Environmental Commission

AGENDA Environmental Commission Buechner Room Arlington Heights Village Hall, 33 S. Arlington Heights Rd., AH 60005 April 28, 2025 6:30 PM I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 18th, 2025 Minutes IV. REPORTS V. OLD BUSINESS A. Review goals presented in March and finalize selection of 2025 goals B. Assign Commissioners to goals selected, including a champion for each C. Plan schedule of events related to 2025 goals D. Discuss plans/process to share information with Village Trustees VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. OTHER BUSINESS VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT Anyone wishing to speak on a subject not on the Agenda may speak at this time. Please limit your comments to three minutes. IX. ADJOURNMENT Persons with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services, such as an American Sign Language interpreter or written materials in accessible formats, should contact the Health & Human Services Department, at 33 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, healthmail@vah.com or 847/368-5760. Page 1 of 3  Village of Arlington Heights Environmental Commission Minutes from March 18, 2025 I. Call to Order Chair Jordan called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. Roll Call Present Not Present Chair Jordan Commissioner Eisenhardt Youth Commissioner Gil-Lara Also Present Commissioner Flores Jeff Bohner, Staff Liaison Commissioner Jaeschke Commissioner Porwit Commissioner Sawyer Commissioner Skrudland II. Approval of Minutes Commissioner Flores moved to approve the minutes of the December 12, 2024, Environmental Commission meeting. Commissioner Porwit seconded the Motion. The Motion passed unanimously. III. Reports Old Business A. Commission Goals A. Education on how to recycle, using QR code (OSCAR) on bins- Commissioner Eisenhardt described the OSCAR system for helping the public sort recycling. There was a discussion of using the system at large events and of the recycle coach app that is available through the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC). B. Tracking metrics to be published on VAH website- Chair Jordan told the Commission that the Village Manager had indicated this was a topic that could have further research. Commissioner Porwit showed a graph created out of existing solid waste and recycling data as an example, although it was pointed out that the recycling percentages did not change. The group decided metrics to publish should include: air quality index, temperatures, energy consumption (including renewals), solid waste generation/recycling and water quality/usage. C. Benchmark Single-Use plastics- This project had also been greenlighted by the Mayor. New State laws prohibiting toiletry bottles in hotels and proposed laws limiting single-use utensils and plastic bags were discussed. A new, voluntary program to limit single-use utensils in Mt. Prospect was also explored. Commissioner Jaeschke expressed an opinion that the Page 2 of 3  Commission should prepare responses to common complaints about laws on single-use plastics. D. Livestream event-Phil, Damian Commissioner Flores and Youth Commissioner Gil-Lara presented an outline of the event idea. It would consist of sections with a representative from Groot, a local farmer, a Village trustee and members of the Commission. They wanted to have the first event in the 3rd quarter of this year. Possible topics included: single-use plastic reduction, proper paper recycling, household hazardous waste disposal and increasing sustainability curriculum in schools. E. Frontier Days & Farmer’s Market- Commissioner Porwit had spoken to the manager of the farmers market regarding having an informational table. Commissioner Sawyer said the booths at Frontier Days were booked for this year’s festival. He also said recycling is available at the festival, but contamination was a serious issue. F. Reduce Paper to Landfill- Commissioner Jaeschke circulated proposals for reducing paper in the waste stream. He stated that even with paper recycling available curbside, paper was still a large component of refuse. He proposed secured collection drop-off points in the Village as a solution to the issue. He also said that better educational components were needed to make sure household hazardous waste was being disposed of properly. G. Increase participation in Curbside Composting- Commissioner Skrudland said educational events were needed to inform residents of their options for composting. A survey of residents could be conducted to find out the barriers residents were facing. Chair Jordan stated better information and more easily accessed information was needed from Groot and the Village. The Chair asked everyone to come back to the next meeting with this list of ideas narrowed down to a few actions, reminding the Commissioners that the sustainability metrics and reducing single-use plastics had already been reviewed positively by the Mayor. She also requested a possible timeline for the educational tables at the farmers market, a parade appearance and livestream event. VI. New Business VII. Other Business The Chair informed the Commissioners that the Village Board had expressed appreciation for the gas powered leaf blower report, but had decided against taking any action at this time. VIII. Adjournment With no further business to discuss a motion was made by Commissioner Flores to adjourn. Commissioner Eisenhardt seconded the Motion. The Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Page 3 of 3