Growing Green
Discover the wildlife from the Des Plaines to the West Side Page B6
Want to play to your strengths? Get composting
Oak Park’s composting e or ts reach new heights
By MARTHA BRENNAN Contributing Reporter
The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the warmth is upon us, which means one thing: it’s composting season. Well, this may be the case in any other town. But in Oak Park, it’s always composting season.
In 2024, the village won the Pathfinder Award from the Illinois Recycling Foundation. Erica Helms, environmental services manager in Oak Park’s public works de par tment, said the award praised Oak Park’s “successful year-round residential food scrap collection.”
T he award noted Oak Park’s ef for ts provide “excellent guidance for other communities.”
But how does Oak Park do it? It goes back 12 years.
The village has demonstrated its ability to unite in protecting the Ear th since 2013, when Oak Park implemented a “villagewide” composting ef fort, according to the Chicago Tribune The program provided par ticipants – who pay a monthly fee that be g an at $14 and now sits at $16.31 in 2025 – with a 96-g allon container to be placed adjacent to trash and recycling bins.
Twelve years later, the program still stands. Only now, in 2025, there are fewer obstacles than in previous years, making the composting process easier than ever
This is thanks to the construction of Whole Ear th Compost, a facility whose existence allows for cer tainty that all of Oak Park’s compost has a final destination, where it can then be tur ned into soil.
The facility is located on Chicago’s
See COMPOSTING on pa ge B4
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Compost tea soil feedings
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OPRF’s geothermal system to be completed this summer
$12.5 million heating and cooling system, under the football eld, expected to save the distric and reduce carbon emissions
By HOPE BAKER Contributing Reporter
The installation of a geother mal heating system under the football field at Oak Pa Forest High School is expected to be c summer, in advance of the start of football practic
“The status of the project is actually going considering the cold winter that we had,” said mann, OPRF’s director of construction.
Geother mal heating and cooling systems earth’s stable temperature to ef ficiently heat buildings. The system will provide 100% of cooling, and ventilation for the high school’s education facilities, known as Imagine OPRF new facilities are currently being built in wing of the building.
An analysis comparing the geother mal system to a more traditional boiler-and-chiller system found that geothermal will save the district roughly $385,000 per year while reducing CO2 emissions by an amount equivalent to driving an average passenger car 504,984 miles
“There are big savings in the utility costs,” Bergmann said.
The $12.5 million geother mal project began in November 2024, with the removal of the turf. Since then, the instillation of 240 geother mal wells, each descending 500 feet into the earth, has been underway.
There are only 25 wells left to drill, according to Bergmann, so that portion of the project will be completed by the first week of May, with expectations that the system will be
UNDERGROUND: e geothermal system draws energy from 500 feet below ground.
fully installed in July.
The system is being installed by Veregy, a self-described provider of energy-efficient solutions Once the wells are complete, the contractors will start working on horizonal piping that will connect the wells.
Once the project is completed, the 240 geother mal wells will all contain fluid. Electric pumps will circulate that fluid in and out of the school. In the summer, heat from the
school will be transferred into the ground. During the winter, heat will be extracted from the ground and transferred nto school.
Project 2, which is part of a long-ter m capital projects lan, includes a new pool, multi-use gyms, locker rooms, PE classrooms and a weight room. The expected completion date of Project 2 is summer 2026.
“The geother mal field that we’re installing now is only designed to heat and cool Project 2,” Bergmann said.
Of the $12.5 million cost of the project, approximately $10.5 million is being spent on the actual installation, while the remaining $2 million will go toward replacing the drainage and the turf on the field. However, this cost does not inlude what are expected to be significant federal rebates.
The geother mal system aligns with District 200’s ambitious Sustainability Policy, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 45% of 2012 levels by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Geother mal is more ef ficient than gas or electric heat and emits no greenhouse gases.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to do another project like this in the future for a different part of the building,” Bergmann said.
The final part of the system’s installation will entail putting the turf back on the field, which Bergmann said will take three or four weeks.
“That’s anticipated to be a big project,” Bergmann said. Since the football team begins practice at the beginning of August, Bergmann said it’s important that construction of the geother mal system is complete by the July deadline.
“We should be in great shape at the end of July for when the kids come back and football practices start,” he said.
CO
Growing Green 2025
COMPOSTING
southeast side and is built on top of a for mer landfill. conclude the composting process, the facility processes composted items that have been collected by Lakeshor Recycling Systems and transfer red to a transfer station in Maywood.
Once compost arrives at the facility, it gets divided i two categories: “green” and “brown.” The “brown” category includes yard waste and “dry material”, while “green” primarily includes “wet” items, such as food scraps Helms explained the positive impact this facility on Oak Pa rk’s composting ventures
“In the past, it has been that there weren’ t that many places to take composting, but now there’s been a lot of funding and legislation that supports that,” she said.
This bodes well for the future of Oak Park’s composting ef forts.
“We’ re able to expand our progr ams and then make sure it gets composted,” said Helms.
Oak Park’s compost successes owe to the village’s multiple drop-off sites. These sites allow residents to avoid paying the $16.31 compost pick-up fee and still take part in the community’s composting ef forts.
Currently, there are five drop-off locations, but Helms is
optimistic about adding more. They are located at 1010 N. Ridgeland Ave., 1125 Ontario St., 720 North Blvd., 102 N. Lombard Ave., and 207 Garfield St.
Helms said the village is also wo rk ing on holding future partnerships with the two school districts, D97 and D200, to encourage students to c ollaborate in an ef fo rt to “beautify” the drop-off sites in order to increase c omp osting pa rt icipation.
Oak Park will celebrate International Compost Awareness Week, which runs from May 4-10. This will most likely be highlighted the following week at the village’s board meeting on Tuesday, May 13, according to the village clerk’s office.
Composting harvests tremendous environmental benefits, such as its contribution to reducing methane emissions, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases.
“When your trash goes to the landfill, it all just gets, like, compacted down and into an anaerobic environment that causes more methane to be released,” said Helms. “If you divert your compost to a facility that aerates it, it breaks down properly. There is much, much, much less methane coming of f of it.”
Helms made a call to action.
“The more people we get signed up and the more compost we divert from the landfill, the less methane will be released,” she said.
For information on how to get involved, and updates on Oak Park’s composting journey, visit https://www oak-park us/ Services-Parking/Waste-Recycling/Compostable-Program
Earth Day,
more than a day but a way of life
Re ections on protecting our world all year round, and advice to check out OP’s many sustainability events
ell before most scientists about climom was onserving water, ring the thermostat, the amount of plastic rything from her make-
he was a registered nurse and an avid , but in another life, she could have ved lear n-
ry episode of the PBS documentary with the intensity of a bio major cramming
PROVIDED
Germaine Caprio’s mom understood the fragility of the earth well before others paid attention. She’s seen here with Germaine’s brothers.
sneak into the kitchen to remind us not to run the water. “Kids, don’t use clean water to rinse dirty dishes,” she’d say. “Someday water will be a pricey commodity and we’ ll be fighting to save it.” Then she’d grab one of the dirty pots, place it in the sink, fill it with water and swish the dirty dishes and silverware through it before loading them into the dishwasher.
Running the faucet was no longer an option, and it still isn’t in my house
I am too young to remember the first Earth Day in 1970, but as the years went on, I remember my mom saying, “It’s great they created one day to honor our Earth, but we need to take care of it every day. They should declare an Earth Month and take more time to educate people on what’s happenrld.”
she was stealthily schooling us on preserving ecosystems and saving endangered species before we even knew what Ear th Day was “Kids,” she always started that way, “did you know they’re leveling a beautiful prairie just west of the city to build some awful strip mall?” We’d shrug our shoulders and scoop another spoonful of Cheerios. “Where will all the creatures tha live there go? All the butterflies, bumble bees and frogs, not to mention the birds, foxes and other wildlife that called that field home?”
We’d never thought about them before...but to this day, I can’t pass a construction site without thinking the same thing. After dinner, we’d stack the dishes in the sink when she’d
I’m pretty sure my mom would be thrilled to w that’s exactly what the Village of Oak ’s Sustainability Office and its local tners are doing. Over this month and in celebration of Earth Month, there have been at least nine nearby events to teach and inspire all of us to take care of our planet.
They have included an Eco-Extravaganza at the Oak Park Public Library to a Clean Energy Open House. The Trailside Museum showed people how to create pollinator pockets in their own yard by making a seed bomb. Currently, the One Ear th Film Festival is underway with films on how to reform school lunches and many other topics. w my mom would have been at every one of these events, urging us to go with her, because she knew by protecting our planet, she protected the ones she loved.
Come join us, bring your kids and become their stealthy science teacher, because these are the lessons that will stay with them forever.
Spring Prep Alert
As you are well aware, we experienced a very unseasonable winter: total snowfall of 16 inches, coupled with large variations in warm and cold temperatures.
To add insult to injury, spring has gotten off to a cold start. Because of this, here are some things to be on the lookout for:
Perennials – the cold start has delayed emergence of many perennials and ornamental grasses. It will take time and warmth to encourage them to begin their spring growth. Be patient before assuming they did not survive the winter.
Groundcover – we have seen significant dieback to groundcover, especially those that are evergreen/semi-evergreen, due to the lack of snow cover and multiple freeze/thaw events.
Turf – even with little snow cover, there has been evidence to suggest that winter fungal diseases have caused damage, dependent on conditions. Shady, less-ventilated areas may be showing more signs of damage. Insects – we anticipate more insect pests for the upcoming growing season due to lack of extended cold and longduration freeze. Be on the lookout for pest damage on plants and turf.
Unfortunately, we are at the weather’s mercy, so paying close attention to your landscape will help ensure you recognize problems early and take proper action so your landscape can thrive in 2025.
Scott McAdam Jr.
ese pins show gardens/landscapes that feature native plants and suppor t w ildlife on the West Side and near west suburbs.
Wildlife corridor stretches from the Des Plaines to West Side
Native plants bring bees and butter ies, woodpeckers and warblers
wildlife corridor is a strip of habitat that wildlife can use to get from one natural area to annonprofit West Cook Wild Ones decided to create a wildlife corridor bes West Side and the Des Plaines
A decade later, more than 200 people throughout rest and Forest Park have gardens as part of that
in a heavily urban environment with a lot of ildings and roads, so it would a continuous strip of green ve steppingstones,” said Laura Hartwell-Berlin, president of the group. “It’s like bitat patches between the West Side of r.”
is one composed of plants which are raphic re gion. These plants
have evolved to thrive in the local climate, soil, and wildlife interactions, creating a diverse and self-sustaining ecosystem. Locally, West Cook Wild Ones promotes native gardening through education and advocacy
According to Hartwell-Berlin, the reason it’s important to plant native plants as opposed to non-native plants is because native plants and native insects have evolved together for thousands of years. As a result, they have a close relationship. In many instances, native insects that eat plants can only use native species as their host plants.
“Most insects that eat plants don’t reco gnize non-native plants as a food source, which I know seems bizar re, but it’s true,” said Hartwell-Berlin. “So native plants help feed the native insects and then the native insects feed the rest of wildlife, like birds, small mammals and amphibians.”
Hartwell-Berlin said the Wildlife Corridor project is mainly focused on flying creatures, since they need to be able to get from one patch to the next.
“Unfortunately, this is not a very friendly environment for amphibians,” she said.
Examples of plants that are native to the area and help wild-
CREDIT: WILD ONES WEST COOK
Growing
WALK THIS WAY: A front yard native garden in Oak Park attracts bees and butte
life thrive are Purple Coneflowers, Browneyed Susans, Wild Bergamots, Milkweed and Prairie Dropseed. A native tree, the Bur Oak, is a great start for providing a
Stephanie Walquist, a founding member of West Cook Wild Ones, didn bees or butterflies when she first mo Oak Park in 2011, so she set out to do somewildlife corridors so decided to create this corridor linking oods to Columbus Pa
7443 Madison St, Forest Park (708) 657-4230
Wild Ones adds the addresses of the new participant to the organization’s Wildlife Corridor map.
“Our mission as an organization is to have thriving native plant communities surrounding us,” Hartwell-Berlin said.
A decade later, Walquist oflant gardens and parkways that een turned into refug es throughout the com-
I see lots of different kinds
Walquist said. “Over seemed to be a
Specific creatures she has of since the project monarch butterfl
vity and making a difference,” Walquist said “You can see, on the map, how your individual patch makes an impact. It’s kind of empowe
To learn more about the Wildlife Corridors project and to view their map, westcook.wildones.org/wildlife-corridor/
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Growing Green 2025
