Plants and animals depend on natural light cycles to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep, and protection from predators. Artificial light at night has deadly effects on many creatures, contributing to the decline of biodiversity...
International Dark Skies Week is April 21 - 28th. Less than 100 years ago, most everyone could look up and see a spectacular starry night sky. Now, millions across the globe may never experience this spectacle due to the use of artificial light at night which impairs...
In April and May, Wilmette will see thousands of songbirds migrating north to breed. So many fly through or stop in our area that you can follow them on radar! These tiny visitors will rest and eat insects in our yards to fuel up, and if you're lucky, you might spot...
Green plants are beginning to peek above the soil, which can be an encouraging sign that spring has sprung. What you don't want to see in your yard, however, are the little clumps of heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves. This is lesser celandine, an aggressive invader...
Your yard can be a haven for bees and butterflies this spring We need insects in our environment! They play many roles in nature, such as pollinating plants, improving soil health and providing food for birds in our area as well as for other creatures. Numbers of...
With winter comes snow and ice. Although we all want safe walks and driveways, salt is damaging to the environment, yards and gardens, and pets. Salt can damage and crack pet’s paws, it corrodes metal and concrete and is damaging to grasses, trees and plants. Also,...
Go Green Wilmette is pleased to be selected by our local Orvis store to be the recipient of their September GiveBack Days. Orvis will give every customer interested in supporting Go Green Wilmette with a donation of $10 or more a 10% discount on all purchases (some...
IGS (Integrated Global Studies) is a project-based, student-led creative arts class that centers around current global issues. The overwhelming student interest in environmental global issues in IGS has led to the development of the Green Team at Highcrest Middle...
Mulching is one of the most important things you can do for your trees. Mulch can protect tree roots from drought, heat and cold. Mid- to late spring and fall are the best times to put down mulch. You can learn more from the Morton Arboretum or the Chicago Botanic...
"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...
Not only are mosquitoes an annoyance in summer, they carry potentially dangerous diseases such as West Nile virus. But the safest and most sustainable way to protect your family from mosquito bites does not mean treating your yard once a month with a pesticide. Not...
CHECK IT OUT! Download our GGW Green Lawn Care Guidelines If you’re ready to make “green” changes to your lifestyle, your yard is a great place to start. Greening our lives means taking a fresh look at old attitudes. Many of us consider our yards only as an extension...
Go Green Wilmette continued the popular tradition in 2022 with another annual Sustainable Yard Tour. It was a beautiful summer day and attendees biked, walked and drove to the various gardens. The gardens were inspirational as they offered ideas for creating bird...
Go Green Wilmette was a significant partner to the Village in strengthening our local tree ordinance to protect and preserve our existing tree canopy and encourage the planting of more native trees. The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative...
Spring yard care is so important to preserving and enhancing critical habitat for beneficial insects and birds. See our Green Lawn Care Guidelines here. If you have a lawn care service, now is the time to contact them, share our guidelines, and request modifications...
Thanks to you, your neighbors, your Village Trustees and Village staff, Wilmette has a new, stronger tree ordinance. This is a great step forward and demonstrates that the Village understands how valuable our trees are. The ordinance will protect our tree canopy and...
Go Green Wilmette provides many opportunities for Wilmette residents to get outside and enjoy our parks. We also plan events that help residents learn more about the importance of increasing native habitat in our yards and parks. Check our calendar for upcoming events...
In his latest book, The Nature of Oaks, Doug Tallamy explains why it is best to plant small oak trees rather than larger ones whose roots have been bound or cut. To learn more about the importance of oaks, watch his recent webinar hosted by Glencoe colleagues here....
Whether you visited the yards or not, there's lots to learn and much to enjoy in the videos. Each video is just about five minutes long and features the yard hosts sharing information and inspiration - and more beautiful views of their gardens. Find these videos and...
Go Green Wilmette’s 9th annual Sustainable Yard Tour was a great success! We had over 350 people that attended the tour. It was a beautiful summer day and attendees biked, walked and drove to the five gardens. The gardens were inspirational as they offered...
Yes, the webinar was recorded and is posted on Go Green Wilmette's You Tube Channel. The presentation starts at 9:55. Light pollution impacts us all . . . and we all can do something about it. Learn more about the importance of dark skies.
Homeowners do not have to shovel their sidewalks but it is the neighborly thing to do and makes winter walking so much safer for all of us. (It IS required in Chicago, Evanston and some other suburbs.) If you have an elderly neighbor, why not shovel their walk, too?...
The most important thing you can do is to "leave the leaves" in the yard and leave the seed heads in your gardens. Birds that do not migrate need food and shelter all winter. This great Audubon article tells you the many ways you can support birds all winter long. Ask...
Go Green Wilmette hosted a clean lawn care workshop for the trade in 2020, presented by the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) and sponsored by Chalet. More than eighty people participated in the webinar from park districts, lawn care companies, municipalities,...
Videos of four amazing sustainable yards and a community vegetable garden plot are available for you to enjoy on GGW's very own You Tube Channel. You can also find videos about our beach clean up efforts, Gillson Park bird habitat and The Dirty Truth about Leaf...
Go Green Wilmette is focused on helping people create healthy and beautiful lawns. Our plant sale results almost 20,000 additional native plants in our area providing habitat, storm water management and beauty. We have created Greener Lawn Care Guidelines and...
Please take a moment to read this new report on the effects of gas leaf blowers in our environment and COVID-19
Ready for a bit of good news? View this inspiring 3 1/2 minute video starring Greta Thunberg about the potential for trees and natural solutions to help with climate change.
Treat yourself to this ten minute video about a Michigan arborist who had a near death experience and now devotes his time to saving old growth, west coast redwood trees by cloning them and replanting them further north in protected areas. Between logging practices,...
Nurdles are very small pellets of plastic, less than 5 mm in size. They are melted down and molded by the plastic industry to create commonly used plastic items. Unfortunately, billions of nurdles and smaller microplastics end up in the Great Lakes and then wash up on...
If you have already added native plants in your own yard, and you live on an alley, you may be able to find a place to add more native plants like one of our Sustainable Yard Tour hosts has done. Or, perhaps you can help a friend, parent or adult child add native...
The Wilmette Park District, residents and local environmental groups are voicing opposition to the requested easement in Isabella Woods that would negatively impact trees, wetlands and open space. Learn more here. See Channel 5 News story here. To add your...
Read this review of our 2018 Sustainable Yard Tour in Splash Magazine Chicago.
Please take a moment to read this article in the Daily North Shore about why it is so good to use native plants in suburban gardens.
The Little Garden Club of Wilmette invites you to learn about Pocket Prairie Gardens, a fast way to add beautiful native plants to your garden in six easy steps. The decline of bees, Monarch butterflies, pollinating insects and native birds is directly related to...
Yes! In addition to adding winter interest to your yard, the seed heads provide food for birds. And a leaf layer several inches deep is a natural thing in any area where trees naturally grow. Many wildlife species live in or rely on the leaf layer to find food or...
Please take a moment to read this wonderful article that Barb Keer has written about Go Green Wilmette's Alternative Yard for Splash Magazines
While we spend a lot of time and effort convincing homeowners to include native habitat in their yards, we also help the Park District create and maintain habitat in our parks. In 2016, the Park District partnered with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to create...
It’s easiest to identify backyard birds in the spring, when their breeding colors are on full display. Try a bird walk offered in Wilmette or another local community. Go Green Wilmette offers guided bird walks in Gillson Park every Sunday in May at 8 a.m. The bird...
Most of us love our local wildlife and are excited to see deer, coyotes or fox near our homes. The internet has abundant videos of adorable looking wild animals enjoying suburban back yards but it is important to remember that feeding wild animals – no matter how...
Go Green Wilmette works with the Village, the Wilmette Park Districts and residents to protect and expand our "suburban forests.” Our Tree Walks draw more than sixty people annually to learn more about our trees. Many of the dead trees you see are ash trees, victims...
The midwest has lost many trees in recent years due to disease and pests but one of the most common causes of the death of a tree is the harm that is unwittingly done to it by humans. There are a number of things that we can all do to protect our trees. It is...
You can have an attractive lawn without the use of chemicals, and there are many reasons to choose to use chemical free lawn care. Children are much more at risk for any potential health effects due to chemicals. Their bodies are still developing so they can be more...
Flooding in yards and basements during heavy rainstorms is a major problem on the North Shore. It is an issue that many of the local villages are are struggling to address with long term solutions. Fortunately, there are steps that we can take as homeowners to...
To start with, try planting more native plants. Many native butterflies lay eggs ONLY on native “host plants.” For example, milkweed is the sole “host plant” for Illinois’ State insect, the Monarch Butterfly. To attract monarchs, plant “Common'' Milkweed for fragrance...
P.O. Box 954
Wilmette, IL 60091
info@gogreenwilmette.org