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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 legislative 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 proudly support the Clean Power Ordinance, a city law that would require the installation of pollution scrubbers on Chicago’s coal plants to help protect Chicagoans from the dangerous pollutants these out-dated plants emit.
We seek to halt climate change
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
View our how-to video, "Dr. Green: The Environmentally-Conscious Medical Office"
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 friendly product choices. We actively support the procurement of local and sustainable food in health care settings.
Upcoming Events
If you are working in the northern suburbs on 1/13/12, please join us at noon at the Rosalind Franklin University Medical School in North Chicago, IL in the West Pod for a lecture by Dr. Sarah Lovinger on, "Climate Change: A Public Health Emergency"
We oppose the construction of new nuclear power plants in the US, and seek greener, cleaner energy solutions.
View video of PSR President-elect Andrew Kanter discussing nuclear power plants near Chicago.
Nuclear power plants expose the public to enormous radiation health risks. Accidents at nuclear power plants can have devastating consequences--as seen at the Three Mile Island plant, at Chernobyl, and now in northern Japan--that can put millions of humans at risk of radiation-induced illnesses. These accidents can also permanently irradiate surrounding land, making it uninhabitable and unsafe for growing crops. Additional risk comes from the lack of safe nuclear waste disposal. We support research and legislation promoting renewable energy solutions.
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.