Glenview's Environmental Sustainability Awards are all gold
Everyone was a winner.
There have been in the past, but there were no gold, silver or bronze distinctions to the Environmental Sustainability Awards, whose recipients were acknowledged Tuesday by the Glenview Village Board.
Everyone was a winner.
It's the fourth year for the awards, based on nominations received by the village's Environment & Natural Resources Commission last January through Oct. 15.
Chris Newman, the village's Natural Resources commissioner and a scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced the winners in the three categories: Innovation, Leadership, and Education and Outreach.
Innovation
• Intrinsic Landscaping. The Glenview landscaping company specializes in designing and building "green" roofs, walls and other sustainable projects.
• MFNS Tech, Inc. Based in Evanston but founded by Glenview residents, MFNS has created a product that can be added to sponges and foams to treat oil spills in water.
• Princeton Village Homeowners Association. This group sought to increase monarch butterfly habitat. They planted native plants, including monarch-favored milkweed, on a plot where dead trees had been removed.
• Ten Ninety Brewing Company. This brewery-restaurant, 1025 Waukegan Road, uses a process where byproducts of its beer brewing are diverted from waste streams. They are incorporated into livestock feed for a farm - then Ten Ninety completes the cycle by buying meat from the farm to use in its restaurant.
Education and Outreach
• Collective Resource Compost. Another Evanston company, which services Glenview, this food scrap hauling company diverted 1,000 tons of food scraps from waste in 2021, and 8,000 tons since 2010. It also teaches people about the importance of composting, and how to do it.
• Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County. This group educates people in 23 member communities about recycling. It's worked to increase the amount and variety of materials that can be recycled.
Leadership
• The Beck, Hurvis and Straus families and the Glenview Park District. This group was recognized for its support of the Judy Beck Grants, named for the former longtime Environment & Natural Resources Commission leader. In 2021 Beck Grants were provided for creating monarch butterfly habitat, funding compost awareness and supporting the Food Forest at The Grove.
• Friends of Downtown Glenview. This group collaborated with Friends of the Chicago River to create a new cleanup site at Glenview and Waukegan roads, and worked with Glenview staff to make it happen.
• Greenwise Organic Lawn Care & Landscaping. This sustainable lawn care company uses propane-powered equipment that lessens noise and emissions, treats lawns organically, and educates people about using native plants.
"It's inspiring to see what people can do when they come together and do their part to help the environment in our community," Glenview Village President Mike Jenny said.