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Go Green LaGrange Monthly Update:
May 2025
"Recycle the present, save the future." ~Anonymous
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Tip of the Month:
A simple way to make countertop composting easier is to freeze food scraps in a freezer-safe container until you're ready to empty them into your compost bin. This helps prevent odors and potential pest issues, especially during warmer months, and also allows the food scraps to break down faster when added to the compost pile.
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President's Note:
We are gearing up for an exciting and busy month over here at Go Green LaGrange! Last month's board retreat gave us the opportunity to dive into our organization's plan for the future and we are very excited for what's to come!
As we move forward, we want to highlight that this is a community-led organization and we recognize without the dedicated support of our volunteers, donors and community partners none of this would be possible. Join in and be a part of what comes next, your opinion matters! Our Annual Fundraiser is May 17, 12:00 Noon-8:00PM at Milk Money Brewing Company and we are inviting you all to take part in voting for our new logo at this event! We are also looking for a few more on-site volunteers if you are interested click here to sign-up.
I look forward to getting to see you all at our upcoming fundraiser! Thank you for your continued support in growing this community. To borrow the words of our former Board President David Bryant, "you put the 'Go' in Go Green LaGrange!"
Warmest Regards,
Alexandria Zuck
Board President
Go Green LaGrange
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When municipalities say “yes” to food scrap hauling services
Silver Sustaining Member Collective Resource Compost Cooperative is increasing residential access to food scrap drop-off sites in Chicagoland. Learn about how to build similar model programs and develop collaborative relationships with your municipality in this guest submission from Elizabeth Zimmerman, Assistant to the Public Works Director for the Village of Skokie.
Your Community is Ready to Compost, Are You?
Learn more about how it works and what you need, to bring composting to your community!
Click here to read the full article
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Community Spotlight Series: | |
Reduce, reuse, and read! The La Grange Public Library has many learning opportunities and borrowable items that you don’t have to unwrap or throw away—you’re entitled to a wealth of materials and services as a library cardholder.
Stop by the library and find out about streaming movies on Kanopy, using e-audiobooks and e-books on your device from Hoopla and Libby, and getting full digital access to the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.
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Check out our Circulating Equipment collection, which includes a record player, GoPro camera, Rokus with multiple streaming options, and an eBook reader pre-loaded with hundreds of titles. Skip purchasing books for your book club: the library can help you select and borrow titles from the 100+ group of lending libraries in our network. And if we can’t find what you need in our network, we’ll borrow it from our even larger interlibrary
loan service.
And, of course, we have shelves and shelves of books for adults, teens, and children! We do our best to provide plenty of copies of popular new titles across all genres. We’re constantly growing our programming, collection, and community-responsive services. Sign-up for a library card today!
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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 July 17th, 2025 7:00PM (La Grange Public Library)
-Board Meeting: Thursday October 16th, 2025 7:00PM (La Grange Park Public Library)
2025 Collection and Program Dates:
-Electronic Recycling Drive: May 10th, 2025 (La Grange Park Public Works)
-Annual Fundraiser: May 17th, 2025 (Milk Money Brewing Company)
-Sandal and Shoe Share: May 24th, 2025 (La Grange Public Library)
-Pocket Pollinator Presentation: June 5th, 2025 (Western Springs Library)
-2nd Annual Sustainable Summer Expo: August 2nd, 2025 (Plymouth Place Senior Living)
-Fall Native Plant Sale: (September)
-Fall Clothing and Textile Take-Back: October 19th, 2025 (St. Michael's Lutheran)
-Boot and Shoe Share: (November)
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We are still looking for on-site volunteers for this event if you would like to learn more click here! | | | | Are you unable to make this year's fundraiser but would still like to share your support? | |
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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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