Elgin sustainability groups continue talks
Working groups for Elgin’s Sustainability Action Plan recommend continuing existing city initiatives, developing new ones and reaching out to educate the community. The ultimate goal? To reduce our collective impact on the environment.
The Alternative Energy, Green Infrastructure and Water Resources working groups will highlight the specifics of their plans from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 28 Brookside Drive, Elgin.
Community members will have a chance to hear the plan, ask questions and take an interactive survey.
Aaron Cosentino is Elgin’s sustainability and grants coordinator. He has overseen the entire working group process and said the plan, when implemented, will be important for the community.
“It’s going to change the way that people live in Elgin,” Cosentino said.
The Alternative Energy group focused on alternative and renewable energy in the government, business and residential communities.
Some ideas include establishing a home energy audit discount program, coordinating the leasing of solar panels to businesses, tracking the effectiveness of the alternative fuel vehicles in the municipal fleet and pursuing construction of a hydroelectric dam.
In addition to educational programs about native planting, reducing runoff and treating stormwater, Green Infrastructure would like to create an incentive program so residents can get cheap or even free native plants for rain gardens.
Water Resources would like to create a faucet aerator rebate program to encourage people to buy a cheaper or free product with the resulting reduction in water use.
Cosentino said water use for individuals in Elgin is higher than the national average, a statistic the group is hoping to change.
“A lot of these programs will require some funds,” Cosentino said. “But many of them are just educational.”
The Water Resources group wants to start getting water consumption information to residents through water bills, for example.
“That’s a huge untapped resource that we have,” Cosentino said.
Further details about the recommendations, including existing programs the working group would like to see continue, will be discussed during Thursday’s presentation. More information and a sustainability survey is also available at cityofelgin.org/green.
The final three groups — Economic Development, Green Building Technology and Urban Design — will present from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 39W830 Highland Ave., Elgin.