Go Green GE wins grant to reduce single-use plastic in Glen Ellyn
Go Green Glen Ellyn Receives $15,400 grant from the DuPage Foundation’s Glen Ellyn Fund
Goal to Reduce Single-Use Plastic Waste in Glen Ellyn
Go Green Glen Ellyn has received a $15,400 grant through DuPage Foundation’s Glen Ellyn Fund grant program to help support three specific community initiatives to reduce single-use plastic waste and create more sustainable alternatives that are healthier for the community.
Go Green GE will use the grant to fund three programs: 1) working to make Glen Ellyn events more sustainable by providing branded, recyclable aluminum cups to replace single-use plastic beverage glasses; 2) funding an outdoor bottle filling station at Glen Ellyn Park District’s outdoor fields at Ackerman Park that serve over 60,000 visitors annually, and 3) creating a community event rental ‘library’ that offers reusable items like linens, glasses, drink dispensers for residents’ own events.
“One of the things we love about Glen Ellyn are all the community events, but these events generate large amounts of additional waste, primarily of single-use plastic,” said Go Green Glen Ellyn President, Jacquelyn Casazza. “The current default option has been to rely on disposable items. These programs will make it easy to provide increased reusable and recyclable options that are healthier, cost effective and aesthetically pleasing,” she continued. Go Green provided aluminum cups for the past two Taste of Glen Ellyn events and was able to recycle more than 700 pounds of aluminum.
“This grant helps bring Go Green’s work to another level," stated Casazza. “We hope to educate our neighbors in Glen Ellyn that there are alternatives to utilizing single-use plastic for events, parties or at a softball game. We like to call them ‘sustainable swaps,’ and we are happy to support these choices for residents through this exciting grant,” continued Casazza.
DuPage Foundation awarded nearly $580,000 to 56 not-for-profit organizations across DuPage County through its fall discretionary grant programs – Community Impact, Arts DuPage, and Glen Ellyn Fund. This vital investment in education, environment, animal welfare, and arts organizations will directly empower these organizations to continue their critical work, making a real and lasting difference in the lives of countless residents, and affirm DuPage’s reputation as a destination for the arts.
“We are proud to share that 72% percent of eligible grant applications submitted this fall received funding,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. “Our grant program exists because of generous donors who have made unrestricted gifts or established endowed field-of-interest funds at the Foundation. These ‘forever funds’ are invested wisely and generate income that fuels our discretionary grantmaking. While the number of requests we receive always exceeds the amount of funding available in our budget, this cycle we received $217,550 in additional support for grants from local funders and our donor-advised fund partners. By working together, we are providing critical support to our community’s not-for-profits. That’s the power of coordinated impact at work!”
Go Green Glen Ellyn, founded in 2021, is a community environmental organization and 501(c)(3) with a mission to make it easier for residents and businesses in Glen Ellyn to be greener through education, advocacy and action. Go Green Glen Ellyn is known for its twice-yearly SportSwap, OAKtoberfest event and its ‘green’ educational newsletter.
