You are here

Projects Updates for theme: Engagement

  6. Sustainable Design Opportunity: Upcycling Clothing with Project Phoenix!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support Youth Sustainability
    Independent Student Projects

    Project Phoenix is an Illinois student initiative to give high school students a platform to highlight their fashion design interests and create their own upcycled clothing brands! The group offers one- to two-hour weekend workshops to teach Champaign-Urbana high school students applicable fashion and graphic design skills and provide opportunities in business and enterpreneurship. U of I students can sign up now to be a Project Fellow! The deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

     

    For more details about the Project Fellow position, read Phoenix's Fall 2021 project description document.

  7. iSEE's Environmental Writing Contest for the Janelle Joseph Prize

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW) [ARCHIVED]
    Sustainability Competitions

    Are you an eco-warrior with a passion for prose? Each summer, University of Illinois undergraduates are invited to submit their best environmental writing for a chance to be published in Q Magazine and win a cash prize! The Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing was created in 2020 through the generosity of donor Janelle Joseph. Our inaugural contest winners covered topics ranging from the degradation of the coal industry and life in a “burn zone” to sustainable fashion and the future of lawns. Read more about the 2020 winning entries!

    Submit in one of these five categories:

    • Feature — In-depth, research-based piece on a topic of your choice (Example: “Burn Zone” by Andy Sima; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Grand Prizewinner) 
    • Memoir — Write about an experience that YOU had with nature, and what it meant to you (Example: “Solastalgia” by Maria Maring; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
    • Op-Ed — Your research-backed take on a current environmental “hot topic” (Example: “End to Greenwashing?” by Jennifer Coronel; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
    • Q&A — Interview an environmental researcher or activist
    • “@ Illinois” — Submit a piece in any of the above genres spotlighting innovative environmental research, activism, or stewardship at the University of Illinois. 

    iSEE's Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing is open to Illinois undergrads and includes a $1,000 grand prize as well as $500 prizes in five categories: Feature; Memoir; Op-Ed; Q&A; and "At Illinois." Entries can be 1,000 to 2,000 words and must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2021. 

     

    Visit Q Magazine's website for more details.

     

    And, make sure to email submissions or questions to qmagazineillinois@gmail.com!

  8. Upcoming TED Talk: Sustainable Decision-Making

    Associated Project(s): 
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]

    Join us for the latest edition of iSEE's popular Zoom series, which will focus on "Sustainable Decision-Making." Participants will watch a prerecorded TED Talk by Catherine Mohr, "The Tradeoffs of Building Green," then join in a thought-provoking discussion led by Ann-Perry Witmer, research scientist at the Grainger College of Engineering Applied Research Institute and lecturer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

    The event will take place on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 at 6 PM CST.

    Register for the virtual TED Talk online!

  9. Join the Climate Strike! (Hosted by SECS)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)

    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) is leading a climate strike on Friday to demand action on climate change! Participants will meet at the Alma Mater statue, march around the Quad and down Green Street, then reconvene for speeches at the Alma Mater. The event ties in with a Global Climate Strike organized by the youth-led group Fridays for Future to demand intersectional climate justice.

    The strike will take place on Friday, September 29th, 2021 at Noon.

     

    See the iSEE website for more details!

  10. Commencement of the 2021 Sustainability Competition for Undergraduates

    Associated Project(s): 
    ReImagine Our Future

    "... Fifty-one (51) teams have entered the competition. There are a total of 126 students working in teams ranging from one to five members per team.

    The first deliverable is due by Oct. 15, as explained on the competition webpage: Reimagine Our Future Undergraduate Sustainability Competition
    For this first deliverable you must complete the questionnaire available on the competition website to tell us more about your project’s specialist advisor and what advice you got from her or him. You can connect with a specialist indicated on the competition webpage or you may select someone else whom you deem to be a specialist for your chosen sustainability topic.

    You will find many helpful Resources on the competition webpage.
    For instance, you will benefit by attending the three ideation workshops that will be held at the Siebel Center for Design. The first ideation workshop is on Thursday 23 Sept from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Although registration for this first workshop has already closed, you could still enter by completing this registration form...

    Kind regards

    Leon Liebenberg
    on behalf of the Competition Organizing Team, with fellow team members: Prof. Robert McKim, Prof. Warren Lavey, Prof. Michelle Wander, Mr. Peter Davis, and Mr. Shreyas Venkatarathinam"

    -Leon Liebenberg (09/21/2021)

    Teaching Associate Professor
    Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    1206 W. Green Street
    Urbana, IL 61801

  11. Trash Cleanup 10/15/21

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Boneyard Creek Management
    Facilitate campus-wide sustainability events

    October is Campus Sustainability Month and there are many events to get involved and make a positive difference toward our campus sustainability efforts. On Friday, October 15, we are hosting our second trash cleanup event. We will meet at the pavilion on Engineering Quad at 3:30 p.m. and disperse from there to pick up trash across campus. Resources will be provided. Stay for as long as you are able, and bring a friend. Everyone is welcome! It will be fun!

    Check out more events during Campus Sustainability Month on the iSEE website: https://sustainability.illinois.edu/outreach/calendar/ 

  12. Digital Sign for Recognition of SSC $375k Contribution

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Part of the $25K fund 1‐304398, “602 SSC‐CIF Geothermal” for the CIF account is recognizing SSC’s $375K contribution to Geothermal in digital signage for a year at CIF.

     

    The final draft of the digital signage is attached below.

     

    Attached Files: 

  13. General Meeting 9/20

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Campus Sustainability Month

    For September's General Meeting, we had everyone introduce themselves and what organization they were from. We also discussed plans for Student Sustainability Summit and how they can become involved. Promoted our development of a general Google calendar that contains general meeting times for all RSOs in the SSLC, as well as any events they are hosting. Lastly, we went through updates on all projects that RSOs are working on.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Green Office Gold Certification

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Certified Greener Campus Programs

    Congratulations to Kara Hagen and the rest of the Conservation Unit at the Preservation Services Department of Oak Street Library Facility for becoming a Green Office! They are gold certified as of September 4, 2021. They used a watt meter to monitor energy use of their devices and appliances and eliminated use of disposable cups. They notably created a new waste reduction strategy by saving the scraps from their long-fibered papers and bringing those to Fresh Press on campus, where they are used to create hand-made paper. Keep up the great work!

  17. iCAP Team and iCAP Working Group Kickoff

    Associated Project(s): 
    Topical iCAP Teams
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Engagement iCAP Team
    Energy iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team

    We had a great iCAP Team and iCAP Working Group Kickoff on 9/16/21! During the event, we heard from iSEE Interim Director, Dr. Madhu Khanna, went through the team rosters, iCAP Procedures, iCAP 2020 and progress made thus far, and lastly summarized other resources that sustainability advocates should be aware of. 

    The iCAP Teams and iCAP Working Group are instrumental in helping campus advance and achieve our sustainability goals and we look forward to a great year!

    The presentation is attached and the recording is found here. 

    Attached Files: 

  19. SSC Semesterly Report: Identifying the Campus Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received a semesterly report for Spring 2021 for the Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment project on 9/9/2021. Please see attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  20. SSC Semesterly Report: Foreign Languages Building Garden Renovation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Roof on Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics Building (formerly called Foreign Language Building)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received a semesterly report for Spring 2021 for FLB Garden Renovation on 9/11/2021. Please see attached.  

    Attached Files: 

Pages