Earth Week 2013

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be celebrating Earth Week on April 20-26. Earth Week is a time to promote awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment, sustainable living and earth awareness. 

Several exciting activities are being planned for the week. We hope you will join us in celebrating!

All Week

The One Shirt National Collegiate Clothing Challenge - The ARC and CRCE will be collecting clothing to be donated to local charities!
 

Saturday, April 20

8:00am-12:00n: Countywide Residential Electronics Collection
The News-Gazette Distribution Center, 3202 Apollo Drive, Champaign (access to the Distribution Center is at the intersection of North Market Street and Olympian Drive)
Got an old TV, computer monitor, or other electronic items not being used anymore?  Area residents are invited to bring old or unwanted electronic items to the upcoming Countywide Residential Electronics Collection to have these items responsibly recycled or refurbished.  Several teams of community service volunteers will be on hand to unload electronic items from residents’ vehicles.  No fees will be collected from persons dropping off items. Information about the upcoming collection on April 20 is available on the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) website at www.ccrpc.org.  Persons may also contact CCRPC at 217-328-3313 with questions about the collection.

12:00n-2:00pm: Campus and Community Day of Service
Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), Champaign

Members of the local community and University of Illinois faculty, staff, and students will join forces to kick off National Volunteer Week 2013, which will take place from April 21-27. One project that is already being planned involves packaging 146,000 meals - one thousand for every year of public engagement since the University was chartered - for local foodbanks to be distributed to needy families in Champaign-Urbana. The University's National Soybean Research Laboratory created the recipe in-house, so it's an "Illinois" meal. Hundreds of volunteers are needed for the food packaging project, so we are volunteering as a group for the 12 ' 2 p.m. time slot. We would love for you, your family and friends, or colleagues to join us. (Children 12 and up are eligible to participate). Contact Laura Bleill lwbleill@illinois.edu for more information and to register your company; we will register as a group.

2:00-4:00pm: "Blooms, Not Butts"
The UI Wellness Center and Masters of Public Health program are organizing a cigarette litter cleanup project. Volunteers will pick up litter and distribute flowers and cards, emphasizing two benefits of campus going smoke-free: beautification of our surroundings, and a cleaner environment for all. After the collection, students will build creative displays out of the litter in a live contest at the Environmental Expo (April 23, from 11am-2pm in the Union Courtyard Café). Cash prizes and more will be awarded. We are still looking for volunteers for both the pickup and the display contest! Contact Paula Chmiel at chmiel1@illinois.edu to volunteer at the pickup; submit ideas for a chance to be chosen for the contest here:  http://goo.gl/mxkNw. More info:http://www.campusrec.illinois.edu/Smoke-Free/blooms_not_butts/faq.html.

Sunday, April 21

11:00am-1:00pm: Exit Signs Scavenger Hunt
Meet at Engineering Plaza, between Everett and Engineering Hall
We will show you how to spot incandescent-lighted Exit Signs and equip you with blueprints of what signs to check for these incandescent lights. The "training" should takes than ten minutes, and then you can be on your way! Bring some friends and compete to see who can find the most or use it as an excuse to explore a building you've never been in before! Then, celebrate a job well done of "greening" campus by enjoying some delicious pizza! For more information please contact Becca Nothof at nothof2@illinois.edu.

Monday, April 22 (Earth Day)

12:00n: Town Hall Meeting
Beckman Auditorium 
We encourage you to attend the upcoming Town Hall meeting on April 22 at noon in the Beckman Auditorium.
Our plan at this meeting is to share a vision and set of strategic actions for Illinois. These actions were developed based on the Chancellor's year-long listening and learning tour and the recent campuswide Visioning Future Excellence process. As you know, higher education is at a crossroads and we must be ready to embrace and lead change. We believe the plan we are developing will increase the impact, excellence, and visibility of our institution. What we do now will position the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for success for the next 20-50 years.

2:00-5:00pm: Campus Sustainability Symposium
Illini Union, Rooms A&B, 1401 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 
.Presentations and Poster Session, light refreshments

6:30-8:00pm: Green Cleaning Workshop - Learn how to make your own green cleaning supplies!
Illini Union, room C, 1401 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 
Student participants will be given "recipes" to make green cleaning items and will be able to take home what they make. The event is aimed to teach students how to make environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies and give information on resources for moving out of their apartment. Sponsored by the Tenant Union.

7:30pm: Movie "Dr. Seuss's The Lorax" 
On The Quad (ARC Auditorium rainy day backup)

Tuesday, April 23

11:00am-2:00pm: Environmental Expo
Illini Union, Courtyard Café, 1401 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 
Campus Environmental groups and various activities like planter pot painting and seeds to plant

12:00n: Center for a Sustainable Environment Director Presentation
2311 Newmark
William Sullivan says he gets to wake up every morning and do things he loves. Through his research, teaching, and engagement, he helps create a healthier, more sustainable world. Sullivan is Professor of Landscape Architecture and leads the Sustainability and Health laboratory at the University of Illinois. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Environment and Behavior. Sullivan is immediate Past President of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors and just finished 3 terms (6 years) as a member of the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Environmental Health Science, Research, and Medicine.  He is an active member of the University’s Education Justice Project and lead the Environmental Council at Illinois from 2003 to 2008. Sullivan teaches courses on Environmental Sustainability, the Built Environment and Human Health, and Human Factors in Design. You can visit his website at: www.willsull.net.. There will be pizza at 11:30.

5:00-7:00pm: Joint Open House -- Champaign County Greenways & Trails Plan Update / Illinois Bike Transportation Plan
Illinois Terminal City View, 4th Floor, 45 E. University Avenue, Champaign 
CCRPC will be hosting the second public meeting for the Champaign County Greenways & Trails Plan update; and Alta Planning+Design will be present regarding the Illinois Bike Transportation Plan, which is the bicycle element of IDOT’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Stop by anytime there is no formal presentation or agenda, just stay as little or as long as you like.For more information: Web: http://www.ccrpc.org/greenways/news.php or
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/562866970400737/

6:30pm: Your Environmental Road Trip screening - (YERT)
University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign

 

Wednesday, April 24

11:00am-3:00pm: Biker Blender Smoothies!
Anniversary Plaza (in between the Quad and the Union)

11:30am-1:30pm: Building Systems Thinking on the Front Lines of Sustainability: Project-Based Teaching Approaches and an Online Data Sharing Tool
NCSA, 1205 W. Clark, room 1040, Urbana, IL
Systems thinking, understanding the interconnections among environmental, social and economic components, is critical to advancing progress on sustainability challenges. Developing systems thinking requires a deep understanding of the complexity of sustainability issues that can only be gained by studying real-world situations. Helping students learn how to frame open-ended, real-world projects is challenging, and doing so within the context of scattered information and data from multiple community partners is even more so. This workshop will highlight approaches, successes, and learning lessons from a two-year effort to develop interdisciplinary project-based coursework in Champaign, Chicago, and Chennai, India. An online tool called Medici, developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications for sharing diverse data and information collections, will also be demonstrated. Opportunities for future class and research projects to build upon these data and information collections in the future will be explored with participants.
Registration is required. Lunch will be provided

9:00-10:30pm: Benefit Concert/Open Mic Night
Red Herring, 1209 W. Oregon, Urbana
Featured bands include Illini Contraband, Justin Ronton, and Mischief Makers!

Thursday, April 25

11:00am-3:00pm: AgroEcology and Sustainable Agriculture Symposium 
Illini Union, 1401 W. Green Street, room 314A, Urbana
The University of Illinois Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP)
will host a special symposium entitled "Understanding and Addressing the
Anti-GE Critique."
"This year we decided our annual Earth Day event would attempt to answer students' questions about GE plants. Inquiring minds want to know what all the fuss is about," said Michelle Wander, symposium organizer, ASAP director, and professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. "Some believe GE plants are essential contributors to sustainable agriculture, enabling huge gains in productivity and efficiency by preventing pest problems and alleviating the need to treat them; others see GE as a technology that concentrates control of agriculture and reduces consumer choice, making us use more resources to achieve diminishing returns. We recognize that this is a complex subject and hope many views are shared," Wander said. 
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required but is encouraged. To register, visithttp://asap2013.eventbrite.com. Presentations will be given by four speakers followed by a panel. 
 

6:00-8:00pm: Champaign-Urbana Green Initiatives Social Event
Escobar's Restaurant, 6 E. Columbia, Champaign
Come celebrate Earth Week with fellow earth-friendly folks. During the evening, we will hear updates on Champaign's possible bag ordinance (Councilwoman Deb Feinen), the Mahomet Aquifer Sole Source Aquifer Petition (Champaign Assistant Attorney Joe Hooker), the Urbana Climate Action Plan and other sustainability initiatives (Urbana Mayor Prussing), and the state bill to establish hydrofracking regulations (tbd).  In addition to our special-topic guests, we will also be inviting members of the Urbana and Champaign city councils and General Assembly representatives.  This is a great opportunity to meet our local policymakers and have conversations about important, local environmental issues.  Free appetizers will be provided but drinks are on your own. This event is co-sponsored by Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, Faith in Place, and Audubon Society.  Hope you can join us! 

6:30-9:30pm - CyclingSavvy Course - Truth & Techniques of Traffic Cycling
Natural Resources Building, Room 101, 615 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign (Enter through South East Doors)
Free and open to all 15 years and older, regardless of cycling experience.
Using guided discussion along with photos, illustrations, animations and videos, this classroom course provides all the knowledge you need to drive your bike safely and confidently in traffic. Knowledge of the Law covers the legal rights and responsibilities of cyclists. Knowledge of Bicycling Safety shows that cycling is safe and that understanding the causes of bicycle crashes and how to avoid them makes cycling safer still. Knowledge of Traffic Cycling Problem Solving examines a variety of traffic cycling situations (including local video) and how a savvy cyclist negotiates them.
For more information, see CyclingSavvyIllinois.notlong.com.

Friday, April 26

12:00n: Sustainable Innovations Seminar Series "American Energy Policy and Other Funny Stories" presented by Michael Webber, University of Austin, TX
Illini Union, room C, 1401 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL Lunch will be provided. Registration is required by Thursday, April 18.
This talk will share funny anecdotes and revealing conundrums from four decades of sub-optimal US energy policy.  It begins with an overview of global energy trends, with a particular focus on the history and evolving role of US energy production and consumption.  Part entertainment and part college lecture, this talk has some surprising points of view, mythbusting revelations, and fun facts scattered along the way about the dysfunctional world of modern policy-making.  It includes an overview of the latest developments in the energy sector (such as the revolution in fracking, and the recent price drops for solar panels), and closes with optimism that despite a determination by policymakers to worsen the situation, the energy outlook is quite rosy anyway.


4:00pm: Sustainable Foods Discussion and Picnic!
Illini Grove Shelter House
featuring numerous U of I professors from all fields


HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL OUT AND ABOUT! 
MAKE EVERYDAY EARTH DAY!

Sponsors: 
Center for a Sustainable Environment, Student Sustainability Committee, Student Sustainability Committee, Activites and Recreation Center, Illini Union, Facilities & Services, Grounds Division, University Housing, UI Wellness Center, Espresso Royale, Big Grove Restaurant, and the Tenant Union.