Good morning! How do you feel about this rain we are having in central Illinois? It is Thursday and you know what that means...time for our plastic-free check-in! We have a few extra resources and tips to share with you today. You are almost done with Week 3 of the Plastic Free Challenge. There is just over one week left until the end of the challenge. We are sad to realize this, too. We love communicating with you and building our community of sustainability enthusiasts. How have you improved since Week 1? What more do you have to learn?

We are extremely proud of you all for submitting your grids, emailing about what you are learning, sending details about helpful resources you have utilized, and setting some great goals throughout the challenge thus far. The goal of this challenge, other than reducing plastic waste of course, is to become more conscious of our waste overall and to find tips and tools to aid the journey toward a plastic-free lifestyle (and help others do the same). We are excited to see what more we can accomplish as a group in the next week!

This week, let's focus on avoiding plastics in the kitchen, including purchasing groceries, cooking, storing food, cleaning, and more. Have you realized how heavily food products are packaged? This is an important component to target as you reflect on your daily waste habits and plan ahead. The attached tip guide includes ways to avoid plastic shopping bags, heavily packaged food products, plastic cleaning supplies, and more. We provided tips on how to store food without plastic, how to cook and serve food sustainably - all ideas that we hope you discuss with friends, roommates, and family members, too. Also, don’t forget to purchase in bulk: the Harvest Market in Champaign and Urbana Co-Op are two options close to campus. No matter where you are located, plan ahead and call your local grocery stores or co-ops to ask about their bulk purchasing options.

Please remember to submit your Week 3 Google Form by Monday, March 22. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns at any time. We truly enjoy hearing from you all. As a reminder, at any time throughout the challenge (especially if you have recently joined!), you can revisit any of our emails or resources that have been distributed to the group in this Box folder. This folder can also be found by scrolling down to "More Information" on the iSEE Plastic Free Challenge webpage. 

Enjoy the rest of your week and we will talk to you again on Sunday. Go Illini basketball!!

Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainable Programs Coordinator
Emily Dickett, iSEE Sustainability Intern

Discussed current land management practices and the potential creation of an off-campus land management committee.

The Red Oak Rain Garden Team announces Mulch Madness plant competition

Mulch Madness is a fun way to learn more about native plants found at the Red Oak Rain Garden. To enter, send completed brackets to redoakraingarden@gmail.com by 11 am Tue, Mar 16. Games begin that same day at noon on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Brackets, rules, and more details are at the link above. The winning bracket receives a $20 gift certificate to the local business of their choice.

Eliana Brown • University of Illinois Extension/Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

 This opportunity is available online

Interested in careers in sustainability? Join us to hear a panel discussion from industry professionals and learn how the field is changing and how to pursue sustainable careers.

Panelists will include representatives from:

Eco Logic
Prairie Rivers Network
Urbana Park District
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Please register at:
https://go.illinois.edu/SustainabilityCareersPanel

Hello! You are almost halfway through the Plastic Free Challenge - wow! With over 130 of us participating, in just two weeks we have already created positive change in our community and world. Think of all the plastic waste we have avoided and the waste we will continue to reduce over the next two weeks! 

We loved hearing about your experiences during the first week, and we are very impressed with your insightful comments and creative ideas, such as switching to dryer balls instead of single-use dryer sheets and creating your own self-care products instead of buying plastic containers (even though they may be recyclable!). Many of you have great goals for this week, such as going one whole day without generating any waste (and not compensating by throwing away more the day before or after) and going on a walk to pick up litter every day. Keep it up!

This week, let’s continue trying to target plastic waste with purchasing power and when you are out and about. Avoiding single-use plastics is tough, especially during this COVID-19 period when some stores are not allowing customers to bring reusable coffee cups or bags. We urge you to ask, or write to, the stores you shop at to revisit their reusable items policy, as many stores have recently lifted their ban on reusable items. Communication is key, and it shows that people want to do the right thing. Not sure how to start buying in bulk? Here is a great step-by-step guide. Check out the attached "Week 2 Tip Guide" for more details and ideas on how to earn "negative" points for the week.

Please remember to submit the Week 2 Google Form and upload your grid by Monday, March 15. We have reattached the grid and point system if needed. As always, please reach out to us with any questions, comments, or feedback. If you recently signed up for the challenge, or if you wish to revisit our previous emails/resources, check out this Box folder.

We look forward to checking in with you again on Sunday. And remember,

"Plan ahead . . . bring reusables instead!"

Craving more resources? Check out UPSTREAM and this great list: 

• National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
• Beyond Plastics 
• UPSTREAM’s Reuse Learning Hub
• Reuse Acceleration Policies
• More information on the National Reuse Network and the Government Reuse Forum
• Covid Safety Resources
• BFFPPA summary 
• Plastic-Free President 
• Federal Stimulus & Other Funding Report
• Course (open to all): Beyond Plastic Pollution with Judith Enck 
• A Story of Plastic Virtual Film Screening & Panel Discussion 

Thank you!

Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainability Programs Coordinator 

Emily Dickett, iSEE Sustainability Intern

Beginning in 2011 Alice Berkson began taking photos at the Florida – Orchard prairie on campus next to the President’s House.  The photos were taken each month from the same locations beginning in 2013.  The two years prior to that all 12 months are not represented.  A few photos are missing including all of October 2015.   A few extra shots are occasionally included of unusual situations or plants.   

See https://uofi.box.com/s/cfmmscpv2335f57g7nzngx4g8nf4cqgj to view or download the images.

The photos are in yearly folders.  Individual photos are labeled with the date first YYYY-MM-DD so that they will sort in order.   

Photos were taken at the four corners.  At the North corners along Florida Avenue shots were taken east to west and west to east as well as diagonally from NE looking SW, and from NW looking SE.  At the southern corners, only the diagonal photos were taken.   

The resolution on the photos is high so that small sections can be enlarged to identify plants and other features.   

As of this writing the series is complete from 2011 through 2020.  

John C. Marlin  January, 2021