What We're Up To

The TREX Plastic Film Challenge started November 15th! Each year Go Green  Winnetka, District 36 schools, and other Winnetka organizations participate in this program, which enlists schools to collect plastic bags and wrap, which are then recycled and made into wood-alternative products. The Challenge runs from November 15 – April 15, with winners announced on Earth Day. During this time, bins are placed inside the entrances at D36 schools to collect the plastics listed  below. 
 

●  Grocery bags
●  Bread bags
●  Case overwrap (e.g. water, soda and juice bottles)
●  Dry cleaning bags
●  Newspaper sleeves
●  Ice bags
●  Wood pellet bags
●  Ziplock and other reclosable bags
●  Produce bags
●  Bubble wrap
●  Salt bags
●  Cereal and cracker bags
 

Please note that all plastics must be clean, dry, and free of food residue.
 

Stay tuned for additional collection bin locations in Winnetka!

Contact Go Green Winnetka with any questions.

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 in D36 schools and at Grand Food Center and Lakeside Foods—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.

Want to find out what Go Green Winnetka is up to? Grab your lunch and join us at our next monthly meeting. All members of the community are invited. We meet once a month, currently on Zoom, and typically the third Wednesday at 12 p.m. Email us for the meeting link at gogreenwinnetka@gmail.com.

Go Green Winnetka has been curious about fast fashion for a while. Join  our friends Go Green Barrington and the Barrington Area Library for this  insightful program and learn about sustainable versus fast fashion—how fashion choices affect human health, safe and clean water, soil, air, and more. Registration is required.

A Couple's Wilderness Journey from Lake Superior to the Canadian North

Julie Buckles and Charly Ray built a wood and canvas canoe together,  exchanged wedding vows, and embarked on The Trip, planning to travel 2,700 miles in that canoe to the Arctic Ocean for their  honeymoon. 
 

In Paddling to Winter, Julie tells the incredible true story of  their year-long journey on the Voyageur Highway from Lake Superior in  Wisconsin to Wollaston Lake in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Filled  with humor, love, and characters worthy of a Coen Brothers film, Julie  has crafted a careful tale that is equal parts adventure yarn and  marriage manual. 
 

Join us for a very special Go Green Reads on Monday, January 23, 2023,  when our good friends Julie and Winnetka native Charly will share their  story first-hand with us.
 

Register in advance for this meeting using  the link above. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email  containing information about joining the meeting. 
 

Email Go Green Reads with any questions or issues.

The Plan Commission will hold its January meeting on its regular date, Wednesday, January 25, and will start an hour early – at 6 pm - to review the next draft of the Winnetka Futures 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will take place in Council Chambers, Village Hall, 510  Green Bay Rd. Please consider attending this meeting in person or submitting a public comment in advance of the meeting by sending an email to planning@winnetka.org if you have any comments or questions.

Please join us next summer when our sustainable yard tour returns.  

See you next September when our Fall Native Plant Sale returns for its third year.