Skokie is assembling an environmental sustainability plan.

Skokie is asking residents for input as they put finishing touches on a large-scale environmental sustainability plan that over the next eight years could slash greenhouse gas emissions in the village by more than one third, experts said.

The plan calls for residents to increase use of public transit, walking and bicycling; reduce the number of miles they drive in gasoline-powered cars and increase use of cars that run on environmentally-friendly energy sources, such as electricity.

Officials said the success or failure of the environmental initiative ultimately depends on residents and businesses in the village taking deliberate action to help it meet the ambitious goals in the plan.

“We can’t foresee what is going to happen in the next few years so we see this plan as an evolving plan,” said Liz Zimmerman, assistant to the public works director in the village.“After we are able to get going and analyze what we’ve done, we’re going to be periodically conducting some greenhouse gas inventories. We’re going to be able to see what’s working and what’s not working. We’re going to have to pivot when we have to.”

Zimmerman said that in April the village hired a company called paleBLUEdot to develop an updated environmental sustainability plan as a way to build on Skokie’s 2016-2021 Environmental Sustainability Plan.

Residents can view the plan and make comments on it until Oct. 17 by visiting https://palebluedot.llc/skokie-esp-review-menu.

Ted Redmond, a co-founder of paleBLUEdot, said he’s seen some of the comments that residents have already made on the website.

“In general, I’d say the majority of respondents are in favor of the plan,” he said. “Some of the folks are making suggestions to maybe increase some of the goals.”

The plan includes ambitious goals such as:

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions (caused by transportation) by 35{5be0972a10a00bb621c1a18de1a801d58662e556d02921cebb422beac5e5b2fe}, or from today’s 257,144 metric tons to 177,800 by 2030
• decreasing vehicle miles driven in the village from 506 million today to 481 million in 2030
• increasing the number of commuters using public transit from 8.9{5be0972a10a00bb621c1a18de1a801d58662e556d02921cebb422beac5e5b2fe} of the population to 11{5be0972a10a00bb621c1a18de1a801d58662e556d02921cebb422beac5e5b2fe}
• increasing the number of battery electric vehicles in the village from 174 today to 8,100 in 2030.

“As far as goals go, I feel it’s better to have goals in a plan that are visionary and you strive to reach them and maybe fall short,” said Redmond.”

The draft plan also includes various strategies and actions the village, residents and businesses can take to reach the stated goals.

“We certainly have a challenge in front of us,” Zimmerman said. “We’re in the beginning of an electric vehicle revolution that is something we’re going to see more popular in the next several years. Skokie has a good transportation infrastructure, the CTA and buses, and we’re adding more bike lanes.”

Once the opportunity for residents to comment on the plan ends on Oct. 17, the village will work with paleBLUEdot to revise it, said Zimmerman. She said it will be brought to the village board for review on Nov. 14, where more comments will be gathered, and that it is expected to go back to the board for a final vote on Nov. 21.

“The village operations are just one small part of our overall goals, so we need every resident and business in Skokie to be along with us on this ride and to do their part to support the plan for it to be successful,” she said.