CALENDAR

HOW AND WHY TO KEEP YOUR SEASONAL PUMPKINS AND GOURDS OUT OF LANDFILL

Did you know Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state in the country? Illinois farmers are responsible for more than a quarter of total U.S. pumpkin production, and more than the next top-five states combined.

Reducing food and other organic waste sent to landfills—and specifically composting that food and organic waste instead—are easy and inexpensive ways to reduce and reverse methane emissions, capture and store carbon, and enrich soil, water, and air quality. Composting pumpkins and other water-intensive organics not only conserves water already in soil, it rescues and returns water to soil that had previously been removed.

YOU HAVE OPTIONS:
This year's Pumpkin Composting event in Winnetka will take place on Wed, Nov 5 from 9 am - 1 pm at 1390 Willow Road (Public Works building). Residents are encouraged to bring in pumpkins to be properly disposed of, limiting the amount sent to landfills. Please remove any solid waste (candles, bags, etc.). Garbage, food scraps or other landscape waste will not be accepted. Watch this space and Village communications for more information!

Pumpkins may be placed on the curb next to your fall leaves for pickup. Be sure to remove any non-organic or non-biodegradable materials such as plastic (googly eyes are cute but not compostable!), metal (maybe recycle?), stickers ("stick" with natural options instead), candles (soy candles are compostable, but only the candles themselves, not the wick, base, or holder). 

You can also find other nearby composting events on the SCARCE website.
If you've even missed the last leaf pickup, you can put your pumpkins in a corner of your yard for the animals to enjoy or drop them off in any of the Village composting drop-off sites.

The Illinois General Assembly has appropriated $14 million to the Illinois EPA for the current fiscal year (FY26), which ends on June 30, 2026. Actual funding amounts will be determined by the amount of money available in the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund. Rebates will be issued to eligible individuals as funding is available.

Historically, this has been a popular program and Illinois EPA anticipates available funds being depleted before the close of the application window on January 31, 2026. Individuals are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to increase the chance of receiving a rebate.

For more information and program requirements, visit the Illinois EPA's EV Rebate Program website..

After months of community outreach and input, five new names have been selected to rename the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. They reflect the ways we interact and think about the canal as a gateway, a functional asset, a guidepost, and a natural and physical part of our region and history.

This historic waterway deserves a new name that reflects its ecological comeback, cultural and economic value, and helps define its bright future.  It is time to remove the word sanitary. The new names include Chicago Portage Canal, Chicago-Lockport Canal, Chicago Shipping Canal, Illinois Prairie Canal, Southwest Canal. Or, you can choose to keep name the same.

Cast your votes by this Friday, November 7. Click below and tell us your favorite, and help shape how this vital waterway will be known for generations to come.

Vote now at boldpastbrightfuture.org.

Registration is not required for this event, which will be in person and at an earlier starting time than usual. Email gogreenreads@gmail.com with questions.

Thank you to The Book Stall and the Winnetka - Northfield Public Library District for their generous support of our communities and these discussions!

 GO GREEN WINNETKA MEETING

Join us for a discussion on school sustainability — from district-wide initiatives to classroom education and zero waste programs.

• Sustainability Frameworks: Hear how a local public school district developed a district-wide sustainability plan with leadership from its School Board and Superintendent.
• Climate Education: Learn about Illinois’ new climate education law, which requires climate topics in K–12 curricula. Katie Nahrwold of Subject to Climate will share resources and curricular materials available to schools.
• Zero Waste Lunches: Jenny Futterman of Go Green Highland Park will describe how she launched a zero waste lunch program — and how you can start one in your schools.

This meeting is for both:

• Groups already partnering with local schools on sustainability projects, and
• Those just beginning to explore ways to get involved.

If your organization doesn’t yet have someone focused on schools, please invite a PTO/PTA leader, School Board member, or educator to attend.

We look forward to seeing you online on November 11!

For questions or to suggest future program topics or speakers, please [contact us].

Join the Kenilworth Union Church Green Team for a screening of Ocean with David Attenborough. Ocean takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean. In the film the celebrated broadcaster and filmmaker reveals how his lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery.

Through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean, Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.

The movie screening will be followed by a brief discussion. RSVP here.

If you have always wanted to see first-hand how organics diversion and composting improve human and environmental health in Illinois — while reducing methane emissions and waste and creating a more circular and equitable economy for all — we have a tour for you!

Join Go Green Winnetka on a tour of Patriot Acres Compost facility, conveniently located in eastern Des Plaines, directly across the street from Oakton Community College, where we will get to see the fall leaf collection in full action. Register below.

The Village of Winnetka is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to provide a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. The next two meetings of the Environmental, Forestry, and Sustainability Commission (EFSC) will focus on next steps.

At the Nov 12 meeting, the Village’s CAP consultant will get commissioner input on policies, actions, and measures the Village should consider including in the CAP. Results of the GHG inventory, opportunities and challenges ahead for the adoption of lower carbon technologies and practices, and a potential special sustainability issue of the Winnetka Report will be discussed. Members of the public are welcome to listen, observe, and provide public comment as always.

The Dec 10 meeting will include an Open House for residents to also provide input for the Climate Action Plan. We ask and encourage our friends and supporters to take advantage of this opportunity to engage on the long-term vision and target-setting and attend this meeting in particular.

Both meetings will take place at the regular time of 7 pm at the Police Station Classroom (410 Green Bay Rd) due to construction at Village Hall. We hope to see you there! Please email us with any questions.

WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? Visions of a Climate Future, by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Marine biologist, policy expert, educator, and writer Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice.

This provocative and joyous book is an anthology of sorts, a mosaic of clear-eyed essays, vibrant interviews, data, poetry, and art from visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, producers and policy wonks, all of which comes together to map an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Go Green Reads is offered through a collaboration between Go Green Winnetka and Go Green Wilmette in partnership with The Book Stall and the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District.

Please register below and email gogreenreads@gmail.com with questions.
 

Thank you to The Book Stall and the Winnetka - Northfield Public Library District for their generous support of our communities and these discussions!

CLICK LESS, CONNECT MORE!

We’re excited to invite you to our monthly Go Green Winnetka meeting, where we’ll come together to chat about current initiatives, upcoming sustainability efforts, and ways we can all make a difference.

This month’s meeting will be held in person on Wednesday, Nov 19 at 5:30 pm. [Address will be provided upon RSVP.]

Come discover what’s on the horizon for Go Green Winnetka, share your ideas, learn about volunteer opportunities, and just connect with fellow environmentally-minded neighbors.

Everyone in the community is welcome—we’d love to see you there! Please email Go Green Winnetka with questions and to RSVP.

The Village of Winnetka is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to provide a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. The next two meetings of the Environmental, Forestry, and Sustainability Commission (EFSC) will focus on next steps.

At the Nov 12 meeting, the Village’s CAP consultant will get commissioner input on policies, actions, and measures the Village should consider including in the CAP. Results of the GHG inventory, opportunities and challenges ahead for the adoption of lower carbon technologies and practices, and a potential special sustainability issue of the Winnetka Report will be discussed. Members of the public are welcome to listen, observe, and provide public comment as always.

The Dec 10 meeting will include an Open House for residents to also provide input for the Climate Action Plan. We ask and encourage our friends and supporters to take advantage of this opportunity to engage on the long-term vision and target-setting and attend this meeting in particular.

Both meetings will take place at the regular time of 7 pm at the Police Station Classroom (410 Green Bay Rd) due to construction at Village Hall. We hope to see you there! Please email us with any questions.