Resources
The tools, organizations and reading we rely on, gathered for neighbors who want to dig in. Start with whatever you need today.
Report a problem Your government Zero waste Transportation and land Books and films
Smell the landfill? Report it the same day.
Complaints are how regulators spot permit violations and judge how serious a problem is. If odor, litter or dust is coming from Countryside Landfill or another waste site, call while it is happening and note the date, time and where you were.
Lake County Health Department odor line. For litter, dust, noise and other solid waste problems, call 847-377-8020.
Then file a two-minute pollution complaint with the Illinois EPA, and let us know at [email protected] so we can watch for a pattern.
Your government, and how to reach it
Find out who decides, read the record and get your comments into it. New to this? Start with Advocacy 101.
- Illinois General AssemblyLook up your state legislators, follow bills and file a witness slip before a committee hearing.
- Lake County Board membersFind your County Board member and how to reach them.
- Ballotpedia: Who represents me?Every elected official for your address, from township to Congress.
- FOIA and Open Meetings Act guidePDFThe Illinois Attorney General’s guide to requesting public records and to your rights at public meetings.
- Citizen Advocacy CenterIllinois nonprofit that helps residents use public records, open meetings and public comment.
- Better Government AssociationIllinois government watchdog and investigative newsroom.
- Illinois SunshineWho gives money to Illinois candidates, from State Board of Elections data.
- Illinois Environmental Council scorecardHow your state legislators voted on environmental bills.
- LCV National Environmental ScorecardHow your members of Congress voted on environmental bills.
- Open StatesFollow bills and votes in Springfield and every other statehouse.
- GovTrackFollow bills and votes in Congress.
Zero waste, recycling and composting
Local help first, then the groups whose research we lean on. Our zero waste work.
- Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO)What goes in your recycling cart, plus drop-offs for household chemicals and electronics.
- Illinois Food Scrap and Composting CoalitionThe statewide push to keep food scraps and yard waste out of landfills.
- Illinois Recycling FoundationIllinois’ statewide recycling organization, formerly the Illinois Recycling Association.
- Zero Waste International AllianceThe accepted definition of zero waste, and the hierarchy for getting there.
- GAIAThe Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives: research and fact sheets on why burning trash is not the answer.
- Institute for Local Self-ReliancePolicy research on composting, recycling and community-scale solutions.
- Energy Justice NetworkTracks incinerators and other polluting waste facilities across the country.
- Eco-CycleOne of the oldest zero waste nonprofits, with practical guides for communities.
- US Composting CouncilStandards and resources for making and using compost.
- US EPA: Sustainable management of foodFederal guidance on preventing and recovering wasted food.
- The Story of Stuff ProjectShort films and campaigns on consumption and plastic pollution.
- One Earth Film FestivalThe Chicago area’s environmental film festival, held each March.
Transportation and land
Where road and land-use decisions get made in our region, and the groups that make the case for better ones.
- Fix Route 120 in placeOur campaign page: the study, the bypass question and how to comment.
- IL 120 PEL StudyIDOT’s official Route 120 study site, with meeting materials and documents.
- CMAP ON TO 2050The Chicago region’s long-range plan, which shapes which projects get federal money.
- Lake County Division of TransportationCounty highway projects, long-range plans and bike maps.
- Active Transportation AllianceChicago-region advocates for walking, biking and transit.
- Center for Neighborhood TechnologyResearch on transit, housing and what transportation really costs households.
- U.S. PIRGPublisher of the Highway Boondoggles reports on wasteful road projects.
- Strong TownsThe financial case for building places that can pay for themselves.
- National Complete Streets CoalitionPolicies for streets that work for walking, biking and transit as well as cars.
- America WalksAdvocacy for walkable communities.
- Pace suburban busBus routes, on-demand rides and vanpools across Lake County.
- MetraCommuter rail schedules and service alerts.
- Lake County Forest PreservesTrails and preserves, and the agency in talks to take over the Route 53 corridor land.
- OpenlandsRegional land conservation group and a voice for the Route 53 greenway.
Books and films
Organizing and advocacy
- Organizing for Social Change, Kim Bobo, Jackie Kendall and Steve Max
- Lobbying Illinois: How You Can Make a Difference in Public Policy, Christopher Z. Mooney and others
Planning and transportation
- Sustainable Transportation Planning, Jeffrey Tumlin
- The Environmental Planning Handbook, Tom Daniels
Zero waste
- The Zero Waste Solution, Paul Connett
- American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom
- Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson
- The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard
Films
- The Story of Stuff (2007), 20 minutes, free at storyofstuff.org
- Waste Land (2010), on the pickers of Rio de Janeiro’s largest landfill
Put these tools to work with us
We use every one of these links in our own campaigns. Join us at a meeting, help with research or outreach, or chip in so we can keep doing the homework for Lake County.
Know a resource we should add, or found a link that no longer works? Email [email protected]. Links checked October 2026.