Green Up, H-F!

2009/10 green Accomplishments

• Wrote and presented official Green Policy to
  Board of Commissioners for approval
• Designed list of “Best Practices” for a variety
  of park district applications: landscaping,
  purchasing, special events, pesticides, fuel
  use, energy use, computer use and
  thermostats
• Purchased new clear recycling containers to
  use at special events
• Created & posted “Green up, H-F” signs near
  lights, printers and towel dispensers
  throughout facilities to help reduce energy
  waste and encourage double-sided printing
• Produced new green event, Earth Day @ the
  Oaks, which was free to the general public
• Installed a Paper Retriever recycling bin at
  H-F Racquet & Fitness Club parking lot
• Investigated & implemented recycling
  efficiency in district’s facilities
• Started collecting household items (baby food
  jars, paper towel tubes, etc.) from public for
  preschool/after-school program craft activities
• Began accepting ink cartridges and CFL
  lightbulbs for recycling from the public at two
  facilities (Irons Oaks & Goldberg)
• Planned a green speaker for staff trainings
• Added green messages to enewsletters and
  email signatures
• Added a “Green Up, H-F” page to
  hfparks.com website
• Offered green community education
  programs, such as Wildflower Walk and
  Composting
• Eliminated the use of Styrofoam district wide
• Provided full-time staff with reusable water
  bottles and reusable tote bags to discourage
  the use of plastic water bottles & bags
• Made environmental concerns part of job
  performance evaluations
• Investigated alternative energy/power
  systems
• Began selling energy-efficient lightbulbs to
  the public at Irons Oaks
• Encouraged safe bike riding at free H-F Bike
  Rodeo event and partnered with the Active
  Transportation Alliance to offer free valet bike
  parking at Starry Nights concerts
• Installed energy-efficient lighting and motion- sensor light switches where possible
• Purchased first hybrid fleet car
• Installed rain barrels at a few facilities
  (Goldberg, Irons Oaks, Coyote Run)

Also, specifically at Coyote Run Golf Course:
• Received a Chicago Wilderness/US EPA
  award for use of native plants in landscaping
• Began collecting cans & bottles for recycling
  throughout the course
• Installed a new wash-water recycling system
• Switched from a chemical fertilizer to
  bio-solids to fertilize fairways & roughs
• Oil used is now a bio-blend diesel and 2-cycle
  engine oil; all oil products are recycled

Visit this page often for the latest news on the H-F Park District's green initiative, as well as to find green tips and links to websites that can help you be green at home!

COYOTE RUN GOLF COURSE RECEIVES EPA AWARD

Last December, representatives from Coyote Run Golf Course accepted a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe as part of the 2009 Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards program. The awards are presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chicago Wilderness Society. The certificate is awarded to sites that are noteworthy in terms of use of native plants, protecting or restoring ecosystems, and/or implementation of the principles of conservation design.

Coyote Run, in particular, was being recognized for its widespread use of native plants in unmowed areas, around water features and it its restored wetlands area. According to Dave Ward, the course superintendent who selected native species for landscaping when the course was being designed, prairie plants found at the course include Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, Side Oats Grama and Prairie Dropseed. Native flowers there include the Butterfly Week, Blazing Star, Brown-Eyed Susan, Black-Eyed Susan, Penstemon, Prairie Dock, Wild Quinine and Rattlesnake Master.

“It is important to recognize and publicize landscapes that use native plants so people realize that there are more garden possibilities in our area than Petunias and Marigolds,” said Ward. “Native plants are better for the environment because they require no fertilizer or water. The local native species of animals also depend on them for food and shelter.”

Coyote Run Golf Course — located at 800 Kedzie in Flossmoor — is a facility of the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District. For more information on Coyote Run Golf Course, call 708-957-8700 or visit coyoterungolf.com

Lights for learning: cfls for sale!

Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center has partnered with the Illinois Department of Commerce and ComED with their Lights for Learning program to offer ENERGY STAR Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs to the public at a discounted rate. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of the bulbs will support educational programming at Irons Oaks.

ENERGY STAR bulbs use 75 percent less energy than a standard light bulb and last up to 10 times longer. They save about $30 or more in electricity costs during their lifetime. Bulbs currently for sale at Irons Oaks include:

• 13-watt capsule: $4.50
• 13-watt spiral: $1.75
• 20-watt spiral: $2
• 23-watt spiral: $2.25
• Three-way spiral: $7
• LED color-changing nightlight: $3.50
• Spiral sampler pack: $5.75
• LED holiday lights (multi): $8
• LED holiday lights (white): $12

In addition to the bulbs for sale, old CFL bulbs can also be recycled at Irons Oaks, which is located at 20000 S. Western Ave. in Olympia Fields. Office hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Irons Oaks is a 40-acre nature preserve and a joint project of the Homewood-Flossmoor and Olympia Fields Park Districts. For more information on the Lights for Learning program, call 708-481-2330 or visit ironsoaks.com.

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