News You Can Use!
(photo courtesy of The DuPage Foundation)
Left to right: Joyce Webb, Glen Ellyn Fund Advisory Committee member; Barbara Kwiatkowsky, Go Green Board member; Kim Dorn. Glen Ellyn Fund Advisory Committee Vice Chair; Jacquelyn Casazza, President Go Green Glen Ellyn; Karin Daly, Co-Founder Go Green 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.
For further information regarding Go Green Glen Ellyn, please contact them at info@gogreenglenellyn.org or visit gogreenglenellyn.org
Making Taste of Glen Ellyn beverages 100% Recyclable: Read the press release
Go Green Glen Ellyn and Chamber of Commerce Team Announce Plastic-Free Beverage Options at Annual Taste of Glen Ellyn
“Infinitely Recyclable” Aluminum Cans and Cups Deployed to Reduce Plastic Waste
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, a local environmental nonprofit, the Chamber of Commerce will be serving up beverages in aluminum bottles, cans and cups that are 100% recyclable.
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 Glen Ellyn 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 Glen Ellyn is 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.
“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.
Go Green Glen Ellyn President Jacquelyn Casazza points out that “aluminum is infinitely recyclable, meaning it can be recycled again and again making it the perfect vessel to enjoy a cold beverage at the Taste.” She added “municipalities need to take steps big and small to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated. Having 100% aluminum that is 100% recyclable in the Chamber beverage tent sends a great message that if we work together we can reduce our usage of plastic by substituting greener options.” Casazza added, “Join us for a cold one at the Taste and see for yourself!”
For more information about the the event and Go Green Glen Ellyn, please visit
Go Green Glen Ellyn’s sustainability suggestions adopted by the Village Board in the 2023 Comprehensive Plan
We noted that the Village Comprehensive Plan didn’t include enough language on sustainability for something that is supposed to guide village planning for the next 10-20 years. Over the course of several board meetings, we shared our concerns with Village Trustees and were invited to submit additional language. Click to read what we submitted and was ultimately adopted. And read the full Comprehensive Plan here!
Go Green Glen Ellyn named Volunteer of the Year for the Glen Ellyn Park District!
We are proud and humbled! But there is still so much more to do to help make our village greener. Care to join us? Email us at gogreenglenellyn@gmail.com.
Read more at the link below.
Go Green GE Advocates for Foam Ban
Advocates from Go Green chapters, including our own co-founder Jacquelyn Casazza, descend on Springfield to advocate for a polystyrene ban for restaurant containers.
Go Green Grows!
Check out the front page Daily Herald article on Go Green chapters in Illinois. Read the article here.
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Downtown Green Space!
Go Green was excited to watch our village government in action as they discussed and debated the proposal to purchase the US Bank parcel and partner with the Park District on this project as well as improvement projects at Panfish Park and Manor Woods. The Video link and time markers are below.
Go Green’s public comment at 7:20 marker.
Board debate and vote (4-2 vote) at 1:11:33-1:47:27
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Glen Ellyn’s downtown has experienced an influx of development, particularly new apartment buildings. While we at Go Green are not anti-development and welcome our new neighbors, we note that there are two major community assets our downtown lacks that would benefit ALL residents: a community green space/park, and a downtown market/grocery store.
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A green space downtown will be welcoming for both local residents and visitors from the Prairie Path. It could provide a space for families to gather for a picnic or colleagues to meet outdoors. It would help mitigate the “heat island'“ caused by densely built areas. It would keep residents downtown instead of driving to Lake Ellyn or another park, thereby providing opportunity for additional foot traffic to local businesses. And it could provide a location for outdoor concerts and the French Market - instead of a parking lot. Go Green will continue to advocate for a sustainable design to ensure parks we will long enjoy and have a positive impact on the health of our community and the planet!
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Click the buttons below to read the letters Go Green has sent to the Park District Commissioners and Village Trustees July of 2022.
Park District Referendum
Go Green is thrilled that the referendum for additional budget passed easily. (Election results will be certified soon). We look forward to seeing the projects that were funded to be breaking ground soon!
GE Downtown Streetscape
Go Green has gotten a lot of questions about the downtown streetscape and the removal of trees. Dystopian was a term utilized more than once! But not to worry! The town will be planting trees better suited for an ‘urban forest’ so that GE trees will be enjoyed for decades to come! There will be some upheaval in the next few years as the streetscape and train station projects come to fruition, so patience will be needed. Let’s also make sure we double down on our support for local businesses who are disrupted during this process. Shop and Eat Local! For more information on the streetscape project, sign up for village and Chamber of Commerce newsletters and check out the site below.
Go Green Founders Featured in Local Magazines!
Recently Go Green Co-Founders Jacquelyn Casazza and Karin Daly were featured in The Stroll (GE Living) and Neighbors of Glen Ellyn. We are excited that Go Green is gaining traction in the village and that it’s efforts are being noticed! Read articles below.
Go Green for Earth Day in the April Neighbors of Glen Ellyn.
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The Stroll: Click the button below to read a pdf of the article
Neighbors of Glen Ellyn: Read the article pdf by clicking the button below.