FAQ

Sustain DuPage is a community-based volunteer organization that aims to create sustainability in DuPage County, IL and beyond.

Sustain DuPage is a 501(c)(3) organization which means we are nonprofit that is exempt from federal income taxes due to the fact that we are organized for charitable and beneficial purposes.

Sustain DuPage has 5 focus areas that it uses to organize its programs: Food & Garden, Rewilding, Policy Reform, Creativity, and Knowledge Share. You can find more information on these Areas in the navigation bar at the top of the screen!

No need to sign up to volunteer! Just come to one of our workdays or volunteer events. Some events are members only or require payment, but Sustain DuPage is open to all!

Please visit our Membership page under Get Involved in the navigation bar for all the information for becoming a member!

• No substances (alcohol or otherwise)

• No meat.

• The grounds close at sunset.

• Practice leaving only footprints.

• Although there are bathrooms on the TS campus, we cannot guarantee they will be available at all times. 

• Nobody is required to do any labor at Sustain DuPage, in fact, we encourage people to come and just hang out. The goal is community time growing food: healthy organic food is the awesome byproduct and not the goal. Sometimes people come to the garden for peace and alone time- that’s cool too!

• All food is shared equitably (those who need more get more).

• At Sustain DuPage, everyone is a teacher, everyone is a student. If you have something to share, we encourage you to lift your voice- and maintain a posture of humility and gratitude to those who taught you when you were learning what you now have to teach.

• We are 100% volunteer-led, so please courteously express your gratitude to the volunteers who are helping to facilitate the event.

• If you’re excited to contribute labor, showing up on time is the best way to guarantee that you will be assigned a task for the day. Just so you’re mentally prepared for this scenario, if you arrive later in the workday the day’s work may already be done! But no sweat, there will always be more to do in the future and it’s fun to just hang out together without laboring, too.

• Please read through and abide by our Sustain DuPage Values.

• We provide safety glasses and tools and we count on our volunteers to put away all equipment you used before you leave (even if you leave early).

• Wear gardening gloves for tasks that involve working with metal, wood, stone, compost, and plant debris.

• Wear eye protection when working with branches, dusty things, and motorized equipment

• Wear ear protection when using motorized equipment

• Wash your hands with soap and water before harvesting any produce or handling common tools

• Use appropriate tools for the task at hand (and use them appropriately) following the safety measures given at the time of instruction

• If you are injured, contact a garden leader immediately. Do not work with an unbandaged injury or touch tools or surfaces with blood. There is a first aid kit in the cabin and the wound must be sterilized. If it is a serious injury, someone will accompany you to the closest hospital or clinic, which is posted in the welcome area.

• Do not step or kneel on the garden beds. This compresses the soil and causes damage to the growing area. If you need to step into an area or kneel into a bed to complete your task, tell the garden leader and they will assist you.

• When connecting the hose, make sure that the metal connector nozzle is not laid down on the blacktop (as a car running over it will bend the connector permanently together and ruin both hoses). Please also wind it up at the end of the day so it does not become a tripping hazard.

• In the case of extreme rain, wind, or storm conditions, find shelter. The work day will be considered canceled.

You can bring children but they must be monitored by an adult due to the fact that The Garden is not childproof.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and there should be 1 adult per 2 children.