CARE Party of Oak Park

The CARE Party of Oak Park (Citizens Active for Respect for the Environment) had its founding in 1985 in Oak Park, Illinois. From 1989 until the current date, its president has been Les Golden. Under his direction, CARE has achieved numerous environmental successes, including the ban of pesticides, conservation of water and paper, reform of garbage collection, preservation of trees, landscaping, and the election of numerous individuals to positions on various boards to legislate such concerns.

Political Activity

Political Candidates

One of the leading environmentalist spokesmen and activists in Illinois, Les Golden as President of the CARE party in Oak Park, Illinois, secured the election of a majority on the Park Board which on their first day in office banned pesticides in the parks and recreation centers.

Dr. Les Golden of Oak Park, Illinois, has directed successful candidacies for nearly 10 people and has slated dozens, all with a focus on environmental issues. He has also run as a candidate for the park board to bring forward environmental concerns. These include Francis "Bud" Corry, who became president of the park board, Christine Comer, who became president of the park board, Barbara Jepsen (park board), David Ristau (high school board), Steve Robinson (village board), George Doherty (township board), Gary Johnson (library board), Bruce Samuels (library board), and others.

Save the Pedestrian Mall

In 2005, Les Golden organized a movement to save the dozens of trees, hundreds of bushes, and numerous floral gardens on the Marion Street Pedestrian Mall from destruction from the plan to put in a street and destroy the pedestrian mall. One of the political parties adopted his position as its major platform which led to a ban on future streeting of pedestrian areas.

Green Building Design

Dr. Golden has had a leadership role in large-scale commercial development as principal of Holley Court Partners. His proposal features green technology, including LEED, a rooftop garden, and internal recycling.

The $50,000 “Trees: Our Natural Infrastructure for the Environment” Challenge

On January 1, 2010 Dr. Golden announced a program to raise $50,000 to inoculate trees against Dutch Elm disease. Elm trees require inoculation every three years to prevent the devastation of this disease, but governments prefer to cut down diseased trees rather than prevent their demise. In his press release, Dr. Golden wrote: “One of the most effective means that the individual can do to prevent global warming is to secure the lives of trees, the natural cooling infrastructure of the Earth. Each moderate size tree has the cooling capacity of dozens of air conditioners. Trees provide habitat for animals, both in their canopy and in their root structure, food, natural mulch, and prevent water run-off. The longest living and largest of all of nature’s creatures, we should devote ourselves to saving trees.”

Learning of the fate of thirty old growth trees in Field playground at Friday, July 6, at noon, within 48 hours Les Golden printed up flyers, had them distributed throughout Oak Park, obtained speakers, and notified the press of a Rally to Save the Trees. Over 200 people attended on Sunday, July 8, on the hottest day of the year on the July 4th weekend.

Dr. Golden seeded the “Trees, Our Natural Infrastructure for the Environment” or “TONE” program with $5,000 of his own money. Each Arbor Day, Dr. Golden and his volunteers in the CARE Party place exhibits in the parks and raise money to reach the $50,000 goal. Once achieved, the principal and interest will provide a lasting fund to pay for the inoculation of all village trees against Dutch elm disease.

Ban on Pesticides

Ban Put in Place

In 1991, as the president of the CARE party (Citizens Active for Respect for the Environment), the local environmental group, he slated and led the campaigns of three individuals who won election. On the first day in office in April 1991 they banned pesticides in the parks of Oak Park. For years a group of women in town had been writing letters and giving speeches to ban pesticides, to no avail. Dr. Golden knew the only way to achieve this was to get control of the park board, which he did. The ban remains in effect to this day! Before the ban, dogs had died of ingesting pesticides and kids who had crawled in the grass were developing intestinal problems. Dr. Golden wrote about organizing school kids to pick the weeds instead, which received widespread accolades in the local press.

Weed Picking and Green Committee

The idea was slow in becoming reality. After periodic lobbying of the park district by Golden and the members of the CARE party over many years, however, the creation of a Green Committee by the park district in 2008 has finally formalized Golden’s proposal and made weed picking rather than pesticides the practice at every park in the village. The practice has now been adopted as well by neighboring towns.

Tree Activism

Educating Against Volcano Mulching

As a candidate for the Oak Park Park District, Les Golden suggested an imaginative use for a local park.

With the onslaught of Dutch elm disease, the village plants new parkway trees. But the landscapers “volcano mulch” the newly planted trees for appearance sake and this leads to root-bound trees which then die prematurely. Dr. Golden in 2009 led a movement which led to the Boy Scouts in Oak Park being recruited and instructed in proper mulching and their properly mulching all the newly planted parkway trees in the village.

Saving Old Growth Trees

In about 1998, Dr. Golden discovered that all the trees around a parking lot were to be destroyed. He organized the local parents and their children, and notified the Chicago television media to cover the protest. Diann Burns of ABC Channel 7 famously reported, "Why don't they just move the fence?!"

In 2007, Dr. Golden discovered that all the old growth trees in a park in Oak Park were to be destroyed for a ball field. He contacted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, organized a rally on two days notice, arranged for the Chicago Tribune, Chicago t.v. stations, and the local media to be present, had speakers including the Green Party candidate for governor appear, and in an emergency meeting the Department of Natural Resources forced the local park district to save many of the trees slated for destruction.

Prevention of Deforestation

Another tree-lined park in Oak Park was to be deforested as part of “development.” Dr. Golden organized a movement to save the trees in that park, and they have now been preserved as part of the redesign.

Organization of Neighborhoods

Les Golden notified the State of Illinois in July, 2007, of the unannounced plan of the Oak Park Park District to destroy all thirty old growth trees in Field playground. The State cancelled their matching grant and held emergency community meetings. As a result, numerous trees were saved.

He has for many years organized neighbors to pay for preventative treatment of elm trees against Dutch Elm disease and ash trees against Emerald borer-born disease and this has led to the saving of many trees in Oak Park. The village provides no money for such preventative measure.

Water Quality

The village had intermittently published a “water quality” pamplet, which was poorly written and poorly organized. Dr. Golden suggested that it be done annually and commented in the newspapers about the amateur quality of the pamphlet. It is now published annually with a very professional presentation.

Landscaping and Conservation of Resources

Bushes

When another park was developed, Dr. Golden lobbied the contractors and the park district to save the dozens of flowering bushes and to make them available for homeowners to plant in their gardens. He obtained the services of landscapers for no charge and those bushes now thrive surrounding numerous homes in the area. This also saves ground water.

Sod Distribution

Beginning on January 1, 2010, with $5000 seed money from Dr. Les Golden, the TONE goal of raising $50,000 for inoculation of elm trees against Dutch Elm disease has reached about $38,000 as of February 1, 2012.

Each Fall, the park district resods worn portions of soccer and baseball fields. Les Golden met with park district officials and arranged an annual “Sod Distribution Week” during which the trimmings are made available to homeowners for use in their lawns rather than driven to landfills.

Bird Kill and Road Kill

Bird Kill

The new library was built with a façade of glass windows, which led to massive bird kill. Dr. Golden brought this to the attention of the public and the library installed shields that the birds view as an obstruction and the bird kill has ceased.

Road Kill

Dr. Golden has organized a “road kill” brigade. For years, he has written a column each fall and each spring asking motorists to slow down and “stop the roadkill.” He regularly monitors the busy streets and picks up the roadkill and brings it to the proper location for disposal. This prevents other critters from going onto the road and trying to eat the kill and getting killed themselves. He is currently lobbying the village to place speed bumps on the streets next to the forest preserves where many critters live.

Animal Welfare

Twice each year, in the fall and the spring, the local newspapers publish a long column by Dr. Golden reminding drivers to slow down to prevent the devastation of wildlife.

Believing that the Earth belongs to all its creatures, Dr. Golden writes frequently about animal welfare and is an activist on their behalf. This includes combating dog fighting, incarceration of large mammals in zoos, wildlife advocacy, and animal rehabilitation facilities.

Toxic Chemical Removal

In 2008, Dr. Golden, who has degrees in engineering as well as astronomy, observed children in the park playing with a large bucket of the extremely toxic construction chemical crystalline silica. It had been left by workmen outside a daycare center in the park. After receiving no aide from municipal officials, Dr. Golden took matters into his own hands and at his own health risk removed the bucket, covered it up, and drove it to the local waste management site for proper disposal.

Intergovernmental Cooperation in Environment

Government Mulch

Around ten years ago, Dr. Golden suggested that the chipped up mulch from dead parkway trees be used in the parks and school grounds for landscaping rather than driven to landfills, with the waste of gas and associated pollution. He contacted the school district, the park district, and the village and organized them to cooperate to make this their policy.

Citizen Mulch

Over 200 attended the Save the Trees Rally. Speakers included organizer Les Golden and the Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor of the State of Illinois. Children were well-represented and spoke eloquently of their love of trees and the creatures who inhabit them. Chicago television stations were present and carried the news on the evening broadcasts.

When a tree in his neighborhood is cut down (usually for Dutch elm disease), Dr. Golden by himself or with the help of neighbors, contacts the neighbors to see if they want the chipped up remains. He then carries bushels of chipped mulch to the homes and lays down the material. This saves the gas of the trucks carrying the chips to landfills and provides material for mulching trees and landscaping.

Water Conservation and Waste Reduction

Water Reduction

When the park was installing a splash pad, Dr. Golden argued that a mechanical on-off switch would lead to massive waste of water and persuaded the park district to install an electric eye switch so that water would be used only when kids were in the splash pad area. He estimated this saves 3 million gallons of fresh water every summer season.

Saving Newsletter Waste

Over a period of years, Dr. Golden wrote letters and spoke to the various elected boards in Oak Park about the need to save trees by combining newsletters. As a result of his efforts, the library and the grammar school district combined their newsletters with that of the municipal government.

Waste Reduction

He lobbied the village to provide two sizes of garbage cans with different monthly fees to encourage recycling. The village finally instituted this policy. He is now working with the village to provide composting for vegetable kitchen waste.

Political Lawn Sign Recycling

He has consistently lobbied against the use of political lawn signs during election cycles. After the polls are closed, he contacts the schools, churches, and other polling places to gather the yard signs. He also has organized volunteers to walk the neighborhoods to pick up yard signs. He then delivers the yard signs and their metal spines to orphanages, schools, and libraries for use by children for art and architecture projects.