When the push for the University of Illinois to divest from fossil fuels began thirteen years ago, many students said they were hopeful that administrators would listen to their concerns. But students who gathered at the Alma Mater statue on Friday for an Earth Day climate strike on April 22 said they’re still fighting for…
Rivian is turning to someone outside the automotive industry to become its first chief sustainability officer. Anisa Kamadoli Costa officially joined Rivian on Monday. She will be responsible for the electric automaker’s sustainability roadmap for both the business and its products. Costa spent nearly two decades at Tiffany & Co., where she aligned the company’s…
The nearly 4 million square feet of space at Rivian’s Normal plant is lined with some of the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world. It has some of the biggest robots in the automotive manufacturing world too – capable of moving something as humongous as the side panel of a soon-to-be Amazon delivery van….
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a threat of severe storms on Wednesday that is forecasted by the National Weather Service in Central Illinois and other meteorologists. Tornadoes, high winds, and large hail are possible in East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Forecasters…
Ford is electrifying its best-selling F-150 pickup. The F-150 Lightning is a pitch to rural drivers that you don’t need to be an early adopter or environmentalist for an electric vehicle to make sense. Cole Brodine’s been driving a Chevrolet Bolt around rural central Nebraska for about a year. He’s gotten some comments about the…
Farmers till their land to prepare soil for planting, but a new study published in the journal “Earth’s Future” found topsoil in the Midwest is eroding on average nearly 2 millimeters per year. A few years ago, Isaac Larsen attended a wedding at a pioneer church in Minnesota. After the ceremony, he wandered around a…
AMES, Ia. — In recent weeks, producers and hobbyists across the Midwest have been tapping their trees and making maple syrup. They were waiting for just the right conditions for the sap to run: temperatures above freezing during the day that dip below freezing at night. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2022/03/0316maplesyrupweb2.mp3 Listen to this story here. “This is kind…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a winter storm that the National Weather Service in Central Illinois expects to bring light snow to East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Thursday at 10:00 p.m. Updated Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Updated Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Updated Thursday at 3:40…
CENTRALIA, Ill. — It was supposed to be a fun weekend getaway to celebrate Mandi Miller’s 30th birthday. She and her husband, Austin Elkins, chose an Airbnb on Lake Centralia in Illinois that was dog-friendly, a must for the suburban St. Louis couple. Just moments after arriving on an unseasonably warm September day, their beloved…
Water is critical to America’s meat habit. Cows, pigs and chickens drink it. Farmers clean barns and cool animals with it. Meatpackers sanitize plants and wash their product with it. But, most importantly, water grows the crops needed to feed the millions of animals raised and slaughtered each year that end up on Americans’ tables….
Before approving new pesticides for use on crops or around homes, the Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to determine what impact they’ll have on endangered species. But, for decades, usually the only way to ensure the agency would start the process was to sue. In January, however, the EPA announced it plans to assess whether new…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a winter storm that the National Weather Service in Central Illinois expects to bring snow to East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Updated Thursday at 12:20 p.m. Updated Thursday at 6:00 a.m. Winter weather advisory begins today…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a winter storm that the National Weather Service in Central Illinois expects to bring rain, icy conditions, and possible snow to East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The snow is starting to come to an end, according…
URBANA – A daylong winter storm brought rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow to Central Illinois on Thursday. Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard talked with Illinois Newsroom’s Reginald Hardwick about when the winter storm will leave the Champaign-Urbana area and the weekend warm-up. Hardwick: What will travel conditions be like tonight? Pritchard: We’re expecting the evening commute…
Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005, mandating a certain amount of renewable fuel – namely corn ethanol – be mixed in with traditional gasoline. The goal was to minimize emissions and the country’s dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Instead, the policy caused a chain reaction of events that has likely led to even…