Community Gardens Flourish, Promote Sustainability at the 10-Year Anniversary of ComEd’s Green Region Grant Program
September 20, 2023
ComEd’s commitment to a greener future goes beyond its work to deliver clean and reliable power for the northern Illinois region. Since 2012, ComEd has worked with Openlands, one of the nation’s oldest and most successful metropolitan conservation organizations, to connect communities to the Green Region Grant program, an initiative focused on preserving nature in northern Illinois.
In addition to making neighborhoods literally greener and more vibrant, the Green Region grants program is empowering communities by working to address historic pollution and the impacts of climate change. One of the first grantees was Enlace Chicago, a community redevelopment group in Little Village dedicated to confronting systemic inequities for its predominantly Latinx community.
More than 10 years ago, Enlace envisioned an abandoned parking lot on 26th Street and Trumbull Avenue as the perfect spot to make way for something much better. Today, the plot contains trees, flower beds, space for programming, and a community garden that provides access to healthy fruits and vegetables for anyone in need.
“The Green Region Grant has given so much to my community. It’s provided a safe and beautiful space for people to improve their mental and physical well-being through classes in gardening, nutrition, writing and exercise, like yoga and Zumba,” said Maria Gonzalez, community garden coordinator at Enlace. “Members of our community have learned that this is a place where they can find support and have expressed how grateful they are for it. I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last 10 years with a little help from ComEd and Openlands.”
Since its launch, the Green Region program has awarded 258 grants, totaling more than $2.1 million, to local communities and organizations working to develop and protect green spaces. This year, ComEd awarded another 25 Illinois communities with environmental grants worth up to $10,000 each, totaling nearly $200,000.
“At ComEd, we strive to support our communities in ways that go beyond safely delivering electricity,” said Louie Binswanger, ComEd’s senior vice president of Government, Regulatory and External Affairs. “The opportunity to give back directly to surrounding nature makes a tangible difference in the lives of our customers, which is why we’re proud to partner with groups like Openlands to invest in public spaces.”
In all, the Green Region Grant Program has supported the development of nearly 84,000 feet of Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible trails, the planting of more than 38,200 trees and improvements for nearly 1,500 acres of land.
“Over the years, families have grown with the garden in more ways than one. Children who are now college-bound had the opportunity to learn alongside their parents the value of nature and building healthy habits,” said Maria. “The garden has improved our community’s quality of life, and I look forward to another decade of community engagement through green spaces.”
The Green Region program is one of ComEd’s four Powering Communities Grant Programs. The rest include Powering the Arts, which works to expand access to arts and culture in northern Illinois, Powering Safe Communities, which focuses on sustainability and public safety, and Powering the Holidays, which celebrates the diverse cultures and traditions across ComEd’s service region. These specific charitable programs are designed to boost our customers’ quality of life through direct investment in their neighborhoods. Learn more about the ComEd Green Region Program at Openlands.org/GreenRegion.
