Clean Energy and Climate

A Climate Action Plan (CAP) provides a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change. It will help the Village identify its biggest emission sources and climate risks, enabling us to develop effective strategies for mitigation and resilience. The CAP is crucial for meeting climate goals, such as limiting our contribution to global warming, and for improving community health, reducing pollution, managing extreme weather risks, and guiding long-term investment decisions. 

The first phase of Winnetka’s CAP is to complete a GHG inventory and establish an emissions baseline. The GHG inventory allows the Village to track and better understand the GHG emissions that result from its operations and from the community as a whole. The second phase will involve defining emission reduction measures, actions, and policies to drive long-term emission reductions from buildings, transportation, power generation, and other sources.

As part of phase 2, we held a community open house on December 10, 2025 to engage with residents and collect input to ensure a plan that aligns with the Village Comprehensive Plan, reflects Village priorities, and delivers benefits for all of Winnetka. Participants were invited to share their ideas related to Buildings and Energy, Transportation and Mobility, Forestry and Land Use, and Waste. A video recording of the session is available for those who were unable to attend.

Energy Efficiency Programs

The Village is an active member of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) and disburses available funding from IMEA’s Energy Efficiency Upgrade Rebate Program. This program supports energy efficiency projects such as LED lighting retrofits and programmable thermostats saving customers energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering utility bills. Through 2024, Winnetka has distributed more than $427,000 to drive over 2 million kWh of energy savings and about 2,000 metric tons of avoided CO2 emissions (assuming mostly coal-fired generation). 

More information about Winnetka's participation in IMEA and the Agency's Sustainability Plan is on the IMEA page under Village Projects.