Committees & Commissions
Leading the Village of Oswego
ECO Commission
REUSE & RECYCLE EXTRAVAGANZA – Saturday April 17th
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Reuse & Recycle Extravaganza & Earth Day Celebration
This year’s celebration will take place on Saturday April 17th, from 8:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Oswego Public Works Facility, 100 Theodore Dr. This event is only made possible with the help of its wonderful volunteers. To volunteer, please call Community Development, 630.554.3622 or email at eco@oswegoil.org. Volunteering at the Extravaganza is a great way to help your community, and the Earth! Volunteers should be middle school age and older.
Click here for a list of items that will be accepted.
GREEN BUSINESS AWARD
Apply for our 2nd Annual Green Business Award – EXTENDED DEADLINE
Is your business green? ECO wants to recognize local businesses who have worked hard to incorporate green practices into their everyday business life. Apply to win ECO’s Green Business Award and get the recognition your business deserves! Open to all Oswego businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governmental bodies. Click here for more information and to download the application.
Click here for more information and to download the application.
Do You Have Old Recycle Bins?
The ECO Commission is looking for your old recycle bins. ECO is continuing their recycle bin distribution program to our schools
for the kids to recycle; in 2008, ECO delivered 49 recycle bins to our local schools. If you have some stored away please contact Alison Giangrasse, at eco@oswegoil.org.
 Conservation @ Home
Come join the ECO Commission the 1st Monday of every month for the new Environmental Speaker Series and learn more about ways to conserve resources in your home!
Join the Environmentally Conscious Oswego (ECO) Commission at Village Hall the 1st Monday of every month to learn simple things you can do around your home to conserve resources and save money. Events will cover topics like native landscaping, rain barrels, electricity in your homes, rain gardens, and much more!
The events are free and everyone is welcome to join us! No RSVP is necessary. For more questions please contact Alison Giangrasse, agiangrasse@oswegoil.org; (630) 554-3622. Thank you, we look forward to seeing you!
January's Conservation @ Home Presentation - Home Wind Energy
1. Cascade SWIFT Turbine Brochure 
2. SWIFT Wind Turbine Data Sheet
2. Small Wind 101: An Overview of Small-Scale Wind Electric Systems
  
 ECO would like to thank everyone who participated in the September 26th Reuse and Recycle Extravaganza!
As always, we are proud to say that the event was a huge success and all because of the generous citizens, enthusiastic volunteers and hardworking vendors. Our next Extravaganza will be held in April 2010; we look forward to seeing you there!
Here’s why Making Clean Air Count with Energy Efficient Lighting in your home is so important:
What can save you more than $8,000 over 30 years and also improve your ability to read at night? Energy-efficient lighting, of course.
By replacing standard bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs, you can save about $78 a year, assuming a three-bulb purchase year. While the initial purchase of an energy-efficient bulb might result in a higher-than-average price, the savings incurred through their efficient use of energy and long operating life can offset the initial pinch of the item’s cost.
To get the maximum cost benefit from these bulbs, they should be used in fixtures that are left on for hours at a time – like outdoor lanterns or security floodlights, hallways, landings, or your most lived-in rooms. A compact florescent light bulb costs about $8, but can last 10 times longer than a regular bulb. Better yet, these bulbs use about 75 percent less energy, saving the average homeowner approximately $26 in energy bills over the bulb’s lifetime.
Benefits of energy-efficient lighting practices include:
- Reduced emissions of nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide into the environment for better air quality
- Improve electricity system reliability
- Reduced electrical and cooling loads in buildings
- Lower electricity costs (roughly 10-15%)
- Lower maintenance costs
- More appropriate lighting levels
- Natural lighting is aesthetically pleasing
Find out how you can make Clean Air Count by visiting www.cleanaircounts.org. Make your home and/or community a leader at making our air cleaner, our quality of life better and our home climate more inviting.
Clean Air Counts is a six-county Chicago regional initiative of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region V, City of Chicago and Illinois EPA. It seeks significant reductions in smog-forming pollutants and energy consumption.
Clean Air Counts is made possible through the support of The Chicago Community Trust, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Grand Victoria Foundation, Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
E-RECYCLE INFORMATION
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING:
2nd & 4th Saturday of each month
Time: 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Location: Behind the Public Works Facility (100 Theodore Dr., Oswego)
Click here for a map
Oswego’s ECO Commission Collected 74.53 TONS of Electronics in 2009!
Thank you to everyone who has dropped off electronics! In 2009, 149,058 pounds or 74.53 TONS of electronics were kept out of the landfills!
Since the program began in August 2007, a total of 226,153 pounds or 113.08 TONS have been collected!
Thank you to everyone who has donated and to everyone who donates in the future. Together you are keeping tons of electronics out of the landfills.
The following items are accepted at E-Recycle events: Computers, monitors, all types of memory sticks, printers, laptops and laptop accessories, all hard drives, power cables, all networking equipment (hubs, routers, servers, switches, etc.), fax machines, photocopiers, small kitchen appliances, radios, microwaves, keyboards, speakers, and cell phones will be accepted. Please do your part to keep these items out of the landfills.
The program is free, but donations to the program are welcome and appreciated! For further assistance, contact Community Development, or email us at eco@oswegoil.org.
Green Business Award
Click here to download the 2010 Green Business Award Application
The Environmentally Conscious Oswego Commission, partnered up with the Oswego Economic Development Corporation, and the Oswego Chamber of Commerce to recognize local businesses who have worked hard to incorporate green practices into their everyday business life. It was decided to award the business with a Green Business Award. All businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government bodies were encouraged to apply.
The application focused on seven topics:
- General Practices
- Energy
- Water
- Administration & Finance
- Facility Management & Maintenance
- Transportation
- Community & Awareness Promotion
Once received, the applications were brought before a panel of judges including, Michael Cassa, Oswego Economic Development Corporation, Executive Director; Alison Giangrasse, Planner; George Stenitzer, ECO Commission, Chairman; Ellen Von Ohlen, ECO Commissioner; Rod Zenner, Director of Community Development.
After reviewing the applications, it was clear than many types of businesses work hard to implement green strategies everyday which in turn increases environmental awareness, and business efficiency and quality, while decreases the amount of refuse, energy use, and costs associated with the business. The following businesses have been recognized:
2009 Green Business Award Winners:
  Fruitful Yield: Green Award, Retail
Fruitful Yield, located at 1124 Douglas Road, not only incorporates green practices at the local level, but also at the corporate level. Fruitful Yield donates to four different environmental groups: SCARCE, World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Natural Conservancy of Illinois. At their store in Oswego, Fruitful Yield uses only biodegradable cleaning supplies and corn based plastic bags. They work hard to support local farmers and organic farming. Fruitful Yield strongly opposes the use of chemicals on food crops which can damage not only the food but the soil and water as well. They have two work days a year with the Sustainable Design Challenge which is a group of high school students learning about green building design.
  Oswego Community School District #308: Green Award, Institutional
School District #308 has a total of 1,621 employees, making it our largest applicant. They have been recognized by the American School & University magazine by receiving the Green Cleaning Award for 2008. Much of their efforts began in 2004, when all staff was trained for using Envirox line of Green Seal products. They tested the products forone month against the existing products. Employees were then surveyed on the two products; the green products received a favorable score. As a result all 20 schools switched to the Envirox line in early 2005. The new products have improved air quality within the schools and in turn are better for students with allergies and asthma. Since April of 2004, District #308 has saved approximately $2.5 million on gas and electric bills by using Energy Education procedures and guidelines.
  Schoppe Design Associates:
Green Award, Office
Schoppe Design Associates, is a landscape architecture and land planning firm located at 126 South Main Street. All of their office equipment is Energy Star or Energy Saver. Schoppe Design Associates uses vinegar to clean sinks, toilets and glass. As a landscape architecture firm, Schoppe makes an effort to partner with companies that are also environmentally conscious to create sustainable solutions like the Conservation Foundation. To stay informed and increase environmental efficiency, Staff members are training to become Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professionals (LEED). Schoppe Design Associates also participates in the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Center for Green Technology, and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Green Business Award Finalists and ways in which they are green:
Green View, Green Business Award Finalist, Retail
Precision Packaging Green Business Award Finalist, Industrial
Scott Eye Care Green Business Award Finalist, Health Care
Spotless Car Wash Green Business Award Finalist, Service
The ECO Commission would like to thank all of the businesses that submitted applications. Your efforts are outstanding and do not go unnoticed. Because of the positive response that this award has generated, and the efforts our local business have been making, ECO is making the Green Business Award an annual award. ECO encourages businesses to become even greener, and apply for the Green Business Award 2010 next spring.
Click here to download the 2010 Green Business Award Application
  
 Fox River Clean Up
Oswego’s Environmentally Friendly Oswego (ECO) Commission along with Friends of the Fox worked very hard on June 6th to clean our very own Fox River. Together we removed about 50 bags of trash or more than 1,000 pounds from the River and shorelines! Steve Kirchen was the winner of the $25 gift card for removing the most unique item – a battery operated crawling baby Mickey Mouse doll! Please mark your calendars, the next River Clean Up will be August 15th. Contact George Stenitzer 630-215-6751, or email Alison Giangrasse (agiangrasse@oswegoil.org) for more details or to volunteer.
What is ECO?
Our Vision, Objectives and Guiding Principles
The function of the Environmentally Conscious Oswego (ECO) Commission is to protect and improve today’s environment for the future by providing education to the Community on environmental issues, by educating and involving Oswego’s leadership on environmental issues and opportunities, by increasing conservation practices through hands-on activities, and by reviewing Village environmental ordinances and contracts in order to suggest areas of improvement.
Village of Oswego Recycling Program
Newsletters
Recycling Links and Info
Education
Ordinances
Planning & Design
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