Environmental Commission

Agenda Village of Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission Meeting Tuesday, May 19, 2026 7:00 PM Glen Ellyn Civic Center, Room 306 Members of the public are welcome to speak to any item not specifically listed on tonight's Agenda. For those items which are on tonight's Agenda, the public will have the opportunity to comment at the time the item is discussed. Individuals wishing to address the Commission shall exercise proper decorum and respect for the proceedings and the business of the Environmental Commission, and shall refrain from abusive demeanor and language. Commissioners are not obligated to respond to questions. A. Call to Order B. Public Comment C. Approval of Minutes 1) Approval of Environmental Commission February 24, 2026 Meeting Minutes 2) Approval of Environmental Commission April 21, 2026 Meeting Minutes D. Reports 1) Park District Liaison Report 2) Trustee Liaison Report 3) Staff Liaison Report 4) Chair Report E. Old Business 1) Strategic Planning Priorities F. New Business G. Adjourn Civility Pledge - In the interest of civility, I pledge to promote civility by listening, being respectful of others, acknowledging that we are striving to support and improve our community, and understanding that we each may have different ideas for achieving that objective. Page 1 of 11  ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MINUTES February 24, 2026 Board or Environmental Date: February 24, 2026 Commission: Meeting: Regular Called to 7:01 p.m. Order: Quorum: Yes Adjourned: 8:54 p.m. MEMBER ATTENDANCE: Christy Truitt Chairperson Present Jeff D. Abeln Commissioner Present – Late Arrival – 7:24 Jacquelyn Casazza Commissioner Absent John Day Commissioner Present Chris English Commissioner Present Mark Frigo Commissioner Present Barbara Kwiatkowsky Commissioner Present Monica Miller Commissioner Present Tara Sheeley Commissioner Present Also Present: J.D. Barrett Management Analyst – Administration Public Kathleen Hokenson I. CALL TO ORDER The February 24, 2026, meeting of the Environmental Commission was called to order by Chairperson Truitt at 7:01 PM at Glen Ellyn Civic Center. II. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – a. Kathleen Hokenson – Included public comment about her student’s work with Monarchs. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM January 13, 2026 Commissioner Kwiatkowsky motioned to approve the January 13, 2026 meeting minutes as amended and Commissioner Miller seconded the motion. The motion unanimously passed. III. LIAISON REPORTS A. Trustee Liaison Report: None B. Staff Liaison Report – Staff Liaison Barrett reported that his updates would be included throughout the Old Business and New Business agenda items. Page 2 of 11  Environmental Commission 2 February 24, 2026 C. Park District Liaison Report – None D. Chair Report – Chair Truitt discussed maintaining the date of the March 17th. Land – Tree Canopy Preservation • Native Habitat Restoration Tree Planting Events scheduled: o Environmental Commission (EC), Glen Ellyn Park District (GEPD), Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) o Dates: May 8, June 13, October 9 • Canopy Preservation Tree Planting Events: o Multiple sites in progress (EC, CRTI, Glenbard West, HOAs, etc.) o April 29 and additional upcoming dates • Residential Oak Tree Preservation: o Strategic planning and partnership development underway o Focus area: Babcock’s Grove • Canopy Expansion: o Beginning strategic planning for expansion efforts across Glen Ellyn • Tree Ordinance: o Attended CRTI Tree Ordinance Workshop (2/13) o Strategic objectives discussed with Village o Village and CRTI collaborating on ordinance development Land – Sustainable Landscape Stewardship • Pollinator Habitat: o Creation and preservation initiatives planned for municipal gardens • Mayor’s Monarch Pledge: o Champion Status actions identified and planned with Village and GEPD • Bird City: o Achievements identified o Collaboration opportunities planned with GEPD and DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center (Willowbrook) • “Summer of the Monarch” Initiative: o Partnership with Downtown Alliance and Go Green Glen Ellyn o Focus: Promote residential engagement Waste – Recycling Services • April 11 Recycling and Reuse Event: o Flyer attached o Opportunity for business sponsor recognition with signage at event stations • Recycling and Reuse Education: o Planned inclusion in upcoming Village print and digital communications • New Corporate-Sponsored Programs: o Free everyday drop-offs for paint and battery recycling o Light bulb recycling available (free and for-fee options) • “Everyday Recycling” Guide: o Draft format complete o To be available at glenellyn.org/recycle Page 3 of 11  Environmental Commission 3 February 24, 2026 Engagement • ComEd Energy Audits: o Discussion regarding promotion for municipal, commercial, and residential participation • League of Women Voters Idling Campaign: o Discussion regarding promotional efforts • Green Initiatives Webpage: o To serve as centralized landing page for environmental achievements and initiatives • Additional activities incorporated within items listed above IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Strategic Planning Priorities 2026 Monarch Pledge – Commissioner English made a motion to approve the 2026 Monarch Pledge as presented. Commissioner Miller seconded. The motion unanimously passed. 2026 Bird City Resolution – Commissioner Frigo made a motion to approve the amount of $200 to go towards the Bird City Resolution. Commissioner Day seconded. The motion unanimously passed. Tree Preservation Ordinance Update – Chair Truitt described her meetings and participation with the Morton Arboretum as well as key Village staff stakeholders regarding the development and implementation of a revised Tree Preservation Ordinance. The Commission discussed the different priorities that the revised Ordinance could include. Commissioner Truitt and Staff Liaison mentioned that the goal was to have three draft ordinances ranging from least stringent to most stringent to present to the Village Board. The Commission recommended including comparable communities in the analysis when presenting the Tree Preservation Ordinance to the Village Board. Recycling Extravaganza – Chair Truitt mentioned that the state is now offering a program for paint collection, as well as battery collection. Commissioner Casazza and Sheeley have been working on the marketing and communications associated with the event. Chair Truitt mentioned that she met with the Communications Coordinator with the Village and there will be an opportunity to add more components to the Village recycling webpage, as well as make the page evergreen. Commission Kwiatkowsky indicated that she wants the event to promote where certain refuse streams should be. Chair Truitt mentioned that she would like to shift the lens of the event to a “reuse” event. Chair Truitt mentioned that there will be a textile vendor at the event, which was a new addition to the vendor list. Quarterly E-News Topics and Spring Print Newsletter – Chair Truitt updated the commission that she is working on the content for the Spring Print Newsletter. Staff Liaison Barrett will get data from the Village refuse servicer on 2025 reporting. VII New Business Page 4 of 11  Environmental Commission 4 February 24, 2026 Environmental Impact Recommendations – 750 Roosevelt Road – Dutch Bros Drive- Through Restaurant – Chair Truitt introduced the discussion item. The Commission will provide environmental impact recommendations. Any recommendations will be forwarded to the Community Development staff to relay to the applicant. Chair Truitt provided a preliminary recommendations document to the Commission. The Commission provided feedback to the list as presented and made recommendations to additions, revisions, and deletions to Chair Truitt. The Commission recommended that “waste management” and “lighting” would be the top priorities for consideration. Zoning Code Update – Chair Truitt updated the Commission the Zoning Code Update. Two commissioners are invited to represent the Environmental Commission at the stakeholder group meeting with the Village zoning code consultant. Chair Truitt gauged the Commission's thoughts on what the two representatives should bring forward to that stakeholder group meeting. Sustainability Action Planning – Chair Truitt provided an update on the plan progress. She is meeting with each group to discuss their subtopics. VII Next Meeting & Adjournment A. Commissioner Day motioned and Commissioner Miller seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:54 pm. The next EC meeting – March 17th, 2026 Submitted and Reviewed by Staff Liaison, J.D. Barrett Page 5 of 11  ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MINUTES April 21, 2026 Board or Environmental Date: April 21, 2026 Commission: Meeting: Regular Called to 7:01 p.m. Order: Quorum: Yes Adjourned: 9:25 p.m. MEMBER ATTENDANCE: Christie Truitt Chairperson Present Jeff D. Abeln Commissioner Present Jacquelyn Casazza Commissioner Present John Day Commissioner Present Chris English Commissioner Present Mark Frigo Commissioner Present Barbara Kwiatkowsky Commissioner Present Monica Miller Commissioner Present Tara Sheeley Commissioner Present Also Present: Rachel Notter Management Analyst – Public Works Elisa Pollina Recording Secretary Sonia Desai Bhagwakar Village Trustee Public Nicolas Perez GBW Student Kristi Malone League of Women Voters I. CALL TO ORDER The April 21, 2026 meeting of the Environmental Commission was called to order by Chairperson Truitt at 7:01 PM at Glen Ellyn Civic Center. II. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – None II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM February 24, 2026 – Deferred to the next meeting due to the minutes not being complete. III. LIAISON REPORTS A. Trustee Liaison Report: No report B. Staff Liaison Report –No report C. Park District Liaison Report – No report Page 6 of 11  Environmental Commission 2 April 21, 2026 D. Chair Report – Chairperson Truitt shared that a tree planting event is scheduled for May 8 at Churchill Park and noted discussions with a South Glen Ellyn HOA regarding potential tree plantings through the Community Reforestation Tree Initiative (CRTI) program. She also reported that she and Commissioner Day attended a recent zoning meeting, where research was reviewed regarding potential updates, including considerations related to “dark skies” standards. Chairperson Truitt encouraged Environmental Commission members to attend future zoning meetings if they are interested in providing input on code updates relevant to their areas of interest. She further noted that the City of Wheaton recently completed a dark sky assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of its ordinance and suggested Glen Ellyn consider reviewing that assessment as part of its own ongoing discussions. IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Strategic Planning Priorities Recycling Extravaganza – Commissioner Sheeley provided a recap of the recent Recycling Extravaganza, noting that it was a highly successful event with 852 vehicles participating, along with an additional 200 vehicles utilizing the shredding service only. She thanked all volunteers, staff, and partners who helped make the event a success. Sheeley also shared several lessons learned for future events. Recommendations included coordinating with Public Works to assist with traffic flow and setting up the parking lot the evening before the event. She noted that several vendors did not arrive until 9:00–9:15 a.m., causing delays as they became caught in traffic. It was also suggested that Junk Luggers be staffed with two employees instead of one to better handle payment processing. Additional improvements discussed included distributing the event map to the community in advance and expanding shredding capacity. Sheeley noted that shredding services ended early because only one truck was available and it reached capacity. Chairperson Truitt asked whether the Environmental Commission wished to offer shredding again in October if three trucks could be secured. Commissioner English motioned to include shredding at the October event, and Commissioner Miller seconded the motion. Sheeley reported that Junk Luggers collected 18,620 pounds of materials this year, compared to 14,874 pounds last year. Commissioner Casazza added that clearer communication is needed regarding what materials Junk Luggers will and will not accept. Chairperson Truitt suggested posting a detailed list on the Village website and using a QR code on promotional materials to direct residents to that information. Commissioner Day recommended including event results and a recap in the Village newsletter, along with promotion of the October event. Truitt also noted that this year saw more community volunteers than ever before. Page 7 of 11  Environmental Commission 3 April 21, 2026 Looking ahead, the Commission confirmed that future Recycling Extravaganza events will be scheduled for the third Saturday in April 2027 and the third Saturday in October. Vendors will be notified accordingly. Regarding electronics recycling, Truitt noted that Junk Luggers works with a certified recycling partner. Materials are recycled, donated, or reused whenever possible to help keep items out of landfills. Composting – Review of Composting Dropoff Service – Commissioner Casazza provided an update on a pilot composting drop-off program implemented in Wilmette. The program utilized five locations with weekly collection service and was so successful that the community is now expanding the program and increasing bin sizes. She noted that only food scraps were accepted and emphasized that site selection was a key factor in the program’s success. Initial collections totaled approximately 1,500 pounds of food scraps per week, growing to 4,500 pounds per week after six months. The vendor used for the program was WasteNot. Chairperson Truitt asked the Environmental Commission whether they would like to recommend allocating $5,000 toward a pilot program with WasteNot or pursue a request for proposals for other vendors. After discussion, the Commission determined that the next steps should come from Village staff. Commissioner English motioned to refer the composting initiative to staff for review and to return with recommendations at a future Environmental Commission meeting. Commissioner Kwiatkowsky seconded the motion. The motion unanimously passed. Digital Newsletter – Chairperson Truitt asked for volunteers to prepare an upcoming newsletter article focused on everyday recycling practices and new recycling programs. Commissioners Casazza and Sheeley volunteered to collaborate on the article, which is expected to be due within the next one to three months. Tree Preservation Ordinance Update – Chairperson Truitt provided an update on the Commission’s tree preservation initiative. She noted that approximately one year ago, the Environmental Commission submitted its goals related to strengthening the Village’s tree preservation ordinance. Progress was delayed following the transition to new Trustee and Staff Liaisons, who first needed to be brought up to speed on the Commission’s objectives. Truitt explained that she has since worked with Staff Liaison Barrett, and the proposed ordinance framework is scheduled to be presented at a Village Board workshop on May 18. She also noted that they met with CRTI to review the Village’s previous ordinance and consider updated approaches. The Commission then reviewed the current ordinance, including its scope, concerns, and challenges (see attached handout). CRTI also reviewed the materials and provided three recommended options for consideration: Page 8 of 11  Environmental Commission 4 April 21, 2026 Option 1: Protect the historic Babcock’s Grove area, recognized as a defining feature of Glen Ellyn’s natural history, with emphasis on preserving oaks and hickories from the pre-settlement ecosystem. Protection measures would include removal restrictions, appraisal-based removal fees, and robust canopy replacement requirements. Option 2: Regardless of location, preserve specimen or heritage trees estimated to be over 100 years old, along with native canopy trees such as oaks and hickories. Protection measures would include removal disincentives, fees, and canopy replacement requirements based on tree size (DBH). Option 3: Regardless of location, tree age, or species, require a removal permit for all trees over 6 inches DBH and preserve overall community canopy through mandatory replacement requirements. The Environmental Commission held an extensive discussion regarding the options. Commissioners Casazza, Frigo, Kwiatkowsky, English, and Abeln expressed support for Option 3, favoring the broadest level of tree preservation and protection. The Commission also acknowledged that implementation of such measures could require additional staff resources. Commissioner Day asked who the ordinance would apply to, and Chairperson Truitt clarified that it would apply to residential properties. Commissioner Day motioned to approve moving forward with the concept for presentation at the May 18 Village Board workshop, with a finalized draft to be circulated to the Commission via email for review and comment prior to the meeting. Commissioner English seconded the motion. The motion unanimously passed. VII New Business A. Sustainability Action Planning - Chairperson Truitt asked the Environmental Commission to review the action items assigned to their respective categories and come prepared to the May meeting with a consolidated document for review with the Village Board. She noted that she will connect with each team to ensure all action items are included in the list. Commissioner English noted that, in a previous meeting with Village staff, a sustainability plan was identified as a potentially valuable tool to help advance initiatives across the Village. He expressed concern that nearly a year has passed since that discussion and acknowledged that, while the Environmental Commission is made up of volunteers, Village staff has also invested significant time and effort into the work to date. He added that if the plan does not move forward, the work completed thus far may not be fully utilized, shifting expectations back to the Commission. He also noted that the Commission is not composed of sustainability professionals, which has contributed to frustration regarding the scope and expected quality of the outcome. Page 9 of 11  Environmental Commission 5 April 21, 2026 The Environmental Commission echoed these concerns. Commissioner Casazza added that the Commission is not acting as sustainability consultants and therefore the final product will naturally differ from a professionally developed plan. English noted that while this approach may appear more cost-effective, it still carries a cost in terms of Village staff time and resources. VII Next Meeting & Adjournment Commissioner Day motioned and Commissioner English seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 pm. The next EC meeting – May 19, 2026 Submitted by Elisa Pollina, Recording Secretary Reviewed by Staff Liaison J.D. Barrett Page 10 of 11  Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission Meeting 5/19/2026 7:00 PM 535 Duane Street Department: Administration Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Department Head: Category: Discussion Item Prepared By: AGENDA ITEM (ID # 2026-393) DOC ID: 2026-393 Strategic Planning Priorities Statement of the Issue: Strategic Planning Priorities Analysis: - LAND Stewardship – Cultivate Green Infrastructure and Resilient Landscapes - Sustainable Landscapes - Promoting the Conservation@Home Challenge - Tree Planting and Preservation - Next steps for Tree Preservation Ordinance (based on May 18 Board Workshop) - WASTE Stewardship – Reduce Landfill Waste - Recycling - Composting - ENGAGE – Educate & Motivate - Communications - Digital Newsletter - Strategic Planning - Next Steps for Sustainability Action Planning - Events - Summer of the Monarch Budget Impact: Contribution to Strategic Plan Action Requested: Attachments: Page 11 of 11