the environment in McHenry County!
Please enjoy our “50 Years of Defending” trailer. Full documentary to be shown later this year to continue our celebration. DVDs will be available for sale at the premier and following.
Earth Day celebrates 50 years this month! Happy Earth Month!
We apologize, but for the safety of our volunteers and community during this health crisis, our three Styrofoam Collection areas in the county will be temporarily closed. Thank you for your understanding — Environmental Defenders’ Recycling Action Team.
In order to protect all living things, the Environmental Defenders is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the natural environment in McHenry County. As a grass roots organization, we are committed to building sound ecological relationships between people and the natural world that supports all life.
To our wonderful Defenders:
How much things have changed this past week since our big 50th and that beautiful sunny day. We want to invite you to connect with us for any environmental questions or other matters during this time through emailing or calling, and limited office visits if need be. As other groups suggest as well, one place you CAN go is outside…enjoy all the wonderful outdoor spaces that McHenry County is home to! Please check for any updates in our programming regularly at www.mcdef.org, our Facebook page or through your email inbox. All April events have been canceled or postponed, including Green Drinks, April 18th Earth Day Celebration & reccylign drives and all other events and county recycling drives. A Green Team Climate Panel event on April 21 will be on-line and more information on that will be forthcoming.
Please try to stay as environmentally friendly as possible during a time when single-use plastics will see an uptick in use. This is a very difficult time for small businesses, like so many of our Defenders’ Business Members, as well as our very own book stores, so keep an eye out for whether or not we’re open and refrain from visiting if you are unwell. At this writing, our office, The Green Spot, our Woodstock book store, will be closed until April 30. The Green Read in Crystal Lake is closed as well, but taking mail orders. When things are back to being fully open in our communities, we encourage you to visit local establishments so we can all help one another bounce back! And, if you’re not already a Defenders’ member – you can join on-line in the comfort of your home and help support us through this time or make a donation.
Our Action Teams will suspend in-person meetings over these next four weeks and we will update through eNews and elsewhere as they modify or resume. Lastly, please let us know if you need anything or can donate items to others that you have overbought so that Defenders can support one another during this challenging time, while reducing possible waste.
Thank you, stay well, and keep in touch! We sincerely hope to see you very soon.
Cynthia Kanner, Executive Director, and on behalf of our entire Board of Directors, Staff and Action Team Chairs
YOU can join and/or volunteer and help us advocate for a healthy environment and also enjoy what we protect, together.
SHOP OUR SHIRTS and more and SUPPORT OUR MISSION.
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Earth Month Green Tip: It's evident from the reactions to our previous two hints about reducing the use of single-use plastics, that many of us would like to know more not only about the reduction in use, but also the recycling of plastic. This documentary PBS aired a few days ago is available on Youtube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk3NOEgX7o, and it is a powerful piece about this topic: Frontline: Plastic Wars. Check it out and share with your friends.
Earth Month Green Tip: Since grocery stores are not allowing the use of your reusable cloth bags during this pandemic, just have the checker put your groceries back into your cart loose. Then load them into your bags or boxes back at your car. That way, we won’t be adding to the increase in the use of single-use plastic bags! Pass it on!