Glenview District 34, two nonprofits receive sustainability awards from village
Glenview District 34 and two local nonprofits received the 2022 Environmental Sustainability Award at a recent village board meeting.
It's the fifth year of the awards, granted by the village's Environmental & Natural Resources Commission. Chairman Chris Newman and Commissioner Scott Daniels presented the awards.
"We like to do this because it shows how community organizations, businesses, houses of worship and schools all collaborate with environmental sustainability here in Glenview," Newman said.
"This attention helps provide leadership opportunities and it helps give attention to a lot of what's happening in the community. Over the five years, we've had a lot of awards that, frankly, I don't think really any of us would have known about until they came in for a nomination."
He cited 2020 winner Wiseacre Farm, a 320-square-foot, hydroponic container farm that owner Aviad Sheinfeld operates inside a warehouse at 1975 N. Lake Terrace.
Awards typically are given in categories of innovation, leadership, and education and outreach. For 2022, awards were given out for innovation, education and outreach.
Glenview Gardeners received the outreach award. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1991, the multigenerational gardening group focuses on gardening "for the average homeowner."
Among the group's activities Newman recognized were an annual sale of native plant species, permaculture demonstrations and maintaining a pollinator garden. Glenview Gardeners maintains the garden behind the Kennicott House at The Grove. In 2021, it added a butterfly garden.
"We're very honored to receive this, and hope that we can influence more people to grow sustainably and use natives (species) and do composting and other things like that, a rainwater garden. Come on a garden walk and you can see what we're up to," said Glenview Gardeners' Amy Sanders, who accepted the award with member Joani Riley.
A more recent effort started in 2021, Greener Glenview also was acknowledged for education and outreach.
An affiliate of Go Green Illinois, Greener Glenview sponsors speakers and events toward its goal of sustainable practices. In 2021, it reached 500 residents through its events, and in September 2022 held a Glenbrook Solar Tour of multiple homes in Glenview and Northbrook that incorporate solar energy.
"We've been thrilled with the response from the village board and also from the community," said Mary Munday, who accepted the award with co-founder Sheri Latash.
"We have so many collaborators, with the Environment & Natural Resources Commission, with citizenry, and we're thrilled to be working all together, as our motto says, 'To put sustainability at the heart of how we live and work in Glenview,'" Munday said.
Glenview District 34 earned the award for environmental innovation as part of the $119 million referendum passed in 2020 that expanded and renovated Henking, Lyon and Westbrook schools and Springman Middle School.
Newman and Daniels presented the award at the District 34 school board meeting to Superintendent Dane Delli and the board.
Newman acknowledged the 214 trees, representing 22 species, planted during the renovations. He also noted the project's emphasis on natural lighting and underground stormwater detention at each school.
"They have the capacity to hold over 1.8 million gallons of stormwater on-site during a rain event and then slowly release it into the local streams and rivers, hopefully reducing the burden that stormwater can have if it's all released at once and runs off," Newman said.
Delli recognized partners FGM Architects, Nicholas Associates and Eriksson Engineering.
"The school district went far above and beyond in managing these construction projects," school board member Mike Korman said.