Do you or your hired landscaping company use gas-powered leafblowers? Please consider the health of your human and animal neighbors when you begin spring cleanup of foliage in your yard. Alternatives such as rakes, mulchers, and electric blowers are far less dangerous in terms of emissions and noise pollution.

In April, Northfield Township Road District recycled a record amount of paper: over 27,000 pounds! If you missed the April sensitive documents recycling day, the next is on Saturday May 22 or view the whole schedule.

The Village of Northbrook encourages residents and businesses to make every day Earth Day! Check out our list of ten deeds to green up your day, including activities like completing our Earth Month Scavenger Hunt, volunteering at Somme Woods, donating used shoes, and starting a summer compost bucket: ow.ly/yGi230rFpoA

Trees are the best example of nature-based solutions to climate change. Planting new trees is an amazing step towards climate resilience: but only mature trees provide the full ecosystem benefits like improved energy usage, stormwater infiltration, and significant sequestration of air and noise pollution. Maintenance and care is super important for ensuring trees grow to maturity and stay healthy. Young trees 1-3 years old should be consistently watered and mulched, and older trees should be pruned as needed to maintain proper growth habits.

The Village will be planting 4 Arbor Day trees this year.  One is for the Greenbriar Girl Scout Troop #47193, one is for Westmoor School, two are for Glenbrook North High School for GBN student, Sarah Ryan’s project to plant trees to offset paper usage at the school.  

Need a little help with your trees? Contact Public Works: https://www.northbrook.il.us/182/Forestry-Services

Spending time immersed in nature is good for mental and physical wellbeing, and Northbrook is lucky to have beautiful natural areas like Somme Prairie Grove. You never know what you may find: check out these springtime birds captured in photos by a local naturalist!

While exploring the outdoors in Northbrook this April, take advantage of our Earth Month Scavenger Hunt and win a free packet of native wildflower seeds. 

https://www.northbrook.il.us/DocumentCenter/View/4682/Earth-Month-Scavenger-Hunt-w-map?fbclid=IwAR0GNH1PtkvvhD2m1Kv4iOgKrCO65SN4GqXjAazvHMbMxHMRP_HVH9FGp0g

To demonstrate Northbrook’s commitment to vulnerable wildlife populations in our area, the Village has created an endangered species page on the Village website. Native pollinators such as the rusty patched bumble bee and monarch butterfly are endangered insects that need our help to ensure the survival of their species. You can help save them through natural landscaping practices. To help spread awareness and learn more, check out the page at https://www.northbrook.il.us/1017/Endangered-Species.

Mulch…what is it good for?

With Arbor Day around the corner, the Village invites residents to take advantage of the free mulch available at Public Works (655 Huehl Road). A simple mixture of wood chips or leaves benefit trees for a “mulch-titude" of reasons! Such as...
 increasing soil fertility
 insulating tree roots and soil
 controlling grass that competes with tree roots for space and nutrients
 retaining soil moisture, structure, and beneficial underground organisms 

In the USA, organic waste is the second largest component of landfills and the largest source of methane emissions (a greenhouse gas 84 times more potent than co2). Start composting through Advanced Disposal to make huge improvements to your individual carbon footprint!

Residents can choose between the sticker program or a year-round subscription service. Stickers are available for purchase at Ace Hardware (1941 Cherry Lane), Jewel (2775 Pfingsten Road), Red's Garden Center (3460 Dundee Road), and Village Hall. Sign up for a subscription by contacting Advanced Disposal during business hours at 847-272-4145 or by email at northbrookIL@advanceddisposal.com.

Acceptable items may be placed in paper lawn bags or metal/plastic cans and put out on your regular collection day for pick up.

Save the bees in our backyards! As homeowners begin to renew landscaping contracts or dust off last year’s equipment from the back of the garage, it might be time to reconsider our traditional methods of lawn maintenance.

In Northbrook, we share our environment with the critically endangered rusty patched bumblebee; the chemicals we use in our backyards impact the fate of this species. Learn more about what we can do to help:

Are you doing some spring cleaning this weekend? Minimize your contribution to landfills by utilizing free curbside textile and household item collection through Simple Recycling. Simple Recycling follows the same route and holiday schedule as Advanced Disposal.

Visit https://simplerecycling.com/ or call 866-835-5068 to request collection bags.

Rainy weather is a great reminder that you can conserve water with a rain barrel! Rain barrels collect rain runoff from roofs and store it to be used for watering plants or a lawn. This eco-friendly solution helps save water and reduces your water bill and the amount of excess storm water that contributes to localized flooding.

The Village offers a subsidized rain barrel program for residents to purchase up to two barrels for $25 each at Village Hall. Learn more at www.northbrook.il.us/868/Water.

Celebrate Earth Day all month long by appreciating nature in Northbrook! Residents who complete this Earth Month Scavenger Hunt in our forest preserves can email tessa.murray@northbrook.il.us to receive a free packet of native wildflower seeds! See the post above for details.

Spring ephemerals are the early blooming flowers that take advantage of sunlight coming into the forest floor while the trees still do not have leaves. The Village encourages you to take a walk through our beautiful natural areas, like Somme Woods, to appreciate nature’s ever-changing beauty! Use this guide to help identify spring ephemerals commonly found in our area.

Did you know lightweight plastic film materials, like plastic grocery bags, cannot be disposed of in your regular recycling? Avoid acquiring plastic packaging and cutlery by incorporating reusable alternatives into your daily habits.

Unfortunately, plastic bags and film are no longer accepted at Village Hall. Due to the large quantities being collected, our partners could no longer handle the amount of plastic. However, these items can be brought to Sunset Foods or Mariano's in Northbrook to be upcycled. Accepted items include clean plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap packaging, bread bags, shrink wrap, and dry cleaning bags.

Glenbrook North High School student Sarah Ryan needs the Northbrook community's help to reach a tree-planting goal! To offset the amount of paper used in a typical school year, Sarah partnered with Tree-Plenish to facilitate plantings. Visit https://www.tree-plenishevents.org/glenbrook to order a tree or volunteer to help plant trees. All orders must be made by Wednesday, March 24. 

Did you know the monarch butterfly species is endangered? Through the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors' Monarch Pledge, President Sandy Frum is committed to creating a sustainable habitat for monarchs in Northbrook. Planting just one milkweed can attract monarch butterflies to lay eggs and feed caterpillars that become the next generation of monarchs. Also, residential gardens can be crucial in helping to sustain monarchs during their annual migration. Northbrook residents who plant milkweed, have native plants in their garden, and exclude exposure to pesticides are eligible to receive a “Let’s Make Northbrook a Monarch Way Station” garden sign. Email tessa.murray@northbrook.il.us to make arrangements.