A Look at a Green Valley

clouds fill the sky

This is a blog post about an ugly landfill that became a beautiful, scenic hill.  This weekend I was looking over a vista spread out before me.  Standing on a scenic overlook on a 190 foot tall grassy hill with a panoramic view of the Greene Valley in every direction I turned.  Up above me were layers of clouds in a blue sky.  I was struck by the fact that there was energy all around me.  There was the energy from the sun, wind and what was underneath my feet.  The hill is part of the 1,414 acre Greene Valley Forest Preserves in DuPage County.

valley view

There were amazing views of the surrounding valley, lake and towns.  The air was so clear that I saw layers, layers of clouds.  This is a man-made hill that is a retired landfill.  How green is this valley?  Very green.  The refuse-filled landfill was converted years ago for reuse to provide energy.  The methane gas produced is collected and converted into energy that provides power to homes in the area.   I didn’t know that on my ride up the gravel road to the top of the overlook on the hill.  I found out at the top when a park staff person answered my questions about the place.

scenic overlook

It was reclaimed by nature to be turned into a grassy hill with a scenic overlook.  People visit the over look park and to picnic or bird watch.  Now it provides amazing views from the top.

Do you have reclaimed and reused land, quarry or old railroad tracks by you that have been converted to a trail, wildlife area or back to a natural habitat?  If you don’t, you can always visit this scenic overlook and explore.

Updated:  Gramacho Gardens, one of the largest open air-landfills in the world, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was recently closed after operating for 30+ years.  The retired landfill byproducts sludge will be recycled into water and the methane gas converted to energy.  CNN article “Landfill’s closure changing lives in Rio,” has in-depth information on the history and conversion of the landfill.   The CNN article has “before” photographs of a landfill before reuse and conversion.  The closure of the will decrease the waste and pollution in the area while providing much needed gas energy.   And natural gas energy has a lower carbon footprint.