Giant Footprint Headed to Old CHPD Property

A plan to use the old police station site in Clarendon Hills as an environmental education area is afoot. 

And it's actually a foot.

Two Clarendon Hills residents have proposed and gotten the go-ahead from village officials to to place a giant footprint—likely made of gravel—on the vacant land at the southwest corner of Burlington and Prospect avenues and cover it with items that help reduce carbon emissions. One week, for example it would be daisies, another week it would be reusable shopping bags, and another week it would be fluorescent light bulbs. 

"It’s just kind of a fun way to have a dialogue about environmental issues," said resident Robin Randall, who has spearheaded the project along with Sheetal Rao.    

There would be six different incarnations of the footprint, which would be filled with the items during each Wednesday-night Dancin' in the Street concert this summer. Each week, there would be 400 items placed over the footprint, bringing attention of the 400-parts-per-million carbon level that is often quoted as our atmosphere's tipping point in terms of global warming.

"Each installation will be photographed from above and posted on the village website with information for carbon footprint reduction," the proposal reads. 

The series would conclude on July 24 with "400 people committed to reducing their footprint" filling out the print. 

The Clarendon Hills Village Board heard the proposal at its meeting Monday night, and gave the residents the green light to proceed. 

The last project proposed for the old police station property was an English garden idea brought to the board last spring.

Village manager Randy Recklaus said of the footprint proposal, "We think this is much more attainable, much more doable."