Consensus Sustainability Goals in 10 Categories. Climate. Economic Development. Energy. Land. Leadership.

• The Kane County Division of Environmental and Water Resources and Kane County Connects are “Counting Down to Earth Day” with a series of articles on “Going Green” in 2019. This article was contributed by the Kane County Division of Environmental and Water Resources.
  

With Earth Day just around the corner, the Kane County Board has adopted the Greenest Region Compact — becoming the first county to do so.

The Greenest Region Compact promotes sustainability in communities across the Chicago region with an emphasis on building strong and vibrant communities. It was created by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to align regional efforts toward 49 high-level goals reached by consensus that parallel local, regional, national and global goals already in place.

During the collaboration process to create the GRC, the mayors caucus found that the Chicago region is quite green — with 81 percent of communities making substantial efforts toward sustainability.

To date, more than 100 communities have adopted the GRC to improve quality of life for more than 5 million residents, and the count now includes Kane County!

For Kane County residents, adopting the GRC means the county’s Operational Sustainability Plan will support and be supported by regional goals. This cooperation was an intended outcome of the Operational Sustainability Plan during its creation.

Regional alignment increases the impact of Kane County’s sustainability efforts, as resources such as air, water, climate, and community well-being extend beyond the boundaries of the county but impact Kane County residents daily.

Jessica Mino, Kane County resource management coordinator, notes that the GRC does not carry financial obligations for the county, but coordinates the county’s sustainability efforts with those of the region.

“Our sustainability efforts will have a greater impact when we are all moving forward together,” she said.

At the March 2019 Energy & Environment Committee meeting, Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns of Geneva encouraged the county to adopt the GRC.

The Greenest Region Compact was adopted by the Kane County Board today (Tuesday, April 9, 2019).

Another step toward Sustaining Kane!

Find out what else Kane County is doing at countyofkane.org/sustainability.

Read The Countdown to Earth Day Series!

Earth Day 2019: New ‘Solarize’ Incentives Could Get You 60% Off Home Solar Installation

• No. 16: Introduction to Earth Day — Let’s Focus on Working Together! (Jessica Mino)
• No. 15: Stop Volcano Mulching! It Does More Harm Than Good! (Valerie Blaine)
• No. 14: Slow Down! We’ve Got Turtles Crossing Here! (Pam Otto)
• No. 13: Check Out Kane County’s Not-So-Secret, Totally Awesome Sustainable Transportation (Ryan Peterson and Troy Simpson)
• No. 12: Fires Erupting All Over Kane County This April (Rob Linke)
• No. 11: How To Inspire Your Kids To Love Their River (Meghan Yancey and Jenni Schiavone)
• No. 10: New Incentives Could Get You 60% Off Solar Installation (Christina Uzzo)