CALENDAR

Go Green Winnetka proudly joins the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition (IFSCC), along with individuals and organizations around the world, to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW). ICAW is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the global compost community.

The IFSCC has a week full of fun and informative in-person and virtual events and programs—including a compost facility tour on Wednesday, May 6. The lineup aims to feature the important role compost/composting plays, the myriad benefits it offers, including a focus of this year’s theme: Feed the Soil That Feeds Us!

Everyone is welcome. Please be sure to register for any programs requiring registration. We hope to see you there!

Go Green Wilmette is excited to hold its 12th annual Native Plant Sale fundraiser again this year! Plants will be available first come, first served. The sale will be IN PERSON at the West Park Maintenance Garage in Wilmette (NOTE CHANGE OF LOCATION!).

Look for signage to find the sale by the maintenance barn. They will have a large variety of plants and plenty of volunteers to help you make your selections.

The event will occur rain or shine.  Cash and credit cards accepted.

A list of plants expected to be available at the sale will be posted closer to the date.

Have old or outgrown bikes taking space in your garage?  Consider donating them to Working Bikes, an organization that has been fixing up and donating used bikes all over the world.

They are accepting any adult bike and gently used kids bikes as well as bike parts and accessories.  Working Bikes has been providing bikes to people who need them locally and globally for 26 years.  Last year they shipped almost 10,000 bikes to bicycle projects in Africa and Central America and gave out over 1500 bikes locally.

NOTE:  This year, the location has changed to Wilmette’s Public Works Yard. [Find out more]

Bill McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, insists this precarious moment in time is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster than any energy source in history—but we need to work to keep accelerating the pace.

Here Comes the Sun tells the story of the sudden spike in power from the sun and wind—and the desperate fight of the fossil fuel industry and their politicians to hold this new power at bay. Bil McKibben traces the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy, which also presents a chance to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds. You can't hoard solar energy or hold it in reserves—it's available to all.

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 question.

Fee free to join us, whether or not you've read the book.

Please mark your calendars for May 20 at 5:30 pm at the home of Liz Kunkle, 1303 Holly Lane. 

Come discover what's on the horizon for Go Green Winnetka, share your ideas, learn about volunteer opportunities, and 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 ILLINOIS EPA HAS ANNOUNCED A FOUR-MONTH EXTENSION TO ITS ELECTRIC VEHICLE REBATE PROGRAM to the end of May. The Illinois General Assembly appropriated $14 million for the program to the Illinois EPA for fiscal year 2026, which ends on June 30, 2026. Actual funding amounts will be determined by the amount of money available in the Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund. 

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

Go Green Winnetka is excited to announce that the VILLAGE OF WINNETKA IS EXPANDING ITS CLEAN ENERGY AND ENERGY SAVING REBATE PROGRAM for utility customers. Take advantage of the savings when you make qualifying upgrades to your home. New rebates starting in 2026 include the following:

• Up to $3,000 for solar energy systems
• $500 for Level 2 and 3 EV charging
• Up to $600 for efficient replacement air conditioners
• $100 to $500 for efficient electric appliances

Find out more on the Village's website.