1) Seminars, Conferences, and Workshops
2) Course Offerings
3) Funding Opportunities
4) Other Announcements
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April 10, 2012
Vote Illinois for Climate Leadership Award
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is proud to be a finalist in the Climate Leadership Awards, which recognize some of the best climate leadership work being done by colleges and universities across the country. Part of the award process is a video competition that needs your vote. The video with the most votes will be considered for a PBS television special. Vote now! It is no longer necessary to ‘like’ on facebook to place your vote, simply watch and vote from the Planet Forward page.Voting ends at midnight on April 14, 2012
http://planetforward.org/idea/university-of-illinois-at-urbana
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1) Seminars, Conferences, and Workshops
Urban Sustainability in the Age of Climate Justice by Professor Andrew Ross
Friday, April 13th
5:00pm
Levis Center
Andrew Ross is a Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. A contributor to the Nation, the Village Voice, the New York Times, and Artforum, he is the author of many books, including, most recently, Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World's Least Sustainable City, Nice Work if You Can Get It: Life and Labor in Precarious Times, Fast Boat to China--Lessons from Shanghai, Low Pay, High Profile: The Global Push for Fair Labor, No-Collar: The Humane Workplace and its Hidden Costs, and The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney’s New Town. Andrew will be available at 4:30pm for book selling and signing.
For more information go to: http://sustainability.illinois.edu/AndrewRoss.html
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Scholarship of Sustainability Series – Spring 2012
Location change to: 100 Noyes Hall, 505 S. Mathews, Urbana, IL
April 12: Is a Broad Coalition Essential? Environmental policy is, at its core, an effort to change human behaviors that involve misuses of nature, particularly the behaviors of businesses. How can we bring about such change? What methods have been tried in the past, and with what success? To the extent that new laws and government programs are needed, what will it take to bring them about given financial constraints on government, the power of the backlash movement, and the rising control of media by cultural forces hostile to progressive government and environmental protection?
Additional information available at http://sustainability.illinois.edu/Scholarship1.html
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Home(town) Security by Majora Carter
Thursday, April 19th
5:30pm
NCSA Auditorium
Majora Carter redefined the field of environmental equality, starting in the South Bronx at the turn of the century. Now she is leading the local economic development movement across the USA. Home(town) Security is Majora's latest endeavor to disrupt the status quo.
She is producer and host of the Peabody Award winning public radio series, The Promised Land – heard on over 120 station across America, and serves on the Boards of the US Green Building Council and The Wilderness Society. From 2001 to 2008 she was Executive Director of the non-profit she founded: Sustainable South Bronx – where she pioneered green-collar job training and placement systems in one of the most environmentally and economically challenged parts of the US. This MacArthur “genius” Fellow is now president of her own economic consulting firm.
Registration is recommended for attending this event. Please register by Friday, April 13th.
For more information about Majora please visit our website at http://sustainability.illinois.edu/MajoraCarter.html ______________________________________________________________________
Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) Forum/Review
Monday, April 16th
1:30-3:30pm
I-Hotel and Conference Center - Chancellor Ballroom
At the iCAP Forum, the Office of Sustainability will present a status update about progress towards meeting our commitments in the Illinois Climate Action Plan. This will include a broad overview of the various initiatives that are currently underway and a summary of the next steps in this process. After the presentation, participants will be asked to work in groups to provide feedback about setting priorities for further iCAP implementation. As stakeholders in this campus-wide effort, all members of the campus and community are welcome to attend the iCAP Forum and participate in the discussions.
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Earth Week Green Building Presentation
Monday, April 16th
4:00-5:00pm
University YMCA
Want to learn more about the most cost effective way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and lower building operating costs? Come hear Kristine Chalifoux of the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center(SEDAC) present a primer on energy and how buildings use it. She will discuss the costs of energy from different sources(incluidng efficiency), the "top ten" energy efficiency measures for new and existing buildings, and the strengths and limitations of the LEED process in producing energy efficient buildings. "The only guarantee is that a building won't perform the way you expect." This presentation will provide valuable information for anyone considering a career in designing buildings or their systems.
Find out more about SEDAC's work here. Organized by the U.S. Green Building Council Students-UIUC and Students for Environmental Concerns.
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Permaculture a Dangerous Enterprise
Wednesday, April 18
12:00-1:30 Room 210 in the Illini Union
The presentation will be followed by questions and a 30 min reception
Mark Shepard farms and teaches in south western Wisconsin where he has been building a 106 acre permaculture paradise for over 15 years. The farm is a diversified venture that is growing ideas and community culture along with a polyculture of plants, animals and enterprises. Over 250,000 trees have been planted by the keyline technique in the beautiful coulee district of Wisconsin. Trees and market garden patches are planted on contour to retain water via a network of small pocket ponds and spreader swales that slow and spread rain water and protect the land from erosion. His farm embodies the radical idea of managing a perennial food ECOLOGY, which means that all of the rules of ecology apply. According to Mark “When conventional disturbance ceases, (stop the plow and herbicides) a site begins to aggrade... soil fertility increases, organic matter increases, soil life diversity increases, nutrient cycling improves, plant and animal populations and diversity increase. Pests and diseases come into their "natural" population cycles and levels. What ends up happening is that input costs (tillage, herbicide, fertilizer, pest control, disease control) decline. When your input costs approach zero, your net profitability increases”. Mark is encouraging young farmers to contribute to this vision and he backs this up by supporting ‘collaborative enterprisers’. Aspiring permaculture entrepreneurs learn through doing as they design and implement projects on the ground. In his talk, Mark will explain how and why his permaculture paradise differs from traditional permaculture, how it is a force for good and, explain how he is spreading this dangerous idea through collaborative enterprisers. Attend this event to learn about his edible woody crops nursery, and how growing trees shrubs, vines, and canes to produce food, medicines, fuels and fiber are revolutionizing agriculture in nature's image while simultaneously revitalizing culture, stabilizing the economy, and restoring the environment.
Sponsored by: Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP)
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ISTC Sustainability Seminars and Research Seminars
Stephen J. Warner Conference Room
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
One E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.
Thursday, April 12:
“Another Look at Products from Plant Materials – Bio-templates and Bio-fuels” byDr. Chris Byrne, P.E. - Professor, Department of Engineering, Western Kentucky University
This presentation will cover a new technology for utilizing plant pyrolysis to produce engineered - materials and/or biofuels. Controlled carbonization of wood is used to produce bio-templates for the subsequent manufacture of ceramics and carbon composites. Ceramic material production with this approach creates a refractory material containing a wood microstructure. The bio-template is also used to create carbon/carbon composites, sandwich composites, or simply activated to produce a monolithic filter. One product recently developed is a carbon-polymer composite as a substitute for endangered tropical woods such as Ebony and Blackwood. These materials will be described along with recent research in the development of bio-fuels from wood distillation byproducts.
The seminars will be broadcast live and archived on our website www.istc.illinois.edu. Everyone is welcome to bring a lunch and attend. Contact Nancy Holm naholm@illinois.edu for more information.
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Water in a Changing World: A Comparison of Midwest and European Approaches
Tuesday, April 17, 2012: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
I Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, IL
Water@leeds is the largest university-based water research center in the UK. A team of scientists from the University of Leeds will participate in a workshop with Illinois researchers to compare different approaches to address climate uncertainty and the impacts on water resources. The format will feature short presentations followed by panel discussions on the following:
Current and future estimates of water resources
Regulatory and legal outlook
Urbanization and water
What do industry and agriculture need from the research community?
There is no cost to attend the workshop, but registration is required. Please register online here
The workshop is supported by a grant from the European Union Center of Excellence. Other sponsors include the Illinois State Water Survey, the University of Leeds, the Prairie Research Institute, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, and the Office of Sustainability.
For more information contact, George Czapar gfc@illinois.edu
Illinois State Water Survey, (217) 333-9545
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Public Engagement Symposium: Transforming Our Society
April 18, 2012 | 3–6 PM | Activities and Recreation Center (ARC)
Your participation will provide faculty, staff, students, and community partners the opportunity to share innovative ideas and approaches to community engagement activities. We hope you will learn from, support, and celebrate the quality and variety of our scholarly and creative community engagement efforts. It is our hope to enlighten, educate, and inspire; to strengthen relationships; and to develop a culture of engagement across the campus and local communities. The Symposium is free and open to the public.
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Campus Ecology: Eco-Reps - Student Sustainability Educators
April 18th
2:00pm Eastern (NY) time
Join this webinar and learn about our new guide, Student Sustainability Educators: A Guide to Creating and Maintaining an Eco-Rep Program on Your Campus
This new resource, co-published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and National Wildlife Federation, features more than 18 campuses and their efforts to design, implement and evaluate an Eco-Rep program. This webinar will spotlight four campus Eco-Rep programs, including Babson College, University of Pennsylvania, and Lehigh University. This webinar is being hosted in partnership with AASHE and facilitated by Dr. Christina Erickson from Champlain College, author of Student Sustainability Educators.
The free webinar, with Q&A, will begin at 2:00pm Eastern (NY time) and end at 3:00pm. Participants will receive instructions two days before the conference. Participants that want to participate via the phone only can request a copy of the presentation; options are available to receive audio by phone or computer.
To register go to: http://online.nwf.org/site/Calendar?id=105921&view=Detail
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Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference
Registration is now Open!
The conference will be held on April 16-17 at the Marriott Inn and Conference Center, located at the University of Maryland.
The path to sustainability is a journey. But what does it mean to move beyond the low-hanging fruit to create transformational change? How can we manage the tension between sustainability performance and campus growth? The Conference brings together attendees who are working to answer these, and many more questions.
Unlike other conferences, SSCC sets itself apart with in-depth presentations to higher education communities who are on the sustainability journey. Most sessions will be 80 minutes in length allowing for dialogue and discussion.
Our attendees include directors and staff from sustainability, facilities, health & safety, campus planning and business offices, as well as business partners and other education stakeholders. The Marriott Inn & Conference Center is LEED Silver and Green Seal Certified.
Conference schedule coming soon!
For more information, contact:
Aynsley Toews
atoews@umd.edu
301-405-7533
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Fourth Annual EBI Biofuels Law and Regulation Conference
The University of Illinois Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) announces the upcoming Fourth Annual EBI Biofuels Law and Regulation Conference, "Focusing in on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2)," which will be held at the U of I I-Hotel in Champaign, Illinois on April 25, 2012. EBI's Biofuels Law and Regulation Project is sponsoring the Conference.
The conference will focus on the multitude of issues related to the implementation of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), with sessions discussing:
- Current economic evaluations of the RFS2,
- Industry perspectives on the RFS2,
- Feedstock availability and agricultural impacts of the RFS2.
The conference will involve leading academic, scientific, government, and industry experts, with opportunities for in-depth discussion among speakers and audience members. The organizers have structured the program to appeal to a variety of stakeholders, including those from business, law, government, and academia; biomass producers; students; and the general public.
Detailed information can be found on the conference website, www.biofuellawconference.org. The conference is free, but registration is required. Registration questions should be directed to Elizabeth Stull, Conference Administrator, at estull@illinois.edu.
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Final Presentations of Subsistence Marketplaces Course
Monday, April 30
Deloitte Auditorium
Business Instruction Facility
5:00pm-6:45pm
We invite you to the final project presentations by students in the course sequence and international immersion experience on Sustainable and Marketplace Development for Subsistence Marketplaces. At the conclusion, students will be presented with certificates of excellence in Sustainable Management and Technology.
Refreshments will be provided. We thank you for your support of this course.
www.business.illinois.edu/subsistence
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2) Course Offerings
Sustainability Course Development/Instruction Opportunities at Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) in Godfrey, Illinois
LCCC is collaborating with the University of Illinois (Illinois) regarding a variety of sustainability opportunities including the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), energy, food, storm water management, green infrastructure, etc.
LCCC is developing two new curricula and two-year degree tracts: Storm Water Management and Restoration Ecology. There are potentially several opportunities for individuals to be compensated for developing and/or teaching courses as part of these new degree programs. Examples of courses include Soil conservation/erosion control, Hydrology, and Sustainable landscapes. The full listings of the courses for these degree programs are attached. Depending on the course, there may be skills and knowledge that are desirable in addition to the appropriate subject matter background, for example, knowledge of EPA regulations and CAD /GIS expertise. For many of the courses, there are employment opportunities related to instruction as well as course development. In fact, LCCC has currently posted the position, Coordinator/Instructor in Restoration Ecology/Storm Water Management (Tenure Track) described at https://jobs.lc.edu/postings/276.
Storm Water Management Curriculum
Restoration Ecology Curriculum
For additional information and full consideration please contact
Susan M. Czerwinski, Ph.D.
Dean of Math, Science, & Technology
Lewis and Clark Community College
5800 Godfrey Rd.
Godfrey, IL 62035-2466
Tel: 618-468-4800
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3) Funding Opportunities
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4) Other Announcements
Earth Week 2012 – April 16-20
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be celebrating Earth Week on April 16-20. Several exciting activities are being planned for the week. Please visit www.sustainability.illinois.edu/earthweek2012.html for a tentative agenda!
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Your input wanted about Bike Sharing at the University of Illinois!
Ever wish you had access to a bike on campus? The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is exploring the possibility of an on-campus Bike Sharing program, which would make shared bicycles publically available to University employees, students, visitors, and members of the community. Please take a moment to complete our Campus-Wide Bike Sharing Survey to tell us whether or not you would use such a system, and how you’d like it to be structured. Questions? Email aneptune@illinois.edu.
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Third Annual C-U Bike to Work Day: May 1, 2012
The third annual Champaign-Urbana Bike to Work Day will be on Tuesday, May 1. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to ride their bikes to work or school on May 1 in celebration of May as National Bike Month! Register online at http://cubiketowork.com/ and stop by one of our bike stations on your way to work that morning for food, drinks and prizes! Interested in volunteering to help out? Fill out our volunteer form.
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Governor's Sustainability Awards
Since 1987, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) has presented Governor's awards to organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices.
Sustainable technology encompasses any technique or technology that reduces the amount of and/or toxicity of pollutants that would have otherwise been released into the environment. Sustainability includes processes such as raw material and solvent substitution, preventive maintenance programs, beneficial reuse of by-products, waste reduction and recycling, and implementation of programs that support pollution prevention (e.g. ISO 14001).
Applications due May 25th
More information at: http://www.istc.illinois.edu/info/govs_awards.cfm
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Summer 2012 Internship Opportunity
The Kalu Yala work located in Panama, is offering summer 2012 internship opportunities for students from various different majors. They invite volunteers to Panama every semester (fall, spring, and summer) to participate in and learn from their programs, which include Agriculture, Animal Sciences, Anthropology, Biology, Community Outreach/Education, Environmental Business, and Outdoor Recreation. The internship would focus on specifically creating sustainable agriculture opportunities in the Kalu Yala Valley. The Valley is an off the grid, 7,000 acre property located 45 minutes outside of Panama City. The internship offers students a chance to gain professional and meaningful work experience, and is willing to assist students who wish to acquire academic credit. The summer internship dates are from May 21st to August 6th, 2012.
For further information about the program, contact Ian Chesser, Director of Agriculture.
Website - www.kaluyala.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/kaluyala
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kaluyala
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/kaluyala
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