Environmental & Forestry Commission

Meetings

• 7 PM on the 2nd Wednesday of every month
• Village Hall
  510 Green Bay Road
  Winnetka, IL 60093

Agendas & Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval.
View Agendas and Minutes

Members

Purpose

The Commission consists of seven voting members, one or more student members, and one Village Trustee, who serves as an ex officio member. All members of the Commission are appointed by the Village President, with the advice and consent of the Trustees. The seven voting members of the Commission must be residents of the Village. Each student member is a high school junior or senior, or an undergraduate college student, who either resides in or attends school in the Village. Members of the EFC, aside from student members, serve for terms of three years, which are staggered to assure the Commission’s continuity. All members of the Commission must have experience, training or a demonstrable interest in areas including environmental science, forestry, ecology, energy conservation, tree preservation, education, pollution control, engineering, science and public health.

Duties

• Acts in an advisory capacity to the Village Council on matters relating to sustainability, the protection of the environment, the conservation of energy, the Village’s natural resources, recycling, and urban forestry.
• Acts as a liaison between the Village and other local and regional governmental, public and private agencies, such as the Winnetka Park District, area schools, Great Lakes Commission and Chicago Wilderness, for the purpose of obtaining information on matters related to the foregoing powers and duties of the Commission.
• Assists in disseminating information about protection of the environment, the conservation of energy, and the protection, maintenance and improvement of the Village's tree population.
• Makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding the adoption of "green" building strategies for public and private development and redevelopment, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
• Makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding the improvement of private energy stewardship by the Village's residents and businesses, including strategies for energy conservation, reduced energy consumption and access to renewable energy sources.
• Acts in an advisory capacity to the Village Council on matters relating to urban forestry, including the enhancement and preservation of trees in the Village, and methods to mitigate threats to trees in the Village.

Mission

To facilitate environmental and forestry stewardship, resource conservation and sustainability on a personal, local and regional level, to raise public awareness of environmental issues and best practices, and to bring about changes in public policy, where appropriate, through a collaborative, measurable, science-based process.

Commentary

Encouragement and facilitation involve education and changes in life style through ordinance and/or pricing of services, as well as expenditure of Village funds to provide the high performance infrastructure that facilitate stewardship and conservation. Sustainability requires utilizing the minimum number of resources to protect the environment, while maximizing the benefit for the producer and community, without compromising future generations. Accomplishing this mission requires integrated activity with the Village staff, other Winnetka boards, and governing bodies that serve the greater Winnetka area and region.