Elgin Alive! introduces green concepts
In these tough economic times, everyone is seeking ways to save money.
The Elgin Community Network's Elgin Alive! series is responding to the call with practical, monthly seminars designed to protect residents' hard-earned dollars while introducing new "green" concepts.
"We have had a tremendous response to the Elgin Alive! series," said Bill Werst, vice president of the network and chairman for the series. "We are partnering with a new group called Slow Global Warming of Elgin, which is responsible for securing some of the films we are showing."
Werst said the network is seeking community input on seminars for 2009. To make a suggestion, visit the network's new Web site at www.ecn-elgin.org.
"We are trying to make the community more 'sustainable,' which is a term some people may not understand," said Werst. "It involves the quality of life in Elgin and what we are doing to protect our household income against rising utility, food and gas costs."
In addition to hosting the monthly seminars, the Elgin Community Network will also help facilitate community input meetings on Elgin's still-developing sustainability plan during 2009, said David Kaptain, a member of the Elgin City Council and executive director of the network. The Elgin City Council will likely approve a consultant by this September, which will meet with a variety of residents for suggestions on ways Elgin can improve its green initiatives, he explained.
"These community meetings are critical if Elgin's sustainability plan is going to mean anything to the average Elgin resident," he said. "We need to know how we improve things like mass transportation."
To this end, the network is planning to present ideas on ways residents can become involved in the centennial celebration of Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett's Plan of Chicago, said Kaptain. In 1909, Burnham and Bennett collaborated with the Commercial Club of Chicago and others to create a new plan for the greater Chicago region. The plan inspired Chicago's sweeping lakefront, the "emerald necklace" of county forest preserves, and a tradition of thinking comprehensively about the region's development.
The Elgin Community Network's Elgin Alive! Series are at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month in the community room of the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. There will be no presentation in December due to the holidays. Upcoming topics include:
• Sept. 16: "The One-Watt House: Reducing Home Energy Costs by Upward of 40 Percent"
• Oct. 21: NOVA's "Car of the Future" with alternative vehicles on display
•Nov. 18: "The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream"
• Jan. 20: "Mass Transit in Elgin: What is Was, What It Is and What It Could Be in the Future" by Elgin historians Mike Alft, Bill Briska and Jerry Turnquist
• Feb. 17: "Architectural Design for a Sustainable Community Using Kane County's 2030 Master Plan" by Eric Pepa
• March 17: "Updates on the City of Elgin's Sustainable Community Plan."