One of our favorite times of the year is almost here… Campus Sustainability Month! Below is a highlight of major events and programs happening this October, though check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for the full list. This is the perfect time to take action and show your support for environmental consciousness (and the Illinois Climate Action Plan!). I look forward to seeing you across campus!

• Plastic Reduction Challenge: Are you up to the challenge? From October 3–30, we provide the resources and point system to help you track your plastic use each week and find sustainable alternatives. The point system and fillable grid are attached, and additional information will be sent out prior to the start of the challenge. Take part with this fun and interactive community, and earn the chance to win a sustainability prize pack. It is easy to make a positive impact! Sign up here for the challenge.
   
• Clothing Swap: This is the perfect opportunity to donate your clothing items and update your wardrobe! Join iSEE, SECS, and SSLC for this reduce/reuse event at the Channing Murray Foundation on Tuesday, October 11. Drop off clothes at Channing Murray the day before, or during the event itself from 10AM – 3PM.  All are welcome to drop off and/or participate (it’s free!).
   
• Green Quad Day: Come check out the variety of student, staff, faculty, and community-led environmental groups on Thursday, October 13 from 11AM – 3PM at the Anniversary Plaza (cement area between the Quad and Union). This is a great opportunity to talk with and learn about the many sustainability efforts on campus. The rain date is October 17. If you are interested in representing your organization at a table, sign up here.
   
• Water Taste Test: It’s 2022 – why are we still drinking from plastic bottles? Let’s put our tap water to the test and see, blindly, which water we prefer. Check out the iSEE table at Green Quad Day (above) and see if you can taste a difference between bottled water and tap! In the meantime, take our drinking water behavior survey (and win a chance for a $50 gift card).
   
• Illini Lights Out: Join us to shut off lights in buildings around campus to save energy and reduce the environmental impact of our massive university! Meet at 5:30PM in the lobby of the Foreign Language Building on Friday, October 14 to receive brief instructions before heading out to turn off lights in assigned buildings. Come back to FLB (roughly 6:30) when you are done to turn in your clipboard, get a snack, and pat yourself on the back for helping to save so much energy! Register here, and come by yourself or bring a friend!
   
• Campus Sustainability Celebration: All are welcome to attend this annual event on Monday, October 17 from 3-6PM at NCSA (auditorium and lobby), 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. The first two hours will be spent in the Auditorium, where we will hear from campus sustainability leaders and from the iCAP Teams. Following the presentations (5-6 PM), each iCAP Team will have a table in the lobby/atrium area for roundtable discussion, suggestions, and a Q&A. Student environmental groups will have tables set up and together, we will enjoy conversation, light refreshments, and cake!
   
• Trash Cleanup: Help keep our campus beautiful! On Wednesday, October 19, meet at Alma Mater at 4PM and join us to collect trash and recycling around campus until 5:30PM.
   
• TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series: Tune in to this edition of iSEE’s ongoing Zoom series on Wednesday, October 26 from 7 – 8PM. Our host this month is Lucy Nifong, a senior in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, iSEE Communications Intern, and Vice Chair Internal of the Student Sustainability Committee. Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk, followed by a guided discussion and roundtable on Campus Sustainability Month! Sign up here.
   
• Sustainability BINGO: Fill out the iSEE board (attached) for a chance to win prizes! The board (PDF) includes sustainability-related activities and initiatives you can do across campus during Sustainability Month (Oct. 1-31). Make sure you document and let us know which actions you completed using the Google Form to be eligible for the prize drawing.
   
• Have you gotten your office, event, or Greek chapter certified as Green yet? It’s easy to be sustainable! Get certified and be recognized!

Gabriel Kosmacher, Shallon Malfeo, Betsy Liggett, Morgan White, and Brent Lewis met this morning to discuss the plans for adding a green roof at the Nick Holonyak Jr. Micro-Nano Technology Center.

SECS is interested in developing the green roof on the closed patio for MNTL.  What structural load can the patio maintain?  Qu Kim had said the patio was closed off because they weren't comfortable with having people out there, and Brent thought it would be a really good idea to put a green roof there.

SECS requested the floor plans to identify the square footage of the patio, and apply for SSC funding. Brent will provide the floor plans. SECS will work through who will maintain the green roof.

Morgan asked if perhaps it could be a vegetable garden, which could provide food to users or donated to the Bucket Brigade. Shallon noted that the food could go to Solidarity Gardens. Morgan asked if Brent thinks vegetable gardening is even feasible in this location, and he explained that it would be way more maintenance. Betsy said it would need maintenance daily instead of monthly, if it were veggies. Additionally, the veggies would lead to more carrying green materials throughout the halls, which would not be well received by the users. This space should not include human food production.

Step 1 -- talk to Ryan Wild and Qu Kim about whether this space is feasible. Then work on design plans and SSC funding application. Consider contacting Fine and Applied Arts about a long-term partnership. There will also need to be a Memo of Understanding about the maintenance of the green roof.

Co-presidents Owen Jennings, Maiah Caise, Jack Reicherts, and Maria Maring are excited to embark upon their second semester as SSLC leadership together. The primary goals of the semester include: 

• Bolster collaboration between environmental RSOs on UIUC campus. The SSLC hopes to work with Student Affairs to incentivize participation with the SSLC, using the University of California Berkely’s Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) as a template. Weekly board meetings and monthly full meetings will continue per usual.

• Bolster collaboration between other Illinois schools like University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois Springfield, and Illinois State University. Both SECS and ISG may play significant roles in this relationship-building. The SSLC has already been in contact with Illinois State.

• Host Earth Month events. The SSLC already began communication with the Illini Union Green Team last semester to begin planning events like Green Quad Day and a movie night on the Quad. Organizations like SECS, Red Bison, and iSEE that have been historically active in Earth Month events will be essential in these processes. 

• Write SSLC bylaws. The Council has not previously had bylaws, and they are absolutely essential to moving forward in an organized and successful fashion. 

• Continue to monitor the fight for divestment from fossil fuels. This iCAP Objective has caused copious political strife between students and administrators. Because divestment continues to be a hot topic, the SSLC will continue to listen to student concerns. 

The following information was received from Haley Cepek, the secretary for the Student Environmental Action Coalition at Illinois State University:

We are currently planning a climate rally in response to the recent COP26 conference. It would take place this Friday, 11/12/21, starting at 1pm at Uptown Circle right outside ISU campus. I want to spread the word over to the University of Illinois so that more people would have the opportunity to use their voice for change. It is an important event and I would love for University of Illinois to have representation. I would greatly appreciate if you could help me in spreading the word over to your campus. We are hoping to make as big of an impact as we can with this rally, and we would truly benefit from combining our communities together to support one cause.

See the attached October newsletter for Students for Environmental ConcernS. There next general meeting will be Wednesday, October 6th from 6:30-7:30 at the Channing Murray Building. That building can be found at 1207 W Oregon Street. 

Thank you for a great Earth Week, Illini! Here a few highlights:

• SSC hosted an Environmental Quad Day 
• Climate Strike on the Quad
• Virtual open house for campus solar
• Illini Union Pretzels + Plants and recycling center launch 

The recommendation was submitted to the NRES unit on March 2, 2018, by Morgan White. Jay Hayek, Extension Forestry Specialist in NRES, will be planting 2 acres of trees at the southwest corner of Race Street and Windsor Road.  The trees were purchased by the Champaign County Rotary Club.  There will be a wide variety of native oak and hickory species that come in 3 gallon containers and range in height from 3-6 feet.  The Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) plan to assist with planting the trees, when they are delivered in early April.

See iWG ALUFS003 Assessment

See SWATeam ALUFS003 Recommendation