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Go Green Greater La Grange Monthly Update:
September 2025
"Recycle the present, save the future." ~Anonymous
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Tip of the Month:
When planting native plants, It it extremely important you know exactly how many hours of sun the area gets to ensure survival!
Learn more planting tips here!
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President's Note:
This month we are celebrating how small changes can have a big impact! Thank you to everyone who joined us at last month's Native Plant Presentation. Let's take that knowledge and turn it into action!
If you have been on the fence about incorporating native plants into your own garden, please consider stopping by our Native Plant Sale Saturday September 20th at the Memorial Park Pavilion from 10:00am-12:00pm . It's the perfect time to look around your garden and see what areas you can add some additional interest to while also supporting a healthy ecosystem in your own backyard! Get a head start on enjoying your garden. Fall is the perfect time of year to plant natives the cooler drier climate helps these plants establish strong and healthy root systems for the following season.
Have a great end of summer and let's get growing!
Alexandria Zuck
Board President
Go Green Greater LaGrange
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Why Native Plants Matter: Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving biodiversity
"Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive. For example, research by the entomologist Doug Tallamy has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars whereas ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars. When it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees, that is a significant difference."
Click here to read more!
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Huge Public Health and Environmental Win for Illinois:
On Friday, August 15th, 2025, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that phases out the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka “forever chemicals". These Chemicals are found in the manufacturing of children’s products, cosmetics, intimate apparel such as sleepwear or underwear, menstrual products, and dental floss by 2032.
These chemical products are a threat to public health with links to health risks ranging from cancers to liver toxicity to reduced fertility. It additionally is a threat to the environment with because of their high resistance to break down. PFAS persist in the environment for decades or longer—in water, soil, and even living organisms
To Learn More, Click here!
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Our Community Spotlight Series is looking for local businesses and organizations. Do you know of a local business working hard to support the environment? Feel free to send in your suggestions to gogreenlagrange1@gmail.com!
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Please feel free to email directly at gogreenlagrange1@gmail.com if you have any additional questions.
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2025 Upcoming Meeting Dates:
-Board Meeting: Thursday October 16th, 2025 7:00PM (La Grange Park Public Library)
2025 Collection and Program Dates:
-Native Plant Speaker Presentation: August 28, 2025 (La Grange Village Hall)
-Fall Native Plant Sale: September 20, 2025 (Memorial Park Pavilion)
-Community Jigsaw Puzzle & Game Share: September 27, 2025 (La Grange Public Library)
-Fall Clothing and Textile Take-Back: October 19th, 2025 (St. Michael's Lutheran)
-Fall Electronics Recycling: November 8th , 2025(La Grange Park Public Works)
-Boot and Shoe Share: November 22, 2025 (La Grange Public Library)
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Crafters for Climate:
Let's "make-it" happen!
Makers, we are looking for ideas about what our next workshop should be.
If you are a maker and would like to share your craft please reach out to us directly at GoGreenLaGrange1@gmail.com.
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Know your impact:
Use this interactive calculator to
learn your carbon footprint and actions you can take to reduce it.
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Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act Democrats in Congress passed last year, there are new energy cost-saving benefits available right now, including:
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30% back for the cost of many clean energy upgrades to your home, including solar panels, water heaters, and battery storage, no matter the price.
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Up to $1,200 to add insulation, install new exterior windows and doors, or other improvements that increase the energy efficiency of your home.
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Up to $2,000 for a new heat pump (which can provide efficient air conditioning and heating) as well as a heat-pump water heater.
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30% off the cost of installing a new electric vehicle charger if you live in a rural or underserved community.
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Go Green LaGrange had the pleasure of listening to this Webinar hosted by the Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability on Recycling guidelines in Cook County. We hope to share it with any interested participants. Click here if you are interested in hearing more!
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Looking to continue cleaning out your home or business in an environmentally conscious manner? Consider this:
Center for Hard to Recycle Materials
Cook County has partnered with South Suburban College to create the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM Center). This is a permanent recycling drop-off facility available to Cook County residents that helps divert millions of pounds of waste and other hard-to-recycle items from regional landfills and water systems. More information about materials accepted at the CHaRM Center can be found below.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number ALN 21.027 awarded to Cook County by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Location
15800 State St., South Holland, IL 60473. The drop-off site is located on north side of campus in the overflow parking lot. Enter at traffic signal on State Street.
Hours
- Every Tuesday: 7 a.m. - noon
- Every Thursday: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- 2nd Saturday every month: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (TVs accepted during Saturday hours only)
Click here for a more comprehensive list of accepted materials!
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Interested in how to turn your parkway into a gardening opportunity!
Two experienced native plant gardeners will give you a virtual guided tour of their stunning parkway gardens and share tips, challenges and successes in turning this challenging area into habitat.Go Green LaGrange had the pleasure of listening to this Webinar hosted by the West Cook Wild Ones. We hope to share it with any interested participants. Click here if you are interested in hearing more!
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Green Infrastructure and Flood Mitigation
“We will have a bigger impact if we think systemically,” Frisbie explains in her one-on-one interview with WBEZ’s Sasha-Ann Simons this week. Spearheading the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance, Friends and Watershed Alliance members, are pushing for substantial shifts in watershed governance and infrastructural development and maintenance.
The use of nature-based green infrastructure leverages the inherent intelligence and resiliency of nature to develop future-focused strategies for just and sustainable living. Developing tactics for educating local leaders, planning and policy experts, and the public, the Watershed Alliance urges that we think with nature, rather than against it.
Click here to learn more!
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Interested in learning more about Composting?
Don't worry if you missed it you can still click here to learn more!
Join Mark Teegen, owner of IFSCC member organization Teegen Compost, and learn about his community garden and backyard compost services. Mark takes trimmings from gardens and shreds them to return the material to an available bin onsite which completes the composting process locally. Mark will highlight the benefits and circularity of a typical compost season for residents and community gardeners, Teegen Compost Style!
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Save the Monarchs, Heres How:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has added migratory monarch butterflies to their list of Threatened Species. This means Monarch butterflies are now in danger of extinction. In fact, 99.9% of the Western monarch butterfly population has disappeared since 1980.
We all can help by planting milkweed which is the monarch caterpillar's only source of food. And since Fall is the best time to plant milkweed, hurry and visit mwrd.org/save-monarchs to take the pledge to receive free milkweed seeds to help save monarchs.
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How to Donate
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Donate cash or checks at our in-person events.
- Mail checks to:
Go Green LaGrange,
PO Box 11
La Grange, IL 60525
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If you are interested in volunteering with us please check out our sign-up genius here or on our webpage at GoGreenLaGrange.org or email us directly at gogreenlagrange1@gmail.com
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