Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission

About

The mission of the Skokie Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission is to be a resource for the Mayor and Board of Trustees, informing them how their actions and policies may impact the Village of Skokie on an Environmental basis.

Meetings

Fourth Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.
View the Village meetings calendar

Agendas and Minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings and are posted on the Village website. Minutes are available following approval.
View Agendas and Minutes

Members

Jennifer Grossman, Chair
Jim McNelis, Vice Chair
Christopher Buccola
Andrew D. DeCanniere
Michael Gershbein
Lisa Gotkin
Alma Likic
Olivia Mahoney
Rick Moskovitz

Emily Okallau
Robert Render
Charles Saxe

Trustee Liaisons
Khem Khoeun
Ralph Klein

Staff Liaisons
Max Slankard
Elizabeth Zimmerman

The Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission has up to 12 members.

Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission Vacancies: 0
Interested in serving on one of the Village's advisory boards or commissions?
Online, Interactive Board Member Application

Connect with us! Have a comment, concern, or suggestion for the commission? Email Sustainability@skokie.org

More Information

Sustainability Plan and Greenhouse Gas Inventory

On November 21, 2022 the Village Board approved the new Environmental Sustainability Plan, which will help guide the Village's programs, policies, and actions through 2030. Among the goals set forth in the plan is a 35 percent reduction in community-wide greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more about the Village's new Environmental Sustainability Plan!

View or download the 2022 Environmental Sustainability Plan (PDF)
View or download the 2016 - 2021 Environmental Sustainability Plan (PDF).
View or download the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report (PDF).

Skokie Recycling Program Brochure

View or download information about the Village's numerous residential recycling initiatives.

Collective Resource Offers Curbside Food Scrap Collection

See a video about composting through the Collective Resource program.

At the December 16, 2019 Village Board meeting, Village officials approved a franchise agreement for a residential and commercial food scrap program that, beginning January 1, 2020, will be offered to Skokie residents by Collective Resource of Evanston. Skokie residents and business owners who subscribe to the new service will receive a five-gallon bucket or 32-gallon toter cart for separated food scraps. Customers will receive weekly or biweekly (every other week) collection. After collection, the food scrap is transported to a commercial composting facility. The service fee varies depending on container size and collection frequency. An average family of four generates 37 pounds of food scrap each week that could be composted instead of sent to a landfill. For more information or to sign up for the program, visit Collective Resource. Questions can also be directed to info@skokie.org or call Skokie Public Works at 847/933-8427.

SWANCC Green Pages Reuse and Recycling Directory

Are you looking to dispose of a particular item but aren’t sure how to properly do so? The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) Green Pages is a wonderful resource, which can direct you to various organizations and retailers in the area that have the ability to either donate used items or recycle them. To access SWANCC’s Green Pages directory, please click here.

Backyard Composting

The Skokie Village Board approved amendments to the Village Code, allowing composting of certain household food scraps, in addition to yard waste, on single family residential properties. All composting must use approved containers. The code change was recommended by the Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission, as encouraging residents to compost food scraps and yard waste is an objective of the 2016 Skokie Environmental Sustainability Plan. Compostable food scraps include fruit peels, vegetable scraps, eggshells, and coffee grounds. Dairy, oils, processed foods, and animal products such as meat are not permissible items to add to home composting. Because food scraps in compost bins can be an attractant to rodents and other pests, only compost containers that are sealed on all sides with holes smaller than 1/4” will be allowed. The Village is offering residents a $25 rebate with proof of purchase of a commercially available composting container that meets these requirements. For more information, contact Public Works at 847/933-8427.

Solar in Skokie

The Village of Skokie is receiving a Bronze designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar.

Skokie is a member of the North Shore Electricity Aggregation Consortium (NSEAC). The Consortium has partnered with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to launch the state's largest community solar program through the CS2 Residential and Small Commercial Program, which provides consumers easy and immediate access to new community solar farms in northern Illinois. A community solar project is a single site solar installation that is shared by multiple consumers (termed "subscribers"). Each subscriber receives credits for their share of the electricity generated by their community solar installation (termed "net metering credits"). These net metering credits reduce the amount of electricity charged to the subscriber's account each month to yield cost savings. With community solar, subscribers can reduce their monthly electric bills with solar without installing solar panels on their house or business. Subscribers will save 20% off the supply portion of their electricity bill. It is also an easy way to support clean energy generation in Illinois. In addition, you do not have to invest in solar rooftop panels, which may not be right for everyone.

To join the waitlist, visit the North Shore Community Solar website.

Interested in installing solar panels? The Village of Skokie is solar-friendly! Click here to view the solar permit application.

Textile Recycling

Skokie's partner for textile recycling is a company called Simple Recycling. They will be transitioning to scheduled pick-ups in 2022. Scheduled pick-ups are environmentally friendly because the program will reduce emissions by traveling fewer miles. Please call 1-866-835-5068 to schedule a pick-up. Pick-ups will now occur at the front door. You no longer need a special orange bag - just use your own boxes and bags. Click here for a list of accepted items.

For your safety, if you opt to use Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or other online services to buy/sell items or to lend/borrow items, you are encouraged to engage in such transactions in the lobby of the Skokie Police Department (located at 7300 Niles Center Rd.) rather than in a private setting (such your own residence).

Front Yard Gardening and Hoop Houses

Urban gardening is a growing hobby in more ways than one! Gardening is fun, it is good exercise, it is a great excuse to get outside, and it produces fresh, healthy food. Urban gardens are environmentally sustainable - they reduce your "foodprint" as fossil fuels are not used for transport. They support our local pollinators. Smaller scale gardens make it easier to grow produce organically. Did we mention they can save you money? Skokie supports both backyard and front yard gardening and hoop houses with minor restrictions.