Community members and organizations making their events "Go Greener”
Since the beginning, our mission at Go Green Glen Ellyn has been to help Glen Ellyn residents and businesses be greener. We've done that through education, advocacy, and events. This week we are sharing the success of other community members and organizations in making their events "Go Greener!" You can learn and try some ideas at your next gathering! Plus, we will share what we are doing to make the Taste of Glen Ellyn the greenest ever!
LEARN
We know that sometimes it can feel hard to do the right thing for the environment. It can mean taking an extra step to bring a container, do additional research, saying no to a purchase. That's why we LOVE to make events greener - because the focus of those is having FUN! One of the most impactful ways to "green up" an event is to reduce an element of waste - containers, utensils, food, giveaways, the options are endless! This means you can be creative in what you try. We are including some of our favorite inspiration this week!
Small event:
In May, Go Green Glen Ellyn and St. Petronille Catholic Church Volunteer Molly Hoerster came to us wanting to reduce waste at an upcoming Mother's Day Donut Sunday event at St. Pets. She took advantage of the reusable serve ware that is available for rent through Go Green Glen Ellyn! Molly borrowed a large glass beverage dispenser and 5 dozen glasses for the event, which created less than half of a single garbage bag of landfill waste! Hooray!
Medium event:
Friday, July 26, Friends of the Glen Ellyn Library and the Glen Ellyn Library Foundation held a donor appreciation event in conjunction with the opening of the traveling World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Human Migration exhibit. The Friends of the Glen Ellyn Library contacted Go Green Glen Ellyn for some suggestions on ways to make the event more environmentally friendly.
In order to make the event as "green" as possible, the Library decided to implement the following measures at their event:
Glass pitcher and glasses on a table
Reduced the use of single-use plastics by renting glassware and plates and serving food that did not require silverware
Used compostable napkins, which were gathered in a separate trash bin for proper disposal
Served food and beverages from reusable containers, platters and utensils
Used a water decanter/dispenser and glasses for drinks, rather than plastic water bottles
Large event:
When the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual summer event, the Taste of Glen Ellyn from August 15-17, 2024, it will be without plastic bottles or cups in the beverage tent for the first time ever! Thanks to Go Green Glen Ellyn, the Chamber of Commerce will be serving up beverages in aluminum bottles, cans and cups that are 100% recyclable. This event historically attracts 20,000 people!!
The Glen Ellyn Chamber manages a beverage tent at the Taste that is staffed by community volunteers and that serves a variety of beverages including water, soft drinks, wine, beer and hard seltzers. This year, Go Green secured a donation of water bottles from Open Water, with BPA-free aluminum packaging. Two Hound Red Brewery of Glen Ellyn will be there to serve beer on tap, and Go Green has donated aluminum party cups which stay cool to the touch and are 100% recyclable and reusable.
Go Green GE are also providing volunteers to collect the aluminum cans as well as hiring a metal waste hauler to recycle the cans, bottles and cups used at the Taste. Don't forget to look for the special recycling containers for your cups, bottles and cans!
“We are excited to partner with Go Green Glen Ellyn to make our annual Taste of Glen Ellyn more eco-friendly and reduce waste,” said Claudia Thornton, Executive Director of the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce. "We introduced aluminum recycling with Go Green Glen Ellyn last year, and this builds upon that success even more. We are proud to be taking additional steps to reduce plastic waste and hope to serve as an inspiration for other community events."
We are thrilled to be partnering with the Glen Ellyn Chamber at this event. Please stop by and see us at the beverage tent on Thursday, August 15 from 4:30-7:30pm to enjoy a frosty and sustainable beverage!
DO
Ways to reduce waste!
First, think "REDUCE" - could you use a napkin instead of a plate? Are plastic utensils needed? What about straws? If you don't need an item, you don't have to worry about disposing it :)
Then think "REUSE" - could I borrow it from a neighbor? Could I lend it to one?
Go Green owns coffee mugs, table linens, wine glasses, water glasses, and beverage dispensers available to Glen Ellyn residents and businesses for a small donation to Go Green, which plans to increase its inventory of reusable serve ware for parties and events. Contact us to learn more about borrowing these for your next event!
Choose aluminum over glass or plastic bottles. Aluminum is more easily recycled than glass or plastic. Plus, there's no caps or lids to worry about.
Avoid "bioplastics" - products that claim to be made from plants and plastic, or biodegradable or compostable plastic. Our research has not found evidence of a good alternative, and these may contain plastic linings anyway. Opt for plain paper or better yet, reusable plates. (For more, read "Compostable Plastic isn't the green alternative you think it is" )
Start small. In 2021, there was no recycling at the Taste of Glen Ellyn! It took 2 years to find an initial solution to recycle cans in 2023, and we are expanding efforts this year. Any step is progress and should be celebrated!