Waste Management is a proud environmental partner of the Buffalo Grove Park District.
Mission Statement
The Environmental Action Team of Buffalo Grove strives to raise awareness, improve our community’s natural environment and encourage sustainability practices for present and future generations.
2022 Events
The Environmental Action Team showed The Story of Plastics documentary on April 22 (Earth Day) at the Community Arts Center. This documentary film won an Emmy Award, and contains eye-opening footage about the international waste trade, global recycling realities, and the toxic effects of plastic production. We had great attendance and a great panelist team addressing this important topic.
BGEAT participated in the Lake County Adopt-a-Highway program twice, on April 10 and October 9. We do road cleanup on a section of Deerfield Parkway, and collect both trash and recyclables.
On May 7 we attended the dedication, tour and planting event at Green Lake Park that recognized the volunteering hours that our members gave towards the project.
BGEAT sponsored a very successful Green Fair on September 25 with 20 exhibitors who had information about improving our environment, and who accepted items for recycling and repurposing. We had support from local high school students, and newer members and their friends.
Our members volunteered to direct traffic for the Village/SWANCC document destruction event on November 5. Approximately 217 cars delivered 10,580 pounds of paper that was shredded, and will be recycled as long as there is less than 5% waste or plastics in it. Our volunteers braved a windy, rainy morning – they are dedicated!
Our volunteers helped out on November 27 at the seed processing event. Along with other volunteers from Scout Troop 140 and the Buffalo Grove Prairie Guardians, we cleaned 100 pounds of 84 species of prairie, wetland and woodland seeds. These seeds are being spread at our local parks and village sites, and have saved taxpayer dollars. Great job.
The Environmental Action Team Celebrates 14 Years
The Buffalo Grove Environmental Action Team has been actively working to improve the local environment through a wide range of activities.
- Healthy Habitats – We sponsor planting events to establish native trees and plants to restore prairies, woods and wetlands in our parks. We collect native seeds, and process and distribute them to be planted in our local natural areas.
- Green Fair – Our Green Fair at Mike Rylko Community Park has been running annually, except during the pandemic, since 2012. It features educational booths and opportunities to recycle a wide variety of household items.
- Reiner Park Arboretum – Members designed, secured funding for, and led volunteer events to establish a certified arboretum at Reiner Park.
- Recycling – We brought recycling to BG Days, and organized the first electronics recycling event in 2009. Now, we volunteer at the annual recycling event in conjunction with the Village and SWANCC.
- Energy Use – We promote alternative energy, and worked with the Village to implement the electrical aggregation program that purchases 100% green energy for Village residents.
- Transportation – Our members served on the Village bicycle commission.
- Clean Water – Our members founded the Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership, and conduct water quality assessments and projects called “best management practices” in the Buffalo Creek watershed.
- Clean Roadways & Parks – We formed an Adopt-A-Highway team to pick up litter along Deerfield Parkway twice a year. We do 2 annual stream cleanups along Farrington Ditch.
- Monarch Butterflies – Our members enrolled Buffalo Grove in the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, and pass out milkweed seeds at the Buffalo Grove Farmers Market and other local events.
- Sustainability – Members collaborate with the Village on their Environmental Plan and Sustainability Report.
Join us and share your pet environmental project. We can help you make it part of our mission!
Buffalo Creek Clean Water Partnership
Buffalo Grove is in the center of Chicago Wilderness, an area surprisingly rich in diversity and native species. Would you like to improve our local environment and meet other people with similar interests?
If so, join the Buffalo Grove Park District Environmental Action Team. As our name implies, we are an action team, and we are looking for new ideas to improve the environment in Buffalo Grove.
If you have questions, please contact Jeff Weiss at environmental@bgparks.org or 847.224.0965.
Summary of project that the Buffalo Grove Environmental Action Team participates in:
Summer
- The annual Green Fair in June – 20 exhibitors at Mike Rylko Community Park, with many informational and recycling collection booths.
Winter
- Members and volunteers from the Deer Grove East Forest Preserve process native seeds in December that were collected in the fall to be planted in Park District parks.
Spring
- Participate in the Deer Grove West Earth Day event in April.
- An Adopt-a-Highway road clean-up on Deerfield Parkway in May.
- A Mike Rylko Community Park Workday in May with community volunteers. Lake County Stormwater Management Commission has awarded a $500 grant for this event.
- Members assist in Riverwatch testing of the health of local streams in May.
Fall
- Traffic control at the SWANCC document destruction and electronic recycling event in September.
- An Adopt-a-Highway clean-up on Deerfield Parkway in October.
- A community seed collection at Mike Rylko Community Park in October.
