Evanston Wins Governor's Sustainability Award

A notice from the city of Evanston.

Twenty-five Illinois companies and organizations have been honored for their significant achievements in protecting the environment, helping sustain the future, and improving the economy. The 2011 award winners include the City of Evanston. The Governor's Sustainability Awards were presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) during a luncheon in Champaign. ISTC is a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. Since 1987, ISTC has presented Governors awards to organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices. Any Illinois public or private organization is eligible to apply for an award. “In …

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About Town

Evanston's Dog Days Of Summer

Soak them up while you can.

The other day I overheard someone say,  "The weather's always gorgeous in Evanston in the fall." Thinking back over these last 14 years here, I have to agree.  It's really never too hot, and it's not quite sweater weather.  It's that perfect in-between weather, when one outfit works the whole day: no changing from a bathing suit into regular clothes; no layering for warmth. Sure, there's always a thunderstorm or a chilly blast of wind whipping off the lake to remind us the weather's sliding ever so slowly toward winter.  But these days, while the temps are just about perfect, while the Impatients are in full bloom and the grass is still a lovely shade of summer green, I absolutely love our weather.  The leaves haven't let go of their …

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EPL Gets New Energy-Efficient Cooling Units

Old cooling units at the library were replaced with new, lighter, energy-efficient units Tuesday.

Evanston residents looking up in the sky Tuesday morning got to watch two giant cooling units being removed from the Evanston Public Library. The 13,000 lb. cooling units were replaced with new, 9,800 lb. energy-efficient units as part of the city's 2011 Capital Improvement Project program. "The new units are smaller, energy efficient and use an environmentally friendly gas to generate cooling for the building," the city said in a release about the units. "The city has been pre-approved for a $16,000 rebate through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for replacing them." The process went off with minimal disruption to residents and traffic, the city said, though they noted that the hoisting, removing, and setting …

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School Battery Recycling Collection No Longer Allowed

Batteries recycled at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County must be brought in by individuals, not schools.

Schools are not allowed to collect batteries and bring them in bulk to be recycled at the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County, according to a release from the City of Evanston. The city said that a school in another district had been collecting batteries and dropping them off as a large collection, instead of making people recycle their batteries individually. However, when the batteries are dropped off by the school they are technically considered commercial waste rather than residential waste, even when the waste comes from residents. Other companies who have similar collections are also barred from collecting batteries to recycle. "SWANCC operates its special material collection program under the Universal Waste Law, which is …

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About Town

Does This Toilet Make My Plant Look Crappy?

Sorry ... couldn't help myself.

YES Green Living, a one-month-old shop in northwest Evanston, caught my eye as I drove east on Central Street this week.  It wasn't the store itself (connected to The Great FrameUp) that stopped me.  It was the toilet out front, sporting foliage. I stopped in to introduce myself, and met YES Green Living's father and son proprietors, Joel and Mitchell Furlett.  From the minute I walked in, I felt this place had something. "How are you doing?" I asked the father, Joel.  "I'm old and I'm tired," he replied.  "But I'm here." I explained I'd never seen the store before, and that I write a column for Evanston Patch called About Town.  What followed was a friendly, impromptu tour of the place and a rain barrel of laughs.  These guys don't take …

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Evanston Business Scoops up Food Scraps

Evanston resident Erlene Howard's is encouraging residents to think twice about what they throw in the trash.

Erlene Howard wants those last few bites of sandwich you plan to throw away. And that apple core, while you're at it. She'll take whatever you've got, though she isn't hungry. Howard runs Collective Resource, Inc., a food scrap composting service. Collective Resource was born out of Howard's desire to eat food she calls "close to the ground"—a raw diet of fruit and vegetables eaten as soon after their harvest as possible.  A friend with a compost pile took many of the scraps left from Howard's kitchen, but when the two were unable to meet up, the scraps went into the dumpster. As she thought about the valuable nutrients going into already overflowing landfills, Howard, an independent bookkeeper, saw an opportunity. "A light bulb went off—I…

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