What We're Up To

Get ready to be inspired! Go Green Winnetka invites you to its fifth Yards That Work Sustainable Yard Tour—a free, self-guided showcase of four yards in Winnetka that demonstrate how beauty and sustainability go hand in hand.

This is not just another pretty yard tour. These yards feature smart, environmentally-friendly practices that support wildlife, reduce waste, and make the most of natural resources. Expect to see native plants that attract birds and pollinators, fruit and vegetable gardens that bring new meaning to “farm-to-table,” and relevant and creative stormwater solutions.

The yards range from projects just getting started to Winnetka Environmental, Forestry, and Sustainability Commission Green Award winners to a three-acre backyard “flower lab.” Homeowners will be on-site to share their stories, lessons learned, and practical advice for creating outdoor spaces that work—for you, your community, and the planet.

Tour Details:

• Four Yards: Find out how different homeowners approach sustainable gardening.
• Free & Self-Guided: Explore at your own pace - walk or bike if you can!
• Rain or Shine: We're on, no matter the weather!

Check back here soon for more info and descriptions of the properties and Register Below to receive a map and list of addresses before the Tour.

Let’s make our world more sustainable, one yard at a time! 

This year, Wilmette's tour features a wide variety of gardens, from shady to prairie, all maintained by hosts who don’t use chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, who compost and who use innovative techniques to save water. Learn about combining native plants with cultivated flowers and with edible gardens. Learn what native shrubs thrive in shade and provide homes and food for pollinator insects and birds. Visit the Village’s Edens Wildflower Garden to learn about Wilmette’s native plantings along the Highway 94 corridor. A map of the yards with addresses and descriptions will be posted here the Friday before the event.

The event will occur rain or shine!  Find out more.

In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth’s magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover a crocodile’s scaly face is as sensitive as a lover’s fingertips, the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We hear stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved. This magnificent book reveals the strange and mysterious ways that creatures sense their surroundings and pushes our understanding of them.
 

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

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

*Note: You may find Go Green Reads book selections on the book club hold shelf behind the reference desk at the Winnetka branch of the Library.

Join Us This July for a Summer Edition of Go Green Winnetka!

We're trading Zoom for sunshine and meeting in person in July. Come catch up on all things green while soaking up the summer vibes.

Get the inside scoop on upcoming projects, share your ideas, explore volunteer opportunities, or just come to listen and connect with fellow sustainability-minded neighbors.

Everyone's welcome—bring a friend.

RSVP or learn more by emailing gogreenwinnetka@gmail.com.

Green Bay Trail Day is a celebration of this amazing resource and its restored beauty. Enjoy music, food, and family activities. Stop at one or more of 25 stations on the Trail located between Hubbard Woods and Glencoe’s Shelton Park for to have fun, learn about local issues and opportunities, and gather information on photography, birding, pet adoption, biking, supportive pollinator landscaping and more. Visit www.gbtrail.org for more information.

Go Green Winnetka will be there to answer your questions about sustainability efforts in the community and beyond.

Stop by our table and let your kids have fun—and the kid in you have fun—with our ever-popular Scribble Stones.

Volunteers are needed for this event! Sign up for a two-hour shift. This is one of our most fun events of the year. Sign up here.

Forget the old garden calendar and get ready to see autumn in a whole new light! Instead of stashing your garden tools until spring, this fall offers a golden opportunity to invigorate your landscape and give your garden a head start.

So keep those trowels handy and join us for the Go Green Winnetka Fall Native Plant Sale! This year, we’re thrilled to offer many varieties of native plants that bring unparalleled beauty and ecological benefits to your garden. Native plants aren’t just resilient; they’re the true champions of local ecosystems. Think vibrant purple coneflowers that color your garden through summer and essential milkweed that supports the Monarch butterfly. These plants attract pollinators, enhance stormwater management, and thrive with minimal fuss in our Midwest climate.

Check back here soon for more information.

Have you ever been curious about the trees in your yard or along your daily route? While we may know that trees absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, and offer welcome shade during the summer, many of us are less familiar with the specific species we see every day—and the important ecological roles they play.

Different types of trees provide critical support for local wildlife and contribute uniquely to the health of our environment.

To help residents connect with and learn more about the trees in their neighborhoods, the Openlands Treekeepers Program is offering personalized tree walks from May through September.

If you and your neighbors are interested in organizing a walk, please contact Openlands Treekeeper Lynn Wolff-Zaransky for more information.

Did you know that it is illegal in Illinois to throw certain electronic devices into the trash?  Electronics contain hazardous materials that should be kept out of the environment, as well as valuable and precious metals that can be reused, such as gold, silver, copper, zinc, aluminum, platinum, cobalt, nickel, etc.

The Electronics Recycling Program in Winnetka operates on Thursdays from 1 – 3 pm at the Public Works Yards at 1390 Willow Road until November 20. Learn more about accepted items here.