Raed Mansour

@raedmansour.com

1626 Followers 569 Following

Public health environmentalist, Openlands Board, River Park Natural Area Community Steward, Former Metropolitan Planning Council Senior Fellow & Chicago Department of Public Health Director of Environmental Innovation. ⓥ www.linkedin.com/in/raedmansour

EPA AirNow app screenshot of a Hazardous AQI for Chicago.

Screenshot of the EPA AirNow air quality app for Chicago, IL at 3 PM CDT, July 16, 2026 which is at an AQI of 597 for PM 10.

2 pigeons fighting in a small birdbath on a deck.

News Release image from ILEPA stating: "Statement from Director Jennings on Gov. Pritzker Signing Protections Against Federal Environmental Rollbacks Illinois EPA Initiated bill will prevent the Illinois Pollution Control Board from being required to automatically adopt weakened federal environmental rules
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director James Jennings issued the following statement commending Governor JB Pritzker for signing House Bill 5070 into law:
“Longstanding environmental protections have repeatedly come under attack by the Trump administration, necessitating action at the state level to ensure Illinois’ environmental regulations remain intact and Illinois residents are protected. I am especially grateful to representative Williams and Senator Ellman for their partnership in championing this effort in the General Assembly.

“HB 5070 prohibits the use of expedited rulemaking processes before the Board to implement any new federal standards that are less stringent than Illinois’s existing clean air, clean water, safe drinking water, and hazardous waste standards. This will ensure Illinois maintains its strong environmental protections that are legally supported and based on sound science.”

Photo of Sleeping Bear at a wider angle to show the depth of the protected area for the piping plovers.

Photo off the shore of Lake Michigan in Sleeping Bear with a camouflaged endangered piping plover sitting within a rock filled shore in front of the sand dunes.

Photo of a false sunflower seedling covered with aphids.

A stunned warbler I rescued from the ground and placed in my hand until a bird rescue came and got them that crashed into a panel of windows that appear transparent.

Jack Russell Terrier with head out the back window of a vehicle seen through the side view mirror while driving.

Photo of the entrance to Chicago City Hall with city and US flags and an Arab American Heritage Month banner hung over the entrance.

Chicago blue sidewalk chalk that states a heart (+D) L + L with a dog paw drawn onto a sidewalk in Albany Park, Chicago.

Photo of a blue and white ceramic tile mosaic mending a corner of a cracked sidewalk on Dearborn St in the Chicago Loop.

Photo of a catalpa street tree in Albany Park, Chicago on the left and on the right a series of three photos of a temperature gauge starting on the top reading 101 degrees F air temperature, 123 degrees F on the asphalt, and 83.4 degrees under the catalpa tree - a difference of 17.6 degrees F and 39.6 degrees F respectively. Showing how urban heat islands can be mitigated with tree shade and cooling of the air around the tree.

Graph screenshot from article, “Why Don’t People Return Their Shopping Carts? A (Somewhat) Scientific Investigation”

https://behavioralscientist.org/why-dont-people-return-their-shopping-carts-a-somewhat-scientific-investigation/

Photo of a Brown Line L train pedestrian crossing gate arm down in Albany Park as a train goes by, with graffiti on the gate hinge stating ❤️ LOVE ❤️ EACH OTHER ❤️.

Public Act 103-0837

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
27-13.1 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/27-13.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-13.1)
Sec. 27-13.1. Environmental education.
(a) In every public school there shall be instruction,
study and discussion of current problems and needs in the
conservation of natural resources, including but not limited
to air pollution, water pollution, waste reduction and
recycling, the effects of excessive use of pesticides,
preservation of wilderness areas, forest management,
protection of wildlife and humane care of domestic animals.
(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public
school shall provide instruction on climate change, which
shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the
environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on
individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for
addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and
shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as
appropriate.
The State Board of Education shall, subject to
appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary
instructional resources and professional learning
opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the
requirements of this subsection (b).
(Source: P.A. 86-229.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2025.

Cherry blossom tree across from the Museum of Science in Chicago.

It’s page of suit of coalition of states, counties, and cities across the country mount legal challenge in opposition to EPA’s unlawful rollback.

“COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS; STATE
OF CALIFORNIA; STATE OF NEW YORK; STATE
OF CONNECTICUT; STATE OF ARIZONA; STATE
OF COLORADO; STATE OF DELAWARE; STATE
OF HAWAI‘I; STATE OF ILLINOIS; STATE OF
MAINE; STATE OF MARYLAND; STATE OF
MICHIGAN; STATE OF MINNESOTA; STATE OF
NEVADA; STATE OF NEW JERSEY; STATE OF
NEW MEXICO; STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA;
STATE OF OREGON; JOSH SHAPIRO, IN HIS
OFFICAL CAPACITY AS GOVERNOR OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA; STATE
OF RHODE ISLAND; STATE OF VERMONT;
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA; STATE OF
WASHINGTON; STATE OF WISCONSIN; DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA; UNITED STATES VIRGIN
ISLANDS; CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW
MEXICO; CITY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS;
CITY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; CITY OF
CLEVELAND, OHIO; CITY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO;
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER, COLORADO;
HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS; CITY OF LOS
ANGELES, CALIFORNIA; MARTIN LUTHER KING,
JR., COUNTY, WASHINGTON; CITY OF NEW
YORK, NEW YORK; CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN
FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; and SANTA CLARA
COUNTY, CALIFORNIA,
Case No. -____
Petitioners,
v.
UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY and LEE
ZELDIN, Administrator, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency,
Respondents.

Screen shot from X of a repost from the National Integrates Heat health Information System of the National Weather Service posting an image of the U.S. showing over half of the nation will be experiencing a deadly heat wave stating in the post, “Many location across the lower 48 will experience quite the temperature whiplash over the next week.

Daily record-tying/breaking highs will be possible for southern California and the Desert Southwest today and into the weekend before even more widespread record-breaking heat wave arrives next week. “

Apple weather app Severe Weather Alert - Fire Weather Watch screenshot stating severe weather event possible in Chicago starting on 2/18/2026.

Poster image depicting an evil character embracing earth surrounded by military artillery and aircraft, for the documentary, titled Earth's Greatest Enemy - a film by Abby Martin.

Morpheus sitting on a chair explaining the world as it is now to Neo, stating, “It was us that scortched the sky.” From the movie Matrix.

Temperature line graph of Chicago from 1850 to the present showing more frequent heat events.

Walking through sequoia's in the Giant Forest in California.

An urban coyote sitting up by a tree in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, IL.

Union League Chicago magazine photo cover of me with my mom and sister in front of many U.S. table flags after becoming citizens.

Fire crews extinguishing fires from prescribed burn.

Prescribed burn at Legion Park in Chicago.