The Social Justice Institute is campaigning to re-open the Environmental Department of Chicago.  It was closed back in 2011 by Mayor Emanuel. As a result it got absorbed by the Health dept., which failed to continue the important work of the Environmental Dept.  From 2015 through 2017, the Health Department met its own internal goals for the frequency of air quality inspections less than half the time, the audit states.  Only 17% of the facilities that should have had annual inspections actually were inspected. And 19% of those facilities that were supposed to be inspected every year were not inspected at all over the three-year period.  In 2017, only 48 percent of open facilities had valid certificates of operation. The Health Department also was criticized for failing to categorize potential air pollution levels for 359 facilities and for failing to ensure that violations identified by its inspectors are corrected. The inspector general blamed the dismal record on “insufficient staffing and a lack of written guidance on how to prioritize the highest risk facilities for inspection.”

 The Social Justice Institute is collectively taking on this task with high school students, community organizations, residents and elected officials.  Our coalition believes that the City Council and the Mayor’s office is morally obligated to dedicate funds, resources and enforcement powers to the Environmental Department so that companies doing business can stay in compliance and be held accountable if they violate any green codes and to make sure that Chicago becomes a green and sustainable city, before the pending climate crisis.  We believe that the City of Chicago can promote environmental justice through this office and make sure that we reach our goals of being a 100 percent renewable eco-friendly city by 2030 if we have this office fully staffed, supported and engaged with Black and Brown communities.