Engaging Cook County Communities for Environmental Justice Policy Development
Executing a Countywide Outreach Strategy to Inform Cook County’s Draft Environmental Justice Policy
Challenge:
Cook County partnered with Krantz Strategies to lead a public engagement initiative supporting the development of its draft Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy. The goal: gather meaningful input from residents and stakeholders to ensure the policy reflected the lived experiences of communities facing environmental health disparities.
The challenge was clear: develop an accessible, inclusive outreach process across one of the country’s most demographically and geographically diverse counties—on a tight timeline and with communities that had historically been excluded from planning conversations.
Goals:
Collect direct input from residents and stakeholders on the draft EJ policy
Execute a smooth, well-organized public engagement process on time and within budget
Objectives:
Host in-person, virtual, and pop-up events to reach a broad range of voices
Collect input from at least 200 participants
Maintain close coordination with the Office of the President
Support media outreach to raise awareness and drive participation
Strategy:
Krantz Strategies designed an engagement process centered on clarity, accessibility, and collaboration. From planning to promotion to event execution, the process was built to elevate community voice, align with County policy goals, and generate actionable feedback for the draft policy.
Tactics:
Engagement Planning: Organized four in-person town halls and two virtual town halls, supported by an online survey that remained open throughout the engagement window
Event Execution: Managed venues, logistics, and facilitation, creating structured opportunities for residents to share detailed feedback
Language and Access: Provided Spanish interpretation, ASL support, and ADA-compliant, transit-accessible venues. Virtual events expanded participation across the region
Communications Toolkit: Developed flyers, social media content, and partner emails to help County leaders and community groups promote engagement opportunities
Media Support: Contributed to the County’s media outreach strategy, resulting in earned coverage from outlets such as the Chicago Tribune and Daily Northwestern
Key Results:
Participant Reach: Engaged over 220 residents and stakeholders
Policy Impact: Gathered insights that directly informed the content and priorities of the draft Environmental Justice Policy
Execution: Delivered all events and deliverables on time and in alignment with County milestones
Visibility: Supported media coverage in four local publications, boosting transparency and awareness around the policy process
By building trust, removing participation barriers, and designing a coordinated outreach process, Krantz Strategies helped Cook County gather the input it needed to create a more inclusive, community-informed Environmental Justice Policy. This engagement effort set a precedent for how public institutions can center equity and access in environmental policy development.