Carol Stream meeting aims to streamline 'green' efforts

Jan Smith has been thinking green for almost two decades.

Long before environmentalism became a mainstream concern, the Carol Stream woman was subscribing to eco-newsletters, worrying about global warming and volunteering with organizations like the Sierra Club.

Luckily for Smith, her hometown is on the same page. This winter Carol Stream became the first municipality in DuPage County to earn the Earth Flag recognition from the county board. And in 2005, then-Mayor Ross Ferraro signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, while Carol Stream also became part of Sierra Club's Cool Cities program.

When Smith heard about this, she began attending village board meetings to become the unofficial environmental liaison between the village and residents. Now, she says, its time for the groups to connect directly.

That's why Smith and the Sierra Club have joined forces with the Carol Stream Public Library to host Carol Stream as a Cool City on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

"This will be an opportunity for individuals, businesses and government groups to partner together and we can get all of their ideas," Smith said. "If we engage the entire community, we can strengthen each other."

The first meeting will aim to survey how many people and groups are interested, what ideas they have and how they can be put into action. Smith said she hopes some dedicated leaders will emerge to keep efforts going, too.

Carol Stream library Director Anne Kennedy said this program might be a way to streamline the multiple environmental efforts happening in Carol Stream.

"There are a lot of organizations, businesses and schools around who are taking steps to be green and this is an opportunity to get them all coordinated," Kennedy said. "This gives the average citizen the opportunity to get involved."