Our Heroes in Illinois
Five Sierra Club activists were among the twenty-four Illinois residents dubbed "Environmental Heroes" by state Lt. Governor Pat Quinn at an awards ceremony in Chicago on December 28. Among those honored were Joyce Blumenshine, chapter conservation chair; Connie and Jerry Heinrich, conservation chairs for the Sauk-Calumet Group; Verena Owen, a leader in the chapter's Clean Air Campaign; and Cindy Skrukrud, the chapter's Clean Water Advocate. (Left to right in the photo above are the Heinrichs, Lt. Governor Quinn, Verena Owen, Jane Johnson [a treasured member of the Illinois Chapter], Joyce Blumenshine, and Cindy Skrukrud.)
Quinn said, "I am proud to honor these environmental heroes and the hard work they have done to protect the health and well-being of people all across the Land of Lincoln. These individuals are fine examples of environmental citizenship, and teach us all that we have the power to make our state a better, cleaner place." Each honoree got a plaque to commemorate their heroism and a photo with Quinn. Read more about our heroes and their good work on the Illinois Chapter's blog.
