Local environmental news and happenings for DuPage County. View as Webpage
May 2019
Saturday, May 11th
9am-1pm @ SCARCE
Join us at our kick-off to the growing season!
Pick up local and organically grown seedlings, native plants, and food scrap amended compost (BYO container).

Shop our market for eco-friendly garden goods and learn how to green-up your green thumb from local organizations and free mini-workshops on permaculture, backyard chickens, beekeeping and more!

Come say hello to the goats!
Green Garden Tip: Get a Lead-free Hose!
Did you know that most hoses contain and leach lead into water? Unless your hose was labeled lead-free, it is not. Replace your hose with a lead-free one this year - Mother's Day is just around the corner!
May 1st-31st @ SCARCE
During the month of May, SCARCE is accepting plastic plant pots and flats. Containers must be empty and free of soil. Pots will go to local organizations for reuse.

You can also recycle plant pots at the Morton Arboretum on June 1st.
So many awesome people and organizations to highlight! In addition to the folks below, we recognize the Wheaton North Girls Track Team, St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, and the DuPage County Health Department.
The Wheaton North Environmental Club took action for clean water.
Room & Board Oak Brook was awarded an Ecology Flag.
The Glen Ellyn Public Library earned the Water Quality Flag.
May 16th 8:30am-4pm @ NIU Naperville - Register today!
Transportation accounts for the largest portion of total U.S. Greenhouse Gas emissions and a major contributor to air pollution. This is a must-attend event for government officials, commercial and municipal fleet managers, corporate sustainability officers, and clean-tech and clean-energy professionals
The video was created by members of the Illinois Recycling Task Force to promote statewide recycling guidelines.The task force is a collective of local governments, solid waste agencies, recycling industry representatives, waste haulers and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Please share on your social media, websites, newsletters, and in news articles! Don’t forget to tag  @SCARCEecoed  & @CoolDuPage  and let’s help spread the word that #IllinoisRecycles.
Free Community Watershed Workshops
Join DuPage County Stormwater Management to learn how to preserve your local waterways at a free workshop in your watershed! Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations and learn about local projects that enhance water quality. RSVP required.
May 22nd at the Glen Ellyn Police Station
May 29th at Ball Horticultural in West Chicago
DuPage County will not be collecting paint in 2019. We appreciate everyone who has supported this program in the past at our Woodridge site, but would like your help in spreading the word that this program is closed for the year. Please share widely and for more information on other latex paint disposal and recycling options please visit  our website .
Are you thinking about starting up a Pumpkin Smash location near you? Make sure to add the date to your calendar and help green Halloween in your community!
Check out this quick PSA from DuPage County Stormwater Management and remember to keep your lawn healthy and safe for you and the planet.
Recycling Events
Edward and Elmhurst Hospitals now accept medications for safe disposal. A collection kiosk is available at each site 24/7. More info on medicine disposal.
DuPage Sheriff Accepting Medical Sharps & Epi-Pens
The DuPage County Sheriff's office accepts small quantities of medical sharps from DuPage County residents. The sharps collection bin is accessible 24/7 at the DuPage County Sheriff, 501 N. County Farm Rd, Wheaton.
Donate Materials Samples to ZeroLandfill Chicago
Do you have material samples of carpet, flooring, or fabric? Take them to Envision Unlimited in Chicago on May 9th 9am-5pm. Materials are available for free to educators, artists and students on Material Pick-Up Day May 11th.
Environmental Events -  Mark Your Calendar!
SCARCE is participating in or hosting events in green.
Ongoing:

SCARCE  Used Book & Record Sale  every Tues & Fri 9am-12pm and select Saturdays
Over 36,000 lbs of holiday lights were recycled across DuPage County during the 2018-2019 collection season! Thank you to Elgin Recycling and all the towns that participated. Learn more about holiday light recycling .
Check out SCARCE's newest endeavor: the Earth Chats podcast! Join us for discussions on how to live your most sustainable life. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Are you:
  • a college or high school student in need of service hours?
  • a retiree looking for a meaningful project?
  • a teacher with free time this summer?
Volunteer your time helping out at SCARCE's book rescue! When you volunteer with us, you reduce waste going to landfills, help teachers and students in need, and learn more about sustainability.
During the summer we receive hundreds of boxes of donations daily. It takes a lot of time and hard work to sort them so that we can fit everything inside before we close. Help us by following the donation guidelines below:

  • Call before dropping off any donation 630-545-9710. Donations of 5+ boxes require an appointment.
  • Donations must be boxed - weigh no more than 30lbs and packed flat so the flaps close for stacking.
  • Review our list of accepted items before donating. We're happy to direct you where to take items that we do not accept.

Lastly, if you appreciate having somewhere to donate or recycle your items, make a monetary donation to support our work! SCARCE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and we do not charge for the items teachers and non-profits receive. Our recycling programs do not pay for themselves but they are central to our mission to reduce waste! Consider donating online or in-person when you drop off your items.
Our warehouse overflows with donations each summer leaving us with little space to sort.
We work outside to sort donations each day - nice but also hot!
Rainy days are the hardest, severely limiting the space we have to process donations.
SCARCE is Closed Over Memorial Day
Please note SCARCE will be closed over Memorial Day weekend: Saturday, May 25th-Monday, May 27th.
Thank You to Businesses
A special thank you to businesses who donated supplies to our  Rescue Projects  this month!

  • Invesco (Downers Grove)
  • Keson Industries (Aurora)
  • Learning Center (Rosemont)
  • Readerlink (Oak Brook)
Special THANK YOU to our April Volunteers

----- Benet Academy - Lisle
----- College of DuPage - Glen Ellyn
----- Elmhurst College
----- First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton
----- Glenbard East High School - Lombard
----- Glenbard West High School - Glen Ellyn
----- Hinsdale Neighbors and Newcomers
----- Lyons Township High School - La Grange
----- North Central College - Naperville
----- Waubonsie Valley High School APES - Aurora
----- Wheaton Warrenville South High School - Wheaton
The Hinsdale Neighbors and Newcomers sorted new greeting cards for the DuPage County Jail.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities



On-going Volunteer Opportunities

  • SCARCE Book Rescue Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm. 
  • Lisle & Wheaton Electronics Recycling: Saturdays (Age 14+)
Our book rescue couldn't function without these amazing individuals that dedicate their time each week to sorting, stocking, and organizing your donations!

We can't thank them enough! If you see them when you visit, give them a high-five!
Helpful Links
Green Bulletin | SCARCE | 630.545.9710 | info@scarce.org | www.scarce.org
This newsletter was created by SCARCE and funded by the DuPage County Board,
Daniel Cronin, Chairman,
the DuPage County Environmental Committee, Liz Chaplin, Chair,
and the DuPage County Stormwater Committee, James Zay, Chair.
SCARCE Team
Kay McKeen, founder & director
Laura Fanning, Lauren Favia, Heather Goudreau,
Carrie Horak, Kaitlyn Hornik, Bev Jaszczurowski,
Erin Kennedy, Jean Kent, & Rose Naseef
Environmental education programs are operated by SCARCE
( S chool & C ommunity A ssistance for R ecycling and C omposting E ducation)
This newsletter is part of the Teacher Training Program funded by DuPage County.
Our Professional Development Provider Number: 190000000000000
The mention of a specific product or company is not an endorsement by DuPage County's Environmental Education Program.