Sustainability

First, the Kane County Board approved 8 acres of Solar panels which will save the county over $5,000,000 over 25 years, with prevailing wage for our workers and careful negotiations with the neighbors about landscaping and tree planting to beautify the project.

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The Solar panels will also help to save the planet by keeping the equivalent of 6,000,000 miles driven by cars worth of pollution out of the atmosphere. Engineering drawings are underway. Groundbreaking will be in the spring.

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As the chair of the Energy and Environmental committee, my team opened a new recycling center in Aurora and promoted our first Saturday event. This recycling center is a big deal for Aurora, open Monday through Friday and taking a long list of things you can’t put at your curb.

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Our team created a new aggregation program, including green energy and meeting EPA standards, with a community contribution from our aggregator which will help with further sustainability goals.

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We are planning to increase electrical vehicle chargers in Kane County, hopefully funded with the Federal Infrastructure Bill. This will encourage more electrical vehicles on our roads, helping to make our air cleaner and greener.

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We passed our new Green Building policy, and we are using it to guide all development in our County Buildings.

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We are planning to adopt the new Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus Climate Action Plan for Kane County, with customizing the plan to our own needs and possibilities.

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Created an effort through the Energy and Environmental Committee to control the application of Dicamba and Roundup 2-4D to protect our trees and other plants.

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Starting a movement toward food scrap composting in Kane County.

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Initiating water projects through ARP funding, including a sustainable water plan for the future of Kane County and the entire Fox Valley.

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Laying plans for an Energy efficiency audit with ComEd.

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With the Forest Preserve of Kane County, working on plans for regenerative agriculture.