100 Actions for 100% Clean Energy

Bank of America is sponsoring the Chicago marathon. Which is ironic, because Bank of America is also a leading financier of the Fisk coal-fired power plant in the Chicago community of Pilsen.

The marathon runs right past the Fisk plant. In other words, Bank of America is lending its name to an event that promotes health and fitness while also contributing to the dirty air that runners and Pilsen community members are forced to breathe.

That’s why I woke up early for the Chicago marathon this morning. I didn’t run the race — instead, I joined dozens of activists in Pilsen to use Bank of America’s sponsorship of the race as an opportunity to protest the bank’s financing of coal plants that spew toxic pollution into the air that thousands of people breathe every day.

While Bank of America is touting the economic benefits of its marathon sponsorship, its core business practices are causing a drag on Chicago’s public health and the economy. The Bank of America marathon should be about supporting physical health and Chicago’s future. Sadly, as the lead financier of Chicago’s toxic coal plants, Bank of America is doing far more to keep the city’s air polluted and asthma rates up.

We held a banner along the race route where the Fisk power plant is visible, and we joined the race while wearing gas masks to provide a stark reminder to Bank of America of its role in polluting Chicago’s air. View more photos of RAN activists at the Chicago marathon on Flickr.