map to check out the different sites and how close they may be to your community!  Click on the icon in the upper left corner of the map to see a full list of the sites, and click on the different location tags to learn more about things to do at each spot.

YOUTH AND THE OUTDOORS

• Push for your local schools and childcare programs to allow more outside time for children. 
• Do not police youth in your local green and blue spaces, encourage them to enjoy, play and explore​.

INCREASE OUTDOOR GEAR ACCESS 

• Build resource sharing systems in your community that can connect folks facing economic hardship or barriers to all kinds of tools and resources.  
• You could even collaborate with groups on a gear library with items like binoculars, winterized clothing, or other outdoor rec supplies to help connect people with more tools to explore the outdoors.