By Jessica Tobacman
Josh Ellis has worked for the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) for about four years, and is currently a project manager and water expert there. He has always been interested in the environment. Ellis grew up participating in outdoor activities with his family, including long canoe trips, which helped him to be mindful of what he consumed. Every summer, he attended a camp where environmental consciousness was at the forefront.
In the spring of 2006, Ellis earned joint Master’s degrees in Public Policy and Middle Eastern Studies, with an environmental focus, from the University of Chicago. Afterward, he chose to stay in Chicago. Ellis accepted a research assistant position with the Campaign for Sensible Growth, housed at MPC. The campaign eventually disbanded, and, when the work began to shift to MPC in late 2005, he followed, and became a full-time employee there in the fall of 2006.
Currently, Ellis primarily manages an array of projects related to sustainable resources management in Illinois, including developments in wastewater, storm water and drinking water. His responsibilities include working on legislative issues and enabling rainwater harvesting, which involves catching and storing fresh rainwater, which does not need to be treated for use. These efforts keep rain out of the storm system, helping to maintain a manageable amount of water within the system, and are used in states including New Mexico, Oregon and Texas. Ellis also helps with the public campaign on which MPC partners with Openlands, called, “What Our Water’s Worth.” The goal is to help increase the value that individuals place upon the easy receipt of clean, available drinking water; the ready handling of storm water; and the disposal of wastewater.
Ellis feels that he has succeeded in his work at MPC at times when the general public and the media begin to discuss his policy ideas, and to use the language that he does. The large amount of talk about the future of the Chicago River in the media has also led him to participate in roundtable discussions at MPC, and to speak at the University of Chicago and at a University of Chicago event at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
In addition to working for the council, Ellis also teaches English as a Second Language four nights every week at the Poder Learning Center in Pilsen on the city’s southwest side. The students are primarily Mexican, which somewhat reflects the makeup of the surrounding community, but there are also individuals from Bulgaria and China. “You see more immediate results there than at MPC,” Ellis said. Work at the council includes much more long-term efforts.
Ellis is satisfied with his current situation. “I’m happy with now, so I’m happy how I got here.”
His path began in Brentwood, N.H., in a town of about 2,000 people, approximately 20 minutes from the ocean. Growing up, Ellis travelled with his family regularly. His mother worked as a teacher, and her summers off allowed for a voyage each year. The family visited states including California, and countries including Canada and Switzerland. They were active, hiking and skiing, and Ellis played baseball and football. He also played the saxophone, and at one point, was a member of a ska band.
Ellis’ travels with his family led him to study Russian and to live in Ukraine for a month as a sophomore in high school. As an undergraduate, he attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., where he double-majored in English Literature and Comparative World Religions. His studies taught him to write, but little else related to his current endeavors, he noted. Immediately after graduating in 2000, Ellis spent two years in Japan working for a private firm that was similar to Kaplan. At first, he taught English in Sapporo, and then the company promoted him to the manager of a school in Otaru.
After Ellis returned to New Hampshire in November 2003, he took classes at the University of New Hampshire on subjects including the environment and society, and international relations. Then he began graduate school at the University of Chicago in September 2003.
Ellis tries to be mindful of his surroundings, to maintain an awareness of his behavior. He rides his bicycle by Lake Michigan each day, from his home in Hyde Park, to his job at MPC, to his work teaching ESL in Pilsen, and back home. “It’s an almost perfect mode of transportation,” he said. He plays pick-up basketball near his home, and tries to travel locally and beyond.
In five years, Ellis anticipates that he will still be living in Chicago. In 20 years, he hopes to be doing comparable work on new problems, working for a nonprofit or advocacy organization in a leadership position, or in an elected official position. His home base could still be in Chicago, in New Hampshire, or elsewhere. “I enjoy Chicago, but could see myself going to any number of places.”
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