The Heart of Illinois Group is one of fourteen local groups of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States, founded by John Muir in 1892. The Heart of Illinois Group has over 1,200 members residing in the following counties:  Bureau, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Putnam, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, and Woodford.

Group Meetings

We hold Group meetings the third Wednesday of the month from September through May at Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights. Except for December, meetings begin at 7 p.m. and always include a guest speaker on a topic of environmental interest. Our annual potluck dinner in December begins at 6:30 p.m. During the summer months, in place of our normal meeting we have a dinner or other event. All Group activities and meetings are open to the public. Check our calendar for up-to-date information on our meetings and activities.

Executive Committee

Our Executive Committee of seven elected members meets once a month to formulate policy, identify priorities, and plan activities, according to the bylaws of our Group. Check our contacts for Executive Committee members and other Group officers.

Issues and Activities

Our members are involved in many different activities to help protect the environment of our local area, the state, and the planet, including the following:

• We work with local citizens to protect our land, air, and water resources from destructive development. Because of our efforts, proposed coal strip mines near Banner and Canton have been stopped.
• We are working with other concerned citizens to educate and encourage the public and local governments to reduce their energy use and find solutions to global warming.
• We are part of the Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance working to retire the Edwards coal plant south of Bartonville and transition Central Illinois to a cleaner energy economy.
• We lobby our local and state politicians for better environmental laws and policies, and endorse candidates who support the environment.