Start Reducing Your Plastic Use with this Practical Guide

By Sierra Club’s Plastic Reductions Team

Alarm bells are increasingly ringing about plastic's impact on the planet and human health. The time to become part of the solution is now. There is a lot individuals can do to reduce their plastic footprints.

The Illinois Sierra Club's Plastic Reduction Team created a one-page practical guide to small, individual actions that can help each of us make a difference. It includes ideas on how to reduce our need for plastic, replace plastic with other reusable products, and recycle what we can't refuse or replace. On the second page, you will find key facts about the damage plastics do and a list of resources to help you learn more. The guide is here.

Get started today and keep going!

If you are interested in contributing your time, energy and ideas to the Plastics Reduction Team, please contact co-Chair Tim Dever at tdever67@yahoo.com. Meetings are usually held bi-monthly on the third Wednesday, by Zoom, beginning at 6:00 pm.

“Autumn of the Oaks” Event Series

Imagine a stellar lineup of events covering the history of a DuPage County community that was settled due to its natural resources, including oak trees. Sierra Club River Prairie Group is proud to be a co-sponsor of programming this autumn that covers ancient and pre-settlement history through today. For thousands of years people managed this land. Today, old wisdom and the work of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is critical to maintaining our mature oak forests, and this informs us of what we can do in our own back yards.

Save the link and check back for updates regarding the events described below.

Lecture series:

Sept 22, 7 p.m.  Zoom talk w/ historian Robert Downes on Native American History, sponsored by Native American Cultural & Environmental Center – Register in advance for this meeting at through Zoom.

Sept 23, 7 p.m.  Sierra Club lecture on archaeology with Dale Simpson, Jr. – Registration

Oct 13, 7 p.m. Biohacking Tree Longevity: Modern Strategies for Preserving Canopy

Did you know? Glen Ellyn has older trees than any of its neighboring communities. And studies confirm that, across all metrics, mature trees yield the greatest benefits to humans and wildlife. Yet our oldest and largest trees bear the brunt of environmental threats, and many are falling into decline. But there is hope - we can take action to extend their lives by 50 to 100 years or more. Join us for an “ask the expert” panel discussion where we unpack strategies for biohacking lifespan for the trees on your property.

Nov 10, 7 p.m. Ecological Mimicry: Modern Strategies for Optimizing Canopy and Hedge Quality

The good news - based on studies by the Morton Arboretum, canopy coverage is growing across the Chicago region. The bad news - much of the growth is due to invasive species such as buckthorn and honeysuckle and shorter-lifespan trees such as maples. Join us as experts share strategies for improving long-term canopy quality in our neighborhoods using ecological mimicry. We will also learn how to transform privacy hedges, removing invasives and restoring healthy habitat.

Walks:

Sept 29, 12 p.m.  Go Green Glen Ellyn daytime hike with Jeff Gahris, Forest Preserve Commissioner, at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve - https://www.gogreenglenellyn.org/events

Oct 11 “Walk the Grove” and Soil Sampling Field Activity

Oct 25  Family Leaf Hunt and Arboretum Walk @ Lake Ellyn

Oct 27  “Autumn Colors Walk” and Soil Sampling Field Activit

Nov 24  Thanksgiving Walk

Self-guided Leaf Hunts, Arboretum Walks at Ben Franklin, Churchill, Forest Glen, Lincoln, Parkview, and Woodland Walks at local preserves

Special event: OAKtoberfest

Enjoy live music from School of Rock and The Fall Guys, hands-on art activities, games, and family fun throughout the park. Activities include face painting, a StoryWalk®, guided oak tree tours, an acorn talisman craft, and a tree treasure hunt. Join artist Liita Forsyth of The Little Bits Workshop for a collaborative community art project. The Beer Cellar will offer draft beer for purchase (21+), with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Glen Ellyn Parks Foundation.

Partnerships:

Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission, https://www.glenellyn.org/631/Environmental-Commission

Go Green Glen Ellyn, www.gogreenglenellyn.org

Native American Cultural & Environmental Center (McKee Preservation Group), https://www.fundthecenter.org/

Sierra Club River Prairie Group, https://www.sierraclub.org/illinois/river-prairie

River Prairie Group at the County Fair!

 By Connie Schmidt

The River Prairie Group participated in the DuPage County Fair this year. We partnered up with the Conservation Foundation, DuPage Monarch Project, and Wild Ones to share literature at a table near the entrance. There was a lovely flower garden behind us prompting many discussions on the importance of native plantings for our local pollinator populations. 

In addition, each of these organizations and about 10 others created colorful planted pots sharing the message of each group. Ours had a “Three Sisters Garden” honoring the practice of our original people and their gardening techniques of growing corn, beans, and squash together, supporting each other with their nutrients and posturing in the container. It surely is symbolic of how all various species can and should lean in to add support and strength for each specie to survive and thrive.

The DuPage County Fair has a long history here in our county. On their website we learn:

“As one of the largest industries in Illinois, agriculture was the foundation for what is known today as the DuPage County Fair. Over 180 years ago when local farmers felt it was important to bring the community together, they decided to take turns hosting a fair. The gatherings promoted agriculture and farming and included livestock judging; judging of produce, flowers, grains, and baked goods; exhibits of new farming equipment; and various contests for the entire community to enjoy.

With the changing demographics in DuPage and surrounding counties, the fairgrounds have evolved over the years to not only host the annual DuPage County Fair, but to also provide a location where the community can gather throughout the year.”

Dale Simpson – IL Archaeology 2.0!

 

Wednesday, September 23, 2026  7:00 pm

Glen Ellyn History Center (800 N. Main Street)

 

Last year, during “Archaeology Week” here in Illinois, The River Prairie Group of Sierra Club hosted a presentation by Dale Simpson on early Archaeology in Illinois. It was very well attended, and the attendees left wanting to hear more about this historical time. This year, on September 23, 2026, the RPG treats you to PART 2 of Early Illinois Archaeology by Dale F. Simpson! Dale is a local and well-known archaeologist. He will continue his chat with us about the rich and fascinating story of the ancient peoples of Illinois. Last year he brought three large tables of interesting artifacts and activities for the attendees to investigate. It was spectacular, and we think the 2.0 program, the ongoing tale of our Illinois history, will be just as fascinating. You can register for the program in September here.

Bicycling With Butterflies

 

Sunday Sept 27, 1:30 – 4:00 pm

Begins: Montclair Monarch Meadow in Glen Ellyn

Come bike up close and personal with pocket prairies and pollinator-friendly gardens along the wonderful Illinois Prairie Path trail. September is peak monarch migration in DuPage County and there is a good chance of seeing monarchs on their journey to Mexico. This outing is a collaboration with the DuPage Monarch Project and the Illinois Prairie Path volunteer leadership. Volunteer Naturalists from DMP will chat with the group and highlight six natural areas and gardens along the way. The group will meet at Montclair Monarch Meadow in Glen Ellyn (at the north end of Montclair Ave in the commuter lot) and proceed west to Volunteer Park in Wheaton with a round-trip distance of six miles. Learn more about this fun opportunity and confirm the meeting location when you register at this link. 

Tour the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center

By Connie Schmidt

Representative Janet Yang Rohr reached out to the River Prairie Group in 2021, and we had a hike together chatting about nature, Naperville Knoch Knolls Park, and her work in Springfield supporting the environment.  We repeated the successful event in 2023 with RPG outings leaders, identifying plants both native and invasive, and sharing a great hike in the same area.  In 2025, we decided to offer a unique outing featuring environmental work in her district.  The state-of-the-art Springbrook Water Reclamation Center seemed like a perfect choice. However, because of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, all outings were canceled on the week of our tour in September, so we had to call off that tour.

Now, in 2026, we are back on track and offering a great opportunity to see this amazing operation. On Saturday September 19 at 2:00 pm, we will meet at the site and have a behind the scenes tour of this important facility servicing one of our state’s largest cities and some neighboring towns as well.

Register here.

On their website we learn: “The City of Naperville belongs to two watershed planning groups: the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW) and the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition (LDRWC). Through these groups, Naperville will work with member communities to complete various stream improvement projects throughout the watershed intended to focus on improving water quality, habitat and aquatic life.”  

Staff from the Center as well as members of the DRSCW, RPG leaders, and Representative Janet Yang Rohr and her staff will also be on hand for this informative event.  Please sign up here and watch for more information as the date approaches.

Beyond Our Senses: Bank Swallows Event

 A nature documentary, filmmaker talk, and Q&A

October 28 7:00 pm ~ Glen Ellyn History Center

David Busse will present his 18-minute film and discussion on the beautiful Bank Swallows of Lake Michigan bluffs.  He is a 4-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker and video producer, traveling from Milwaukee to present to the RPG.

Beyond Our Senses explores the intersection between life and perceptions. Each spring, thousands of Bank Swallows return to the Lake Michigan bluffs to build colonies, mate, and raise their young. Guided by extraordinary perceptions like tetrachromatic vision, magnetic senses, and aerial mastery, they navigate predators, rivals, and the relentless demands of survival in a hidden world beyond human perception.

The filmmaker shares the story of his obsessive quest to document the swallows, leading him to daily check-ins, surprising moments in nature, deep research, and collaborations with scientists, writers, and conservationists from New York to Ireland. He learns to see the world with fresh eyes, discovering key behaviors in the footage that he had overlooked many times, and culminating in a moment with his family at the dinner table that he never could have planned.

David’s previous work includes the nature documentary SNOWSTORM, and a photo series anchored by the lake’s landscape. Beyond Our Senses: Bank Swallows represents his most ambitious project to date. He is currently submitting the film to festivals and hosting screenings throughout the Great Lakes region to connect with local communities. Sign up here.