Our History

Greener Grove's roots date back to Fall 2022, when Louise Kelly, Carol Richart, and 6 other other DG residents, wrote a petition for the Downers Grove Village Council to join the Greenest Region Compact and  to bring back the Environmental Concerns Commission, which had become inoperative. In collecting signatures, they met many other residents who shared their passion for the environment and desire to advance sustainability in our community. They began to hold meetings of what would become Greener Grove in January 2023, and were joined by Phil Bolton, Steve Ruffolo, and Suzanne Lestina in forming the new organization's founding leadership team.

The growing group began to attend village council meetings and events to advocate for sustainability, and the council agreed to discuss the Greenest Region Compact as an official agenda item.  In March 2023, the council unanimously agreed to join the Compact, marking Greener Grove's first major victory.

Over the summer of 2023, Greener Grove gained traction through community outreach and education at the Downers Grove Farmers Market, growing to over 200 members!  Those members made their voices heard in urging the village council to prioritize sustainability in preparing Downers Grove's 2023-2025 Long-Range Plan. In the fall, these efforts paid off - the final Long Range Plan included developing a sustainability plan, hiring a dedicated staffer to drive it, and reinstating the Environmental Concerns Commission to support it. In addition to these legislative wins, the latter half of the year also featured great success in educational and social events - Greener Grove hosted a tree walk, a composting event, and an end of year celebration.

While we are very excited and proud of the progress made to date, we are also keen to keep the momentum going!  We hope you will join us and help in making Downers Grove's future greener.