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In the 1970s, two lifelong friends from Park Ridge, Brian Lawrence and Paul Minasian, began an extraordinary collaboration that would have a lasting impact on sustainability. Together, they combined the expertise of their respective companies—Henkel, a global leader in adhesives, and Graphic Innovators (now Pregis), a machinery and equipment manufacturing company—to tackle the challenge of eliminating the plastic bubble wrap mailer.
Their innovative partnership led to the development and patenting of production lines for curbside recyclable padded mailers. These mailers, now widely used by companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target in e-commerce, offer an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic packaging. The journey began with a prototype production line that produced a few thousand test samples to prove the concept. This success paved the way for a fully purpose-built customer line, which ultimately expanded into multiple production lines across the country. Today, plants nationwide manufacture these recyclable mailers, and over 1 billion have been sold, preventing thousands of tons of plastic from polluting our environment. The legacy of Brian and Paul’s innovation continues to grow. They remain committed to developing new paper-based packaging products, further reducing consumer reliance on plastic and contributing to a healthier planet. We are proud to honor Brian Lawrence and Paul Minasian for their visionary work and dedication to sustainability, which has made a profound difference in our community and beyond.
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Our St Andrews Family is so honored to be nominated as a Go Green Park Ridge Change Maker! Thank you for all you do to highlight those in our community who are looking after our environment.
Our congregation voted this summer to move forward with the solar plan. We are grateful for the many government incentives available and to the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (the financial arm of our church body) for making it possible for us to complete this project. We anticipate that the solar system we installed will make the electricity use on our campus energy neutral throughout the course of a year. It is our belief that our environment and our campus are great gifts from God, and we are grateful that we can honor God by being good stewards of our space for those in our community (our parking lot is full most nights of the week because of community use!) and that we can be better stewards of our environment by making use of green energy. Our hope is that we can be a good example of care and concern for our planet, and that more businesses and non-profits would be able to install solar technology on their own campuses in the future. It is a great win-win, we get to use renewable energy and save money at the same time! We can use the savings to advance the mission of our church and serve our neighbors. What could be better than that! Rev. Matt Hoffmann Pastor, St. Andrews Lutheran Church and School Park Ridge, IL  FUELING CHICAGO
Illinois continues to pave the way to a cleaner future with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at O’Hare! United Airlines will utilize SAF, derived from renewable sources, to reduce emissions from air travel. Governor JB Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, and House Speaker Chris Welch delivered this great news alongside United Airlines. Senator Murphy was elated to join them. In an article for United Magazine written by Isabella Robles, these purchases show a commitment to sustainability. O'Hare is United's hometown hub. It is the fifth airport where United has purchased SAF for operational use. Years in the making, this step forward was made possible by the support of the governor and the foundation United has built alongside corporate partners. Congratulations, Senator Laura Murphy!  Dr Adam Parisi, the Chief School Business Official with D64, is leading the D64 Green Initiatives staff members and has willingly taken on extra coordination with the community and parents to assist with moving the district towards increased sustainable operations. From supporting and facilitating composting and locker clean out initiatives to responsibly managing the district lawns and learning about share tables in the lunchrooms, he is working hard to bring an environmentally focused culture throughout the district. Recently, Dr. Parisi listened to feedback about increasing district wide communications that will help elevate the participation of the students, staff and families in D64. Nicole Birmingham is the lead point person to organize parents at each elementary school as well as plan agenda topics and dig into research that is needed to increase the student experience with the health of the planet top of mind. He has shifted the district to a natural lawn care program and plans to continue to inform the community to raise awareness of the best practices being employed. Dr.Parisi also says the goal should be to get 3-5 stories like this below posted in 24-25.
https://www.d64.org/news/1793541/reducing-waste-with-locker-desk-clean-outs. The Park Ridge Public Library has been embracing an aspect of their strategic plan to “lead green as a convener, researcher, and public example.”
Laura Scott, manager of Adult Services, has found opportunities for patrons and staff to be environmentally friendly. In 2021, GGPR asked if she would consider forming an environmentally focused book discussion at the Library, and she readily agreed. The Green Reads group began in 2021 and meets quarterly. Laura worked with SWANCC to get funding for a thermal camera for the Exploration Library collection last year. In 2023, Laura approached the Library’s director, Joanna Bertucci, to ask if it might be possible to start composting with Collective Resource in the staff lunchroom and recycling envelopes with EcoShip Chicago, a nonprofit, community-based organization, and Joanna said yes to both! Lauren Bochat, manager of Technical Services, and her team are implementing Laura's vision to recycle. This past year, they collected 150 pounds of packing and shipping materials to be reused. UPS and EcoShip Chicago are happy to receive the library's gently used materials to share with individuals and small businesses. Lauren and Laura are excited to add these offerings to their existing programs and materials for kids and adults that promote sustainability. For my Eagle Scout project, I wanted to create a Seed Library for the Park Ridge Public Library. The idea behind the Seed Library was to provide our community with access to a diverse range of seeds, catering to both professional gardeners and newcomers. It's designed to be as simple as borrowing a book – you pick up some seeds, plant them, and watch your garden flourish.
Beyond gardening, the Seed Library helps to foster community engagement by connecting individuals passionate about gardening, sustainability, and biodiversity. It serves as a hub for knowledge exchange, empowering both experienced and novice gardeners. The Seed Library also plays an important role in creating food security within our community. By enabling residents to grow their own food, it offers some self-sufficiency and control over their own food supply. In addition, the Seed Library contributes to conservation efforts by reducing reliance on commercially produced crops and preserving heirloom pollinator plants. This is important as we work through environmental challenges like climate change. Overall, my Eagle Scout project isn't just about planting seeds; it's about planting the seeds of change and making a positive impact in our community. **Owen is a seventh grader at Lincoln Middle School and is a member of Troop 1.  For many years, the Park Ridge Park District has made sustainability a priority. Adopting an Environmental Policy in 2009, piloting our first “Pesticide Free Park” at Maine Park in 2015 and then expanding natural lawncare practices to all parks, and planting over 40 trees a year for the past 8 consecutive years, are just a few of the initiatives taken by the District in recent years.
The current Park Board realized the next step in the District’s environmental efforts would require a dedicated staff member assigned to this area. In the 2023 budget, the Board added a Part-Time Sustainability Coordinator. The Sustainability Coordinator is responsible for identifying ways to improve sustainability within the scope of the District’s capital projects, as well as identifying potential energy savings, emissions reductions, water conservation, and waste reduction opportunities within the District’s daily operations. Additionally, this position seeks and applies for funding assistance to support sustainability efforts. The Sustainability Coordinator is currently working on the District’s first sustainability plan. With input gathered from a survey of the public, the plan will focus on areas identified as important by our residents. This new position at the District is helping the Park Ridge Park District lead sustainability efforts within the Park Ridge community as well as among other Park Districts. John Tunnell Park Board Commissioner Park Ridge Park District When I was a kid I remember playing in the prairie over on Linden, when it hadn’t yet been destroyed to build a house. It was the only one left in our neighborhood. When I was older, I went to the Brookfield Zoo often and one year there was suddenly this beautiful thing called a prairie restoration. It was one of the most amazing things I’d ever seen! And then they built one on the inside too! Every time I was there observing this beauty I felt really happy. Decades later, I finally saw my first full prairie farther south in Illinois and was able to experience how they are filled with amazing birds and insects at different times of the year. Prairies are beautiful and filled with life. They smell really good :-)
So when when I moved back home I read that the trend was to replace half of your lawn with native plants, I started doing that. It’s been very rewarding to see all the different native bees and other insects using the habitats that I’ve created. On our property we have prairie, wetland, and forest understory restorations. These provide habitat for an incredible diversity of wonderful insects as well as birds and other living things. Adding Native Plants to your property is something that everyone can do. There are many great online native plant nurseries you can buy from and feel safe doing so, that there are no pesticides impregnated into your plants that will kill pollinators and that they are appropriate for your location. It’s affordable, it’s easy, and it’s fun! I would love to see Park Ridge residents adding many more beautiful native plants into their yards, schools, parks, and public spaces. Native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers will provide the necessary diversity and resources for our important pollinators whose lives literally depend on it. They will add to the beauty of our neighborhoods and will support the environment we all depend on for beauty and pleasure.  Wheel & Sprocket is thrilled to be the May Changemaker especially as the season of summer opens up time in people's schedules to explore the roads in and around Park Ridge.
Cycling plays such a huge role in any green initiative! Running errands or commuting by bike in the warmer months can be an easy way to reduce trips by car which means less gas consumption, lower emissions, and reduced traffic congestion. Biking is great for the environment and mental and physical health, and we're here to support that whether it's a new bike, repair, or getting the gear you need to ride enjoyably. As far as sustainability within our operation:
—David Fletcher (he/him), General Manager- Oak Park, Park Ridge Laura started her environmental community involvement as Co-Chair of the Roosevelt Elementary School Green Team in 2004. She visited classrooms to teach the primary grades how to pack waste free lunch and how to recycle in the cafeteria. She installed Abitibi paper recycle bins and encouraged their use through promotions and contests. She also created “party packs” of reusable plates, cups and silverware to allow for waste free classroom events.
As her daughters moved on to Lincoln middle school, the green initiatives became locker clean out sorts and excess school supply donation. Laura is currently Co-Sponsor of the Maine South High School Environmental Club. Each week the club conducts recycling sorts & audits in our classrooms. They collect data and report to students and staff on the items that they remove which otherwise would contaminate our recycling. With education and reinforcement, they have seen continued improvements in our overall recycling efforts. The Environmental Club conducts forest preserve clean-ups across from Maine South, a vegan cooking challenge and a bi-annual electronics recycling event for our school and community. As a club sponsor, her role is to support student initiatives. She is continually inspired by the vision of her student leaders who give her hope for the future. One of her student E-Club officers, Elliott, is leading the charge to add native plants to the Maine South Courtyard. On March 7, the Maine South Environmental Club will again host the Go Green Sponsored One Earth Film Festival. This year’s film is “Going Circular”. The film is about sustainability and the circular economy. The event includes a Sustainability Fair which showcases our local organizations making a difference everyday. In addition to making greener choices for herself and her family everyday, Laura's intent is to educate and encourage students so their actions can impact the future. Congratulations, Laura Wilkens! |
Park Ridge:Take a look at what your neighbors are doing for Park Ridge sustainability! Archives
February 2025
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