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I Want ToParkTalk Blog: How Residents Can Stay Green
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Naperville Park District’s core value of environmental education, stewardship and sustainability has led to the incorporation of various environmental initiatives that benefit the local community and beyond. In recognition of Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, the Park District will celebrate Earth Month Naperville – an entire month dedicated to educating the community on the local environment while recommending ways to protect it. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Take Action,” so to cue up this initiative for 2025, the Park District suggests several green practices that residents can follow at home.
Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
Volunteers "gleaning" at the Ron Ory Community Gardens to prevent food waste.
One of the biggest issues facing our environment is effectively managing waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States produces 268 million tons of trash annually, with the average resident responsible for approximately 1,642 pounds of garbage. Various types of waste fill landfills, but the three leading materials are paper, plastics and food, which collectively make up 54.2% of waste. Despite the staggering amounts of waste in our landfills, there are effective methods to help manage the magnitude of this issue.
The best way to reduce waste in our landfills is to recycle, and the top three waste materials can all be recycled, reduced or reused. In 2018, 45,970,000 tons of paper and paperboard were recycled, which made up 66.5% of all recycled material. In an effort to increase recycling rates, cities are testing single-stream recycling, meaning that residents don’t have to sort plastics, glass and paper when they fill up their recycling bin. Reusing items after their initial purpose is an effective way to recycle as well. Donating clothes to charities and repurposing jars as additional food storage are great ways to keep glass and cloth out of landfills. Composting food waste, such as eggshells and banana peels, along with other composting materials, can improve the quality of the soil. A previous ParkTalk Blog dove into the benefits of composting if you are interested in learning more about the practice.
A few ways you can help reduce waste includes adjusting shopping and lifestyle habits. For example, avoid purchasing single-use plastics such as cups, plates and utensils. Using glass and multi-use plastic dishes will reduce trash build-up and save money on temporary dishes and glassware. Additionally, there are a handful of ways to cut back on food waste. Planning meals ahead of time will assist in only purchasing ingredients needed, which in the long run saves money and waste. If you prepare more food than you need, freeze it or share leftovers with your neighbors or coworkers. Reducing the amount of materials bought at the store will ensure less is thrown out in the future.
Healthier Lawn Care
Autonomous mower cutting grass in a Park District field.
Earth’s soil is crucial to our ecosystem, and for homeowners, poor soil quality can affect water retention, root health and grass growth. While everyone wants an impressive lawn, lawncare products such as pesticides and certain fertilizers can come at the expense of the planet and your local ecosystem. For example, pesticides and fungicides can kill beneficial organisms that support lawn health. Pesticides also tend to accumulate in rainwater runoff and pollute the aquatic ecosystem. However, there are healthy alternatives to prevent the invasion of pests. Aerating the soil can unblock water, oxygen and nutrients compacted underground, and remove plant debris and dethatching (the process of removing organic matter between the soil and grass) eliminates attractions for pests.
Additionally, increasing the biodiversity of your lawn and garden is a great way to improve the health of soil, plants and organisms. Organic organisms such as insects, birds and earthworms are signs of a healthy lawn. Organic mulch, such as wood chips or shredded bark, can add nutrients to the soil and enhance plant health, thereby eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers. Another way to increase biodiversity in your lawn is to grow native plants. Native plants create ecosystems for various organisms like butterflies and honeybees by providing habitats and food for those insects. They also conserve water and improve general air and water quality. Their low maintenance coupled with all their benefits make them a perfect addition to your lawn.
Finally, proper lawn-mowing techniques can influence the overall health and quality of the soil. While it may seem backwards, keeping your grass longer will produce a stronger, healthier lawn. Longer grass blades expose the leaf surface to more sunlight, which allows the grass to grow thicker and develop a deeper root system. The rule of thumb is to mow often enough that you never cut more than one-third of the height of the grass blades. This helps the grass survive long droughts and tolerate insect damage. It’s also important to avoid overwatering grass, which can lead to a shallow root system and make the grass weak and unhealthy. Lawns only need water when they begin to wilt from dryness, or the color dulls.
Conserving Energy
Solar panels on top of Fort Hill Activity Center.
It is impossible to live day-to-day without consuming energy, so it’s important to consider the ways you can help improve overall environmental conservation. Energy consumption correlates directly with pollution as fossil fuels need to be burned to produce energy. According to a 2022 study from the EPA, carbon dioxide from fossil fuels accounts for 79.7% of greenhouse gas emissions. To cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, there are simple changes we can make to save energy and help the environment.
The first tip is simple: turn off your lights. A study from Utility Design, a furniture company based in the United Kingdom, discovered an estimated 14 million U.K. residents leave their lights on when leaving home, resulting in approximately 26,880,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Remembering to turn off lights in unused rooms can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you do need to leave a light on at home, consider replacing the traditional light bulb with an LED bulb. LED bulbs use at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 25 times longer – keeping waste out of landfills and saving energy in the process.
Utilizing natural light is one of the best ways to cut back on electricity and conserve energy. The Sun is the greatest source of energy at our disposal and using daylight to your advantage can save energy in a multitude of ways. Opening your curtains and letting sunlight shine in eliminates the need for light fixtures as even on an overcast day, natural light will illuminate the room better than any lamp. Additionally, depending on the time of year, sunlight can help warm your home, therefore reducing the need to run a furnace. Solar panels are also a great way to cut back on alternating current electricity. Solar panels can output about 400 watts of power under direct sunlight. If a typical home were to install around 18 solar panels, it could produce enough energy to cover most, if not all, of a home’s daily energy consumption.
These tips and tricks are just the beginning when it comes to saving energy. Individual actions can impact our environment, and if we collectively work towards greener living, we can help keep the Earth healthy. If you are interested in exploring more environmental topics, as well as additional sustainable practices, visit epa.gov/environmental-topics/greener-living.
