When junior Cecily Stash ran a booth about waste management at Northbrook’s first Climate Action Day last year, she noticed many community members were surprised by what they learned.
“I know one person was lining their recycling [bins] with a plastic bag like you would with garbage, but plastic is one of the things that cannot be recycled, at least that kind, and so by them doing that, they’re defeating the purpose of recycling in general,” Stash said.
Stash helped plan the event last year as a student member of the Village’s Sustainability Commission. The Village of Northbrook has scheduled the second annual Climate Action Day for May 30 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Village Hall.
The event will host a variety of groups, including those from the county and park districts, to help residents learn more about what they can do for the environment and features tours of a demonstration garden to showcase various planting methods, commission member Aaron Stash said.
The Sustainability Commission oversees priorities listed in the Climate Action Plan, also known as the CAP, which was adopted by the Village in 2021.
The CAP aimed for a 35 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 from the levels recorded in 2010. Northbrook surpassed its 2030 goal by achieving a 50.4 percent reduction in 2024.
“Those [emissions] go across a variety of categories, including transportation, electricity usage, natural gas usage, water usage … [and] solid waste,” Aaron Stash said.
The CAP’s initiatives could save up to 180 million dollars for the community by 2030.
“That’s [saved] through the cost of electricity usage,” said Kate Carney, sustainability coordinator for the Village of Northbrook. “One of the things that we are actively working on is transitioning all of our street lights to LED, and so the cost of LEDs [is] pennies compared to other types of electricity.”
According to Cecily Stash, one part of the CAP is to spread awareness about climate change.
“[The Climate Action Day] does just that,” said Cecily Stash. “It allows people to learn more about the issue and how to make a change to make their lives more sustainable.”
“I feel like just because something doesn’t directly impact you now doesn’t mean it won’t in the future,” said Cecily Stash. “Especially when it comes to the climate, it’s important to be aware of the things that are happening and the things that can be done to stop [the climate crisis] from happening before it’s too late.”