Assessing Chicago’s green credentials during a budget crisis

Assessing Chicago’s green credentials during a budget crisis
Mayor Emanuel wants to open up the Chicago River as a place for recreation and residential living. Flickr/Paul J.S.
Assessing Chicago’s green credentials during a budget crisis
Mayor Emanuel wants to open up the Chicago River as a place for recreation and residential living. Flickr/Paul J.S.

Assessing Chicago’s green credentials during a budget crisis

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Former Mayor Richard M. Daley wanted to make Chicago the greenest city in America. He got a lot of credit for being environmentally friendly but the record turned out to be mixed: more green roofs but still no city-wide recycling. And despite claims that the Chicago River’s water quality improved more recently, it became clear that the river still ran dirty. The federal government said it wants the river cleaned up and Mayor Emanuel signaled that he had his eye on it too - he wants it to be a recreational space for residents. But how central are environmental considerations to Chicago politics? And what happens to sustainability in the face of a budget crisis? To find out, Eight Forty-Eight was joined by Henry Henderson, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Midwest program.

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