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Citizens for a Better Environment was founded in Chicago by Marc Anderson, its original President, and Michael E. Pildes, CBE's original attorney and an advisor to Mr. Anderson. The Certificate of Incorporation was filed May 27, 1971, although the registration was not completed until June 20, 1971. According to CBE's original mission statement, the organization was intended to serve as an environmental charity, with the purpose of raising money to subsidize other organizations in the Chicago area and to continue research on the pollution of inland waterways. In accordance with its mission, CBE filed a charter and was granted non-profit status in 1971.
The original Board of Advisors was made up of individuals who were not employed by CBE. The Board of Advisors reviewed grant requests from independent community organizations for pollution prevention projects and oversaw formal and informal pollution complaints. Dennis Adamczyk, Director of Research, and Phillip Miller, Assistant Director of Research, oversaw pollution investigations at the outset of the organization's work in Chicago. CBE's Research and Referral director received consumer complaints, which were referred for investigation or forwarded to other investigatory bodies, such as the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
Funding for the direct administration of the CBE office and to provide grant money to other independent anti-pollution organizations was obtained by door to door canvassing. CBE recruited and trained a staff of volunteers to conduct canvassing in the community. Canvassers were encouraged to maintain collection quotas. Funds were then granted to independent citizens groups engaged in litigation and direct community action, based on Board approval of a formal grant application.
In January, 1973, the CBE Board of Directors reorganized the Board of Advisors to permit CBE employees to serve. CBE became increasingly involved in actions against alleged polluters, including legal action against utilities regarding rate hikes, advertising complaints, nuclear power plants, as well as continuing investigations involving individual Illinois municipalities and companies. CBE continued to operate in Illinois until 2003, focusing on decreasing pollution and involving citizens in decision-making affecting the environment.
The CBE Chicago office close in mid-2003. The headquarters for the organization is now located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On January 1, 2004, the organization was renamed Midwest Center for Environmental Science and Public Policy.
The Citizens for a Better Environment records include information on its incorporation, the operations of the Board of Advisors, activities and investigations conducted by the CBE Research Department, notes, memoranda, investigation reports, laboratory data, formal and informal reports prepared for presentation to the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
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Citizens for a Better Environment records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago