Bensenville receives Governor's Hometown Award for environmental stewardship

Bensenville has been honored as a community that is investing in a greener future for its residents.

The village on April 20 received a Governor's Hometown Award for environmental stewardship in recognition of the host of green initiatives it has launched in recent years. Its programs have included implementing green energy aggregation, free mulch, a cooking oil drop-off bin, holiday light and tree recycling, document shredding, and pumpkin smash recycling event, which involved disposing of pumpkins after Halloween to reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gasses being released into the environment.

"We are honored to be one of the recipients of the 2021 Governor's Hometown Awards," Village President Frank DeSimone said in a statement. "Receiving this award highlights the efforts led by the Village of Bensenville to better our immediate community while also recognizing the importance of protecting our planet. We thank the State of Illinois for this recognition and look forward to creating more innovative programing by building upon this success."

The award, first presented in 1983, gives formal recognition to those who contributed to projects that improved their community's quality of life. The program is administered by the Serve Illinois Commission and the Governor's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.