Organizers of the public forum on global warming held Wednesday night said metro-east constituents may have a great impact on the issue in Illinois and may also be greatly affected by it.

About 25 metro-east residents attended the forum to see what they can do about climate change. It was the third in a series of town hall meetings on the topic held by the Illinois Environmental Council this year.

"One of the most important things they can do is reach out to their state legislators," said Jonathan Goldman, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. "Especially here, because they have two legislators who have the greatest impact on the issue in the state."

State Sen. James Clayborne and state Rep. Tom Holbrook are both chairmen of the Environment & Energy Committee of their respective branches, Goldman said.

"There are very important things we can do on a daily basis to reduce our carbon footprint," Goldman said, "but if we're talking about lowering the state's carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, the only way we can get there is by changing government policy."

Speakers at the public forum also addressed how global warming may directly affect metro-east residents, citing this summer's flooding and unusually cool weather, and future impact on agriculture.

"These are symptoms of global warming," said Kathy Andria, who represented the American Bottoms Conservancy at the forum.

Andria said she will help organize Belleville residents to work towards being a greener city and become designated by the Sierra Club as a Cool City.

Residents can do their part, said A. J. Beck of Advanced Energy Solutions, by changing their mindset to incorporate energy conservation and energy efficiency.

Collinsville resident Elaine Ramsay, a speech language pathologist, said she will take energy saving tips from the discussion and share them with people she knows, such as making double-sided copies or not using the drive-through at fast food restaurants.

Ramsay and other attendees said the forum was helpful because they learned about pending legislation, such as Senate bill 2220 and House bill 5254, a five-part plan to reduce global warming pollution that mandates cap and trade policies, clean cars, low carbon fuel standards, energy-efficient furnaces and energy-efficient building codes.

Contact reporter Jacqueline Lee at jlee@bnd.com or 239-2655.

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