Glenview' Natural Resources chair urges sustainability
Though the topic was moved forward, Henrietta Saunders still had a response.
The chair of Glenview's Natural Resources Commission had prepared a speech for public comment at Tuesday's Glenview village board meeting.
The speech was to have followed the board's consideration of a resolution approving an Economic Development Strategic Plan and a Downtown Strategic Plan resulting from the 10-month Glenview Connect process.
Despite still being listed on the board's agenda, that topic was moved to the Aug. 3 board meeting to allow people more time to look at the 247-page documents.
Yet Saunders, the Natural Resources Commission's chair for 11 years, followed through.
Without specifying sites such as the Chase Block that attracted much of Glenview Connect's attention, Saunders noted how, in past meetings and workshops, citizens had sought to incorporate the West Branch of the North Fork of the Chicago River into planning.
"Even before the pandemic, the public was recognizing that mental health, physical health and quality of life in any community are enhanced by amenities like big trees, butterfly gardens, great parks, bike paths and other opportunities to enjoy nature," Saunders said at the outset of her 4-minute address to trustees.
"But as I have reviewed the Glenview Connect meetings online and the documents on the website, I feel that something is missing," she said. "In the midst of all the personal preferences and the difficult economic and logistical questions that have been raised, we also have a need to inject the long view on how a change in climate will impact our desired lifestyles and our ability to thrive.
"Other towns and cities are tackling sustainability as a factor in their planning, but I do not see it here."
Saunders evoked the work of past Glenview environmental stewards Kent Fuller and the late Judy Beck, who when downtown revitalization was planned from 2004-06 found "there'd been no consideration of natural assets of Glenview, aside from The Glen," Saunders said, adding that they worked with trustees to create an additional Plan for Nature, adopted in 2008.
"This valuable document is foundational to many of the assets which residents value most today, and it still guides our Natural Resource Commission, and it was woven explicitly and with great enthusiasm into the most recent comprehensive plan," Saunders said.
She said that, in 2006, the village was "way ahead" of others in considering its natural resources. Considering a changing climate, Saunders urged a return to this emphasis.
"Yes, we must consider nature, but in a new way," she said. "For example, we're expected to see this river flood more in the future because of climate events. How can we leverage that, rather than being ruined by it?
"There's nobody whose first priority is to plan and think about sustainability matters in the village now. We need to address this gap as we did in 2006 when leadership on natural resource protection was called for.
"By defining a vision and setting appropriate sustainability goals in 2021 we can certainly achieve better outcomes for all ages in Glenview now and in the future."