A collage of words touting Oak Park’s “green” character decorates the wall behind trustees in the council chambers at Village Hall: “Cool City,” “Energy Efficient,” “LEED Certified.”
On the right, a slogan below the village’s green tree-like icon reads, “Oak Park: A Leader in Environmental Initiatives.”
But some say the village could do more to live up to that title.
“It would be wonderful to have you reverse your seating so you could look here and read this words as a constant reminder of putting nature at the table, putting nature with the expenditures, putting nature with all the decisions,” said Oak Park resident Anne White, during a discussion on a sustainability at a village board meeting Monday.
During the meeting, trustees talked about creating an intergovernmental organization that would promote environmental sustainability in Oak Park and neighboring communities.
Such an organization would be responsible for advising participating taxing bodies on various initiatives concerning energy and water use and conservation, green development and technologies, as well as more environmentally-friendly refuse polices, said Trustee Andrea Ott, who is leading the effort.
“We aren’t look to reinvent the wheel, but we’d rather like to facilitate collaboration among the organizations and the communities nearby,” Ott said. “We have made some progress … but there’s more that we can and should be doing.”
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Ott added that since the village’s sustainability manager resigned in March, there’s been “an unmet need” in furthering the village’s sustainability goals. The position, which was initially created in 2009, is not funded for the 2015 fiscal year, according to village staff.
The proposed organization would likely be funded by participating government bodies initially, “but built to become a self-sustaining organization,” according to the recommendation.
Trustees, White and other members of the public spoke in favor of the idea, saying it was good discussion to have.
“I don’t want the village to step back from its leadership role in this area,” said Trustee Bob Tucker. “These words behind us actually mean something. … We’ve made a lot of progress but there’s so much more to do.”
Leaders in neighboring River Forest and Forest Park have expressed interest in the idea, though River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci said she was not prepared to make any financial investment in an intergovernmental organization just yet.
“It’s in our best interest to all work together … but at this point in time … we wouldn’t invest because that’s just not the policy that River Forest often takes,” Adduci said, adding that the village board there recently entered into an agreement with the River Forest Parks Foundation, which will act as the village’s “policy arm” for sustainability issues.
The foundation is volunteering its services as part of the agreement, Adduci said.
“We’re a town of volunteerism,” she said. “(The foundation is) going to provide us with some direction and policies.”
Forest Park Mayor Anthony Calderone said on Thursday that while he has not discussed the idea with council members just yet, he is “intrigued” by the idea and willing to share the costs of staffing an organization.
“There’s a lot more to learn about and there’s a lot more discussion to take place and I’m looking forward to over the course of the next year our three communities coming together in a positive and meaningful way,” Calderone said.
Ott said in an interview that she plans to talk to more taxing bodies, community organizations and stakeholders who are passionate about sustainability in the coming months about what the organization should look like.
The village’s Environment and Energy Commission is also expected to make recommendation to the board about the idea, she added.
“I really want to make this a priority,” Ott said. “My hope is that by February or March that we’ll start getting things moving ahead.”