About EGG

The mission of EGG, Elgin Area Green Groups is to co-create a unified ecosystem that supports the whole and magnifies the wisdom and power of community by serving as an environmental clearing house for regional green groups, and organizations in a directory of “EGG Green Advocates.” Our vision is to be an support efforts focused on solutions to the climate crisis, acknowledging and honoring the original peoples of this land, uniting with those who are reestablishing a deeper more reciprocal relationship with Nature, as well as each organization and individual working towards a sustainable, socially and politically conscious future for Earth and all life. We are stronger together!

Reach out to be included in our EGG Green Advocates directory.

(left to right) Kathleen Brigidina, Sandy Kaptain, Lena Eckland, and Robin Migalla

EGG History

EGG, has 18 year history. Beginning in 2006 as “Slow Global Warming” then as “ECCO, Elgin Climate Change Organization” in 2009, and since 2012 it has been EGG, Elgin Area Green Groups.

EGG founded the first “Elgin Green Expo” in 2009 at Elgin Community College

Daily Herald Article : ECC expo highlights green living

The weather outside may have been gray and damp Saturday, but inside Elgin Community College’s Fox Valley University and Business Center, the climate was ideal for the Elgin Climate Change Organization and Elgin Area Leadership Academy’s inaugural Green Expo.

About 110 vendors participated in the interactive expo that gave visitors a smorgasbord of environmentally friendly products for their home, cars and gardens. From electric vehicles to biodegradable sandwich wraps, the expo exemplified the array of green services and goods available locally.

“The purpose is to create a great sense of community, a great sense of oneness with the Earth and an appreciation for the Earth,” said Kathleen Brigidina Haerr, the founder and expo’s chairwoman. “There’s an urgency to protect us against climate change and help us live a healthier life. We want people to realize they can live a simple life, live a local life.”

About 40 speakers, including Elgin Mayor Ed Schock, city councilman Dave Kaptain and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster discussed efforts to make cities better, more sustainable places to live.

The theme for the first ever event, “Live green. Save green. Earn green,” suited John Jeide and Rich Carroll, who showcased their electric vehicles. Jeide, who converted his 1994 Ford Ranger, said on average an electric vehicle costs about one-third than a gasoline powered car. “It’s fun and less expensive,” Jeide said. “That includes the purchase price.”

Incorporating local products into her Elgin business has become a priority for Lauren Paluch, owner of Simple Root Therapeutic Massage. “I wanted ideas to make my company more green,” Paluch said. “If I can do one thing that is green, I should be able to do a number of things; not just because I know it is the right thing to do, but I want to be healthier and live in a healthier world.” Paluch said she was looking for green laundry options, sustainable clothing products for uniforms, as well as organic oil and lotions from local companies.

Dale Haerr, president of Distinctive Interiors, said the expo’s success is due in part to a better understanding of what it means to go green. “People used to ask ‘what’s in it for me’,” Haerr said. “Now people are more educated and thinking beyond the box. Now, people are thinking about the Earth.”