Environmental Defenders of McHenry County

Citizens working for a healthy environment

Home About Us Calendar Connections Join Now             

 

Home
Living Green
Community Events
Defenders in the News
Margaret Marchi Library
Home of Our Own
Land Use Planning
Natural Resources
Recycling Information
Water Resources
The Defenders' Store
Snippets
Make a Donation

 

 

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."  ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

 

Mission Statement 

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a citizen organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. We are committed to building sound ecological relationships between people and the natural world that supports all life.

To achieve the aim of environmental preservation and improvement, we provide the community with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation.

We advocate policies which protect drinking water supplies and conserve land for open space and agriculture. We demonstrate waste reduction through recycling drives and reuse centers. We encourage natural resource protection through native landscaping and stream protection programs.

 

 

What's important to you?

 

Through the years, the Defenders have had many successes in helping to make McHenry County a healthier place in which to live. From the formation of the McHenry County Conservation District to curbside recycling, from the regulation of gravel mining to the passage of the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act, the Defenders have been at the front line, working closely with local, municipal, and county government while advocating for a healthy environment.

 

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County has active committees that meet each month.  Committees plan actions and events to address issues facing our natural areas, water resources, and open spaces, as well as addressing decisions being made by our county and city officials. Volunteer opportunities abound. Click Here and email or fax to us.

   

Whether you are a Defenders member or not (and of course we would love to have you join), we want to know how you feel about the things that are going on in our community.

 

Click Here to let us know what you’d like to see on website.

Click Here to become an Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Member.


 

 

 


Upcoming Events and Announcements:

(also see Calendar link above)


McHenry County 2030 Plan 

What are you willing to do to save the place that you love?  In the next few months, final decisions must be made about the contents of the 2030 Land Use Plan with adoption by the County Board anticipated in early Fall. Conflicting policies still need to be resolved that will have great impact on our water and natural resources, open space, and agricultural land in the county.  Over the summer several joint meetings between the Planning and Development Committee and the Regional Planning Commission as well as two series of public meetings will be held to resolve these conflicts. 

A team of your fellow Defenders members has attended numerous meetings of the Regional Plan Commission and reviewed the draft plan in order to recommend the following key issues to support in the plan and places where improvements need to be made and plan inconsistencies resolved. Read their comments - click here. Several Defenders members attended the public meetings held in late June.

The Defenders' Land Use Committee is currently actively seeking members to help us advocate against sprawl.  You don't have to be an expert to volunteer.  The Land Use Committee educates and advocates for land use policies.  Contact the Defenders office to join. 

The draft Plan can be read at www.mchenrycounty2030plan.com/news/index.htm. 


Defenders' McHenry & Woodstock Recycling Drives

Our next household battery, fluorescent tubes, and CFL collection will be in McHenry on Saturday, July 11th, from 9 am until noon. Click the link below for the address and more information.

read more...


Kishwaukee River Kayak / Canoe Trip

Saturday, July 11. Please contact the office as soon as possible to get on the list!


Full Moon Theater: "The Unforeseen"

The Defenders will be showing the 2007 film The Unforeseen on July 27 at 7 pm at MCC Auditorium. "Who wins when environmentalists, developers, and activists clash over the fate of Barton Creek in Texas?" Along with this land use documentary will be an introduction to McHenry County's 2030 Plan and follow up questions about the plan and how it relates to the documentary.

Co-sponsored by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County and Lou Marchi Recycling Institute.


Kilowatt Ours

What would you find if you traced the wires from your light switch to their energy source Find out when you view the movie Kilowatt Ours. See --

  • the problems with today's energy production
  • the ways ordinary people meet their energy needs through conservation and use of renewables
  • how to reduce energy bills while improving the environment

Schedule this program for your organization, church group, or club. The Defenders will provide the film and a discussion leader for your showing of Kilowatt Ours.

No fee is charged for the program, but donations are always welcomed.


 

GO TO 2040 "Invent the Future" Workshops

 

Do you feel like your community and region are being shaped and growing without concern for things that are important to you, like conserving open space and natural habitats? If so, you have a critical role to play as the voice of conservation. The time is now - literally!
 
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) continues its series of "Invent the Future" workshops throughout northeast
Illinois, where they are sharing ideas for shaping our region as it grows over the next 30 years. At these meetings, participants are asked to weigh in on four scenarios CMAP developed that address quality of life issues such as transportation, housing, jobs, air and water quality, and open space protection.
 
This is an important opportunity for your opinion to be heard loud and clear in the planning process and by other engaged citizens. The conversation about biodiversity starts with us. Please do not assume someone else will be there to support a future of healthy green communities. Your voice at these meetings can help ensure that as our region and communities grow, they do so in a way that utilizes the many principles of natural resource conservation that we know are good practice, such as:
 
-Preservation and protection of open space
-Using public transportation to relieve congestion and reduce global warming
-Minimizing the development of natural areas and farmland
-Planning buffers between sensitive natural areas and intensive use areas
-Protecting and restoring water bodies and wetlands to prevent flooding and preserve groundwater resources
 
There is a workshop in Harvard on August 5th. Sessions start at 7 pm and are about two hours long.

Go to http://www.goto2040.org  to find other workshops, or to use the online model! 

-paraphrased from Chicago Wilderness


GoodSearch.com will donate money to the Defenders every time you use their search engine. Go to www.GoodSearch.com and find Environmental Defenders of McHenry County in the "who do you goodsearch for" box. And if you need to shop, a percentage will be donated to us when you shop throughGoodShop link!

The Defenders' Store - Now you can support the Defenders with your purchases through Amazon.com. Go to our "Defenders Store" page, and search Amazon through our search box, or choose one of the items recommended by other Defenders. We'll receive between 4 and 10% of the purchase price, even on gift cards!

On sale at the office - gently used, nature-themed coffee table books. Conscious Cup travel mugs. Styro packing peanuts.

GET INVOLVED - MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 

Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, 124 Cass Street, Suite 3, Woodstock, Illinois 60098
815-338-0393  mcdef@owc.net