Environmental Committee

Village of Schaumburg-Environmental Committee Minutes Meeting of February 5, 2026 Page 1 of 4 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Donna Panico-Atkins. ROLL CALL Members Present: Chairperson Donna Panico-Atkins, Ritika Muthukumar, Ryszard Puskarz, Elizabeth Wimmer, Mahesh Prajapati, and Robert Wachsmuth (arrived at 7:17pm) Member(s) Absent: Sandeep Alavandi, Donna Johnson, and Pratik Patel A quorum was present. Staff Present: Monica Richart – Sustainability Planner Taylor Storm – Recording Secretary Nick Navarroli – Engineering and Public Works APPROVAL OF MINUTES – December 4, 2025 Mr. Puskarz made a motion to approve the minutes as presented, seconded by Ms. Wimmer. Mr. Wachsmuth was absent for the vote. All Ayes. Four members were absent. MOTION CARRIED NEW BUSINESS 1. Recommendation to Approve the Rules of Procedure Ms. Wimmer made a motion to approve the Rules of Procedure as presented, seconded by Ms. Muthukumar. Donna Panico Atkins – Yes Ryszard Puskarz - Yes Robert Wachsmuth - Absent Ritika Muthukumar – Yes Elizabeth Wimmer – Yes Mahesh Prajapati – Yes MOTION CARRIED: Vote 5-0 with four members absent 2. CGAP Community Engagement Survey Ms. Richart stated the goal of reviewing the survey results was to get feedback from the committee on the results. She stated that many people were interested in native plantings, greenspace, ecology, preservation, and creation. Other popular subjects were preservation, walkability, recycling, energy efficiency/renewable energy. Topics that showed minimal interest included green jobs and public EV infrastructure. Many people showed interest in local farms and sustainable food initiatives, yet did not list them as their top priorities. Native Village of Schaumburg-Environmental Committee Minutes Meeting of February 5, 2026 Page 2 of 4 plants and restoration had the highest overall interest from survey responses. Urban forestry also showed a high interest. Ms. Richart stated that there were many write-in responses. Mr. Puskarz expressed his appreciation for the data graphs included in the packet, stating that it made it easier to absorb the information. Ms. Richart shared that the data was sectioned into categories based on similarity of response. There were several write-in answers that did not fit into a category, such as pollution, but are still important to the overall CGAP structure for identifying actions to take in the future. Ms. Wimmer asked if there will be an opportunity to combine topics that fit in a broader category, for example, discussing pollution and energy use together. This helps showcase how interdisciplinary environmental issues are. Chairwoman Panico-Atkins asked if the committee would be able to help the Village on environmental efforts. Ms. Richart stated that the CGAP will have general environmental goals, with specific actions outlined within each general goal to target related topics. She stated that she will be presenting finalized goals to the committee with the information that she shared tonight. Chairwoman Panico-Atkins asked if the committee could plan events to help educated and reach the outlined goals. Ms. Richart stated yes, sharing that there is a section of the CGAP that outlines leadership, which is how the committee and Village interact with surrounding communities. She also mentioned incorporating educational events presented by the committee would garner engagement with the Village’s goals. Ms. Wimmer shared that native plants and greenspace are directly tied with how people live, which likely increased support for the topic. She expressed that there is more that could be done to support the lesser-ranked topics, in terms of education and events. She said that she is interested to see how the final goals and plans get balanced. Ms. Wimmer asked that if the Village is setting ordinances and policies, how will the committee support the efforts. Ms. Richart stated that education would have a large impact, as not every environmental policy can be codified into law. Mr. Prajapati shared that bringing educational efforts to schools by the committee would be helpful to educate the next generation and community on what the Village is doing. He used the example of reusable bags, stating that educational efforts could help enforce policy. Teaching environmental stewardship in schools could encourage students to teach their friends and family about sustainability efforts, both at a local and eventually a global level. Mr. Prajapati also expressed that having a recorded webcast available from the Village could be a good option for education. Ms. Richart stated that the Park District plays a large role in school education efforts. Mr. Prajapati stated that he would be willing to volunteer for educational events put on by the committee. Ms. Wimmer stated that educational efforts could be built into pre-existing programs, such as Earth Day efforts or something similar. Chairwoman Panico-Atkins stated that this method would depend on the curriculums already taught. Ms. Richart stated she visited a school with prominent environmental programs, including the installation of solar panels, a greenhouse, and a garden. Ms. Muthukumar stated that many schools now have courses dedicated to environmentalism, including AP Environmental Science or other scientific electives. Ms. Village of Schaumburg-Environmental Committee Minutes Meeting of February 5, 2026 Page 3 of 4 Richart stated that the school that she visited was planning on incorporating the solar panel installation to their school curriculum as an educational effort. Ms. Richart reminded the committee that Al Larson Landscape Award nominations are open, and encouraged the group to submit nominations for properties around town. Mr. Puskarz mentioned that District 211 offers many courses for adult education, and wondered if there could be an offering for environmental education. Ms. Richart suggested Mr. Puskarz reach out to the district to see if this is a type of course they could offer. Mr. Puskarz also mentioned that when he attended the high school graduation last year, he noticed many students are continuing their studies in environmental science. He said that he was surprised by the amount of students interested in the topic. Ms. Wimmer asked if there is a timeline for the final CGAP report. Ms. Richart stated that her goal is to present it to the committee over the summer for review. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 3. Recommendation to Approve the 2026 Work Plan Chairwoman Panico-Atkins reminded the committee of several changes to the 2026 workplan from previous years. She stated that the committee will coordinate a webinar with the Environmental Fair. She stated that the committee voted not to participate in Septemberfest, but instead incorporate the prerecorded webinar during that time. Chairwoman Panico-Atkins suggested the library make a video recording of the Environmental Fair speakers that could be published for viewing at a later time. Ms. Wimmer made a motion to approve the 2026 work plan as presented, seconded by Mr. Prajapati. Mr. Wachsmuth was absent for the vote. All Ayes. Four members were absent. 4. 2026 Environmental Fair- Planning Ms. Richart stated that the theme of the Environmental Fair is “Plant a Seed and Read!”. The structure of this year’s fair will take place outside with a “block party” theme, with a majority of events taking place outdoors, with some booths inside. She asked the committee if they had any ideas for a theme. She stated that choosing a topic with a tie-in to popular topics from the CGAP survey could draw more people in to the tables. Chairwoman Panico-Atkins stated that in previous years, member Donna Johnson found speakers for the fair. Ms. Richart mentioned that the committee discussed inviting former landscape award winners to speak and present on their properties. Ms. Wimmer stated that MWRD has a free tree giveaway. Ms. Richart stated that the committee has utilized this program before. Ms. Muthukumar shared that the saplings would be good raffle prizes. Ms. Richart suggested hosting a table indoors for information, and one outside for craft or family based activities.