DuPage County towns gear up to celebrate Earth Day

DuPage County is being painted green this month.

In honor of Earth Day, which is Tuesday, a number of communities are hosting a variety of events to promote environmentally-friendly practices.

"I think we've heard so much about the pollution and global warming that people are looking for things that they can do to make a difference in the world," said Jim Kleinwachter, land protection specialist at the Conservation Foundation in Naperville.

This month, Kleinwachter is making presentations about conservation in towns throughout DuPage, including Roselle, Wheaton and Lisle.

He's offering tips on creating environmentally-friendly nature gardens in people's homes to improve the habitat for local wildlife and promote native plants and water conservation.

Tonight, Roselle is hosting its first-ever Green Night. The event will feature expert speakers offering tips on recycling, native landscaping and energy conservation.

"It's just helping Roselle residents to become aware of sustainability issues," Roselle Village Administrator Jeff O'Dell said. "It's a continuing of what we've been trying to promote in the community."

Another town hoping to make a difference is Lombard.

The village is hosting an Anti-Idling Day event that organizers hope will prevent the creation of roughly 1,000 pounds of air pollution.

Lombard residents are being asked Tuesday to turn off their vehicle engines as they wait for their children after school or pick up passengers at the train station.

Meanwhile, "anti-idling angels" will spend the day rewarding people who participate with small gifts.

"People are becoming much more environmentally aware," Kleinwachter said. "Green is a hot topic right now."

In Carol Stream, the library is selling tote bags to encourage people to stop using plastic bags, which clog landfills.

Warrenville also plans to promote Earth Day with its 22nd Arbor Day celebration April 26 at Cerny Park, near River Road and Forestview Avenue. The event will feature speakers, demonstrations, giveaways, musical performances and a tree dedication ceremony.

Also April 26, the Friends of the Great Western Trail is sponsoring its 2008 Earth Day trail cleanup. Volunteers will pick up litter at various locations in DuPage, Cook and Kane counties.

"We can't do much for the polar bear in the arctic," Kleinwachter said. "But we can take some steps personally to do our little part of making the world a better place."

Here's a sample of the Earth Day events happening throughout DuPage County:

Carol Stream

• The Carol Stream Public Library is offering a variety of advice this month on how to be more environmentally friendly. The Friends of the Library also is selling canvas tote bags for $5. For details, call (630) 653-0755.

DuPage County

• The Friends of the Great Western Trail is sponsoring a trail cleanup April 26. Groups of volunteers will pick up litter at various locations along 70 miles of trails in DuPage, Cook and Kane counties. To volunteer, call Don Kirchenberg at (630) 853-7650.

• On Tuesday, Augustino's Rock and Roll Deli in Carol Stream, West Chicago and Chicago will be replacing many of its disposable products with more earth-friendly products. Locations will also give out free seed packets, have T-shirt raffles and host earth-friendly activities for kids.

• Wal-Mart stores throughout the nation are planning to give away free reusable shopping bags Saturday to celebrate Earth Day. Starting at 8 a.m., the bags will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. Local participating stores include 766 S. Route 59 in Naperville; 2900 Kirk Road in Aurora; and 2131 W. Galena Blvd., Aurora.

Itasca

• The Spring Brook Nature Center is hosting its annual March For Parks at 2 p.m. Sunday at the center, 130 Forest Ave. The event features a hike around Spring Brook's trails and a guided tour. Refreshments will be served after the walk. For details, call (630) 773-5572.

Lisle

• The Morton Arboretum will host an Arbor Day celebration April 25 at the arboretum, 4100 Route 53. It will feature a tree-planting ceremony, plant sale and various workshops about bugs. Admission is free for all visitors on that day only. For details, call (630) 961-0074.

Lombard

• The village is hosting an Anti-Idling Day Tuesday. By asking Lombard residents to not idle their vehicle engines, organizers are hoping to prevent air pollution.

Naperville

• The Naperville Cultural Center will host a workshop for children on how to make eco-friendly candles from noon to 1 p.m. April 27 at the center, 55 S. Main St., Suite 211. Cost is $10. For details, call (630) 696-4177 or visit www.naperculture.org.

Roselle

• Roselle will host Green Night at 7 p.m. today at the village hall, 31 S. Prospect St. Learn about recycling opportunities and get tips on how to conserve energy and make your garden environmentally friendly.

Warrenville

• The city is hosting an Arbor Day celebration from 10 a.m. to noon April 26 at Cerny Park, River Road and Forestview Avenue. It will feature speakers, demonstrations, a tree dedication ceremony, giveaways and musical performances. For details, call Ana Vainisi at (630) 393-9427.

West Chicago

• The West Chicago Lions Club, Sims Recycling Solutions and U'Sagain LLC will host an Earth Day collection from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1750 Harvester Drive. Dispose of unwanted household textiles, old eyeglasses, cell phones and hearing aides. For details, call Rasham Grewal at (630) 293-1239.

Wheaton

• Wheaton College, Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will host an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Exposition from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday throughout the college campus. It will feature seminars, test driving alternative fuel vehicles and a free lunch featuring an entire menu of low-carbon impact foods. For details, call (630) 752-5384.

Woodridge

• The Conservation Foundation is hosting an Earth Day Benefit Dinner at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at Bobak's Signature Events, 6440 Double Eagle Drive, Woodridge. The dinner includes a silent auction. Tickets are $100 per person. To make reservations, e-mail cthompson@theconservationfoundation.org or call (630) 428-4500, ext. 10.