Bryant Williams Environmental Justice Fellowship Accepting Applications through 6/11

The Chicago Frontlines Funding Initiative has announced the launch of the Bryant Williams Fellowship in honor of the Chicago environmental justice leader, Bryant Williams. The Fellowship aims to address the need of environmental justice career pathways and to build the capacity of environmental justice organizations on the south and/or west sides of Chicago. 

This opportunity is for graduating students with transferable skills in organizing, policy, research, communications, planning, or arts/culture experience. Candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds, and those with differently abled bodies, are highly encouraged to apply. Preferences will be given to applicants with lived experience in Chicago frontline EJ communities. 

This is a one-year (Sep 2022-2023) paid fellowship experience that offers professional development and networking opportunities. Interested candidates should submit an application, resume, project example, and a letter of recommendation by June 11, 2022.

For more information, please see the Bryant Williams Fellowship webpage, flier and FAQs noted below, or email the Fellowship Coordinator at info@chicagofrontlines.org.

The Bryant Williams Fellowship is sponsored by the Chicago Frontlines Funding Initiative. Chicago Frontlines Funding Initiative’s mission is to provide Environmental Justice leaders across the Chicago area with the resources and support they need to build healthy and impactful organizations.

bryant-williams-fellowship-2022-23Download

bryant-williams-fellowship-faqs-2022-23Download

Elevate Your Education this Summer in SUST 390 Rooftop Garden @RooseveltU

SUST alumni & students on the WB Rooftop Garden during Service Day 2017. L to R: Moses Viveros, Diana Ramirez, Beeka Quesnell, & Maria Cancilla (photo: M. Bryson)

Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary summer class? Get some fresh air and dirt under your nails in RU’s Sustainability Studies program innovative special topics course, SUST 390 Rooftop Garden, at the Chicago Campus! The class will utilize RU’s unique 5th-story rooftop garden on its LEED Gold-certified Wabash Building as a living classroom for a hands-on, place-based, get-your-hands-dirty learning experience.

• Title/number: SUST 390 Rooftop Garden (section 10)
• Semester offered: Summer 2022 (10 weeks from May 31 thru Aug 8)
• Location: Chicago Campus
• Day/time: Online learning commences 5/31, with garden workdays and field trips to selected urban farms/green rooftops in the Chicago region scheduled by the instructor according to students’ availability.
• Pre-req: ENG 102

SUST majors and minors may take this class to fulfill an upper-level SUST 3xx requirement, but 390 also is open to students at large seeking an experiential learning course, needing a general education course, or desiring elective credit.

RU President Ali, staff, and students harvest greens from the WB Rooftop Garden during the #AmDreamConf service day, 15 Sept 2016 (photo: RU)

Course Theme: Rooftop Gardens, Campus Sustainability, and Urban Agriculture

Diana Ramirez (BA ’17) works the garden plots on the WB Rooftop Garden, July 2017 (photo: M. Viveros)

Gets your hands dirty in this ten-week hybrid course which focuses on the unique urban ecosystem, the green rooftop, and features work in and stewardship of the fifth-story Roosevelt University WB Rooftop Garden in downtown Chicago. Students will learn about the relationships among food, biodiversity, waste, urban agriculture, green space design, and campus sustainability leadership through multiple modes: reading, participating in online discussions, taking field trips, and working in the RU garden during the summer late spring / early summer planting and growing season.

Course requirements and activities include online interaction through Blackboard; participation in garden workdays as scheduled by the student and instructor; and field trips to other urban community gardens and farms, whether rooftop or street-level. Participation in this course constitutes a significant contribution to the sustainability of RU’s Chicago Campus, and helps our community make progress on our 2015-2020 Strategic Sustainability Plan.

Moses Viveros sowing seeds in the rooftop garden, August 2017 (D. Ramirez)

The RU Rooftop Garden in Chicago was started in the spring/summer of 2013, the first growing season after the opening on the Wabash Building in fall 2012. Since then, it has been funded and managed by the Department of Physical Resources, with work being done primarily by student interns and volunteers from the Sustainability Studies Program in the College of Arts & Sciences.

For questions and more details about this course, please contact Vicki Gerberich (vgerberich@roosevelt.edu), adjunct professor of Sustainability Studies; or Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), professor & director of Sustainability Studies.

Maria Cancilla (BPS ’18), Prof. Vicki Gerberich, and Michelle Giles (SUST senior) during #AmDreamServiceDay 2018 (photo: M. Bryson)

Indigenous History in Chicago

The Forest Preserves of Cook County invites you to learn about Indigenous history in Chicago today, May 11th from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM in a zoom presentation entitled “Indigenous Presence: History & Memory of Native Americans in Cook County.”

Event Info (from the FPDCC):

The Forest Preserves of Cook County are the inheritors of the Chicago area’s Native American legacy. The extensive preserves along the region’s waterways contain the sites of centuries of Indigenous lives lived. Beginning with Native Americans’ deep roots in Cook County, this illustrated lecture will discuss the U.S. settler-colonial state’s removal of the first Chicagoans. Local forest preserves contain numerous reminders of the cultures and lives of those whose land was taken from them. The telling of that story may complicate our history, but it will also enrich it. Finally, the program will stress the persistence of Native Americans in Cook County’s past and present.

This discussion will be given by Theodore (Ted) J. Karamanski, Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at Loyola University Chicago.

This lecture is hosted by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. As a land management agency, they acknowledge that they have played a role in shaping the histories of local Native Americans by acquiring this land. They also recognize, share and celebrate Native American’s immemorial ties to this land. Read more about the land acknowledgment here.

Join the event on Wednesday, May 11th from noon to 1:15 pm. Register via Eventbrite and a Zoom link will be sent an hour before the lecture. The event will be recorded.  Or register via the URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indigenous-presence-history-memory-of-native-americans-in-cook-county-tickets-333076750527

Greening RU & Saving Big Bucks: A Recap of Spring 2022 Campus Sustainability Student Presentations in SUST 250

by Alyssa Spleha

The reports are in for Roosevelt University’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course and the results are astounding! Throughout the semester, SUST 250 students have been identifying and tackling some of RU’s sustainability weak spots. Broken up into five teams, the class focused on the athletics department, dining center, student orientation, general waste, and sustainability leadership. Through conducting research and consulting students, faculty, and staff, each team found solutions to major problems, all of which include substantial cost-saving measures.

The Athletics Team tackled four main areas within the department: replacing disposable water cups with reusable water bottles, assessing choices for ethical sourcing of non-game day wear, donating used gear, and conducting future materials audits. By switching to reusable water bottles, the athletics department could save $204-352 per year and reduce their waste immensely. In addition, the team found that by donating old gear, the university could write that value off on its taxes.

Athletics Presentation S22 Wk14Download

The Food and Dining Team focused on reducing dining center waste and explored the option of reusable dining ware. One of the main issues they identified was the lack of labeling on the disposable dining ware as well as the lack of labeling on trash receptacles throughout the cafeteria. By switching to reusable dining ware, not only is it much easier for diners to properly dispose of their waste, but it will save the dining center a whopping $58,866 in the first year and an even more impressive $65,500 per year thereafter. (Remember that number!) Moreover, giving new students a set of their own dining ware to reuse again and again will reduce theft and greatly reduce waste.

Food and Dining Center Presentation S22 Wk14 updatedDownload

The Student Orientation Team wanted to promote awareness of sustainability to new and transfer students by creating a PowerPoint presentation and a comical skit for the orientation team to present to incoming students each semester. With this presentation, incoming students will be well-versed in the basics of sustainability and Orientation Leaders can promote good waste-reduction habits. If all students collectively reduce their waste, it will save RU money in annual disposal fees and more importantly reduce the university’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Student Orientation Presentation S22 Wk14Download

The Waste Team had the pleasure of conducting a waste audit of a heavily used disposal area in the dining center. They first conducted a pre-audit by weighing each waste bag collected from these receptacles: trash, recycling, and compost. Then, by further inspecting the contents of each bag, they discovered that an alarming proportion of compostables was being thrown in the trash. More specifically, over 90% of the trash by weight was compostable. They further found that the lack of labeling on packing items students to unknowingly throw out recyclable and compostable materials instead of properly disposing of them, despite the presence of recycling and compost bins throughout the campus. The team concluded that taking away unlabeled bins would encourage students to properly sort through their trash at the designated trash-sorting areas.

Waste Presentation S22 Wk14Download

Last but not least, the Sustainability Leadership Team examined the accomplishments of past and present sustainability leaders at RU to make a case for why RU needs a designated sustainability coordinator on staff. Not only would a sustainability coordinator stay on top of reporting our sustainability efforts, but they would be able to write grants, create positive PR through green certifications, and implement cost-saving projects such as all the ones listed above. Just implementing the recommended switch to reusable dining ware in our cafeteria would generate more than enough annual savings to fund a full-time sustainability coordinator as part of the university’s operating budget — a staff person who in turn would identify other areas of savings as well as revenue generation.

In addition, implementing a “green fee” of $5 per semester per student could generate approximately $33,070/year to be used on specific sustainability projects such as creating a climate action plan, implementing student-led projects, offering professional development for faculty and staff, and much more. Besides these cost-savings, the team noted that supporting sustainability-related commitments to reduce carbon emissions, minimize waste, and promote environmental and social justice — all of which would be led and supported by a sustainability coordinator — is an ethical obligation of the university as well as a key fulfillment of its 2015-20 Strategic Sustainability Plan‘s goals and recommendations.

Leadership Presentation S22 Wk14Download

All in all, the students of SUST 250 each identified areas within the university that can be improved and would save the university tens of thousands of dollars every year. Beyond these remarkable cost-savings, though, as a social justice-oriented institution we are ethically obligated to prioritize projects such as these. By having a sustainability coordinator guiding these projects, the possibilities and savings far outweigh the initial upfront costs.

Want More? Watch these Zoom Videos of the SUST 250 Team Presentations:

Topic: SUST 250 Campus Sustainability Symposium 2022 (Food/Dining and Student Orientation)
Date: Apr 19, 2022 10:50 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Meeting Recording:
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/rec/share/PdNsQwc_flzTfM0D_4n3XMK7NE1lChxIKRFcwtxiRBy4hPDjKrpSSsge6wswYiPS.v__yiQoTNZstY3Oj

Topic: SUST 250 Campus Sustainability Symposium 2022 (Athletics, Leadership, and Waste)
Date: Apr 21, 2022 10:51 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Meeting Recording:
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/rec/share/1gI5wq2lmT2jCybabzwYcds6FjpEmIix8iNCvgthSqAxsYSKc2NJXCyEg65DwEDG.mfue7NiK8swvZ5Us

Position Available at Indigenous Food Lab (MN)

SUST and RU alumni — here is another post about a green job opportunity, this one by way of distinguished SUST alum Moses Viveros. Read on for details!

My name is Moses Viveros (SUST BA 2017) and I’m the Market Manager for the Indigenous Food Lab (IFL) Market that’s currently under development with North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) in Minneapolis, MN. The IFL Market will be a retail space that features food and crafts sourced from Indigenous vendors. We also have plans to introduce an online marketplace later this year.

The IFL Assistant Market Manager is a representative of NĀTIFS and will always work towards our mission of promoting Indigenous foodways education and facilitating Indigenous food access; along with providing an impactful experience in the IFL Market. The Assistant Market Manager will ensure smooth operations of the in-store and online operations simultaneously. They will also assist me by overseeing and supporting day-to-day operations of the market. This position has a salary range of $45,000 – $52,000 and is based in Minneapolis. 

More details and additional salary/ benefits information can be found at our job link. Folks that are interested in the position should follow the application instructions and submit all completed application materials to hr@natifs.org

Kindly,
Moses Viveros

Today at 11am: Resilience & Sustainability in Ukraine

Join this informative and timely webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development.

Our distinguished guest speaker, Andrii Holovko, is an associate professor of management and marketing in the Institute of Ecological Economics and Management at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.

Professor Holovko’s presentation will take place today, April 27, 11am-12pm CST (6-7pm Berlin Time), using BigBlueButton — please use this link to dial in: https://bbb.hnee.de/b/chr-apj-0sj-gwt

Special thanks to our RSC colleague in Germany, Professor Christoph Nowicki of the Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Faculty of Forest & Environment, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, for organizing this international virtual event.

Mission of the Resilience Studies Consortium:

Our network strives to work together to improve educational opportunities and student-led projects that focus on building resiliency in our communities through our multi-place, place-based network. We recognize and address the varied obstacles that each community faces. 

The Resilience Studies Consortium is a safe place where diverse perspectives are respected. As stewards from different bioregions, we collaborate to share ideas, generate creativity, commemorate accomplishments, and explore innovative ways of resiliency. The end result is an inclusive initiative that transcends conventional boundaries and borders.

Earth Month 2022 Events and Activities @RooseveltU and Beyond

Throughout April — Student Survey on Sustainability: If you’re a current RU student, please take a few minutes to complete this survey on campus sustainability issues. The survey is part of a student team project on sustainability leadership in this spring’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course. Thank you for your participation and input!

Wed 4/27 5pm — Trivia Night Fundraiser: Come to AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and compete with your peers for a chance to win sustainability themed prizes by correctly answering questions about environmental justice in a fun trivia night event! Get a team of 5 or less together and register for the event beforehand by going to https://linktr.ee/rugreen and clicking on “Trivia Night Registration.” We will also be collecting donations for Indigenous Environmental Network; please consider donating if you can. Event info here.

Fri 4/27 1-3pm — Schaumburg Bioblitz: As part of the City Nature Challenge 2022, we are hosting a bioblitz. Let’s find all the species we can on Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg campus. All Roosevelt community members are invited to take part. Make an iNaturalist account to upload observations. Meet at the volleyball court (north side of parking lot). Open to members of the Roosevelt University community: students, staff, faculty, alumni. Contact edangremond@roosevelt.edu with questions. More info on the City Nature Challenge here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge (you can participate on your own too!). Event info here.

Earth Month Webinar on Tue 4/26: Prison Justice and Sustainability

Join this informative webinar on Tues 4/26 sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the relationship between sustainability and prison justice. The session features speakers from several organizations working in the Puget Sound region of the American Northwest:

• Nichole Alexander (Sustainability in Prisons Project)
• Troy Carathurs (Justice Involved Student Group and Education Navigator, Evergreen State College)
• David Normoyle (Gonzaga University Law School)
• Terrance Turner (Evergreen State College’s Gateways for Incarcerated Youth)

This event is co-sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium, Evergreen State College (WA), and Roosevelt University in Chicago. Thanks to SUST senior Jonathan Glazer, Roosevelt’s 2021-22 student steward in the RSC, and to Evergreen State College professor Anthony Zaragoza for their work in organizing this unique event.

Mission of the Resilience Studies Consortium:

Our network strives to work together to improve educational opportunities and student-led projects that focus on building resiliency in our communities through our multi-place, place-based network. We recognize and address the varied obstacles that each community faces. 

The Resilience Studies Consortium is a safe place where diverse perspectives are respected. As stewards from different bioregions, we collaborate to share ideas, generate creativity, commemorate accomplishments, and explore innovative ways of resiliency. The end result is an inclusive initiative that transcends conventional boundaries and borders.

Zoom Info for the Webinar:

• Date/time: Tuesday 4/26 from 4-5pm CST
• Join Zoom Meeting: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/91064929579
• Meeting ID: 910 6492 9579
• Find your local number: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/u/abmBuEmsHc

Questions or to RSVP: email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu).

Earth Month 2022 Events and Activities @RooseveltU and Beyond

Throughout April — Student Survey on Sustainability: If you’re a current RU student, please take a few minutes to complete this survey on campus sustainability issues. The survey is part of a student team project on sustainability leadership in this spring’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course. Thank you for your participation and input!

Mon 4/25 12-2pm — Rooftop Garden Cleanup: Come to the rooftop garden on the 5th floor of the Wabash building (in the back of the fitness center) and help prepare the garden for the growing season! Make sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Email RU Green for more info.

Tue 4/26 9:30am-12:15pm — Bubbly Creek Cleanup: Join students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 Sustainable University class @RooseveltU on a community service field trip to Canal Origins Park on Chicago’s Near Southwest Side. We’ll continue our yearly tradition of picking up litter along the riverbanks of Bubbly Creek where it meets the South Branch of the Chicago River. Enjoy great views of the Chicago skyline, fresh air, and a gratifying sense of fun and companionship as we work together to clean up our adopted city park! Event info here.

Tue 4/26 4-5pm — RSC Webinar on Prison Justice and Sustainability: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the relationship between sustainability and prison justice. Features speakers from the Sustainability in Prisons Project, the University of Puget Sound’s Freedom Education Project, the Evergreen State College’s Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, and Evergreen State College’s Justice Involved Student Group. Organized by the Resilience Studies Consortium, Evergreen State College, and Roosevelt University. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 11am-12pm — Resilience in Times of War in Europe: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development. Speaker Andrii Holovko is a professor of management and marketing at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 5pm — Trivia Night Fundraiser: Come to AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and compete with your peers for a chance to win sustainability themed prizes by correctly answering questions about environmental justice in a fun trivia night event! Get a team of 5 or less together and register for the event beforehand by going to https://linktr.ee/rugreen and clicking on “Trivia Night Registration.” We will also be collecting donations for Indigenous Environmental Network; please consider donating if you can. Event info here.

Fri 4/27 1-3pm — Schaumburg Bioblitz: As part of the City Nature Challenge 2022, we are hosting a bioblitz. Let’s find all the species we can on Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg campus. All Roosevelt community members are invited to take part. Make an iNaturalist account to upload observations. Meet at the volleyball court (north side of parking lot). Open to members of the Roosevelt University community: students, staff, faculty, alumni. Contact edangremond@roosevelt.edu with questions. More info on the City Nature Challenge here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge (you can participate on your own too!). Event info here.

Greening RU: Campus Sustainability Presentations Today on Athletics, Leadership, and Waste

Celebrate #EarthMonth2022 @RooseveltU by attending the second round of Spring 2022 Campus Sustainability Project Presentations, scheduled for 11am-12:15pm today 4/21 in room WB 616 at Roosevelt University’s Chicago Campus (425 S. Wabash Ave.) and videoconferenced live via Zoom. All members of the RU community are invited to attend! Scroll down for details as well as a list of other Earth Month 2022 activities and events at Roosevelt.

These student presentations are part of the week-long 2022 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium. The session will be interactive, featuring Q&A with the in-person and online audience, and the Zoom recording will be posted on the RSRIS website. This year’s Symposium will feature five team presentations by RU undergraduate students in SUST 250 The Sustainable University, an EXL class taught by Prof. Mike Bryson in the College of Arts & Sciences

Campus Sustainability Project Presentations for Th 4/21/22 (WB 616 & Zoom):

11:00am – “Greening RU’s Athletics Department”
Katrina Smith, Samantha Norman, and William Cavanaugh

11:25am – “Strengthening RU’s Sustainability Leadership”
Jyle Manalo, Thomas Monken, Karime Sepulveda, and Alyssa Spleha

11:50am – “Recycling and Composting in the WB Cafeteria: A Waste Audit”
Giovanni Chapel, Elijah Griggs, Peter Lawrence, and Marcus Pendleton

Can’t attend the presentations in person? Join us on Zoom!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/93785041642

Meeting ID: 937 8504 1642

One tap mobile
+13126266799,,93785041642# US (Chicago)
+16465189805,,93785041642# US (New York)

RSVP / Questions: email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu)

Earth Month 2022 Events and Activities @RooseveltU and Beyond

Throughout April — Student Survey on Sustainability: If you’re a current RU student, please take a few minutes to complete this survey on campus sustainability issues. The survey is part of a student team project on sustainability leadership in this spring’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course. Thank you for your participation and input!

Mon 4/18 thru Fri 4/22 — Spring 2022 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium: a week-long virtual event featuring a mix of live sessions, poster presentations and pre-recorded oral & performance studies presentations on a wide range of topics. Student presentations will be posted on the site during RSRIS week. Register for sessions ahead of time (not required) to receive a link to add the event to your calendar. Check the schedule here.

Fri 4/22 2:30pm — Music in the Park: Unwind before finals by getting outdoors and listening to nature-themed orchestral music performed by Chicago Center of Performing Arts (CCPA) students. This event will be an immersive art and nature experience taking place around Maggie Daley Park. If weather is bad, this event will be held at the Maggie Daley Play Gardens located at 337 E. Randolph St. Sponsored by RU Green and the Center for Arts Leadership. Email RU Green for more info.

Fri 4/22 — Earth Day Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here by C3 as well as these by the Cook County Forest Preserves. Help clean up parklands, restore natural areas, and meet conservation-minded and nature loving sustainability nerds from across the city. Fun and rewarding in a deeply spiritual and dirt-under-your-nails kind of way!

​Sat 4/23 10am-5pm — Earth Day Climate Summit: Hosted by the Sunrise Movement at Benito Juarez Community Academy (1450 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608). “Be in community with other young folks ready to bring change to our City and beyond! In Chicago, we have an opportunity to set a precedent for how cities should be led, and set a future for all Chicagoans to thrive. In order to achieve this, we need to work collaboratively with groups, coalitions and organizations across the City that are making intersecting demands for Environmental, Social, Economic and Racial Justice, to help guide a new batch of energized youth, 14-35 years old!” Event info and registration at linktr.ee/rugreen or bit.ly/earthday-summit. Email RU Green for more info.

Mon 4/25 12-2pm — Rooftop Garden Cleanup: Come to the rooftop garden on the 5th floor of the Wabash building (in the back of the fitness center) and help prepare the garden for the growing season! Make sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Email RU Green for more info.

Tue 4/26 9:30am-12:15pm — Bubbly Creek Cleanup: Join students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 Sustainable University class @RooseveltU on a community service field trip to Canal Origins Park on Chicago’s Near Southwest Side. We’ll continue our yearly tradition of picking up litter along the riverbanks of Bubbly Creek where it meets the South Branch of the Chicago River. Enjoy great views of the Chicago skyline, fresh air, and a gratifying sense of fun and companionship as we work together to clean up our adopted city park! Event info here.

Tue 4/26 4-5pm — RSC Webinar on Prison Justice and Sustainability: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the relationship between sustainability and prison justice. Features speakers from the Sustainability in Prisons Project, the University of Puget Sound’s Freedom Education Project, the Evergreen State College’s Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, and Evergreen State College’s Justice Involved Student Group. Organized by the Resilience Studies Consortium, Evergreen State College, and Roosevelt University. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 11am-12pm — Resilience in Times of War in Europe: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development. Speaker Andrii Holovko is a professor of management and marketing at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 5pm — Trivia Night Fundraiser: Come to AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and compete with your peers for a chance to win sustainability themed prizes by correctly answering questions about environmental justice in a fun trivia night event! Get a team of 5 or less together and register for the event beforehand by going to https://linktr.ee/rugreen and clicking on “Trivia Night Registration.” We will also be collecting donations for Indigenous Environmental Network; please consider donating if you can. Event info here.

Fri 4/27 1-3pm — Schaumburg Bioblitz: As part of the City Nature Challenge 2022, we are hosting a bioblitz. Let’s find all the species we can on Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg campus. All Roosevelt community members are invited to take part. Make an iNaturalist account to upload observations. Meet at the volleyball court (north side of parking lot). Open to members of the Roosevelt University community: students, staff, faculty, alumni. Contact edangremond@roosevelt.edu with questions. More info on the City Nature Challenge here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge (you can participate on your own too!). Event info here.

 

Resilience in Ukrainian Context: Earth Month Webinar on Wed 4/27

Join this informative and timely webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development.

Our distinguished guest speaker, Andrii Holovko, is an associate professor of management and marketing in the Institute of Ecological Economics and Management at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development.

Professor Holovko’s presentation will take place on Wednesday, April 27, 11am-12pm CST (6-7pm Berlin Time), using BigBlueButton — please use this link to dial in: https://bbb.hnee.de/b/chr-apj-0sj-gwt

Special thanks to our RSC colleague in Germany, Professor Christoph Nowicki of the Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Faculty of Forest & Environment, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, for organizing this international virtual event.

Mission of the Resilience Studies Consortium:

Our network strives to work together to improve educational opportunities and student-led projects that focus on building resiliency in our communities through our multi-place, place-based network. We recognize and address the varied obstacles that each community faces. 

The Resilience Studies Consortium is a safe place where diverse perspectives are respected. As stewards from different bioregions, we collaborate to share ideas, generate creativity, commemorate accomplishments, and explore innovative ways of resiliency. The end result is an inclusive initiative that transcends conventional boundaries and borders.

Earth Month 2022 Events and Activities @RooseveltU and Beyond

Throughout April — Student Survey on Sustainability: If you’re a current RU student, please take a few minutes to complete this survey on campus sustainability issues. The survey is part of a student team project on sustainability leadership in this spring’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course. Thank you for your participation and input!

Mon 4/18 thru Fri 4/22 — Spring 2022 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium: a week-long virtual event featuring a mix of live sessions, poster presentations and pre-recorded oral & performance studies presentations on a wide range of topics. Student presentations will be posted on the site during RSRIS week. Register for sessions ahead of time (not required) to receive a link to add the event to your calendar. Check the schedule here.

Thur 4/21 11am-12:15pm — SUST 250 Campus Sustainability Presentations: Join the students of SUST 250 The Sustainable University as three teams present their projects on athletics, sustainability leadership, and waste, with time for Q&A from the audience. Attend live in WB 616 or by Zoom. Details here.

Fri 4/22 2:30pm — Music in the Park: Unwind before finals by getting outdoors and listening to nature-themed orchestral music performed by Chicago Center of Performing Arts (CCPA) students. This event will be an immersive art and nature experience taking place around Maggie Daley Park. If weather is bad, this event will be held at the Maggie Daley Play Gardens located at 337 E. Randolph St. Sponsored by RU Green and the Center for Arts Leadership. Email RU Green for more info.

Fri 4/22 — Earth Day Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here by C3 as well as these by the Cook County Forest Preserves. Help clean up parklands, restore natural areas, and meet conservation-minded and nature loving sustainability nerds from across the city. Fun and rewarding in a deeply spiritual and dirt-under-your-nails kind of way!

​Sat 4/23 10am-5pm — Earth Day Climate Summit: Hosted by the Sunrise Movement at Benito Juarez Community Academy (1450 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608). “Be in community with other young folks ready to bring change to our City and beyond! In Chicago, we have an opportunity to set a precedent for how cities should be led, and set a future for all Chicagoans to thrive. In order to achieve this, we need to work collaboratively with groups, coalitions and organizations across the City that are making intersecting demands for Environmental, Social, Economic and Racial Justice, to help guide a new batch of energized youth, 14-35 years old!” Event info and registration at linktr.ee/rugreen or bit.ly/earthday-summit. Email RU Green for more info.

Mon 4/25 12-2pm — Rooftop Garden Cleanup: Come to the rooftop garden on the 5th floor of the Wabash building (in the back of the fitness center) and help prepare the garden for the growing season! Make sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Email RU Green for more info.

Tue 4/26 9:30am-12:15pm — Bubbly Creek Cleanup: Join students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 Sustainable University class @RooseveltU on a community service field trip to Canal Origins Park on Chicago’s Near Southwest Side. We’ll continue our yearly tradition of picking up litter along the riverbanks of Bubbly Creek where it meets the South Branch of the Chicago River. Enjoy great views of the Chicago skyline, fresh air, and a gratifying sense of fun and companionship as we work together to clean up our adopted city park! Event info here.

Tue 4/26 4-5pm — RSC Webinar on Prison Justice and Sustainability: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the relationship between sustainability and prison justice. Features speakers from the Sustainability in Prisons Project, the University of Puget Sound’s Freedom Education Project, the Evergreen State College’s Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, and Evergreen State College’s Justice Involved Student Group. Organized by the Resilience Studies Consortium, Evergreen State College, and Roosevelt University. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 11am-12pm — Resilience in Times of War in Europe: Join webinar “Resilience in Ukrainian Context” sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development. Speaker Andrii Holovko is a professor of management and marketing at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Join online: https://bbb.hnee.de/b/chr-apj-0sj-gwt

Wed 4/27 5pm — Trivia Night Fundraiser: Come to AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and compete with your peers for a chance to win sustainability themed prizes by correctly answering questions about environmental justice in a fun trivia night event! Get a team of 5 or less together and register for the event beforehand by going to https://linktr.ee/rugreen and clicking on “Trivia Night Registration.” We will also be collecting donations for Indigenous Environmental Network; please consider donating if you can. Event info here.

Fri 4/27 1-3pm — Schaumburg Bioblitz: As part of the City Nature Challenge 2022, we are hosting a bioblitz. Let’s find all the species we can on Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg campus. All Roosevelt community members are invited to take part. Make an iNaturalist account to upload observations. Meet at the volleyball court (north side of parking lot). Open to members of the Roosevelt University community: students, staff, faculty, alumni. Contact edangremond@roosevelt.edu with questions. More info on the City Nature Challenge here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge (you can participate on your own too!). Event info here.

Environmental Justice in Illinois and Chicago: RU Green Hosts Iyana Simba from the IL Environmental Council on Wed 4/20

This Wed 4/20 at 2:00pm, please join students from RU Green as they host guest speaker Iyana Simba from the Illinois Environmental Council for a special presentation on environmental justice in Illinois and Chicago. Iyana Simba is the City Programs Director at the Illinois Environmental Council; an advocate and organizer around environmental justice issues, especially clean water access; and a member of Environmentalists of Color Network and the Chicago Urban League’s Metropolitan Board.

This Earth Week event will be live @RooseveltU in AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and streaming on Zoom. For more info and to RSVP, see the event info here; Zoom link is below and also can be found at https://linktr.ee/rugreen.

Can’t attend the presentations in person? Join us on Zoom!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/97761815433

Meeting ID: 977 6181 5433

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,97761815433# US (Chicago)
+16468769923,,97761815433# US (New York)

Earth Month 2022 Events and Activities @RooseveltU and Beyond

Throughout April — Student Survey on Sustainability: If you’re a current RU student, please take a few minutes to complete this survey on campus sustainability issues. The survey is part of a student team project on sustainability leadership in this spring’s SUST 250 Sustainable University course. Thank you for your participation and input!

Mon 4/18 thru Fri 4/22 — Spring 2022 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium: a week-long virtual event featuring a mix of live sessions, poster presentations and pre-recorded oral & performance studies presentations on a wide range of topics. Student presentations will be posted on the site during RSRIS week. Register for sessions ahead of time (not required) to receive a link to add the event to your calendar. Check the schedule here.

Tues 4/19 5:00pm — RU Green Beach Cleanup: Help clean up trash on the beach and celebrate the Earth by getting out and enjoying the lakefront with students of RU Green. Let off some steam by throwing seed bombs throughout the city where the ground could use a bit of love. Bring your UPass and meet in the WB Lobby, after which we will take the 29 bus to Ohio Street Beach. Email RU Green for more info.

Wed 4/20 2:00pm — Environmentalism in Illinois: RU Green hosts guest speaker Iyana Simba from the Illinois Environmental Council for a special presentation on environmental justice in Illinois and Chicago. Iyana Simba is the City Programs Director at the Illinois Environmental Council; an advocate and organizer around environmental justice issues, especially clean water access; and a member of Environmentalists of Color Network and the Chicago Urban League’s Metropolitan Board. Event will be live at RU in AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and streaming on Zoom. Event info here; zoom link also can be found at https://linktr.ee/rugreen.

Thur 4/21 11am-12:15pm — SUST 250 Campus Sustainability Presentations: Join the students of SUST 250 The Sustainable University as three teams present their projects on athletics, sustainability leadership, and waste, with time for Q&A from the audience. Attend live in WB 616 or by Zoom. Details here.

Fri 4/22 2:30pm — Music in the Park: Unwind before finals by getting outdoors and listening to nature-themed orchestral music performed by Chicago Center of Performing Arts (CCPA) students. This event will be an immersive art and nature experience taking place around Maggie Daley Park. If weather is bad, this event will be held at the Maggie Daley Play Gardens located at 337 E. Randolph St. Sponsored by RU Green and the Center for Arts Leadership. Email RU Green for more info.

Fri 4/22 — Earth Day Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here by C3 as well as these by the Cook County Forest Preserves. Help clean up parklands, restore natural areas, and meet conservation-minded and nature loving sustainability nerds from across the city. Fun and rewarding in a deeply spiritual and dirt-under-your-nails kind of way!

​Sat 4/23 10am-5pm — Earth Day Climate Summit: Hosted by the Sunrise Movement at Benito Juarez Community Academy (1450 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608). “Be in community with other young folks ready to bring change to our City and beyond! In Chicago, we have an opportunity to set a precedent for how cities should be led, and set a future for all Chicagoans to thrive. In order to achieve this, we need to work collaboratively with groups, coalitions and organizations across the City that are making intersecting demands for Environmental, Social, Economic and Racial Justice, to help guide a new batch of energized youth, 14-35 years old!” Event info and registration at linktr.ee/rugreen or bit.ly/earthday-summit. Email RU Green for more info.

Mon 4/25 12-2pm — Rooftop Garden Cleanup: Come to the rooftop garden on the 5th floor of the Wabash building (in the back of the fitness center) and help prepare the garden for the growing season! Make sure to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Email RU Green for more info.

Tue 4/26 9:30am-12:15pm — Bubbly Creek Cleanup: Join students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 Sustainable University class @RooseveltU on a community service field trip to Canal Origins Park on Chicago’s Near Southwest Side. We’ll continue our yearly tradition of picking up litter along the riverbanks of Bubbly Creek where it meets the South Branch of the Chicago River. Enjoy great views of the Chicago skyline, fresh air, and a gratifying sense of fun and companionship as we work together to clean up our adopted city park! Event info here.

Tue 4/26 4-5pm — RSC Webinar on Prison Justice and Sustainability: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the relationship between sustainability and prison justice. Features speakers from the Sustainability in Prisons Project, the University of Puget Sound’s Freedom Education Project, the Evergreen State College’s Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, and Evergreen State College’s Justice Involved Student Group. Organized by the Resilience Studies Consortium, Evergreen State College, and Roosevelt University. Event info here.

Wed 4/27 11am-12pm — Resilience in Times of War in Europe: Join this informative webinar sponsored by the Resilience Studies Consortium on the crisis in Ukraine and its relation to the country’s present resilience and future sustainable development. Speaker Andrii Holovko is a professor of management and marketing at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and a longtime colleague of our RSC member institution in Germany, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development. Zoom info TBA.

Wed 4/27 5pm — Trivia Night Fundraiser: Come to AUD Ida B. Wells Lounge and compete with your peers for a chance to win sustainability themed prizes by correctly answering questions about environmental justice in a fun trivia night event! Get a team of 5 or less together and register for the event beforehand by going to https://linktr.ee/rugreen and clicking on “Trivia Night Registration.” We will also be collecting donations for Indigenous Environmental Network; please consider donating if you can. Event info here.

Fri 4/27 1-3pm — Schaumburg Bioblitz: As part of the City Nature Challenge 2022, we are hosting a bioblitz. Let’s find all the species we can on Roosevelt University’s Schaumburg campus. All Roosevelt community members are invited to take part. Make an iNaturalist account to upload observations. Meet at the volleyball court (north side of parking lot). Open to members of the Roosevelt University community: students, staff, faculty, alumni. Contact edangremond@roosevelt.edu with questions. More info on the City Nature Challenge here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge (you can participate on your own too!). Event info here.