“When
one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest
of the world.” ~John Muir
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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.
Upcoming Events and
Announcements:
(also see Calendar link
above)
Office Hours: Monday
through Friday, 10 am - 4:30 pm
Volunteer Opportunities
-
Volunteers needed to set up and staff our annual
fall used book sale, starting Sunday, September 19th, and
running through October 2nd. The sale will be at the Algonquin
Township Road District garage again this year.
-
We’ve started
planning for our first Defenders’ Go Green golf outing fundraiser,
which is set for Friday, October 1st. If you’d
like to help plan this event, selling tickets, collecting raffle
prizes, etc., give us a call. Even if you’re not a golfer, this is
going to be a lot of fun.
-
Green Spot Resale
– we can always use help minding the store, stocking shelves, and
general office help. We could also use someone willing to pick up
donations as needed. We’re
is open
this summer during the Woodstock Farmer's Market, and volunteers are
needed to help out from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Tuesdays
through October.
Come and join us at the PARADE!
Join us Saturday, September 4th, 2010, for
the Lake in the Hills Summer Sunset Festival parade! Line up begins
at 8:30am and the parade kicks off promptly at 10:00am.
Click Here for
a map of the parade route and line-up area, and
HERE for more info!
Documentary
Film Presentation—”Carbon Nation”
The Defenders’
Climate Change Committee invites you to the showing of the award winning
documentary
Carbon Nation
on
September 8,
6:30 pm at the Conference Center at MCC. Co-sponsored by the Lou Marchi
Total Recycling Institute at MCC, and the Down To Earth Club.
This will be the
premier for the film in McHenry County, and continues the tradition of
the Education Committee of delivering premiers to the county that open
dialog to such issues as climate change (An
Inconvenient Truth
and
The 11th Hour),
pesticide and herbicide use (A
Chemical Reaction),
the food industry (Food,
Inc.) and the
insane slaughter of dolphins (The
Cove).
Carbon Nation
takes us past the
effects of climate change and shows us practical, local solutions to
dealing with our new earth.
A five dollar
donation is appreciated—Tickets will be available at the Defenders
office and at the door.
Defenders' McHenry &
Woodstock Recycling Drives
*~*We are currently looking for somewhere to recycle single-use household
batteries. We will continue to accept them at our monthly drives, but if
you can help us out by getting them to other recyclers, that would be
great!. Household
chemical waste sites will take rechargeable NI CAD, Lithium, and Metal Hydride batteries, but NOT single use, alkaline batteries. Some
businesses will take them from individuals - Batteries Plus in Crystal
Lake, Elgin &
Lake Zurich do. Crystal Lake Bank & Trust has a drop off bin inside
their door. Elgin Fire Department has a drop off bin. Check with your local Ace
Hardware to see if they
can recycle them.
Our next collection of fluorescent tubes, batteries, and
clean, white block
polystyrene foam (AKA Styrofoam) will be in
McHenry on Saturday,
September 11, from 9 am until noon. Click the link below for the
address and more information.
read more...
2011 Entertainment Books Fundraiser
The 2011 Entertainment coupon books
are now available at the office. For $25, you get a huge assortment of
discounts and buy-one-get-one offers, including restaurants, sports,
travel and more! Stop by the office to have a look and pick one up, or
you can order online and have it delivered to your door for $4.99
shipping. Click the picture.
Leopold Bench Raffle
We are raffling off a
Leopold Bench, similar to the one in the photo. Tickets are $1 each or six
for $5. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Defenders’ Golf Outing on October 1, 2010.
(winner need not be present to win)
Bench design was used by
Aldo Leopold, father of the modern land ethic and the field of habitat
restoration, at “The Shack” on his Sand County Farm in Wisconsin. Our
bench was made and contributed by member John Clementsen.
Stop by the office to see
the bench & purchase tickets, or you can send a check to the office.
The new Defenders
t-shirts are here!
Available at the office for $10. Ladies'
and Men's sizes available. What a great way to spread the word about the
Defenders!
 
The Defenders' Store
- 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
- Used books, Conscious Cup travel
mugs now on sale $5. Styro packing peanuts and bubble wrap $5 per BIG bag.
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 through GoodShop
link!
Find us on FaceBook!
The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County | Promote Your Page Too
|
Environmental
Defenders of McHenry County 
