While the climate and sustainability are major issues worldwide, and are some of the highest-profile problems that world leaders are tackling, local leaders are also taking a look at how their communities can have a positive environmental impact on a smaller scale.
That includes Gurnee’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, which spoke Monday to the Village Board for the first time since its formation last year about how they can begin making an impact within the municipality.
The group was created in November of 2020 in order to examine the environmental needs of the Gurnee community, and consists of three members: Gurnee residents Shelley Lazarus, Rick Osa and Warren Township High School student Kaitlyn Salgado.
All three were in attendance at the meeting, and reported to the board about the findings of a recent survey that the group conducted.
The survey asked participants what they see as the top environmental concerns within Gurnee, and not surprisingly the main answer was ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from the Vantage Specialty Inc. plant, a chemical supplier at 3938 Porett Drive.
“Obviously, EtO is the big concern,” Lazarus said, while discussing the findings of the survey during the meeting.
According to a Friday update on the village website, Vantage is within its permitted emission cap. That was based on stack monitoring and fugitive emissions results that the village received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Vantage is allowed to emit 110 pounds of emissions annually, with no more than 60 pounds of that being fugitive emissions, meaning leaks or other irregular releases of gases or vapors from the facility.
So far this year, Vantage has released 11.48 pounds, with 5.71 of those being fugitive emissions. The most recent leak was detected in June, which was resolved the same day it was detected, according to the village website.
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Other significant concerns for survey participants included air quality and drinking water. Land management, which includes tree protection and invasive species, was also mentioned by participants as a concern, as well as noise from trains and Six Flags.
The survey was taken by 274 people, of which 90% are Gurnee residents and 10% are nonresidents who either work in Gurnee or “have an interest in Gurnee,” according to Salgado.
Nearly 60% of the residents that responded said that they have lived in Gurnee for more than 16 years, and 97% of the residents own their homes.
Osa said during the meeting that the survey did have its limitations. It was distributed to participants through a community newsletter, as well as on social media.
“It’s not truly a cross-section, but it most likely represents feelings and priorities of those who are most interested in the environment,” he said.
He added that the committee’s next steps will be looking for opportunities to address the “overwhelming concern” that the community has about ethylene oxide emissions, and will bring recommendations to the Village Board.