Oak Park residents and business owners can now log their sustainable upgrades on the village's Climate Ready Oak Park Community Map.
The village promoted the interactive map in a post on X published Nov. 8, asking people who have installed solar panels, switched to electric vehicles or planted native gardens to add those improvements. The map tracks the community's collective progress toward Oak Park's climate targets.
The map is part of Climate Ready Oak Park (CROP), a long-range sustainability plan the Village Board adopted in 2022. The plan commits the village to cutting community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050, according to the village's CROP page. Oak Park also aims to power all village facilities with 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and establish 30% of its land as green infrastructure or enhanced park management.
The plan pledges to direct 40% of public climate and sustainability dollars to the most vulnerable.
Several village programs can help with the kinds of upgrades the map tracks. Climate Ready Energy Grants offer up to $20,000 in financial assistance to residential homeowners and multifamily building owners for energy upgrades and retrofits, according to the village's Take Climate Action Now page. A separate rebates program supports electrification projects. The Oak Park Energy Navigator program, known as OPEN, provides free personalized guidance to help renters and homeowners save energy and access rebates.
The village's Office of Sustainability and Resilience manages the effort. Residents can reach the office at [email protected] or 708-358-5770.
