Earth Day Cleanup Set for Nearby Forest Preserve; Everyone Invited to Volunteer

Garfield Ridge family leads effort near 47th and Harlem

By Joan Hadac
Editor and Publisher
Southwest Chicago Post

All are invited to take part in a hands-on Earth Day

celebration set for 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 22 at the Ottawa Trail Woods South, immediately west of 47th and Harlem.

Participants will spend a few hours cleaning up a local bit of Cook County Forest Preserves.

Garbage bags and gloves will be provided, and refreshments will be served.

There will be goodie bags given to the first 50 attendees, as well as a raffle for a door prize.

Rick and Lisa Heurich visit the millionth tree planted.

The event is hosted by Garfield Ridge residents Rick, Lisa and Megan Heurich, who have been brand partners with the Shaklee Corporation since 2005.

“We celebrate other holidays, such as the Fourth of July, but on Earth Day no one really does a lot,” Lisa Heurich said. “Earth Day is really important to us. We take from the planet, and we need to give back to the planet.

“This is a way to get the community together, to have people meet each other, share some refreshments and clean up the environment,” she added.

For details, call (708) 955-0600 or visit heurichs.myshaklee.com.

“Shaklee is all about keeping the environment safe,” Heurich continued. “Our products are completely safe for water ways and safe for the environment.”

Since joining Shaklee, the Heurich family has taken part in a campaign that planted a million trees. They planted three trees by St. Joseph School in Summit, where their daughter is an alumna.

The Heurich family likes to keep their efforts local, cleaning up the greater Garfield Ridge area that Lisa Heurich has called home her entire life. 

“This neighborhood is important to us,” she said. 

Her husband, Rick, is a steward of the Cook County Forest Preserves. He has helped take care of the Portage area just north of the Stevenson Expressway, as well as and other nearby forests.

Founded in 1956 by Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee, the Shaklee Corporation is based on "Living in Harmony with Nature® and committed to developing products to improve the health of people and the planet," according to a corporate description. "Since Shaklee’s inception, we have worked consistently on groundbreaking environmental initiatives. In the 1960s Shaklee introduced Basic-H® Concentrated Organic Cleaner, one of the first nontoxic biodegradable cleaners. We became the first Climate Neutral™ certified company in the U.S. We also lead in environmental achievements, embracing climate change initiatives, and eco-alliances. Plus, we offer everyone the chance to make a healthier income while not harming the planet."

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