Conference Held on Greening Our Communities

The Jo Daviess-Carroll County Solid Waste Agency, in conjunction with the Jo-Carroll Extension Unit, hosted a conference on April 23rd for local government officials, business leaders, and interested individuals that focused on bringing together creative forces for environmental progress within our communities.

The Greening Our Communities: Resources, Ideas, & Collaboration conference was held at Buck's Barn in Thomson, IL and was well attended by local mayors, county board members, public works officials, and enthusiastic community members. Doug Scott, IL Environmental Protection Agency Director, was the keynote speaker and other speakers included Tim Ridder, Environmental Services Director for the City of Rock Island. Tim shared all of Rock Island's green initiatives and how their green team works together to implement the mission. Smart Energy Design assistance Center (SEDAC), represented by Andy Robinson, Energy Engineer; and Lee Trotter, representing IL DCEO, shared the resources their agencies have available. Jo-Carroll Energy spoke on the reasons to continue conserving energy and Prairie Works, Inc. provided information on how and why to retain community green spaces and put native landscaping in place to prevent erosion and save money.

It is anticipated that this conference will continue on an annual basis with new green challenges and topics. Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties have small communities and very limited budgets. One of the aims of this conference was to highlight the resources available to those communities and encourage networking and pooling of resources. For questions regarding the conference and future participation, contact Maggie Friedenbach, Recycling and Conservation Programs Coordinator, representing the University of Illinois Extension and the Jo-Carroll Solid Waste Agency, at 815-244-9444 or by email mfrieden@illinois.edu

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