Projects
The World We Inherit
On August 2, 2025, Accelerate Climate Solutions and First Congregational United Church of Christ Naperville hosted an art gallery, telling climate stories from across the world and across generations, inspiring climate action. Visit the event page and online gallery (coming soon).
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#BLAST #Internship #Youth #Intergenerational #GlobalPerspectives
Naperville Bikeability Report
In Accelerate Climate Solutions' hometown, bike plans have not been updated in two decades and cyclists do not have many places to ride safely once they leave the multi-use paths in some of the park and forest preserves. That's why students wrote the Naperville Bikeability plan and submitted it to the city of Naperville. By creating this plan, students learned research, teamwork, mapping, graphic design, data analysis, and more. The plan highlights many of the best practices for improving safety and connectedness of bike infrastructure.
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#ActiveTransportation #Naperville #CommunityEngagement #BLAST #ClimateCo-Benefits #AirQuality #PublicHealth
Chicagoland EcoVoyager
Chicagoland EcoVoyager is another BLAST 2025 project that received ongoing support from Accelerate Climate Solutions. We worked with the student behind the project, Jimena Argueta, to expand her team during summer of 2025. The team not only researched eco-friendly travel opportunities, but also created an interactive website, which is currently under construction. Students learned teamwork, research, writing, and coding skills.
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#CarbonFootprint #SustainableBusiness #Transportation #BLAST #Youth
Solomon Islands Project
During the summer of 2025, Accelerate Climate Solutions connected local interns with five remote student interns from the Solomon Islands, a country on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Local interns learned about how are choices to address climate change have impacts across the globe, and Solomons interns gained knowledge and experience to help them address the crisis at home.
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#BLAST #Internship #Youth #Intergenerational #Global Perspectives #EnvironmentalJustice
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Air Aware
Accelerate Climate Solutions worked with the BLAST 2025 Competition Air Aware team to extend their local air quality monitoring project, partnering with Lewis University Professor Dr. Joseph Kozminski. Accelerate contributed 2 air quality monitors, which will be deployed as part of a larger network in DuPage County. This project is ongoing, with new members of the team joining regularly. Students learned community outreach, data analysis, pollution monitoring, writing, coding, and teamwork skills. Learn more (coming soon).
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#AirQuality #EnvironmentalJustice #BLAST #Youth
Sustainix
Sustainix was developed by Rakshita Ruparel for BLAST 2025 and received a boost as one of the projects our volunteer interns took on during the summer. The team researched best practices for sustainable businesses, especially around waste and recycling. We hope to pick up this project again next summer to create helpful guides for businesses.
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#Sustainable Business #BLAST #Youth
EcoBLAST/Pop-up Thrift Shops
In 2023 and 2024, student interns organized several pop-up thrift shops, encouraging reuse as an antidote to environmentally damaging fast fashion. They grew their initial efforts into an environmental fair, EcoBLAST, which included not just the thrift shop, but other informative stations to help the community learn about environmental protection and civic engagement. Students have also upcycled old clothing into painted t-shirts and shopping bags. Some of these bags will be distributed to participants at the Youth Climate Justice Summit.
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#Upcycling #Reuse #BLAST #Youth
Sports Equipment Swap
Accelerate Climate Solutions will be working with Naperville Park District on a Sports Equipment Swap, to be held in February 2026. More details coming soon.
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#Reuse
Community Education
Accelerate Climate Solutions contributes to public education on climate issues through public meetings and presentations. Pictured below is a student panel, called Planet Earth's Future: Youth Voices on Climate Change, presented to an audience of over 100 in July 2025.
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#BLAST #ClimateCommunication #Youth
Youth Climate Justice Summit
The first Chicago Youth Climate Justice Summit is an opportunity for area high school students to learn about climate change and importantly, what they can do about it. As a partner to organizer It's Our Future, a program of Seven Generations Ahead, Accelerate Climate Solutions worked with students on programming and climate action planning.
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#BLAST #Youth #ClimateEducation
Power a Better Future
Accelerate Climate Solutions educates our students on local climate and environmental issues because informed students are empowered to advocate for change. As an outcome of education on the coal-dominated electricity mix in Naperville, students formed Power a Better Future, a youth-led movement for clean energy in Naperville. Accelerate Climate Solutions provided mentorship and meeting space, and helped connect students to partner organizations and elected officials.
#BLAST #Youth #Advocacy #CleanEngery
School District Decarbonization
Accelerate Climate Solutions supports and advocates for the decarbonization of local school districts. Our interns have spoken at school board meetings, met with district officials, and participated in the District 203 Carbon Action Plan (CAP) steering committee. Our executive director is also a member of the D203 community steering committee to ensure implementation of the CAP.
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#BLAST #SustainableSchools #Youth
Partnerships
Accelerate Climate Solutions understands that progress is best made when we work collaboratively, so we partner with many local organizations. Partners include DuPage Children's Museum, local school districts and churches, and other environmental organizations, such as the Naperville Environment & Sustainability Task Force (NEST) and Sierra Club. These collaborations have been critical to the success of the BLAST competition, Planet Earth's Future: Youth Voices on Climate Change, The World We Inherit: A Climate Gallery, EcoBLAST, and the Youth Climate Justice Summit.
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#Teamwork
Civic Engagement
We must listen to youth voices as we plan for climate change because young people have the most at stake on an overheating planet. That's why Accelerate Climate Solutions trains youth on civic engagement. Our students have spoken in front of City Councils and School Boards, written and met with their elected officials, and had letters to the editor published. They even created their own movement for clean energy: Power a Better Future.
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#BLAST #Youth #ClimateCommunication #CivicEngagement
Seeds of Hope
Accelerate Climate Solutions supports the Seeds of Hope, an entirely youth-run initiative to place libraries of free native prairie plant seeds into school and public libraries. ACS, acting as the organization's fiduciary sponsor, is critical to its success, allowing the students to obtain grant funding for seeds, materials, and printing.
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#Youth #EcosystemRestoration
Expert Advise
Accelerate Climate Solutions' experts advise residents, business leaders, and government officials on decarbonization. Whether it's adding a heat pump to your home or solar to a government rooftop, our experts have the knowledge to help.
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#ClimateCommunication
Green Energy Justice Cooperative
Accelerate Climate Solutions assisted Green Energy Justice Cooperative in community outreach for solar subscriptions. Targeting low and moderate income households, Accelerate was able to demonstrate the benefit of community solar that not only saved subscribers money, but gave them a cooperative share in the source of their energy.
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#Solar #CleanEnergy
What's Coming
Accelerate Climate Solutions and our students are currently conducting research on the following:
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Providing induction hotplates and cookware to families with asthma to reduce indoor air pollution.
Polluter-pays Climate Superfund - a way for Illinois to pay for adapting to climate disruption.
Balcony solar: These low-cost solar panels can save families money, but what are the regulatory and permitting barriers standing in the way of wide-spread adoption.
Mangrove restoration: Continuing to support the students we worked with in the Solomon Islands, we are exploring ways to support this vital ecosystem.
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#Youth #CivicEngagement #EcosystemRestoration #PolluterPays #Solar #PublicHealth
