Northbrook's Going Green

Clean Air Counts!

The entire Chicago Metropolitan region has air quality problems that create serious health risks especially for vulnerable populations like seniors and small children.

Clean Air Counts is a northeastern Illinois regional initiative to reduce ozone-causing emissions, thereby improving air quality and enabling economic development. Clean Air Counts is a collaborative effort between the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, City of Chicago, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. This multi-year initiative seeks to achieve specific and significant reductions in targeted smog-forming pollutants and major reductions in energy consumption.

Northbrook has been a member of Clean Air Counts since 2002. You could say Northbrook was one of the earliest adopters of this program. Northbrook has been acknowledged for partnering with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to operate a regional air testing laboratory. Northbrook is an original and has been designated a Platinum level member of the Clean Air Counts Campaign. To date, the Communities Campaign has reduced smog forming pollution by over 179,700 pounds. Towns that are designated "Clean Air Communities" are eligible for many benefits under the Clean Air Counts Campaign. These benefits include grants for diesel retrofits, lawn care buybacks and gas can replacement programs. Four designation levels - bronze, silver, gold and platinum - indicates the depth and breadth of the air emission practices and policies which communities implement.

Read more about Clean Air Counts.