Beyond helping the environment, there’s a new perk for businesses in Gurnee that put efforts into being more eco-friendly.
The village’s Environmental Sustainability Committee is introducing the Green Gurnee Awards, which will recognize businesses within the village that implement green initiatives.
Members of the committee spoke at Gurnee’s regular Village Board meeting on Monday, updating the board about what the committee has been working on throughout the past year, and informing members about the awards initiative.
Businesses can apply on the village’s website. Committee member Shelley Lazarus said that the committee is still in the “test phase” of putting together the new initiative, but it is ready to begin accepting applications.
“We’re ready to accept applications at any time, but we’re still tweaking it,” she said.
Lazarus that the idea for the awards was thought up in one of the committee’s monthly virtual meetings, “as a way to encourage businesses to be more environmentally sustainable.”
To be considered for a Green Gurnee Award, businesses must fill out an online application — or a nominator will fill out an application on behalf of the business — in which they check off eligible activities that would result in points.
Using organic cleaning products would result in receiving one point, and composting food waste would result in five points, for example. Another requirement for businesses that would like to be considered for a Green Gurnee Award is that they must also be a participant in Waste Management’s free recycling program for businesses.
The awards are given out on a points-based scale. Businesses that receive between 20 and 25 points will receive a bronze award, silver awards will go to businesses that receive between 26 and 34 points, and any business that scores above 35 points is eligible for a gold award.
Bronze winners will receive a certificate of excellence made out to the business, signed by Mayor Tom Hood, a bronze color window decal that recognizes the achievement and the business’ logo on the Environmental Sustainability Committee’s page on the village website.
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Silver winners will receive all of that, with the bronze window decal swapped with a silver window decal, as well as a notification of the business’ designation in the village’s weekly announcements and its social media accounts.
Gold winners will receive all of that, but a gold window decal instead of the bronze and silver, as well as an invitation to appear on the 102.3 XLC morning radio show and an automatic entry into the Best of Gurnee awards.
Lazarus said that if after a business receives a silver or bronze award, it can always be moved up to a gold ranking if it undertakes enough initiatives to reach 35 points.
“We’re very flexible, and we hope people will strive for the gold,” Lazarus said. “We would always be willing to revise a standing.”
The Environmental Sustainability Committee was formed in 2020, after receiving approval from the Village Board, in order to assist the village in its efforts to employ more environmentally friendly initiatives.
“With all of the things that we do, with the basics, and the police and the fire department, public works, oftentimes the environment gets pushed aside and it’s not our main focus, but I think this committee does a good job at keeping us on track,” Hood said. “We want to leave a community for the future generations.”
In addition to the awards, the committee is also getting ready to host its third Styrofoam recycling event on Sept. 17 at Village Hall. The committee partnered with Dart Container Corp., the world’s largest producer of Styrofoam cups and containers, for the event, and the company donated a semi-truck that the committee filled with the donated Styrofoam materials.
The committee’s first Styrofoam recycling event was held in December of 2021, in which Lazarus said the committee was able to fill up approximately half of a semi-truck with Styrofoam to recycle. During the second event, which was held in April of this year, the committee gathered enough Styrofoam to fill up more than three-quarters of a semi-truck, according to Lazarus. They hope to recycle even more at the upcoming event.
During the meeting, Lazarus spoke about how it takes approximately 500 years for Styrofoam to breakdown, and how because it’s such a bulky material it takes up a lot of space in landfills when it’s not recycled properly.
“Our goal is to have this be a regular event for the village because there’s a demand for it,” Lazarus said.