WB_012419

10 | January 24, 2019 | The wilmette beacon NEWS
wilmettebeacon.com
Wilmette faith groups learn about benefits of solar energy
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
Leaders from various
faith communities united at
Beth Hillel B’nai Emunah
on Jan. 16 to discuss the
environmental and social
benefits of relying on solar
energy.
Organized by Beth
Drucker, Go Green Wilmette
founder and president,
the meeting included
the insight from Rev.
Brian Sauder, the executive
director for Faith in
Place — an organization
that encourages people of
all faiths in the state of
Illinois, to be leaders in
caring for the earth. GGW
Board Member Marcia
Heeter also spoke, as did
Lisa Albrecht — an expert
in the area of renewable
energy.
After Drucker welcomed
a very full house of religious
leaders and community
members, Heeter led
with a moment of reflection.
“Like many of you,
North shore
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there was a moment in life
where I experienced something
profound in nature,
deepening my love for the
earth and realizing just how
sacred it is,” Heeter said.
“May your own inspiration
lead you towards action,
inspiring others to rely on
the sun to be our greatest
source of energy.”
Sauder then took to the
podium, explaining his
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Rev. Brian Sauder, executive director of Faith in Place,
talks.
mission is to educate, advocate
and inspire faith
leaders to engage in cleaner
air, soil and water practices,
for the benefit of the
communities in which they
work.
“As faith leaders, we
have a moral obligation to
lead the way for climate
health, promoting change
that can help sustain all
communities. Our goal
should be to inspire and
educate; give others the
tools they need to implement
change and care for
our earth,” Sauder said.
He then talked about
establishing a green team
within each faith-based
nannying
From Page 8
ly anything associated with
it like doing their laundry,
organizing toys, making
their meals. We have seen
breakdowns come when
nannies are asked to do additional
duties not normally
expected of them. This is
where a family assistant
could come in and help.”
McManus added most
traditional nannies are
expected to work Mondays
through Fridays from
Beth Drucker, founder and president of Go Green Wilmette, discusses the benefits
of solar energy Jan. 16 at Beth Hillel B’nai Emunah in Wilmette. Photos by Alexa
Burnell/22nd Century Media
community to become the
messengers to the rest.
“It’s important to organize
a green team, which
must consist of at least
three people, who can
meet once per month to
discuss and address topics
such as, creating a
garden on the grounds of
your place of worship,
preventing pollution and
addressing water or flooding
issues,” Sauder said.
“Currently, there are 110
green teams established in
places of worship across
Illinois who are taking
such measures.”
Sauder also stated that
about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A family assistant’s
availability usually has a
wider time frame—weekends
and holidays included.
Her interest in better
meeting the needs of
North Shore families began
around 2010.
“I was working for a
well-respected agency
that hired traditional nannies
to work in Chicago,”
MaManus said. “I realized
the agency was not servicing
the North Shore. At
my suggestion, the agency
education is key and that
small steps lead to great
change. He gave specific
examples of a step by step
process followed at one
Mennonite Church, eventually
resulting in solar panel
installation, and improvements
in other environmental
practices.
Sauder’s final takeaways
included: 1. Educate community
members on the
benefit of solar energy; 2.
Celebrate small accomplishments
with the community;
3. Teach and encourage
others to conserve
energy; 4. Work with multiple
contractors and make
sure that those contractors
hire a diverse workforce
and believe in giving back
to the community.
Albrecht then spoke to
the crowd, encouraging
all to Google their building,
which will tell them if
the structure is solar panel
compatible, explaining, “If
the satellite can see your
building, then the sun can
too.”
For more information on
Faith in Place visit https://
www.faithinplace.org/. For
more information from
Go Green Wilmette, visit
https://www.gogreenwilmette.org/.
created a position to provide
such services. I became
their North Shore liaison.
To make ends meet,
I started a side job of being
a date night sitter. The
demand for high quality
but less traditional sitters
became more than I could
handle. That is how Date
Night Boutique was born.”
She attributes her success
pairing parents’ needs with
the appropriate caregivers
to listening to what they expect
and require. Her pool
of nannies and related family
assistants is large.
Date Night Boutique
now services all North
Shore communities and
Chicago.
“The trick is to understand
what each parent or
family member requires,”
McManus said. “What sets
us apart is that we personalize
every single search when
fulfilling a request because
every family is unique.”
For more information
on Date Night Boutique,
email info@datenightboutique.com.