Earth Month 2026: Celebrating Climate Heroes and Passing Climate Legislation
For Earth month we celebrate key figures in the climate movement, reflect on climate lessons learned from the Tate Modern, and give an update on our bills advancing in the Illinois legislature.
In This Issue
Larry Coble Nominated for 2026 Climate Action Hero Award!
April Events
2026 Climate Action Hero Awards
One Earth Film Festival
Action Center
350 Chicago Earth Month Fundraiser
Online Petition: Climate Safe Pensions
Online Petition: Utility Transparency Act
Climate News
Iran War Exposes Oil’s Risks
350 News
Utility Transparency Act Advances to Illinois House
Fossil Fuel Divestment Act Moves into Committees
Loyola Local Action Conference
No Kings Rally on March 28th
Main Article
Are Museums Getting Better at Talking About the Environment?
Larry Coble Nominated for 2026 Climate Action Hero Award!
Larry Cobble has been nominated for the Climate Action Museum Hero Awards! The nomination is a celebration of the entire 350 Chicago community and the impact we’re making together. It reflects the collective power of all of 350 Chicago’s volunteers.
“350 Chicago’s volunteers made all of our accomplishments possible and I would like to honor all of them who have given their time to our organization. Without them, our work would not be possible. They are the drivers of everything 350 Chicago does to fight the climate crisis.” - Larry Coble
Events
2026 Climate Action Hero Awards
Thursday, April 16th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm
The Library, 190 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60603
via the Climate Action Museum: Join us for the 2026 Climate Action Museum Hero Awards, an evening dedicated to recognizing and celebrating individuals, businesses, and organizations making a real impact in climate action. Connect with fellow change makers, enjoy an inspiring awards ceremony, and support the movement toward a more sustainable future.
350 Chicago’s own Executive Director Larry Coble is among the nominees, so we invite everyone to come join us in celebrating this moment, connecting with fellow change makers, and continuing the work toward a more sustainable future.
One Earth Film Festival
One Earth Film Festival runs from April 22 to April 27
350 Chicago will be at the screening of Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope on Wednesday, April 22nd (Earth Day) from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Film Row Cinema 8th Floor: 1104 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Accessibility Note: A live captioner and ASL interpreter will be present during this event
This special event brings together a growing “GenWe,” a generation defined not by age, but by a shared commitment to climate action, community, and hope.
The evening will honor the extraordinary legacy of Jane Goodall through a screening of Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope, followed by a conversation with local climate and conservation leaders about how we carry that legacy forward right here in Illinois.
After the film, you’ll have the chance to connect with fellow advocates, organizers, and creatives working toward real climate solutions. Come join a welcoming, celebratory atmosphere with food, drinks, and meaningful conversation.
As a sponsor, 350 Chicago is proud to support spaces like this that inspire action and bring our community together. We hope to see you there!
Action Center
350 Chicago Earth Month Fundraiser
This Earth Month, your contribution will go towards real change fighting the climate crisis in Illinois, from pushing pension funds to divest from fossil fuels, to advancing clean energy, to holding utility companies accountable for anti-climate lobbying and rising costs. Every donation helps turn advocacy into action and pressure into progress.
To make your Earth Month gift, click here and be part of the movement for a cleaner, more just Illinois.
Online Petition: Climate Safe Pensions
Investments in fossil fuels are driving climate change, and they are becoming increasingly risky financial liabilities as well. On behalf of the Climate Safe Pensions Illinois coalition, we are asking Illinois legislators to sign the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act and protect our pensions! Lean more and sign: Climate Safe Pensions Petition!
Online Petition: Utility Transparency Act
Over the years, utilities have made it acceptable to recover some of their costs from ratepayers that we believe should never be passed onto ratepayers, such as their political lobbying efforts. We are asking our legislators to support the Utility Transparency Act and protect Illinois ratepayers. Learn more and sign: Utility Transparency Petition!
Climate News
Iran War Exposes Oil’s Risks
The price of crude oil has soared to above $100 per barrel since the U.S. and Israel started a war with Iran, the highest it’s been since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Experts expect that the war will polarize, or widen, the gap between countries that are embracing renewable energy and countries that rely on coal or natural gas. That’s because countries that have invested in renewable energy are less effected by sudden changes in oil prices. This highlights how embracing a renewable energy transition can strengthen energy independence and economic resilience.
“The lesson is not new, but the urgency is. Every government watching oil above $100 a barrel should be asking how quickly it can build the policy and financial architecture to unlock private investment in renewables. The technology is ready and cost-competitive. What has been missing is political will, and crises like this one should provide it.” via Earth.org - Iran War Drives Massive Surge in Planet-Heating Emissions Amid Calls to Accelerate Transition to Renewables
350 News
Utility Transparency Act Advances to Illinois House
The Utility Transparency Act (UTA) (House Bill 4781 / Senate Bill 3497) is advancing in the Illinois House, marking a major milestone towards the bill passing.
350 Chicago has been working hard to push this bill alongside our partners Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and the American Association Of Retired Persons Illinois (AARP IL). 350 Chicago collected and delivered over 1900 postcards to Illinois lawmakers, all signed by Illinois constituents supporting this issue. In addition, on February 25th, 350 Chicago Executive Director Larry Coble participated in a press conference along with CUB and the AARP during the introduction of the Utility Transparency Act in Springfield, IL. The press conference was reported on by the Chicago Tribune, CBS channel 2 in Chicago, and many other outlets across the state.
“During our conversations with Illinois citizens, utility bill payers expressed disbelief and anger at being charged for standard cost of business expenses that should be paid for by the shareholders of the utilities. Illinois utility bill payers were appalled to learn they are being charged for utility activities designed to raise their rates even higher.” - Larry Coble, from the 2/25/2026 press conference.
Fossil Fuel Divestment Act Moves into Committees
The Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (FFDA) (House Bill 3961 / Senate Bill 0130) has moved into the Appropriations committee for Pensions and Personnel in the state House of Representatives, and we are currently negotiating a potential Subject Matter Hearing in the Pensions and Personnel committee.
Over the past 4 months, we have met with the Illinois Treasurer Frerichs, the Teachers Retirement System, the State University Retirement System, and dozens of lawmakers to educate and discuss the provisions included in the bill. We have delivered over 3000 postcards to lawmakers from constituents in support of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act, and we have activated hundreds of Illinois citizens to email and call their state representatives and senators to support the FFDA. Thank you to all our supporters and volunteers and watch this newsletter for updates.
Loyola Local Action Conference
350 Chicago recently joined students at Loyola University’s Local Action Conference to share our work and build support for climate solutions in Illinois. We connected with attendees at our table, gathering signatures in support of the Illinois Fossil Fuel Divestment Act and the Utility Transparency Act.
Executive Director Larry Coble also spoke about the importance of fossil fuel divestment and reforms to hold utilities accountable and lower costs for ratepayers.
Thank you to Aana Shenai, 350 Chicago Board member and current co-President of the Loyola Student Environmental Association, for recruiting 350 Chicago to participate in the event. Thank you to Abby Schwartz, 350 Chicago Communications Team Lead, for helping with tabling during the conference.
No Kings Rally on March 28th
On March 28, 350 Chicago joined Third Act Illinois and the Dancing for Democracy Troupe for the Planet Pop-up at Wacker and Wabash to say: No Kings in the USA! We joined with approximately 250,000 Chicagoans, advocating, marching, and protesting for democracy, a clean and healthy planet, and for ICE to stay out of Chicago.
Are Museums Getting Better at Talking About the Environment?
by Abby Schwartz
I think it’s hard to get people to want to think about climate change. It’s big, it’s complex and while the way it affects and will affect people is real and terrifying it can seem abstract and impersonal. Basically, we as humans are not well equipped to mentally and emotionally process something as big and abstract as climate change, but we are built to process stories and art.
On two recent trips to the Tate Modern in London, I encountered art exhibits that I thought did a brilliant job of using art to make climate change feel real and personal. I think the lessons learned from these are important, so I wanted to bring some of the insights from them home to Chicago for us to use in our climate storytelling. I also want to show you pictures of some really amazing art!
The first exhibit by Máret Ánne Sara uses both traditional and modern materials to tell a story about the Sami relationship with nature and how this relationship is affected by climate change. The use of comfortable benches in the exhibit encourages visitors to linger and reflect. The exhibit also has an audio component which is a combination of Sami stories and frank information about modern life and the changing climate. Many of these stories revolve around the reindeer with whom the Sami have a symbiotic relationship, the use of reindeer pelts to line the benches gives the whole experience a visceral, tactile feel that many discussions of climate change lack.
The second exhibit I want to talk about is by Do Ho Suh. He has produced work focused on the concept of home for many years and that is the initial focus of Walk the House, his recent exhibit at the Tate modern. However in the last room of the exhibit the fragility of home due to climate change becomes a major theme. This room contains “the bridge project” a hypothetical bridge linking the far flung places the artist feels at home with a “home” for the artist in the middle.
He revels in the absurdity of such a project, but that reveling in absurdity makes his discussions of climate, especially the way climate change has already devastated indigenous ways of life in the arctic, hit harder. Ultimately the point is: home can’t be just anywhere, it has to be a place that can sustain you and your way of life. This leaves the the viewer thinking about the possibility of losing those places to climate change.
