Conservation@Home

 Education, Support, Recognition

Conservation@Home, a regional program, educates, supports and recognizes homeowners who incorporate environmentally friendly practices into their own yard.  The foundation of the program is to encourage natural lawn care, as well as the installation of native plants into home landscaping which will provide friendly habitats for wildlife and absorb storm water. Additionally, the use of rain barrels or rain gardens helps to capture storm water.

Click to watch our Conservation@Home video!

 

Some other resources to help you get started:

“Keystone plants are native plants critical to the food web and necessary for many wildlife species to complete their life cycle.
Without keystone plants in the landscape, butterflies, native bees, and birds will not thrive. 96% of our terrestrial birds
rely on insects supported by keystone plants.”

Illinois Wildflower App

available on Apple Store and Google Play

“This App, which operates without an internet connection, helps find and identify plants.
When you give the App information about a plant, such as its location, flower color and the time of year, the App will quickly show you which plants match your selections.

The App includes 3,072 species of plants found in Illinois.
Overall, 1,591 are “Wildflowers”, 252 are shrubs, 218 are broadleaf trees, 31 are conifers, 77 are vines, 495 are grass-like, 72 are fern-like, 238 are moss-like, and 211 are lichen.”

Conservation @Home Certification Checklist

The following checklist provides suggested options for improving one’s yard.

A homeowner is not required to meet all items in all categories.

BACT will provide homeowners
who fulfill the certification process with a sign*
that recognizes their conservation efforts.

*$15 donation required

Conservation@Home Presentations

A BACT Conservation@Home staff member is available to speak to groups
about the program using a dynamic 30 minute presentation followed by a Q&A session.

To schedule a presentation for your group
call 847-387-3149.

Schedule a Visit         

If you would like to schedule a home visit, whether it be to get you started on a plan, get some tips to overcome a challenge or to certify your hard work, we ask you to please join in our conservation efforts by making a minimum $50 donation. Your donation will include a Conservation@Home visit.

 

Needed for confirming a consultation
Needed for scheduling a consultation
If you are ready to certify your property, please review the certification criteria.
There is a $50 charge to help cover the 1 hour consultation plus a summary report with recommendations and resources. A Conservation@Home sign will be provided for those ready to certify!