From the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County:

Environmental Defenders of McHenry County to Open Book Store in Historic Downtown Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake, IL – October 23, 2018 – The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County announces the opening of a second re-used book store – The Green Read – at the heart of our county’s population, Crystal Lake.

The Environmental Defenders are setting up shop at 61 North Williams Street and the plan is to be open to the public in mid-November.

Pam Johnson and son, Ben, busy getting the store ready for opening.

With this development, The Environmental Defenders is returning to its roots of Crystal Lake where its
first office and employee set up camp in the 70s.

The Defenders will be in the midst of the busy and
historic downtown district with restaurants, brewery, specialty stores, commuter train, bike path, and more.

This will be a special and unique place that welcomes everyone in to peruse a large variety of books and chat about the environment while giving the organization a “presence boost” as it heads into its 50 th anniversary in 2020.

This new book store joins the other Environmental Defenders’ locations, including its office and The
Green Spot Reused Book Store on the historic Woodstock Square as well as its eight acres of land on
Dean Street, also in Woodstock.

The organization is excited about the possibilities of broadening its reach geographically, much as its roaming recycling drives have done, by having a presence in downtown Crystal Lake.

Executive Director, Cynthia Kanner notes ‘We’ll even have a comfy seating area where one can read, relax and even pick up information about The Environmental Defenders and join our organization.”

It is hoped that the Environmental Defenders, founded in 1970 with the mission to preserve and protect the environment in McHenry County, will attract new members through this storefront while broadening the awareness of all that we do that benefits our beautiful county.

“This will be an inviting space for those who care about keeping books out of the waste stream and who enjoy connecting with others who hold the same values of a healthy planet and a good gently used read,” said Lori McConville, President of The Environmental Defenders and owner of Marvin’s Toy Store located across the street from The Green Read.

.