Learn about environmental politics at Green Bag Meetup

Submitted by ECO Publication Action Network

April is “Earth Month,” but do you know what’s new this month on climate change, renewable energy, natural resources, and other environmental hot-topics in Washington?

You can learn more about it at this month’s ECOmmunity Green Bag Meetup, “The Politics of Green,” from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at 110 S. Johnson St. in downtown Woodstock.

Each month, the all-volunteer ECOmmunity Public Action Network hosts a Green Bag Lunch Meetup event in the open atrium of the Woodstock Square Mall, bringing in experts on eco-friendly topics.

The lunch-hour networking sessions are informal and open to the public. Attendees may bring their own lunch or just come to join the round-table conversation.

This month’s speaker is Seth Johnson, policy associate at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, who will outline current legislative action on climate change and pollution control, renewable energy, “smart” transportation, and more.

The ELPC’s Chicago office monitors governmental policy on issues like clean air, clean water and high-speed rail, which directly affect Illinois and other Midwestern states. At Thursday’s Earth Month Meetup, he will review legislation that is now moving through Congress and explain the impact it could have on our state.

Also joining the conversation will be congressional candidate Dennis Anderson, a Democrat from Gurnee, who is running for the U.S. House in Illinois’s newly redrawn 14th Congressional District.

Social networking and displays start at 11:30 a.m. and continue after the noon-hour program. Eco-friendly businesses, community groups and individuals are invited to socialize and share information on “green”-themed topics, products and services.

Table display space is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. A $5 voluntary donation or $10 per display space helps to cover program costs.

For more information about the ECOmmunity Public Action Network, its Green Bag Lunch Series and other public service activities, call (815) 337-2040, email ECOnet.mchenry@gmail.com, or visit “ECOmmunity Network” on Facebook.