Elgin Watchman

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I know, I know . . . this episode is neither coverage of the Elgin Sustainability Commission meeting nor is it one of the eight episodes this season dedicated to "The Fox River Story" collaboration with Friends of the Fox River.
 
However, this episode did spin off from The Fox River Story 8-part series, so please cut us some slack.  *wink*
 
In today's, special edition, we speak with Tom Slawski, who is a man wearing many hats, including (and likely not limited to):

• Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (where he is the chief biologist)
• Southeast Fox River Partnership
• Southeastern Wisconsin Fox River Commission

After interviewing Tom as part of season two's The Fox River Story, we realized he was just 24-hours removed from being one of the chief planners/organizers/hosts of the 11th Annual Fox River Summit.
 
As you might imagine, we couldn't resist the opportunity to ask lots and lots of questions about the summit while we had Tom's undivided attention. AND when push came to shove in The Elgin Watchman offices, we couldn't help ourselves and turned that conversation into a special edition.
 
We hope you enjoy Tom's summary of this annual event and encourage you to make plans to attend net year's summit being planned for April 2024.
 
For more information about the podcast, please visit The Elgin Watchman website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform. Follow us wherever you get your other podcasts!

For more information about Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR), please visit their website and LIKE their Facebook page. If you want to read more about the history of the Fox River, there is an awesome article titled "Our Waters, Our Fox" on the FOTFR webpage. CLICK HERE to read it.

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The Elgin Sustainability Commission met on Tuesday, March 14th, and as always they had a lot to talk about. In fact, at one point in the meeting, there were 10-minutes  where at least five people were talking over each other. In an effort to summarize things, here is a list of what was discussed over a 2+ hour period of time:

• Commissioner Kevin Zaldivar resigned and the city of Elgin is taking applications online to fill this vacancy
• April is Elgin Earth Month and the commission is planning to host Elgin Earth Summit on April 29th at Elgin Community College (NOTE: there are also many other organizations hosting events throughout April. More info can be found on Facebook at @ElginEarthMonth)
• Money was allocated to purchase a membership with the Illinois Recycling Foundation
• Applications will start being accepted for the commission's Electric Garden Equipment Rebate program sometime in April during Elgin Earth Month (funding is limited; so act quickly)
• Residents have until April 15th to submit their application to the Parkway Tree Planting program. Call 3-1-1 for more details or good luck digging through the sea of data at cityofelgin.org
• Commissioners will be joining local environmental organizations and acting as liaison and conduits of information for the commission
• Commissioner David Jurina wants the city to ban fossil fuel hook-ups (e.g. no more gas lines) for new housing and building developments. 

The bulk of this episode is dedicated to speaking with Commissioner Jurina about the presentation he will be making to the Elgin City Council on March 22nd.
 
If you are able to attend the city council meeting, the commission encourages you to sign-up and speak in favor of this proposal.
 
If you are unable to attend the council meeting, then please listen to this podcast, contact the Mayor, council members, and the city manager's office, and voice your support.

For more information, please visit our website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform.

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Welcome to Season Two of The Elgin Watchman podcast.  As we did in Season One, the first podcast episode of every month focuses on coverage of the Elgin Sustainability Commission and an environment sustainability issue (or city hall) with which they are grappling. The second podcast episode of every month focuses in-depth on a sustainability issue important to Elgin and its neighboring communities.

In Season One, The Watchman focused on whether there is lead in Elgin's drinking water and the city's lead service line replacement program. This year, during Season Two, we are widening our scope and attempting to adopt a regional -- or dare we say watershed-wide -- view of sustainability.

Season Two of this podcast represents a collaboration with Friends of the Fox River as we attempt to tell THE FOX RIVER STORY.

Today is the first in a series of eight episodes focusing on the mighty Fox River that starts near Waukesha, Wisconsin and ends its journey 223 miles downstream in Ottawa, Illinois where it meets the Illinois River. 

President of Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR), Gary Swick, sets the stage for this eight part podcast series. His introduction touches on a lot of topics that will be explored deeper in future episodes including:

• The glacier that started everything pertaining to the river
• Civilization along the river
• Wildlife/Habitat
• Water quality
• Dams
• Advocacy & Friends of the Fox River

For more information about the podcast, please visit The Elgin Watchman website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform. Follow us wherever you get your other podcasts!

For more information about Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR), please visit their website and LIKE their Facebook page. If you want to read more about the history of the Fox River, there is an awesome article titled "Our Waters, Our Fox" on the FOTFR webpage. CLICK HERE to read it.

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The Elgin Sustainability Commission met on Valentine's Day 2023, and The Elgin Watchman's Tia Aagesen made a guest appearance sharing her observations from the commission meeting in addition to the February city council meeting. Topics covered were:

• Lead Service Lines
• Single Use Bag Fee proposed ordinance
• Strategic Plan
• Tyler Creek Watershed
• Commission Workgroups
• Fossil Fuel-Free Project
• Superbowl Fun
• And more

For more information, please visit our website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform.

CLICK HERE to access The Elgin Watchman's Single Use Bag Fee Advocacy eGuide.

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Season Two of The Elgin Watchman podcast is just beginning. And what better way to get a new season moving in the right direction than by covering the first Elgin Sustainability Commission meeting of the year and talking about:

• Open Meetings Act refresher from City Clerk Kim Dewes
• 2023 commission budget
• 2023 Elgin Earth Month
• And lots of miscellaneous commission blah-blah-blag

This episode is similar to December's coverage of the sustainability commission. With Tia being on on sabbatical to run for city council and Erik out-of-state on business, Elgin's Queen of Zero Waste -- Robin Migalla -- did The Elgin Watchman a "solid favor" by agreeing to attend the meeting and allow Erik to interview her after the fact.

For more information, please visit our website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform.

CLICK HERE to access The Elgin Watchman's Single Use Bag Fee Advocacy eGuide.

CLICK HERE to access The Elgin Watchman's Sustainability Volunteerism e-Guide.

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Happy New Year and welcome to Season Two of The Elgin Watchman podcast!
 
A special thank you to our friends at Elgin Area Climate Action Now (EA NOW) for agreeing to sit for an interview with Erik. Topics covered during this episode include:

• Where is the city of Elgin at with what it committed to in the city council's Climate Emergency resolution?
• What is Elgin Area Climate Action Now? How can podcast listeners get involved?
• What does 2023 look like for local climate action advocates?

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that can help make Elgin a more sustainable and environmentally friendly community? Look no further than The Elgin Watchman's volunteerism e-guide. CLICK HERE to view that online resource.  Clicking on the Elgin Area Climate Action Now logo in the e-guide will take you to the organization's webpage where you can learn more.

For more information about The Elgin Watchman podcast and access previous episodes, please visit our website, LIKE our Facebook page, and subscribe to our podcast using one of the many RSS Readers on our Buzzsprout podcast platform.

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"Get involved. Be engaged. And always keep watch!" This is the mantra of The Elgin Watchman podcast.

Today's mini-episode is an infomercial for the Elgin Sustainability Commission's Zero Waste Workgroup, and it is your opportunity to get more involved.
Jeff Biss about the objectives of this workgroup and some of their upcoming 2023 projects.
 
Zero Waste Workgroup meetings are the third Wednesday of every month between 10-11 am at the downtown branch of the Gail Borden Library.

For more information about how to join this commission workgroup, go to https://www.cityofelgin.org/sustainability or call the city's information hotline 
at 3-1-1.

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"Get involved. Be engaged. And always keep watch!" This is the mantra of The Elgin Watchman podcast.

Today's mini-episode is an infomercial for the Elgin Sustainability Commission's Transportation & Mobility Workgroup, and it is your opportunity to get more involved.

Erik  interviews commissioner Tom Armstrong about the objectives of this workgroup and some of their upcoming 2023 projects.
  
Transportation & Mobility Workgroup meetings are the first Wednesday of every month between 5-6 pm at the downtown branch of the Gail Borden Library.

For more information about how to join this commission workgroup, go to https://www.cityofelgin.org/sustainability or call the city's information hotline 
at 3-1-1.

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"Get involved. Be engaged. And always keep watch!" This is the mantra of The Elgin Watchman podcast.

Today's mini-episode is an infomercial for the Elgin Sustainability Commission's Renewable Energy Workgroup, and it is your opportunity to get more involved.

Erik  interviews commissioner David Jurina about the objectives of this workgroup and some of their upcoming 2023 projects.

The Renewable Energy Workgroup meetings the first Wednesday of every month between 6-7 pm at the downtown branch of the Gail Borden Library.

For more information about how to join this commission workgroup, go to https://www.cityofelgin.org/sustainability or call the city's information hotline 
at 3-1-1.

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"Get involved. Be engaged. And always keep watch!" This is the mantra of The Elgin Watchman podcast.

Today's mini-episode is an infomercial for the Elgin Sustainability Commission's Outreach & Education Workgroup, and it is your opportunity to get more involved.
 
Erik  interviews commissioner Katie Gronke about the objectives of this workgroup and some of their upcoming 2023 projects.

The Outreach & Education Workgroup meetings the third Wednesday of every month between 6-7 pm at the downtown branch of the Gail Borden Library.

For more information about how to join this commission workgroup, go to https://www.cityofelgin.org/sustainability or call the city's information hotline 
at 3-1-1.