Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Program Year

2023

Achievement

Signatories

2023

Links and Uploads

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Action Item Report

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City of Rolling Meadows

Rolling Meadows, IL

Lara Sanoica

Mayor

Pledge Summary

The City of Rolling Meadows is a city roughly 20 miles Northwest of Chicago, IL with a population of approximately 25,000 residents. The city has an abundance of parks and public space. In addition to it's public spaces and parks, there are community gardens. These community gardens are plots of green space where residents can grow produce and flowers. The City of Rolling Meadows, Illinois has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors' pledge and look forward to encouraging residents to plant more native plants and flowers giving our indigenous pollinators more to feed on.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2023

Communications and Convening

  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • Engage with city parks and recreation, public works, sustainability, and other relevant staff to identify opportunities to revise and maintain mowing programs and milkweed / native nectar plant planting programs.
  • Engage with gardening leaders and partners (e.g., Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Nature Centers, Native Plant Society Chapters , other long-standing and influential community leaders) to support monarch butterfly conservation.
  • Issue a proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat. This proclamation must incorporate a focus on monarch conservation.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.

Systems Change

  • Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.
  • Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping ordinances and encourage use of milkweed, where appropriate.