It's time to act!

 
 
It is time for the Village of Glenview to move on addressing environmental issues in Glenview. In November, 2020, the village adopted the Greenest Region Compact. However, little action has been taken in a systematic way to address the ten sustainability categories* outlined in the Compact. The village needs to act NOW to assure that future residents of Glenview will live in a healthy, energy-efficient, less-polluting environment.

1. Create a Sustainability Plan and Hire a Coordinator to Oversee Its Implementation

• A Sustainability Plan is needed to organize action across the wide array of concerns encompassed in the word “sustainability.”

• Hire a full-time Sustainability Coordinator to Implement the Sustainability Plan.

 

2. Enforce and Update Municipal Code and Ordinances

• The municipal code needs to reflect the changes in commission structures and jurisdiction that took effect mid-year 2021. This applies to the New Development Commission, Development Adjustments Commission, Environment & Natural Resources Commission, and the Environmental Review Commission.

• Enforcement of Weed Ordinance (Chapter 38 (Health and Sanitation, Sec. 38-1 Definitions) on residential and business properties. While enforcement is done only on a complaint basis, actual enforcement has been lacking despite complaints. For example, the presence of the weed known as Phragmites, which is aggressively invasive, is persistent in several areas of the Village including near Environmentally Significant Areas such as the Air Station Prairie and The Grove owned by the Glenview Park District . The village needs to enforce the Weed Ordinance on a timely basis, and repeatedly at certain locations where invasives are recurring,

 

3. Increase Composting Services and Recycling

• Households serviced by Groot that are not participating in subscription yard waste collection are not receiving Groot’s food waste composting services. Additionally, residents in larger multi-family buildings and businesses may not have access to composting services through their hauler.

• The Village should amend its contract with Groot to establish compost collection points around town, so that those who want to compost have a place to deposit their food waste.

• A village ordinance should be adopted mandating some form of recycling (e.g. cardboard and/or aluminum cans and/or glass bottles) for all residential buildings and businesses.

 

4. Focus on Energy and Conservation

• Glenview should be intentional and specific about how it intends to meet the Illinois’2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and subsequent amendments.

  • Changing out the vehicle fleet to hybrid or EVs; moving to heat pump HVAC and water heater systems when equipment needs to be replaced; adoption of “stretch codes” to reduce building emissions and achieve zero-energy building goals; incentivize builders to construct to the most recent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards are all part of a clean energy future.

  • Public EV charging stations and compliance with the 2024 law regarding new residential construction EV charging requirements

  • Establish greenhouse gas reduction goals

• Make a concerted effort to encourage resident participation in community solar.

 

5. Prioritize the Health and Welfare of Residents

• Regarding development proposals under review by the commissions, village board and village staff…there should be explicit consideration of the potential impact of traditional pollutants (on air, water and land) and non-traditional pollutants (noise, artificial light at night, traffic) on human health and the environment, as part of the review process.

• Ban gas-powered leaf blowers in Glenview entirely, or during most months of the year, as our neighboring communities have done.

 

6. Implement the Plan for Nature in a Timely Manner

• Fund with Capital Improvement Program and Permanent Fund dollars first, and grants secondarily.

• Study of the entire reach of the West Fork, from Willow to Golf Rd., considered a high priority in the Plan for Nature, with the study being supervised by the Environmental Review Committee.

 

7. Implement the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in a Timely Manner

• Fund with Capital Improvement Program and Permanent Fund dollars first, and grants secondarily.

• Construct sidewalks near schools to facilitate student safety and their ability to walk and bike to school

 

8. Discontinue Pursuit of an I-294 Interchange Near Abt

• The village has not made the case for our community's need for a new interchange

• A new interchange would… 

  • increase congestion on Milwaukee Ave. and the nearby east-west thoroughfares

  • add noise and air pollution, increase artificial light at night, and exacerbate the heat island effect at that location

  • would require the taking of Cook County Forest Preserve property

  • negatively impact the environment at The Grove

 

9. Expand Education and Outreach

• Create a one-stop Sustainability Page on the Village Website with information and links to:

  • Environmental ordinances (open burning prohibition, coal tar sealant ban, weeds, noise, lighting, tree removal. . .) and how enforcement works

  •  All environmental/sustainability services (waste hauling, composting, parkway tree planting, community solar, bike paths, etc.)

  • All incentive programs (private property tree planting, rain garden incentive, buckthorn removal, overhead sewers)

• Develop a Village Sustainability Summary with this information for the Glenview Chamber of Commerce for inclusion in their new resident packet

 

10. Require an Environment & Sustainability Quarterly Report to the Village Board by Community Development and Public Works Departments (as appropriate)

• Review progress on the Plan for Nature, the Bicycle/Pedestrian Plans, and Sustainability Plan

 

*Those 10 categories are: Climate, Economic Development, Energy, Land, Leadership, Mobility, Municipal Operations, Sustainable Communities, Water, Waste & Recycling

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