On Monday, January 22, the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Taskforce (NEST) held their monthly meeting in Naperville’s Municipal Building, welcoming guest Brian Groth to present on the topic of electricity. Groth, Naperville Electric Utility Director, walked the participants through Naperville Electric Utility’s ongoing mission to serve over 62,000 customers reliably.
Electric vehicle charging in Naperville, renewable energy sources, and electric rates among topics discussed
Groth expounded on the seven branches of Naperville’s Electric Utility and the 24/7/365 services they bring to the Naperville community to handle outages and other concerns. Groth also went over the history of electricity in Naperville, beginning in 1890, when the city was officially “electrified.” Naperville Electric Utility maintains water utility locations, electric substations, and the City’s 689,356 feet of fiber optic network for municipal buildings.
Groth also touched on Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA), a not-for-profit agency that provides energy to 32 of the 42 municipal electric systems in Illinois, including Naperville. Toward the end of the presentation, Groth answered many questions from the audience relating to electric vehicle charging, solar panels, and the electric rates in the City of Naperville.
How is NEST committed to lowering Naperville’s carbon footprint?
Naperville Environment and Sustainability Taskforce (NEST) is a recognized task force of the City of Naperville that brings together like-minded residents to work towards clean energy and minimize the city’s carbon footprint.
NEST’s work is two-fold: education and political advocacy. Some of their meetings focus on the following:
- Ongoing environmental issues
- Current or upcoming policies
- Steps individuals and organizations can take to minimize carbon emissions/pollution
- How city staff and politicians can take environmental action for an improved quality of life in Naperville
NEST promotes many actionable steps, such as using native plant species in parks and gardens, transitioning to electric equipment for lawn care, composting and recycling, and safe active transportation such as walking and biking. Through their efforts, NEST hopes to have a hand in reaching a net-zero carbon footprint in Naperville by the year 2050.
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