Romeoville Awarded Environmental Grant from ComEd, Openlands to Support Local Open-Space Project
Village’s Parks & Recreation Department has received $9,000
in funding through the annual ComEd Green Region Program

ROMEOVILLE, IL – July 24, 2019 – ComEd and Openlands announced that the Village of Romeoville’s Parks & Recreation Department is one of 26 public agencies from northern Illinois to receive an environmental grant from the organizations through the annual ComEd Green Region Program. The village’s Parks & Recreation Department has received $9,000 to convert degraded wetlands and stormwater management basins into diverse, native plant communities. These areas will expand critical habitat and food sources for pollinators, while increasing regional native wetland presence. 

“We are very thankful to ComEd and Openlands for this grant,” stated Romeoville Mayor John Noak. “We take great pride in our parks and this will go a long way to restoring the wetland vegetation to Volunteer Park.”

Since the inception of the Green Region Program in 2013, ComEd has awarded more than $1.3 million to municipalities across northern Illinois to help fund their open-space projects. ComEd provides the funding, and Openlands, one of the oldest metropolitan conservation organizations in the nation, administers the grants to local communities. 

“Together with our partners at Openlands, we are proud to support organizations that are making meaningful differences to restore and enhance natural habitats and biodiversity,” said Melissa Washington, Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs at ComEd. “It’s the perfect balance of meeting our future energy needs and powering a brighter and more sustainable future for our customers and the communities we serve.”

Due to a recent decline in pollinators throughout northern Illinois, and strong interest in pollinator conservation, the 2019 Green Region projects again focus on advancing and protecting the region’s essential pollinator species. Earlier this year, public agencies from across communities that ComEd serves submitted grant applications, which were then reviewed by an advisory committee composed of county government officials and members of the region's conservation community.

“The ComEd Green Region Program is an important commitment to sustainability across northern Illinois and a commitment to providing residents with access to natural open spaces,” said Jerry Adelmann, President and CEO of Openlands. “Over the last seven years, we’ve seen how the Green Region Program has helped communities enhance many parks and trails for learning, enjoyment, and supporting wildlife, and the support from ComEd has been vital. We extend our gratitude to ComEd, and we want to thank the many partners who have implemented these projects across the region.”

Additional information on the ComEd Green Region Program can be found at Openlands.org/GreenRegion.


ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful metropolitan conservation organizations, having helped secure, protect, and provide public access to more than 55,000 acres of land for parks, forest preserves, wildlife refuges, land and water greenway corridors, and urban gardens. For more information, please visit openlands.org.