History

Community Roots for Environmental Justice, formerly known as Clean Power Lake County (CPLC), is a grassroots organization committed to fostering a healthier and more equitable future for communities in northeastern Lake County, Illinois. The organization addresses critical environmental justice issues, including air and water pollution, climate change, equitable access to green spaces, and energy equity.

Originally launched in 2013 as part of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, a grassroots movement to retire a coal fired power plant that had long polluted Waukegan’s shoreline and threatened public health. As residents organized, it became clear that the plant was only one symbol of a much larger pattern of environmental harm affecting Lake County communities. In response, the organization expanded its focus beyond a single campaign and established itself as an independent nonprofit dedicated to environmental justice, community leadership, and systemic change. Community Roots for Environmental Justice has since contributed to policy advocacy that led to the Climate & Equitably Jobs Act Hub in Waukegan and a Community Solar Farm, stronger regulations on ethylene oxide emissions, and increased community participation in environmental decision making.