What We're Up To

Go Green Winnetka meets regularly to discuss ongoing and upcoming sustainability-related issues and initiatives. This month we will meet on Zoom on November 20 at 12 pm. Join us to find out what's in the works, add to the discussion, find opportunities to volunteer, or just listen in. All community members are welcome. Please email us with questions or to get the link!

Please consider environmental issues when voting in this year's general election. Candidates' stances and platforms on the environment can be found on their campaign web pages. And please ask your friends and family to vote, as well. Your vote matters!

Online voter registration for this election cycle closes on Oct. 20. If you or someone you know is not registered to vote, they can do so here.

Winnetka purchases our power through the Illinois Municipal Energy Agency (IMEA). IMEA is asking Winnetka to sign a 20-year contract extension worth $200 Million (today’s dollars) 10 years before our current contract expires. A new contract would end in 2055. IMEA has given us a deadline of April, 2025. The power we purchase through IMEA is almost 80% coal-fired. (Winnetka power is 2.4x more carbon-intensive than Wilmette.) Because IMEA is part-owner of coal mining and generation facilities, there is very little chance this will change before these plants are forced to close. IMEA has pitched the Village on signing. Now, we invite the community to a conversation featuring other perspectives on village power purchasing, the future of energy, and our generational decision.

View the IMEA presentation to Winnetka's Village Council on May 14.

This forum is hosted by the Winnetka Future Energy Coalition and sponsored by Go Green Winnetka, the League of Women Voters of Winnetka-Northfield-Kenilworth, and the Winnetka Congregational Church Green Team.

The Winnetka Future Energy Coalition is a volunteer group of Winnetka residents, formed to help raise awareness about Winnetka’s electricity options. The Coalition seeks transparency, public participation, and a full exploration of alternatives before making this critically important decision. Join the Coalition here. And find the Coalition on Facebook.

Help us defray the costs of hosting this Forum here.

Need to clean out some closets? Want to donate your gently used items to make a difference to those in need while also keeping them out of landfill? Then plan now to fill your vehicle and bring your donations to the Indian Hill Train Station in Winnetka on Saturday, October 26th from 9 am -12 pm. There will be 14+ local nonprofits lined up to receive what you have to give. Check here for more details on participating nonprofits and specific items they will be collecting. But mark your calendar now!

Sponsored by The Volunteer Center.

Each year, the United States produces 1.5 billion pounds of Halloween pumpkins, 75% of which end up in landfill—where they generate methane (a potent greenhouse gas) as they decompose. Plan ahead for how you will keep your Halloween pumpkins and gourds out of landfill. The Village of Winnetka will collect pumpkins on Wednesday, Nov 6 from 9 am– 1 pm at the public works building. You can also place your pumpkins in yard waste bags for curbside pickup or compost them in your backyard. Watch this newsletter for more specifics in our November newsletter.

Award-winning journalist and CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir draws on his years of immersive travel and reporting to share the best ideas and stories of hope and positivity from the people and communities around the world who are thriving in the wake of climate change, and what we can learn from them to build a more promising future.

Email Go Green Reads for questions and register using the link below.

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

The Winnetka-Northfield-Glencoe Chamber of Commerce—in coordination with Go Green Winnetka—is collecting and distributing reusable grocery bags to people who want them at the Winnetka Farmers Market. If you have extra reusable bags/totes that you can donate to the cause, please bring them to the Chamber table at the Market this Saturday. Thank you!

Go Green Winnetka has created a New Homeowners Guide, a go-to resource to help people moving homes make a sustainable transition. The Guide has numerous suggestions for conscious choices before and after the move that positively influence our environment. Practical tips are offered, from eco-friendly packing materials to waste diversion strategies.

Please pass this link along to friends and neighbors who are moving or have recently moved. 

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.

Wilmette's Girl Scout Troop 47008 upcycled a cabinet to create New Trier Township's first Little Free Pantry at the Winnetka Library. This self-sustaining resource helps address community food insecurity. Donate food, hygiene, or paper items, and those in need can take them freely, no questions asked. 

PANTRY PRIORITY NEEDS:

Food Items

Cookies, crackers, and granola bars

Pasta and pasta sauce

Salad dressing and salsa

Cooking oil and condiments

Canned fruit (all kinds)

Canned chicken, tuna, salmon

Brown and white rice/rice mixes

Non-Food Items

Toothpaste and mouthwash

Ziploc-style bags

Cleaning supplies

Suggestions:

• When possible, choose products that are in boxes, cans, or plastic bottles and that do not require refrigeration.
• All items should be in their original, unopened packaging, recently purchased, and in good condition.
• For safety and health reasons, we do not accept food that is past its "best used by" date.