Green open spaces and natural areas are essential to enhancing the beauty and wellbeing of our people and communities; taking stock of our efforts informs how we move forward building a greener city with a commitment to education, partnership and collaboration
Today, the Chicago Park District announces the release of its first ever sustainability report, “Parks Are Making Chicago a Greener City”. The report highlights the important role parks play in advancing the environmental health of the city and the District’s efforts to responsibly manage and preserve vital natural resources for the current and future generations.
The sustainability report is guided by the District’s 2025-20230 Strategic Plan, a blueprint for the future of parks. The plan was developed through a robust public engagement process that identified the needs and concerns of park stakeholders, reaffirmed the importance of sustainability, and challenges the District to evaluate its existing greening efforts and to do more to reduce its environmental footprint. As articulated in the Strategic Plan, “The Chicago Park District’s mission is to give people of all ages, identities, and abilities access to quality recreation, wellness opportunities, and sustainable green spaces in every neighborhood.”
“The Parks Are Making Chicago A Greener City! We are excited to develop and share the District’s first sustainability report, which underscores the great work we are doing to support sustainable practices in every neighborhood” said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño. “We are extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished and continue to perform, like establishing and caring for natural areas, supporting biodiversity, protecting our robust tree canopy and creating opportunities for residents to actively immerse themselves in nature. As the guardians of Chicago parks, we carry the privilege and great responsibility of making thoughtful decisions that leave our parks, communities and city in better shape and greener than we inherited them.”
Among the Park District’s accomplishments that continue to move the needle on sustainability and are highlighted in the report include:
Operating and Building Responsibly
The Chicago Park District manages more than 600 parks and more than 250 fieldhouses throughout the city, making new capital investments annually with sustainability top of mind.
- Each year, the District purchases energy credits equaling 100% of its electricity consumption to support sustainable energy sources.
- Ongoing efforts to convert park light fixtures to energy-efficient LED bulbs to reduce energy consumption. To date, the District has converted 41% of its light fixtures district-wide along with indoor fixtures at over 100 park fieldhouses.
- Installing user-activated drinking fountains and spray features throughout our parks, replacing older features that ran continuously to reduce water consumption.
- Collects stormwater in rain barrels to maintain some park gardens, reducing the District’s water consumption.
- Reuse wood from removed storm-damaged and diseased trees for mulch, lumber and nature play space components.
- Reducing waste by banning Styrofoam at park concessions and permitted events and minimizing paper use by digitizing internal business operations.
- Use of alternative biodiesel blends, made from used restaurant oil, to fuel trucks and maintenance equipment including lakefront mowers, tractors and beach groomers. In addition, several District refuse trucks now run on 100% biodiesel, which is carbon neutral and reduces the amount of particulate air pollution that is harmful for people with respiratory health issues.
Caring for Nature in the City
Among the largest park systems in the county and the city’s leading greening agency, the Park District is responsible for nearly 9,000 acres of parkland including almost 2,000 acres of nature areas representing diverse habitats, 26 miles of lakefront, 16 lagoons and a District-wide our robust tree canopy in addition to thousands of flowers, shrubs and native plantings.
- As the city has little to no remnants of native habitat, the Chicago Park District has actively established natural areas, namely prairies, savannas, woodlands, wetlands, and dunes, by planting a wide variety of native plants, shrubs, and trees while simultaneously controlling the weeds and invasive species that have crept in over time. The maintenance of natural areas is an ongoing task in an urban environment, where the pressures include exacerbated climate change impacts, air pollution, surrounding hard infrastructure, and human use. In such a context, Chicago Park District believes the presence of nature is powerful, for it can provide much needed respite for both wildlife and people.
- In 2018, the Park District removed the city’s last remaining dam at the confluence of the North Shore Channel and the North Branch of the Chicago River, restoring habitat connectivity for fish and other wildlife.
- As a result of the installation of water control structures on the southeast side, the Park District staff can lower and raise the water levels at these sites, which have long lost their ability to function as natural hemi-marshes after years of industrial dumping and surrounding development.
- Among the District’s most impactful investments is the transformation of unutilized brownfields into vibrant greenspaces; most notably La Villita Park, which is now a thriving 21-acre, community gathering space in South Lawndale and Park 596, the 17-acre campus that houses the District’s administrative office and park fieldhouse in Brighton Park.
Promoting Environmental Stewardship Through Education and Experiences
Ensuring the current and future environmental strength of our parks and city is a collective effort. The District is committed to increasing engagement, whether it’s welcoming and collaborating with residents, corporate groups, researchers and cultivating the future generation of stewards through volunteerism and play.
- In 2024, more than 83,000 individuals participated in park environmental education programs and events.
- More than 3,500 volunteers completed 20,000 hours of stewardship work in parks in 2024. Each year, thousands of volunteers give their time and energy to help care for our parks, gardens and natural areas.
- The Park District has prioritized connecting people with nature. Investments in eco-recreation parks like Big Marsh on the city’s far South Side and Steelworkers Park in the South Chicago community. Both these spaces encourage active recreation and play amidst nature.
- The District has constructed 16 nature play spaces in parks across the city. These areas feature natural elements like mud kitchens, reclaimed wood and other natural elements that encourage environmental awareness and appreciation.
- In 2024, the Park District launched the Plants and Pollinators Program, which brought
- elementary school students and their teachers from nearby public schools to Big Marsh Park for a series of field trips and workshops focused on the life cycle of native plants and the intersection with various pollinating insects.
- In efforts to expand its educational outreach, the Park District’s environmental education staff travels across the city to deliver environmental programs and educational experiences to neighborhood parks across the city. Activities include paddling, fishing, camping, stargazing, and guided nature walks.
Partnering to Increase Our Impact
As the city’s motto “Urbs in Horto” indicates, Chicago truly is a City in a Garden. While we take great pride in the work we do to care for our green spaces, we cannot do it alone. The Park District’s success in building a sustainable park system would not be possible without the robust partnerships with sister city agencies, research institutions and community-based groups, working to advance sustainability and resilience across the city.
- The Park District’s workforce is vital to ensuring our greenspaces continue to thrive amidst global warming and Chicago parks’ diverse and extensive landscapes are living laboratories that professional researchers and citizens alike are eager to investigate. In 2024, there were 107 active research projects in parks. Research findings help make new discoveries in optimizing sustainability efforts and improves day-to-day park operations.
- The District maintains strong working relationships with partnering organizations equally committed to sustainability, like the Chicago Wilderness Alliance and the Morton Arboretum, to strengthen and further its efforts. The Park District is currently working with colleagues from Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and others to expand native habitat on the Museum Campus.
- The Park District’s use of diesel fuel alternatives and work towards long-term environmental resiliency is part of the city’s broader sustainability efforts. Chicago’s 2022 Climate Action Plan is set to reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 62% by 2040.
- The Park District also helps implement the City’s Sustainable Development Policy, which guides sustainable construction practices as well as the River Ecology and Governance Task and Our Roots Chicago’s Tree Ambassador Program which focus on the preservation of natural assets.
Looking ahead, the Park District will develop a Sustainability Plan that identifies areas where we can continue to improve our operations, articulates our goals, and sets metrics to measure our progress. This plan will help guide future investments of time and resources as we continue in our work to make Chicago a greener city.
View the Sustainability Report and learn more: www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/sustainability-report