Glen Ellyn parks seek environmental input
Environmentally friendly park districts are nothing new. By their very nature, their job is to protect nature.
But now Glen Ellyn Park District officials are considering asking community members to help them make sure their environmental efforts are on target.
The park board recently received an environmental policy update that formalizes many practices Superintendent of Parks Dave Scarmardo said have long been in place, such as pushing and improving recycling programs and using compost bins at garden sites.
During the discussion, the idea of expanding the committee in charge of that policy came up.
"It's a very interesting idea and we'll definitely look at it," Scarmardo said. "It's like anything. With an outside set of eyes, they can pick up on things we may not see."
As of now, there are no formal requests for interested residents, but Scarmardo said he expects more discussion at future meetings.
He said he was pleased with the progress the district has made in its programs and the committee - formed last year and comprised of several staff members - has met at least once a month. He said public education is the committee's top priority.
"It's critical to our survival," he said.
The new policy highlights six bullet points: Publicized efforts, compost bins, a recycling event, reducing waste, increased recycling and improved energy efficiency.
At the meeting, Commissioner Melissa Creech volunteered to be a board liaison to the committee.
She said she has been impressed by the district's environmental policy since before she ran for office last spring. But she also said more could be done and the district should look into Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, a standard that measures an agency's environmental awareness.
"If you had more people involved, you'd probably be more progressive in your environmental policy," she said. "It would be nice to look for those kinds of LEED certifications to really show that we're committed to the environment."