Federal Flood Relief Application Deadline July 9

Residents and businesses who sustained flooding damage between April 6 and May 5, 2013 have until July 9, 2013 to apply for federal funding assistance. Find out more information here.

Veggie Pride Parade

To raise awareness about the benefits of a plant-based diet, I presented a resolution to Marisa Buchheit (pictured above), Miss Heart of Illinois 2013, and representative of the Chicago Veggie Pride Parade, which was held in Grant Park earlier this month. 

The first Chicago Veggie Pride Parade was held in 2012 and attracted 600 participants. Vadim Moskalin, founder of the Chicagoland Community for Vegetarians, Vegans, and Raw Foodists expressed about the parade that, "We welcome all vegans, vegetarians, and any supporters of a plant-based diet in the greater Chicago area (and in the entire Midwest) who would like to give or receive support in their choices, whether they are based on Ethical, Environmental, Health or Spiritual reasons." During the past two years, ChicagoVeg has offered over 100 events to support local vegans/vegetarians and promote veganism/vegetarianism in the Chicago area.

Personally, I'm a vegan and have found the lifestyle to be rewarding and to greatly benefit my health. 

World Water Day 2013

Today is World Water Day, 2013! World Water Day is held every year on March 22 to raise awareness for freshwater and advocating for sustainable management of water resources. The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22, 1993 as the first World Water Day. The theme for the 2013 World Water Day is the International Year of Water Cooperation because cooperation over water resources is essential to protect and balance the needs and priorities of different groups of people. To think of water as an instrument of peace is inspiring.

You can find out more information on World Water Day here.

Chicago Regional Future City Competition Resolution

At the March 21, 2013 MWRDGC Board Meeting, I was honored to present a Resolution to St. Paul of the Cross School (Park Ridge, IL) students who won first place in the Chicago Regional Future City Competition. The Future City Competition challenges sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to design a city 150 years in the future, with the goal of encouraging students to consider future careers in engineering and science. The theme for the 2013 Future City Competition was "Rethink Runoff: Design Clean Solutions to Manage Stormwater Pollution."  The competition challenged student teams to design a solution to a stormwater runoff problem that would prove detrimental to their cities.  The St. Paul of the Cross student team created the city of Futura Paradisus where the system of stormwater management included pervious pavement, geotextile filter fabric, stormwater detention units and pipes that lead the water to water treatment plants. I was one of the judges for the competition and found all the student teams' cities impressive and inspiring. The students exercised thoughtful critical thinking in designing their cities and developing innovative solutions to stormwater issues. We need bright young minds to go into engineering and science to help shape the profession and make positive impacts on our ever evolving world. 

Above is a picture with the St. Paul of the Cross School student team: 

Front row left to right: Zachary Cmiel, Michael Marino, Samantha Ritter, Jack Kohler, Margaret Cahill

Back row left to right: Philip Spagnolo (mentor engineer), Michael OBroin, Ben Paoletti, Commissioner Avila, Christine Stypka (teacher), Catherine Coyle, Laurie Moran (teacher)

Board Meeting Notice

A friendly reminder that there is a MWRDGC Board Meeting at 10:00am on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The Board Meetings are held in the Board Room at 100 East Erie Street, Chicago. All members of the public are welcome to attend. Click here for Board Meeting details and agenda.

Excellence in Protecting our Water Environment Award

I presented my 2010 Excellence in Protecting our Water Environment Award to Food & Water Watch for their exceptional leadership in protecting our food and water environment. Emily Carroll accepted the award on behalf of the organization.


I also presented an award to Robert Johnson, S.E., P.E., for his exceptional leadership throughout the years in educating our children in engineering.

Reducing Pesticides on MWRD Land

I presented a motion that was passed at the District’s May 5th, 2011 Board Meeting to develop a policy to reduce, restrict, and ultimately eliminate the use of chemical pesticides on District-owned Land through the use of sustainable pest control practices. Pesticides are linked to a variety of known adverse health effects in people as well as environmental impacts to water, soil, air, and wildlife. Sustainable pest control practices depend on effective long-term solutions that emphasize prevention and methods that cause the least harm to people and the environment. The reduction and ultimately the removal of pesticides through the adoption of sustainable pest control practices will reduce the run-off of pesticides in our watershed and promote public health and the environment. The policy will be developed in the next couple months and presented again for board approval. This is an important step for the District to be a leader in environmental issues.