A drive from South Shore to Lakeview reveals a stark truth about Chicago: factories and polluting industries cluster on the South Side, while northern neighborhoods remain largely untouched. This disparity is no coincidence—it stems from decades of racially charged policies that shield white, affluent areas from the burdens of air pollution, waste accumulation, and toxic runoff.
Climate change can feel like an overwhelming, global challenge—but meaningful progress often begins at the community level. Across neighborhoods and cities, local activists are designing smarter, more connected approaches to environmental action. Today, digital collaboration tools, like those offered by Adobe, make it easier than ever for community leaders to coordinate, document impact, and share their results globally.
On May 29, 2025, the lawyers at Our Children’s Trust (OCT) filed Lighthiser v. Trump, on behalf of 22 youth from Montana, Oregon, Hawai‘i, California, and Florida, asserting their constitutional rights to life, health, and safety. This youth-led constitutional rights lawsuit challenges three of the Trump administration’s recent Executive Orders, each of which has the capacity to intensify the climate crisis and worsen the youth plaintiffs’ climate-related health injuries.
The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, both in person at the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among almost 400 submissions, this event is the third with global reach since the contest started 13 years ago.
See a futuristic battle over the last available fresh water resource, peer at wildlife living in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, hear an ironic love song about a polluting power plant, and more. View all 10 winning short films from the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in person at Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. Be ready to stretch your imagination and expand your understanding of going green. A special online screening for those in Asia/ Pacific will also be available.
At One Earth Collective, we have something special for our readers today. In honor of Black History Month, we had the privilege of speaking with a true trailblazer in the environmental justice movement, Cheryl Johnson. Cheryl is the daughter of Hazel M. Johnson, widely regarded as the mother of the environmental justice movement and a local Chicago icon.
