Carol Stream plans to go from green to greener

Carol Stream officials took a small step this week in getting their community more environmentally friendly.

Village trustees Tuesday approved a resolution supporting the Greenest Region Compact, a series of strategies meant to help communities promote conservation and recycling efforts within their communities.

"It's a 'go-green' type of thing," Mayor Frank Saverino said. "Some of the ideas are smaller steps that more of our residents can wrap their arms around."

Among the strategies Carol Stream officials plan to pursue is a campaign to distribute energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs at events this summer.

Saverino also said he'd like to see the village implement a project sometime this year to better detect and repair water leaks in pipes throughout the village.

"We're going to have more unincorporated areas coming online with the area's Lake Michigan water system," he said. "There's definitely not an unlimited supply of it."

Two years ago, the village signed onto a climate protection agreement developed at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The agreement promises to lower greenhouse gas emission levels by 7 percent from what they were in 1990.

That same year, the village was recognized by the Sierra Club for its recycling program.

Since that time, the village bought several vehicles for its police and public works fleet capable of operating on E85, or biodiesel fuel, and has a pact to purchase E85 through the DuPage County Forest Preserve District.