City Profiles / Medium Cities / Springfield, IL

Springfield, Illinois

Like many Midwestern towns, Springfield, Illinois, is faced with aging power plants, but the city is shifting toward clean coal technology combined with investments in new energy sources including wind, which now accounts for 20 percent of the city's energy. And even though Springfield is still reliant on coal, a landmark agreement in 2006 between the state, the Sierra Club and Springfield's municipal-owned utility, City Water, Light & Power (CWLP) closed the dirtiest of CWLP's plants and replaced it with a plant subject to the most stringent pollution limits in the country. The agreement sets an enforceable goal for reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 25 percent of 2005 levels by 2012—the first time any utility in the U.S. has agreed to such significant GHG targets.

This Midwestern capital city—in the middle of the Corn and Grain Belts, also obtains renewable energy in the form of discarded seed corn, which serves as a reliable supplement for electric generation. And residents have a new option to purchase green energy credits on a check-off on their utility bill for those who want to do more to support investment in renewable sources.

The CWLP's energy-efficiency office has been in operation for nearly 30 years and offers rebates—on insulation, heat pumps, water heaters—to encourage customers to invest in energy-saving appliances and home improvements. The latest of these is the pilot Great Refrigerator Roundup, which offers a $50 rebate for any qualifying pre-1993 refrigerator and recycles 95 percent of the unit, including ozone-depleting CFC refrigerants. In the first three months of the program in 2008, more than 600 inefficient refrigerators were recycled, reducing the impact of the most energy-guzzling appliance in the home.

The historic downtown district of Springfield, home to Abraham Lincoln for 24 years, provides more than 115 on-street recycling collection containers—and all are made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. The city offers free recycling for all electronics—including TVs—to both residents and businesses. Reusable shopping bags are distributed by the Waste and Recycling Division at the local farmer's market, where coupons from food stamp recipients are accepted, making fresh, local food accessible for people of all income levels.