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We help protect our local water supply
Our lakes and rivers provide vital drinking water to our region and offer us natural places to enjoy. We stand firmly with the Great Lakes Compact which bans the diversion of our water to far-flung places. We seek to ban sewage in the Chicago River through enforcement of the United States Clean Water Act.
We help to keep antibiotics safe for human use
Over 70% of US antibiotics are used in animal feedlots on healthy animals.We support the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which bans the dangerous overuse of human antibiotics in the feed and water of animals that are not sick. Overuse of antibiotics encourages the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, a serious public health concern.
We support legal action to clean up Chicago’s dangerous coal plants
Located in Pilsen and Little Village, Chicago's Crawford and Fisk coal-fired power plants contribute mercury, soot and sulfur dioxide into our environment every day, dangerous coal by-products that can damage our health. We work with other organizations to enforce the Clean Air Act and protect Chicagoans from dangerous pollutants that out-dated coal plants emit.
We seek to halt global warming
Climate change threatens our health by increasing infectious diseases, heat emergencies and poor air quality. We support federal climate change legislation to reduce our use of fossil fuels, and we actively seek clean energy alternatives.
We understand the need to green hospitals and health care centers
Healthcare is the second most energy -intensive commercial building sector in the US. We work with our partners to help hospitals and clinics cut emissions and make environmentally friendlyproduct choices. We actively support the procurement of local and sustainable food in health care settings.
We seek restrictions on atrazine use
Atrazine, a widely-used agricultural herbicide that is toxic to animals, winds up in our drinking water. It has been linked to birth defects and has been banned in the EU. We seek limits on atrazine use and additional research into its affects on human health.
We continue to work towards the elimination of nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons pose the gravest threat to humanity and the environment. National PSR shared the Nobel Peace Prize with IPPNW for our nuclear disarmament work in 1985. We continue to work with local and national organizations to limit nuclear stockpiles and eventually create a world free of nuclear weapons.