Traveling can pack a large eco-footprint but there are things you can do to minimize it. Your choices and travel dollars can lead to positive change. Ask questions before you book your travel. Let all operators know that sustainable travel is important to you and will...
You can enjoy the holidays even more when you reduce the environmental impact of your gift giving and celebrations. And shared experiences are often the best and most memorable part of the holidays. Give Wilmette Gift Cards for local shopping and dining, and hand-made...
Every year after the holidays, Go Green Wilmette and the Village of Wilmette hold a Styrofoam recycling event, to keep holiday packaging out of our landfills. Check our calendar for dates. The Styrofoam will be taken to Abt Electronics to be melted into a material...
New LED lights use a fraction of the energy of older holiday lights. Upgrade to energy-efficient lights this year and drop off old or broken lights at the Village's Public Works facility for recycling. String lights only, no lighted garlands or lawn ornaments. The...
As you gear up for the holidays, remember the Earth in your planning and gift giving. Reduce the sources of waste instead of wondering later whether you can fit it all in your trash toter. For parties, use china, glassware, cloth napkins and reusable cutlery instead...
Plan a low-waste Thanksgiving If you're hosting a dinner this Thanksgiving, start planning now to reduce the waste often generated by holiday meals. You'll probably save money along the way! Plan to use your china, glassware, flatware and cloth napkins instead of...
There are lots of ways to reduce the impact of Halloween. Here are just a few: Create costumes and decorations from items you already have at home. Skip the fake webbing on bushes as it can trap and kill insects and birds. As alternatives to giving out candy in all...
Plastic Free July is a global movement to help people be part of the plastic pollution solution. Recycling, while beneficial, is not the solution - we have to reduce all plastic use, especially single-use plastic of all kinds. Here's how: When visiting the French...
Recycling consumer goods, food scraps and yard waste is an important part of reducing waste and preserving our natural environment. Recycling reduces the consumption of raw materials by reusing materials that have already been processed. It saves the energy and water...
In an interview with a GGW Board Member, Central Station Coffee & Tea owners had this to say: Sustainability is an important part of our business. We continue to make improvements within the café to lighten our carbon footprint which has also sparked some great...
Are you living in an apartment or condo building in Wilmette? Go Green Wilmette partners with residents and management of multi-unit buildings to discuss the ways in which your building can go green. The focus of these conversations includes topics such as electric...
New this year, Go Green Wilmette is sponsoring a Community Bag Sharing station at the French Market on Saturdays. Normally, each item you buy at the Market gets placed in a single-use plastic bag, which has significant environmental impact associated with its...
"What goes up must come down." Every balloon that has ever been released lands as a piece of litter somewhere - stuck in a tree, clogging a sewer, and possibly harming wildlife. Read more here. GGW works to help people and organizations green their events so that...
You can have a fun, festive party while meeting your low waste goals. Consider these ideas: Send invitations online via a service such as Punchbowl or Evite. For decorations, instead of balloons, use paper streamers, ribbon dancers or pinwheels (without sparkles, so...
The way we eat, cook and clean every day has a profound impact on our environment. Green your kitchen with these simple tips. REDUCE YOUR ENERGY USE Use energy efficient appliances with the Energy Star seal of approval. Replace old appliances, especially refrigerators...
Go Green Wilmette recently assisted members of the Avoca School District in their efforts to reduce waste and compost food scraps at their annual International Dinner. The popular event drew 500 guests. An Avoca parent who heads the District’s PTO Environment...
CAR SHARING WITH I-GO OR ZIP CAR Rather than buy a new car, sign up for membership with a car-sharing program such as Enterprise’s I-Go or Zipcar. These programs allow you to reserve and drive cars by the hour -- and they cover the cost of the vehicle, insurance,...
Fuel efficiency, maintenance and how we drive our vehicles determine how much gas we use. Great tips are at your fingertips, including steps to take before you leave your driveway. See below. Rethink that large car – can you get by with a smaller one? Can you rent a...
There are a number of ways to make your party a greener, low impact affair. First, keep in mind the environmental impact of every aspect of your party. Pre-plan ways to reduce the amount of paper, plastic, fuel, energy and water used for the party. Send an e-mail, or...
While there are a number of good new green mattress choices, responsible disposal/recycling of your old mattress is a tougher problem. Unfortunately, Illinois does not yet have a solution. Talk to your new mattress company about responsible disposal of your old...
Allison Sloan of Shady Grove Wildflower Farm in Evanston collects pots for reuse! You can drop off pots at 918 Wesley in Evanston. Allison says, "Any sizes smaller than gallon, preferably with no logos and no cracks. Cleaned and stacked even better! Trays are useful...
Go Green Wilmette participates with Bike Walk Wilmette to make Wilmette a better place to bike and walk. We work with residents, schools, the Park District and the Village to improve the safety and accessibility of active transportation in our community. You are...
Wilmette is a bike-friendly community with a bicycle advocacy group working to make Wilmette an even better place to bike. It is just over 5 square miles with quiet streets and bike trails. Many destinations can be comfortably and safely reached on a bicycle. You can...
A local option to donate books is at the Wilmette Public Library, through the Friends of the Wilmette Public Library. Check with them before taking books to donate as they occasionally suspend donations for various reasons. Bernie's Book Bank takes books for...
There are many on-line posts offering gift ideas, but GGW Board members have a few local ideas to add: Give Wilmette Gift Cards for local shopping and dining. Give a certificate to our two local coffee shops - Central Station Coffee & Tea and Alchemy Coffee House...
General Motors plans for an "all-electric future." The Chevy Bolt was the 2017 Motor Trend's "Car of the Year." Don't wait - be part of a cleaner future now with an electric or hybrid car. Learn more at pluginamerica.org and greencarreports.com. If you don’t know...
There are so many ways to enjoy the holidays while still being green. A quick search will result in many on-line resources to help you with great ideas. We think this tip list is an especially good one!
Many people are using "laundry strips" to reduce the shipping and plastic waste component of even earth-friendly liquid detergent. Here are some other great tips: Use an energy efficient washing machine. Wash less often. Use cold water. Avoid harmful chemicals - skip...
We are pleased to report that clear plastic clamshell containers (like the ones used for berries) are recyclable in Wilmette's curbside program if there is a #1 symbol on them. Rinse and close containers before recycling.
At our recent recycling webinar (view recording here,) we confirmed that most plastic and wax-coated paper take out containers used by restaurants are not recyclable. And many restaurants add plastic cutlery, condiments and lots of napkins by default. You can help by...
The best option always for food waste is to COMPOST it. Composting food waste creates fertilizer to be used in your garden, improves your soil and increases drought resistance. However, not everyone has a yard and some of us don't have the time or inclination to...
View our Going Green Matters Series webinar - Grow Your Own Food with The Organic Gardener for tips on how to get your own garden started! Also, check out this great article that reviews the top ten ways to go green in your kitchen.
You can do your part to help reduce food waste year round. The Village of Wilmette has helpful resources on their website. See also this eight-minute video produced by SWANCC about backyard composting. The Village curbside compost pick up program runs from the first...
Abt Electronics accepts computers and electronics, including calculators, cameras, power tools and cords, shredders, faxes and typewriters at no charge. Fees will apply to CRT monitors, TV’s and large quantities of computers, small appliances and electronics. Park at...
The bottom line is toilet paper choices matter! Many popular brands are made from virgin trees with no recycled content and lots of bleaching. The USA has 4% of the world's population yet we consume 20% of the toilet paper! Read labels and choose wisely. Give 100%...
Check in with local shops - be sure to call first to determine if their policies have changed. You can also post ads on Next Door or other garage sale type pages. Local shops - Wilmette Bicycle & Sport Shop Green Bay Cycles - Winnetka George Garner Cyclery -...
Go Green Wilmette is collaborating with Shedd Aquarium’s Let's Shedd Plastic campaign to help Chicagoland reduce the use of plastic straws and other single-use plastics. What can you do? Strike up a conversation with your server or bartender and tell them about Shedd...
Bar soap is definitely the way to go. Liquid soap now makes up 70% of the hand and body wash market and the result is a huge amount of plastic waste. Liquid soaps are also petroleum based and more expensive! So, make the switch back to earth-friendly bar soap to save...
All fabric has value, so even if it is in bad condition don't discard it! It can be recycled into fiber to create stuffing, insulation and carpet pads. Find out where to recycle it (and many other things) in SWANCC's Reuse/Recycle Directory
Since 2017, we are no longer collecting ice rink liners because we were unable to find anyone willing to accept them for recycling. All rink liners will end up in landfills where they will last almost forever. Families who want ice rinks next year should insist that...
There are lots of ways to improve your gas mileage but the easiest thing to remember is to never, ever idle. Turn your car off even if you will be stopped for only 30 seconds. Drivers checking phones with the car running has increased idling exponentially. Make sure...
The village of Wilmette passed a coal-tar sealant ban in early 2017. Coal-tar “pitch” represents about 50% of the sealcoating solution by weight and is comprised of a mixture of organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs compounds found...
More than twenty people participated in a walk audit in Wilmette with Mark Fenton. Interested residents, active transportation advocates, Village trustees, planners, and engineers, and School District 39, Park District and Police Department representatives observed...
Use paper with the highest post–consumer recycled content possible - at least 30%. Often 100% post-consumer recycled paper is perfectly suitable – give it a try. Set up centralized files on your network to be shared. You’ll reduce paper use and file space. Communicate...
Wilmette has many public transportation opportunities. Learn more about your options and use public transportation regularly: PACE SUBURBAN BUS SERVICE Pace Suburban Bus Service of the RTA is the local public transportation agency for the Chicago area suburbs. Bikes...
P.O. Box 954
Wilmette, IL 60091
info@gogreenwilmette.org