Category: Colleges and universities

Webinar: Engaging Students in Zero Waste

Wednesday, July 26th, 2017, 11 am CDT
Register here.

You’ve got a Zero Waste program… now how do you get students to actually do the right thing?

While most Zero Waste programs are set up by staff and administration, engaging students to practice those “R’s” (and beyond!) will make it truly successful. This webinar will feature presentations from leaders in Zero Waste and higher education on best practices for getting students involved with Zero Waste on your campus:

  • Chris Kane, Campus Coordinator and Director of Resource Development, PLAN: The Post-Landfill Action Network
  • Jack DeBell, Development Director, University of Colorado-Boulder
  • Mike Carey, Sustainability Coordinator, Orange Coast College
  • Jennifer Hobson, Zero Waste Senior Program Coordinator, The University of Texas at Austin

At the end of the webinar,  attendees can exchange successes and challenges, as well as suggest other topics for webinars and tools.

Local foods: Food processing program, student farm allows campus to serve local and sustainably grown items

Read the full story from the University of Illinois.

The tasty slices of pizza students will be eating this fall in University of Illinois dining halls will be as close to “locally grown” as most restaurants can get, with many of the ingredients grown right on campus.

Not only do students get to enjoy these home-grown products, but students are involved in every step of the process—from growing the tomatoes and wheat, to the processing and milling after harvest, and even developing the recipes.

The Illinois Sustainable Food Project is a partnership between the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, the Department of Crop Science’s Sustainable Student Farm, and University Housing Dining Services.

‘Saving the Earth Since 1969’ — The Story of Illinois’ Oldest Environmental Student Group

Read the full story from the University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment.

In summer 1969, Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River caught on fire. Sparks from a passing train had ignited the water’s greasy, polluted surface, and a subsequent Time magazine photo spread brought the apocalyptic scene into households across America.

A few months earlier it was the Pacific drawing headlines, when an offshore well spilled 200,000 gallons of oil onto the coast of Santa Barbara. The public, still jittery from recent reports on the health hazards of car emissions and pesticides, had had enough.

On April 22, 1970 — the very first Earth Day — 20 million people rallied for sake of the environment. It was a nationwide event, part protest and part educational campaign. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign participated, too, under the organization of a newly registered student group called SECS.

Living in a Materials World: Four Northwestern entrepreneurs bring sustainability and energy solutions to market

Read the full story from Northwestern University.

As the world has continued to move toward clean energy, so has Northwestern’s materials science program, which is increasingly focused on sustainable materials design. The University has helped launch several companies with the goal of creating innovative energy solutions by designing and developing better materials with less energetic requirements. By bringing innovative materials to the market, these startups are creating disruptive technologies for electric car makers, produce shippers, battery manufacturers, and more.

Webinar: Teaching Systems Thinking to Fill the Climate Literacy Gap

Thu, Jun 1, 2017 12:15 PM – 1:45 PM CDT
Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2157232300557877507

What will it take to produce a workforce that understands the relationships between environmental, social, and business factors so we can better address the risks of climate change in the coming years? A number of interrelating systems comprise each factor so incorporating systems thinking into the public and private educational systems should result in graduates better prepared to understand the interrelationships and make or contribute to better climate decisions and policies.

In this 90 minute webinar join leaders from education, business and philanthropy as they discuss:

  1. The validity of the climate literacy gap and its impact on the workforce
  2. Existing and emerging ways to teach systems thinking about climate disruptions, mitigation, adaptation and risk management
  3. Concepts for developing the national/international capacity to support climate literacy
  4. The role of philanthropy in accelerating deployment
  5. How community colleges can be at the center of better preparing the workforce for climate risk decisions