Greener Way Pledge logo

Together, we can make Downers Grove a more sustainable community.

Residents have taken the pledge

How the pledge works

The Greener Way Pledge is a process, not a prescription. Anyone can use it to reduce their environmental impact, whatever their situation.

Step 1

Understand

Learn about your ecological footprint and how choices made across Downers Grove add up at the community level.

Step 2

Identify

Identify the best ways to reduce your ecological footprint in support of the community's sustainability goals.

Step 3

Plan

Plan the specific steps needed, especially for changes that take more time, money, or preparation.

Step 4

Act

Act on your plans and connect with community efforts already underway in Downers Grove.

Tools for getting started

The Greener Way Guide organizes sustainability actions into a searchable tool built for Downers Grove residents, or anyone else interested in supporting sustainability.

1

Browse actions across topics

Actions span 26 topics organized across the 5 themes of Guiding DG Sustainability.

2

Filter by who you are and what you can take on

Not sure where to start? Take a simple survey for helpful suggestions.

3

Save actions and track your progress

Create an account to bookmark actions that you want to take and mark them done as you complete them.

Start here, think big

1 of 10

The Greener Way Guide

sustainability actions for Downers Grove

Environmental Impact

How I am supporting a greener Downers Grove.

Every action saved or completed moves Downers Grove closer to its sustainability goals. Track how you are reducing your own ecological footprint.

Saved Actions

Completed Actions

Guiding DG Sustainability

In April 2025, the Village of Downers Grove adopted its first Environmental Sustainability Plan, a community roadmap for reducing environmental impact and building long-term resilience.

Read Guiding DG Sustainability Plan

Becoming a Model Suburban Community

Downers Grove is one of 284 municipalities in the Chicago metropolitan region and home to more than 50,000 residents. In 2023, the Village joined the Greenest Region Compact, a regional initiative coordinating sustainability efforts across communities in the Chicago metro area.

Adopted in 2025, Guiding DG Sustainability sets an aspirational vision for a more sustainable community that is supported by community-wide goals. It identifies opportunities to reduce energy consumption, improve biodiversity and ecological connectivity, reduce waste, encourage active transportation, and inspire a culture of stewardship throughout the community.

Achieving these goals will take collective action across the community. The Greener Way Pledge was created with the intention of being a recognizable effort to promote environmental stewardship within Downers Grove, and the Greener Way Guide serves as a tool to connect residents with helpful suggestions, information, and resources.

Vision
“The oldest task in human history is to live on a piece of land without spoiling it.”
— Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Sustainability By the Numbers
Sustainability actions in this guide
541
Linked resources and tools
33%
Tree canopy coverage
280+
Municipalities in the Greenest Region Compact
64%
Of community emissions come from buildings
$60M+
Invested in stormwater infrastructure since 2012
23,000+
Parkway trees maintained by the Village
40
Consecutive years as a Tree City USA community

Guiding DG Sustainability is organized around five themes, each with community goals the Greener Way Guide is built to support.

1 of 5

The Greener Way Pledge

As a member of the Downers Grove community, I pledge to do my part to create a healthier and more resilient community where the natural environment is preserved for future generations. I am committed to finding my path by:

01
Understanding
My ecological footprint and how our collective actions as a community impact the environment
02
Identifying
The best ways to reduce my ecological footprint in support of the community's sustainability goals
03
Planning
The appropriate steps, especially for areas where it will be most impactful or challenging
04
Acting
On my plans while engaging with broader community efforts across Downers Grove

Young Stewards of Downers Grove

It's never too early to start being a champion for the environment. Young people in Downers Grove are leading the way toward a more sustainable future by setting an example and starting important conversations in their homes, at school, and in the community.