Environmental, Forestry, & Sustainability Commission

Regular Meeting

Winnetka, IL · May 14, 2025

Minutes

WINNETKA ENVIRONMENTAL AND FORESTRY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MAY 14, 2025 A record of a legally convened meeting of the Environmental and Forestry Commission of the Village of Winnetka, which was held in the Council Chambers at Village Hall, 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: Chair Hanley called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Voting Members present: Chair Patrick Hanley and Commissioners Liz Kunkle, David Varca, Peter Eck, Tim Ring. A quorum of presently appointed members was present. Voting members absent: Gregory Frezados, Brandon Andrew. Village Council Representative present: Kim Handler and President Bob Dearborn. Student Representative absent: Scarlett Harper. Staff Liaison present: Elyse Steiner, Sustainability Coordinator. 1) Introduction & Chair’s Remarks: Chair Hanley announced he was stepping down from the Commission to run for IL State Senate. Commissioner Peter Eck has replaced him as Chair. 2) Public Comment: Ted Wynechenko and Patrick Hanley addressed the Commissioners. 3) Review and Approval of Minutes a) Approval of the March Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Ring, seconded by Commissioner Kunkle to approve the minutes as presented. AYES: KUNKLE , RING, VARCA, ECK. NAYS: NONE ABSENT: FREZADOS ANDREW 4) Old Business: None. 5) New Business a) Village Forestry update Village Forester, Andrew Lueck, gave a presentation on the scope and scale of responsibilities, challenges, and successes within the Village. There was some discussion of how we serve residents and can engage with them more going forward. b) Friends of the Green Bay Trail update Bryan Lammers represented the Friends of the Green Bay Trail and gave a presentation about the plans for the Trail in Winnetka, where they have removed invasive Buckthorn and will be planting beneficial native plants. The Village has worked with the FGBT to haul debris, order the plants, and will contribute to an educational sign at Ash Street. It may be possible to have the Ash Street plot designated a Hometown National Park, which recognizes hyper-local efforts to rebuild native habitat. c) Changes to EFC leadership and priorities Staffing changes were introduced earlier in the meeting during Chair’s Remarks. President Dearborn communicated his intention for the commission to act and deliver results. Trustee Handler wants to have a regular presence at the Farmers’ Market this year engaging with residents to promote initiatives and get feedback. She will follow up on scheduling and topics. She also voiced her support for finding solutions to the Village’s environmental challenges. d) Climate Action Plan Elyse solicited proposals from four consultants to support the Village’s Climate Action Plan. The Plan’s scope includes conducting a baseline GHG inventory, identifying actions to reduce emissions, and setting a long-term emission reduction target consistent with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. 6) Communications: Commissioners discussed the need for a better file sharing system to save, review, and edit EFC work products. Elyse agreed to look into technical solutions to solve this problem. Elyse shared that communications should focus on services or programs available to residents rather than suggest behavioral changes. The EFC wants to conduct a review any past communications documents or timelines. 7) Commission/Staff Reports: With the elections finished and seats filled, Trustee Dearborn said the Caucus may be looking to conduct another Village survey. Commissioner Ring shared his research into road salt practices. Partnerships such as Salt Smart and NOAA’s Sea Grant program can support winter road salt practices to reduce waste and avoid excess salt washing into freshwater resources. For the June meeting, the EFC recommended a mid-year “status check” to review the first half of the year and plan for the second half. 8) Open Forum: None. 9) Adjournment: There being no further business, Chair Eck asked for a motion to adjourn which was moved by Commissioner Varca and seconded by Commissioner Kunkle. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote; the meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.

Agenda

Packet

Village of Winnetka Environmental and Forestry Commission Meeting May 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM Winnetka Village Hall Council Chambers - 510 Green Bay Road AGENDA 1. Introduction & Chair's Remarks 2. Public Comments 3. Review and Approval of Minutes a. April 9 EFC Meeting Minutes 4. Old Business Updates 5. New Business a. Village forester annual update b. Friends of the Green Bay Trail update c. Changes to commission appointments d. Climate action planning update 6. Communications a. Guidance from Comms Manager 7. Committee/Staff Reports 8. Open Forum 9. Adjournment NOTICE All agenda materials are available at villageofwinnetka.org (Government > Council Information > Agenda Packets & Minutes); the Reference Desk at the Winnetka Library; or in the Manager’s Office at Village Hall (2nd floor). The Village of Winnetka, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that all persons with disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting or have questions about the accessibility of the meeting or facilities, contact the Village ADA Coordinator, at 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois 60093, 847-716-3543; T.D.D. 847-501-6041. Page 1 of 4 WINNETKA ENVIRONMENTAL AND FORESTRY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 9, 2025 A record of a legally convened meeting of the Environmental and Forestry Commission of the Village of Winnetka, which was held in the Council Chambers at Village Hall, 510 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, Illinois, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Call to Order: Chair Hanley called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Voting Members present: Chair Patrick Hanley and Commissioners Elizabeth Kunkle, Gregory Frezados, David Varca, Peter Eck. A quorum of presently appointed members was present. Voting members absent: Tim Ring, Brandon Andrew. Village Council Representative present: Bob Dearborn. Student Representative absent: Scarlett Harper. Staff Liaison present: Elyse Steiner, Sustainability Coordinator. 1) Introduction & Chair’s Remarks: Chair Hanley remarked that EFC should look for ways to promote sustainability in other areas and incentivize residents to change behaviors. 2) Public Comment: None 3) Review and Approval of Minutes a) Approval of the March Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Eck, seconded by Commissioner Kunkle to approve the minutes as presented. AYES: KUNKLE, FREZADOS, VARCA, ECK, HANLEY. NAYS: NONE ABSENT: RING, ANDREW 4) Old Business Updates: a) 2025 Green Award Elyse shared the slides to accompany the award winner presentation. Commissioners Hanley, Kunkle, and Frezados plan to attend and will each present an award at the April 15 Village Council meeting. Elyse will work with Josie on: communicating awards in the weekly email to residents, including a summary in the summer Winnetka Record, and updating the Green Award web page with this year’s winners. Elyse will ask winners if addresses can be revealed. Page 2 of 4 b) Making Music Festival and other public events zero-waste Chair Hanley will reach out to Scott Meyers on ways to include sustainable practices in Music Fest planning (refillable water bottle stations, compostable cups, etc.). Could also talk with SPACE about their practices and suggestions to do more. Commissioner Varca reported that Village has no mention of sustainability in public event permit applications. Fourth of July festivities managed by Park District. Steel drums used for trash and recycling are indistinguishable in the dark and no effort to avoid comingling/ contamination. Some better waste management practices could be adopted and possible grant money could be found to help pay for them. Children’s Fair coming up Jun 6-7 is another opportunity to reduce waste. LRS, GoGreen Winnetka, and Public Works support this event. Elyse to meet with Commissioner Kunkle in a follow up meeting to brainstorm ideas. c) Commission name change Commissioners discussed and voted to expand commission name to reflect Sustainability as a priority and within its purview. Unanimously agreed on Environmental, Forestry, and Sustainability Commission (EFSC) as the new preferred name. The recommendation will be brought before Village Council for consideration. AYES: KUNKLE, FREZADOS, VARCA, ECK, HANLEY. NAYS: NONE ABSENT: RING, ANDREW 5) New Business a) Chicago River Day and Earth Day President-elect Dearborn will give remarks at the Chicago River Day event taking place at the Skokie Lagoons on May 10. EFC Commissioners were invited to participate in the clean-up project. No Earth Day events were planned by the Village for this year, but will consider doing something next year or support/ promote other events in the Village. b) Lawn equipment take-back or rebate program Trustee Dearborn said the Village is still working on enforcing the leaf-blower ban. Unsure how this type of program would work or how to fund. Naperville has started their own rebate program, so could possibly learn more about how theirs is run. c) Additional environmental partnerships or designations Page 3 of 4 Commissioners expressed interest in other certifications or partnership programs like Tree City USA and Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Elyse mentioned some others such as Bee City and EV Ready and offered to send out a more comprehensive list. Andrew Lueck will give a forestry update at the May EFC meeting. Elyse will invite Friends of the Green Bay Trail representative to also present an update of their plans at the May meeting. 6) Communications: EFC Commissioners would like to resume adding sustainability-oriented communications to the weekly Village emails. Commissioner Eck proposed drafting a blurb to promote biking/ sustainable mobility alternatives for June. Elyse said she would find out if Josie keeps a list of seasonal items and what type of communications would be acceptable. Elyse also said she would develop a list of ideas raised by the EFC for further reflection. She will also attend Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus Environmental Committee meetings and give read-outs to the EFC. 7) Commission/Staff Reports: With the elections finished and seats filled, Trustee Dearborn said the Caucus may be looking to conduct another Village survey. Elyse Steiner summarized recent activity related to the IMEA contract extension deliberations. 8) Open Forum: None. 9) Adjournment: There being no further business, Chair Hanley asked for a motion to adjourn which was moved by Commissioner Varca and seconded by Commissioner Eck. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote; the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Page 4 of 4