What We're Up To

Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have is a fascinating and unexpectedly entertaining look at the way our everyday lives impact environmental pollution and climate change.

With urgency and wit, former New York Times science writer Tatiana Schlossberg examines unseen environmental impacts in four areas—the internet/technology, food, fashion, and fuel—to explain how interconnected we are. Read or listen to the book (or don't—no pressure!) and join us for a discussion of how daily activities like watching Netflix, eating a burger, or just turning on a light, impact the environment and have far-reaching consequences.

More importantly, she empowers her audience to make more informed choices and to better understand our potential as consumers and voters, leaving readers feeling energized rather than hopeless.

Please register below and email Go Green Reads with any questions.

Thank you to The Book Stall for its generous support of our communities and these discussions!

Join 30 + Chicago area communities, share best practices, and collaborate on environmental challenges. This month they will be discussing how to increase sustainability of park districts.

Go Green Illinois meets every other month, currently on Zoom, and typically the second Tuesday from 1 - 3 pm. Email us for the meeting link and more information. 

The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) is hosting a series of issue-specific Town Halls for its supporters to help shape policy priorities for 2024 and beyond. At each of these listening sessions, participants will have plenty of time to ask questions and communicate what issues are most important to them. These Town Hall meetings are open to all who want to attend. 

At the Zero Waste Town Hall on November 15 (America Recycles Day), participants will hear from IEC and its partners on the most pressing materials management issues facing Illinois, along with IEC's current advocacy plans to address those issues. State Senator Laura Fine will kick off the meeting and other presenters will share their perspectives on the issues. Contact Zero Waste Policy Manager Liz Kunkle with any questions: Liz@ilenviro.org. Find out more.

Go Green Winnetka meets monthly to discuss current initiatives and sustainability efforts. Next, we will meet on Monday, October 16, at 11 am on Zoom. Join us to find out what's up, add to the discussion, or just listen in. All community members are welcome. Email us at gogreenwinnetka@gmail.com to receive a link.

• Ever wonder why we as homeowners haul away billions of leaves every fall, just to repurchase them in the form of leaf mulch and compost for our gardens next spring? We’ve been wondering that ourselves, and we have an answer for you! Go Green Winnetka has compost bins for sale that can hold up to eight 30-gallon bags of yard material. Keep your natural resources right where you found them! The black color of these bins helps break down the organic contents by concentrating heat from the sun. By storing the leaves at home, they’ll be ready for your use next year without having to make a trip to the home center store—and without all the waste of non-recyclable plastic bags that the store-bought compost comes in.
 

• Even better, these bins can also be used for regular backyard composting. They’re the favorite backyard bin of many a seasoned composter. If you’re ready to start composting at home, we have just the bin for you. Each bin comes with personalized support.

• So, if you're looking to store your leaves or combine them with kitchen scraps, this is the solution. The bins are $75 and are not available in stores. Stop by to see one this Saturday, Sept 16, at our table at the Winnetka Farmers Market, or email us at gogreenwinnetka@gmail.com to find out more.

That's why Go Green Winnetka is partnering with other organizations to collect  Bread Tags for Wheelchairs. These tags (bread, bagel, muffin, produce, veggies) are pristine plastic and a valuable raw material and billions are made each year. They can’t be recycled through standard curbside programs because they are too small and too lightweight to sort easily. Most are made from #6 plastic/polystyrene.
 

Look for Mason jars at Grand Food Center and D36 schools—and start saving those bread tags!

260,000 bread tags = 200 lbs of plastic = one basic wheelchair

Check out these websites of participating organizations for more information.

Go Green Winnetka
Glencoe Sustainability Task Force
SCARCE
Danielle Cares for Chairs

Contact Go Green Winnetka with any questions.