Sustainability@UIC

Four Challenges for Sustainability

2012-05-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

In Four Challenges for Sustainability, David Orr articulates with sparkling clarity the context in which “green practitioners” work and live, and the scale of the questions that now face all Earthlings. These questions, he states, were unheard of until the 1950s “when nuclear annihilation became possible… but now any high school student could make a long list of ways in which humankind could cause its own demise.”

And the question, as always, is, “How do we approach and address these problems?” Orr proposes that “a world divided by narrow, exclusive, and intense allegiances to ideology or ethnicity cannot be sustained because its people will have too little humor, compassion, forgiveness and wisdom to save themselves.” In other words, we must open our minds and our hearts to our fellow man.

Orr continues, “A spiritually impoverished world is not sustainable because meaninglessness, anomie, and despair will corrode our desire to sustain it and the belief that humanity is worth sustaining.”

This rather bleak possibility is counterweighted by Orr’s belief that we can meet the challenges that face us. In particular, Orr proposes that we can resolve “divergent problems,” those that cannot resolved with logical, “either/or” solutions, by engaging with a higher level of spiritual awareness. “Scientists … are often uneasy about matters of spirit, but science on its own can give no reason for sustaining humankind. It can … create the knowledge that will cause our demise or that will allow us to live at peace...” The spiritual acumen needed “must be founded on a higher order awareness that honors mystery, science, life and death.”

The only solution to the problem of righting the wrongs of bitter rivalries and transcending hatred and violence is “a profound sense of forgiveness and mercy that rises above the logic of justice.” Orr urges us to consider our mortality, which would lead us, not to fear, but to a deeper spirituality and a place of gratitude and celebration. It would energize us to act.

Orr concludes thinks it advisable to leave these age-old complications behind us and get down to work.

What do you think - is this a challenge we can meet together? Let us know in the comments.

Warning! Cycling can be addictive.

2012-05-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

UIC Cyclists, from I BIKE UIC on Facebook

"Warning! Cycling can be addictive," cautions Amy Walker in Chapter One of On Bicycles- Fifty ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life, a compilation of fifty short essays on all things bicycle (technical information, travel and safety tips, dressing for the weather, philosophy, advocacy history, economic benefits of bike businesses, and more). Its purpose is to inspire those who are new to cycling or expert, and it succeeds fifty times over.

Albert Einstein’s famous quote about his theory of relativity, “I thought of that while riding my bicycle,” shows that cycling is about more than just speeding around in Spandex. Cycling is for anyone who chooses it, and more and more people are consciously deciding not to travel by car, choosing instead to enjoy the freedom and joy of being outside, self-propelled.

Deciding to use a bicycle as your primary means of transportation is a valid choice for a host of reasons - it’s not just students and messengers anymore. The authors raise legitimate, rational questions about how our culture, landscapes, and funding streams are car-dominated. Obstacles notwithstanding, this book will show you the way to be car-free and happy about it. Pointing out that children, seniors, and families should (but currently cannot) cycle comfortably and safely around their neighborhoods and towns, it details the efforts of many cities, including Chicago, that are making strides in this direction.

Note: studies indicate that slowing traffic increases safety for everyone- cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. And, frankly, many of us - cyclists and drivers - could stand to polish up our manners and demonstrate courtesy. All of our experiences will be more pleasant if we do. On Bicycles shows how biking is very practical for short trips and shopping. Along with all the other health and monetary benefits, biking is FUN and lets you interact with surroundings in a way that cars cannot. As Todd Litman, founder and director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute writes, "A lifestyle that includes plenty of cycling can make you healthy, wealthy, and free." Emphasis on free.

Hiring: 2012 Undergraduate Recycling Assistant

2012-05-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Office of Sustainability is seeking student support for UIC’s Recycling Program. We are hiring current undergraduate students for the position of Recycling Assistant for 10-15 hr/week during the semester and 35-40 hr/week during the summer. Work hours will be scheduled between 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Responsibilities include:

Generating awareness of and promoting both recycling and conservation programs on campus
Monitoring of recycling bins’ location, condition and signage
Installation and placement of bins in existing and new locations
Maintenance of records on recycled materials
Performing other duties as assigned.

Hourly rate: $8.68

Qualifications:

Strong interest in learning about and promoting recycling.
Ability to manage data in Microsoft Excel.
Physical ability to lift 75 pounds. Need a valid Illinois Driver's license.

Interested applicants, please submit resume and COVER LETTER to Cindy Klein-Banai, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability at cindy@uic.edu.

Tree planting at Hull House with Nobel Peace Laureates

2012-04-22T14:06:00.001-05:00

Farmer Ryan from Hull House plants tree. Jodi Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate is in deep conversation.

Happy Earth day. Today we connect two women, environmentalists, social activists, and nobel peace laureates, whose histories span one and a half centuries. Jane Addams, born in 1860 in Illinois, understood the connectedness of our environment to health (as an investigator of sanitary conditions and milk supplies), as well as the importance of providing for basic human needs particularly for women - housing, food, and opportunity to support oneself. Her work here, at Hull House, connected people to the sources of food and worked to improve women’s social and physical health. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her aspiration to rid the world of war, as communicated by her teaching, writing, and public speaking.

Five years after Jane's death in 1935, Wangari Mathai was born in Kenya. She studied science. In 1976, while she served in the National Council of Women she introduced the idea of planting trees with help of the people and continued to develop this concept into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women's groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. Further, through the Green Belt Movement she assisted women in Africa to plant more than 20 million trees on their farms and on schools and church compounds. This idea of a Pan African Green Belt Network expanded the movement in 1986. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace".

Dr. Mathai passed away this past fall, shortly before the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education where she was scheduled to speak (and me to hear her). Only now as I have come to learn about her work do I truly understand what I and the attendees missed out on. This organization provides resources to universities to advance sustainability initiatives on their campuses because of the need to educate our future work force including scientists, policy makers, and health care workers about the interconnectedness of the environment with social welfare, economic viability and intergenerational equity. This cannot be successfully accomplished if we do not lead by example.

We, too, at UIC are striving to integrate sustainability into everything we do from operations, to research, to education, to community service and global learning. The work of Jane Addams Hull House through programming like Rethinking Soup and the heirloom farm has made these ideals into reality, just as Jane Addams and Wangari Mathai did in their lives. A few buildings from here we can see what a sustainable campus can look like at the complex of Grant, Lincoln and Douglas Halls - heated and cooled by ground source heat pumps and powered by solar panels on the roof tops and conserving water through their water saving fixtures and landscaping and much more. In the past four years, we have doubled our recycling rates, developed and begun to implement a climate action plan and reduced our energy consumption. We also have developed an urban forestry plan for our campus, conducted community education and engagement, earning Tree Campus USA recognition and receiving a donation of 40 trees from the Arbor Day Foundation that were planted 10 days ago by nearly 100 volunteers. This coming year we will engage our campus community further in thinking about what sustainability means in the broadest sense. These women understood it for themselves, for their communities, and for the entire planet.

Laura Ramirez, PhD Candidate, Education adds soil

Today, on the 41st Earth Day, we are planting one of the Arbor Day trees, a service berry, to provide service and shade, to sequester carbon dioxide and to give sustenance and in memory of Wangari Mathai and her ability to see and manifest the connection of human fate with the viability of the planet and peace.

Earth Day, April 22, 2012
Cynthia Klein-Banai Associate Chancellor for Sustainability

The (Art Competition) Winner Is...

2012-04-09T15:02:00.000-05:00

We are proud to announce that all of the teams participating in the RecycleMania Art Competition on March 30 did an outstanding job. However, there could only be one winner. The winning team included members Erin Curl, Ijeoma-Jessie Nwosu, and Holly Brenza (pictured on the left with their winning tote).

The teams had a total of 2 hours to decorate their totes before judging commenced. The presiding judges were recruited from housing staff, and they declared the winning team.

The Office of Sustainability provided spray paint and found-item materials (including used cd’s, stickers, broken keyboards and more) to be used by competitors to decorate their 90 gallon totes. The competing teams used a variety of materials. Everything from old discarded computer cords to candy wrappers can be seen on the decorated totes (pictured below). Each team showed discernible creativity and original design. The totes they have decorated will not only beautify the UIC campus, they will also provide even more recycling areas, as the totes will be used both decoratively and practically.

The Office of Sustainability would like to thank everyone who competed in the event, as well as everyone who made it possible.

RecycleMania has now come to an end, but we appreciate all the students and staff who made it possible and will post the results in the next two weeks when weigh-ins are complete. Stay tuned for more details on the final results of the national competition.

Art Competition This Friday!

2012-03-27T18:29:00.000-05:00

The Project Tote art competition will be held this Friday, March 30th from 2:00-5:00 PM in the Atrium.

Competitors will begin decorating their 90 Gallon recycling totes at 2:00 PM and finish at 4:30 PM when the judging ceremony commences. The winning team will be announced thereafter.

We encourage students to attend the event whether they are decorating a tote or not. Those who are still interested in joining a team may contact Amanda Scott-Born at amandasb@uic.edu.

We look forward to seeing you there. Good luck to all those participating!

Announcing the RecycleMania Art Competition

2012-03-13T14:45:00.001-05:00

As part of RecycleMania, the Office of Sustainability will be hosting an art competition. We will be assembling four different teams to take part. Each team will be given a used 90 gallon tote (a container used to collect recyclable materials) to decorate using paint and other materials. The team with the best decorated tote, as determined by our judges, will be rewarded with a prize of RecycleMania swag. However, all participants will receive the joy of participating and helping the environment. In addition, the four totes will be showcased in the East Campus Residence Halls, and even used to collect UIC recyclables.

This competition is a wonderful way to demonstrate students’ creativity, as well as their passion for recycling. All materials will be provided for the teams by the Office of Sustainability and Housing. Please join us to encourage art and recycling.

Students can sign up as individuals looking to be placed on teams, or as pre-formed teams. The teams will be finalized and announced this Friday, March 16th. Sign up is on a first come first serve basis. To sign up, please contact Amanda Scott-Born at amandasb@uic.edu.

Thank you for your continued support for the Office of Sustainability and RecycleMania.

2012 UIC Student Research Forum has a sustainability award!

2012-02-29T09:27:00.001-06:00

This year, the UIC Student Research Forum will feature a sustainability award!

Please encourage students to apply for this award. Details are on the Research Forum website. The forum takes place during Earth Month:

UIC Student Research Forum
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
1:00pm - 5:00pm
UIC Forum
725 West Roosevelt Road

The Student Research Forum represents one of the finest student-run activities at UIC. It is one of the few student activities that is academic in nature and includes the entire student body; undergraduate, graduate and professional. The Forum provides a venue for students at UIC to present their scholarly efforts and is an event in which the campus celebrates the wealth of research across all disciplines carried out by the dedicated students of this campus.

Students from all disciplines (Arts, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, among others) are invited to present their work one-on-one to Forum attendees and judges during a high-energy 3-hour session, followed by an awards ceremony. Monetary awards will be given in varies categories. Research presentations are accompanied by a poster or other visual display that captures the spirit of the research work and/or highlights key features of the project.

In addition to "regular" awards for project presentations in the above categories, one award each will be given at the undergraduate and graduate levels to student research projects that best reflect the principles of sustainability. Sustainability has been defined as "meeting the needs of the present without impacting the ability of future generations to meet their needs," but can also include issues of systems thinking, full-cost accounting, green business or green design, for example. Sustainability frequently deals with energy resources and efficiency, active transportation and bike issues, and waste management (including recycling and composting), and land use.

For the sustainability award, projects will be evaluated on their merit to address questions or problems that deal with the overlapping issues of environmental protection, social justice, and economic equity.

Submission Deadline: 9:00AM, Monday, March 26, 2012

RecycleMania sprouts in residence halls

2012-02-24T15:26:00.000-06:00

The Office of Sustainability gave a presentation in January to the East Campus Residence Hall staff to inform them about the RecycleMania tournament. After witnessing the presentation, Altaf Khan, a peer mentor in Courtyard, organized his own event to accompany the RecycleMania tournament. His idea was to have his floor in Courtyard decorate cardboard boxes to collect their recycling in. These boxes would be placed in their clusters to create easy access and help encourage people to recycle.

The event took place on February 21^st on the first floor of Courtyard. People who attended decorated their boxes, and were able to watch the presentation that inspired Altaf as it played at the event.

The students seemed to enjoy the event and they are, as of now, looking for a way to weigh the recycling they collect in order to assess their personal contribution. This event was truly inspiring and demonstrates the social awareness and genuine concern that UIC students possess. The Office of Sustainability would like to thank everyone who attended the event, and give a special thanks to Altaf for making it happen.

RecycleMania is still on and we encourage everyone to get involved.

UIC Student Research Forum offers $$ award for sustainability research

2012-02-13T14:18:00.000-06:00

Associate Chancellor Klein-Banai next to her poster at the Student Research Forum when she was a student! Too bad there was no sustainability award then!

Are you a student who is conducting sustainability-related research at UIC? Then you might be interested in participating in the UIC Student Research Forum being held Tuesday, April 17, 2012 from 1-5 pm at the UIC Forum. The Office of Sustainability has added another prize category: the Sustainability Award. In addition to "regular" awards for project presentations, one award each will be given at the undergraduate and graduate level to student research projects that best reflect the principles of sustainability.

Sustainability has been defined as "meeting the needs of the present without impacting the ability of future generations to meet their needs," but can also include issues of systems thinking, full-cost accounting, green business or green design, for example. Sustainability frequently deals with energy resources and efficiency, active transportation and bike issues, waste management (including recycling and composting), and land use.
For the sustainability award, projects will be evaluated on their merit to address questions or problems that deal with the overlapping issues of environmental protection, social justice, and economic equity.

This event will be part of many other Earth Month events held during April 2012. To apply for the program, please follow the instructions at http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ovcr/research/forum/instructions.html and be sure to indicate your interest in the sustainability award in Section 4 of the application.

Sustainable healthcare and a call for action

2012-02-08T16:27:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, I attended my first lunch series event at UIC. The topic was about the environmental impacts of healthcare practices completed by U.S. hospital. It was presented by Peter Orris, the Chief of Service and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois Medical Center.

Let me start off by saying I am not a pre-med or an environmental or science-related major. The information below is a review from someone who knows very little about the topic.

Despite not knowing or needing information about the topic, I learned a lot. Here are some facts I learned from the presentation that are pretty scary when you consider the impacts they have on our environments:

In 1995 medical waste incinerators were the largest sources of dioxin and were responsible for 10% of mercury emissions

Kids exposed to mercury and other toxic things have been known to have mental disabilities and/or significant drops in IQ.

At least 250 million pounds of pharmaceutical waste is generated annually from hospitals and long-term care centers

Poor air quality has been identified as the most frequent cause of work-related asthma in healthcare

Healthcare is the second most energy intensive sector in commercial buildings

I wondered - why haven't medical care centers noticed this a long time ago? Luckily, my question was answered very simply: Physicians in the forefront are not in charge of the allocation of certain materials they use; those working behind the scenes of medical care centers have not been carefully looking into where the materials that make up their tools come from.

It seems like the solution to this problem isn't complicated - Practicioners and distribution centers or purchasers need to examine where the materials from the items they use come from. However, it isn't that simple, as money and timing issues may come into place. It is important that medical care centers start putting more effort and care when making decisions that could affect their patients and the environment.

The good news is that there have been some good advancements in the past years. Some of these include the fact that medical waste incinerator usage in the U.S. has decline from 6, 200 in 1988 to only 83 in 2007. Also, mercury usage in healthcare has been rapidly decking. Currently, 5,000 U.S. health care facilities have pledged to go mercury free. Furthermore, designers and architects are beginning to make healthier and safer facilities for patients and employees.

All of the information I gathered was important and useful; however, although it is great to know, I really don't need this information as a Communication major. As I looked around this room on the west campus, I asked myself: "Where are all the students?"

Our school has great resources that many students need to take advantage of - this lunch series could very well benefit those medical students who want to make a difference by implementing sustainable practices in their future careers. A new generation of medical care practitioners, my classmates, are the ones who could changing the way health care facilities run their practices. Information sessions like these are great supplements for learning and will help students become the best practitioners they can be.

So to my fellow students, I'd like to make a call for action - Take notice of all of the UIC events that are held and take advantage of them! You can find more events like this one on our or UIC's website - links below:

Thanks for reading!

Links:

Office of Sustainability Calendar

UIC Calendar of Events

What should I do with my old electronics?

2012-02-04T15:11:00.000-06:00

Students these days go through electronics like packages of Ramen noodle. One year our iPod is the hottest thing, next year it seems to be visually outdated by a decade. But what exactly do we do with these old electronic devices?

Since January 1, Illinois has enacted a law that could make it illegal to throw our old computers or iPods in the garbage can. The law also requires companies, like Apple or HP, to provide a way for proper disposal of the devices they sell. To make this law a little more real, if caught improperly disposing an electronic device, you can be fined up to $10,000. That means goodbye junior year of college!

Sending a device back to a company is a hassle - sometimes we don't have time or patience to send packages. What do we do with our old computer monitors or mice? One way is to make some dough (my favorite option)! Some stores or websites, like Best Buy or Target, will pay you in gift cards or cash for your used device. The only down side is if your device is seriously messed up by you dropping it or some other factor, your gift card value will decrease more and more. These companies then sell the used device again or properly recycle it.

Currently, there is no way to properly dispose of personal electronics on campus. Although the university population is predominantly made of commuters, this poses a problem for on-campus students. Perhaps UIC should implement a service that lets you recycle your old electronics? Is recycling electronics a big deal on campus for students?

Do you have any ideas on how the school could do this? Share them in the comments section!

Here's a detailed list of what you cannot throw in the garbage:

Televisions
Monitors
Printers
Computers ( laptop, notebook, netbook, tablet, desktop )
Electronic Keyboards
Facsimile Machines
Videocassette Recorders
Portable Digital Music Players
Digital Video Disc Players
Video Game Consoles
Small Scale Servers
Scanners
Electronic Mice
Digital Converter Boxes
Cable Receivers
Satellite Receivers
Digital Video Disc Recorders

UIC Green Fee Proposal Passes

2012-02-01T15:17:00.000-06:00

Last semester, Caitlyn talked about the proposal of the UIC Green Fee. To recap, the Green Fee (started by the Undergraduate Student Government and various EPA interns around campus, with the guidance of the Office of Sustainability) calls for a $4 yearly charge on student's accounts that will go towards sustainable efforts around campus.

Since the proposal introduction, we are proud to announce that the Green Fee has passed through the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) and the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.

Ponnu Padiyara, a leader in the Green Fee initiative, says,

Its passage can be taken as a sign of increasing interest in sustainability measures on this campus.

The final vote by the Board of Trustees occurred in late January. Now Padiyara, along with other UIC students, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Office of Sustainability, will work on forming a committee to decide where the money from this fee will be implemented towards.

Congratulations to everyone involved with the Green Fee success! If you have ideas of where the fund could go towards, please discuss in the comment section.

Recognizing Outstanding Recyclers on Campus

2012-01-18T17:03:00.000-06:00

While most employees at UIC are participating in the recycling program, there are still people out there who don’t want to or don’t know why it’s important to recycle. We can all choose to see recycling as an inconvenience, or it can be viewed as a vital part of our efforts to repair the world - before it’s too late.

There are many different approaches, but UIC is making commitments to increase the amount we recycle. For example, we have decided to take the RePaper Challenge and recycle 75% of all paper.

During the waste audits to prepare for the RePaper Challenge, we discovered one building was head-and-shoulders above the others we sampled: University Hall. We realized that University Hall is a shining example of how the faculty, students and staff, including building service workers (BSWs), can come together to greatly improve a building’s recycling performance, and decided it was important to highlight this building’s successes.

University Hall is typical of the office buildings on campus in that it has the full recycling program in place. “Full” means office occupants get desk side recycling bins and then separate their own recyclables and trash in hallway recycling stations. BSWs take over from there, moving as much as five tons a month of paper and cardboard to larger centrally-located storage areas, and making sure the material is sorted and ready for recycling truck drivers to carry to off-campus recycling facilities. Although about 6 out of 10 buildings on campus have this system in place, we’re recognizing UH because we tested them and they passed with flying colors, scoring a paper recovery rate of over 70%!

Keep an eye out for this certificate of appreciation:

We’ll post copies in the offices of the English Department, the School of Literatures, Cultural Studies and Linguistics, and in the College of Business. We’ll also provide individual certificates to group of employees who had the biggest part to play, the Building Operations staff.

A big thank you goes out to UH supervisors Melva Malone & Gail Hampton-Mosley, and Building Service Workers (BSWs) Jesus Ayala, Rita Corona, Susie Edwards, Wilhelmina Franklin, John Gregory, Tony Rhodes, James Taylor, and Theresa Zamora for all the work they do to keep the building in order.

Along with the certificates of appreciation, we have candy. Jars of candy will be given to the BSWs and a big bag will be available for office staff in the three offices listed. We tried to use candy made locally, such as Tootsie Rolls, since locally produced items have less distance to travel to get to campus (therefore reducing associated carbon emissions) and supports our local economy. Also, the jars holding the candy were re-used!

As we continue to monitor recycling progress in buildings on campus, we hope to be able to recognize more students, faculty and staff in many of the other buildings on campus in the next year. If you know of someone that does an outstanding job of recycling on campus, let us know by sending a message to sustainability@uic.edu.

Meeting the RePaper Challenge

2012-01-18T17:00:00.004-06:00

UIC is taking part in a national effort by higher education institutions to raise campus paper recycling rates to 75% by the year 2015.

On Earth Day 2011, campuses across North America were called to participate in the RePaperCampus Challenge. This program is intended to increase sustainability on college campuses.

At UIC, we are making strides to reduce our carbon footprint, and we’ve received growing recognition for our recycling efforts:

- We placed 9th nationally in the Gorilla Prize Division (total weight of recycling) in RecycleMania, a friendly competition between 600 colleges and universities;

- The Illinois RecyclingAssociation awarded UIC as the 2010-2011 Grand Champion for Outstanding College and University Recycling Program. UIC was acknowledged for demonstrating the greatest achievement in both source reduction and recycling among Illinois colleges and universities competing in RecycleMania.

Despite these accolades, there’s always room to improve. We continue to learn about the environmental turmoil our planet is facing; this means we can’t be satisfied by simply improving, but must set higher goals and achieve them. That’s why we’re participating in the RePaper Challenge.

Auditing our Trash

In October, staff from the Office of Sustainability, with help from the departments of Transportation and Building Services, along with student volunteers from the student groups EcoCampus and Roots of Justice, carried out waste audits of four buildings: University Hall, Student Center East, Stukel Towers, and the College of Medicine. The audit was a first step in establishing a baseline to figure out our current paper recycling rate (and it also helps us get a sense of how recycling is working).

Why these buildings? Well, broadly, we chose buildings with different functions to get a sense of how things are working in the different building types, but more specifically…

University Hall because it’s typical of our existing recycling program: an office building in which the occupants are supplied with deskside recycling bins and are expected to regularly walk to recycling stations in the hallways and separate their paper, bottles and cans, and trash; building service workers then collect from those hallway bins, and place paper and bottles and cans in larger toters in the building; then the recycling drivers come for weekly pickups. We expected that UH would have the highest recovery rate of the four buildings.

The College of Medicine includes the last few state-run (more on that later) buildings on campus that don’t have the full recycling program. We are applying for a state funded grant to purchase additional equipment to bring the five buildings there up to the level that UH has achieved. The College of Medicine also has labs and classroom space.

Stukel Towers, a residence hall example, was chosen because developing a full recycling program in the residence halls is another goal of ours this year. The state-funded grant would provide residents with recycling equipment as well.

Finally, Student Center East was chosen as an example of a student center on campus.

Along with residence halls, athletic facilities, and other revenue-generating facilities on campus (like the UIC Forum and the Pavilion), Student Center East (and West) is part of a slightly different management system at UIC called Auxiliary Services. The final major goal this year is to bring the recycling programs in Auxiliary Services buildings to a similar level with the other non-Auxiliary buildings on campus. Auxiliary administration is purchasing new recycling equipment to capture the streams of paper, glass bottles, metal cans and plastic that are generated by the students, staff and visitors that traffic those buildings. Recently, the Office of Sustainability gave a “train-the-trainer” program for supervisors to bring their staff up to speed on recycling.

For the audit, we pulled 5 bags of trash from each of 4 buildings, and then we sorted it one building at a time. We found percentage by weight of each type of paper, plastic, metal, aluminum, glass, and waste materials. In the graph below, “Paper Fiber” refers to all types of recyclable paper on campus – basically office paper and cardboard.

We then compared the findings of the audit against the monthly recycling numbers. It starts to paint an interesting picture about recycling in our various facilities on campus.

Results: Where we are at now, and reaching our goal

When we totaled the four buildings, 27% of the trash was paper that we should have captured.

When we extrapolated the data from the waste audit to the overall campus waste stream, we found we have a recovery rate of 45%.

This means we have a good way to go to reach the RePaper Challenge goal of 75% recovery rate, but we are making that commitment, so we need everyone on campus – students, staff, faculty, and the administration – to join with us in order to reach it.

So, what do you think – can we meet the RePaper Challenge?

To find out more about the Recycling Program at UIC, visit the Office of Sustainability website.

UIC Awards Caterpillar Sustainability Scholarships

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

University of Illinois at Chicago Awards Caterpillar Sustainability Scholarships

Chicago, Illinois – January 10, 2012 – The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Office of Sustainability announces the second annual Caterpillar Sustainability Scholars awards. Six undergraduate students received $1,000 tuition scholarships in recognition of their demonstrated involvement in sustainability issues, financial need, and status as underrepresented in their respective fields of study.

The winners are: Kara Komp, Urban Planning & Public Affairs; April Muller, Urban Planning & Public Affairs; Ponnu Podiyara, Biology and Psychology; Alberto Rincon, Mechanical Engineering; and Samuel Yoder, Electrical Engineering.

More information on sustainability at UIC can be found at http://www.uic.edu/sustainability/

Contact:

Cynthia Klein-Banai, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability

University of Illinois at Chicago

1140 S. Paulina, #120

Chicago, Illinois 60612

cindy@uic.edu

122 words

A PDF of this press release, and more, can be seen at http://sustainability.uic.edu/press/releases.html

Energy Efficiency & the Green Practice Path

2011-12-15T11:44:00.000-06:00

In my day to day work, I think a lot about energy conservation and efficiency in a traditional sense (using less electricity on campus, trying to fund projects like lighting retrofits). In a different, spiritual sense Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master, says the greatest energy loss comes from inner conflict between body, heart and mind. In essence, conflict is a waste of energy.

This thought returns to me often, especially at times when I glance askew at humongous SUVs, berate myself for forgetting my reusable cloth shopping bags, or worse yet, when I run across yet another “Easy Tips to Living Green!” article. If all this is supposed to be so easy, why is the world still so messed up? Can mental energy spent on irritation and anxiety be reduced? Redirected??

In MindfullyGreen, Stephanie Kaza says that making truly meaningful changes is neither quick nor easy. Nor should it be. Enabling real change begins with an intention to come to terms with the harm that has been (and is being) done to the Earth, and with awareness of our emotional reactions to it. In a compassionate and direct way, Kaza explains how our anxieties about our plight can be used to manifest healing and life changes “that will take us in a kinder direction, one that can sustain our lives as well as the rest of the life on Earth.”

The process of fully experiencing the discomfort of our anxiety and other emotions (aka mindfulness) leads to deeper understanding of our values and adds clarity to our thinking. Further, by thinking more deeply about our choices of what to eat, what to buy, and how we use our energy (including our OWN), we can move toward peace - peace with ourselves and, most importantly, with others.

Kaza coined the term "Green Practice Path" to suggest that change involves intention to keep going, keep learning, knowing that real change is slow and difficult, but we have lots of company on the journey.

The final chapters are devoted to drawing the connection between peace and the environment, saying that conflict causes harm. This is most obvious in wars, but it's also true for smaller, inner conflicts. Learning how to create peace within ourselves - to be compassionate with ourselves - allows us to feel greater compassion for others. This, says Kaza, is the way to create the healing that we, and the Earth, need so much.

Next time you start to grumble silently at someone loading cases of bottled water into their gas guzzler, take a moment to think about how you want to use your energy most efficiently.

The [Unsustainable] Corporation: "The Death of Birth"

2011-12-14T13:00:00.000-06:00

I'm almost finished watching "The Corporation," but I'm going to write anyway about the life-changing experience I've endured in the first hour and forty minutes of my viewing. According to the film's website, the documentary "explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time." I encourage you, Dear Readers of Our Blog, to watch this documentary as it has been heralded as the most successful Canadian documentary ever.

While the documentary focuses mostly on the evolution of the corporation in America, modern corporate greed, and the effects of advertising, there is an appropriate digression into the area of sustainability that is discussed by CEOs like Ray Anderson, professors and experts like Noam Chomsky, and people who work within the corporate environment like Carlton Brown, a broker who tells the audience how it really is (for serious, this guy is honest).

Regarding sustainability, Ray Anderson's testimonial is, by far, the most moving. As CEO and Founder of Interface Inc., a carpet company that is dedicated to a vision as a result of Ray's epiphany, the "spear in the chest" experience he received after reading Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce. Ray's honesty is refreshing and touching as he explains the emotional turmoil he experienced after reading Hawken's book:

For 21 years, I never gave a thought to what we were taking from the Earth or doing to the Earth in the making of our products. And then in the summer of 1994, we began to hear questions from our customers we had never heard before: 'What's your Company doing for the Environment?' And we didn't have answers. The real answer was not very much. And it really disturbed many of our people, not me so much as them...I didn't have an environmental position.... And sort of the propitious moment, this book landed on my desk. It was Paul Hawkins' book, The Ecology of Commerce and I began to read The Ecology of Commerce, really desperate for inspiration, and very quickly into that book I found the phrase, "The Death of Birth." It was E.O. Wilson's expression for species extinction, "The Death of Birth," and it was a point of a spear into my chest, and I read on, and the spear went deeper, and it became an epiphanal experience, a total change of mindset for myself and a change of paradigm. Can any product be made sustainably? Well, not any and every product. Can you make landmines sustainably? Well, I don't think so. There's a more fundamental question than that about landmines. Some products ought not to be made at all. Unless we can make carpets sustainably, you know, perhaps we don't have a place in a sustainable world, but neither does anybody else, making products unsustainably. One day early in this journey it dawned on me that the way I'd been running Interface is the way of the plunderer; plundering something that's not mine, something that belongs to every creature on earth. And I said to myself, "my goodness, the day must come when this is illegal, when plundering is not allowed. It must come." So, I said to myself, "my goodness, some day people like me will end up in jail."

What if every company had a Founder or CEO with this mentality? Currently Interface wants to be the first company to produce zero negative-effect on the environment, a goal they would like to achieve by 2020 (that's only eight years from now, people). The company website is littered with sustainability initiatives, missions, visions, and dedications to Ray's memory (he passed away this last August) and his thoughts about sustainability.

Many students I talk to here at UIC don't even know what the Office of Sustainability is or does. The students enrolled at UIC, right now, are the next line of workers about to enter the job market (whether they are getting a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD); we need to educate ourselves concerning the sustainability initiatives on campus such as this office, the Green Fee (which I have blogged about previously), and the efforts to audit our waste to figure out what we can do to change the way we dispose of our trash and recyclables. As the next line of workers, we have a responsibility to the environment to challenge our employers (in the most productive way possible) and change the way things are from the inside out.

Hopefully, other companies like Interface will recognize that the bottom line is not the only essential thing in a business. Imagine the day when you can ask an employer about what steps they are taking to support Green initiatives before you can accept employment. I know it would make my job-hunting much easier if employers were required to report their sustainability initiatives and missions to job websites.

We are almost there, and I have hope that there are more CEOs like Ray Anderson out there, ready and motivated to help sustain our planet. If not, I am up to the challenge. Who's hiring?

Composting Audits at UIC

2011-11-29T10:40:00.000-06:00

Good news, everyone! UIC is moving one step closer to a food scrap composting program.

This week Sodexo, the organization responsible for serving food in the dining facilities on campus, will help UIC and the Office of Sustainability conduct a sample audit of the food waste in our dining halls.

This is pretty awesome for sustainability geeks like us, but I know some people have no idea what the big deal about compost is, or that it's so great UIC is going to be doing an audit. I'll try to explain some of that here.

Think about the natural cycle of things, like in a forest. There are animals and plants, including things that produce what we consider "food scraps," like an apple growing on a tree. Those food scraps, along with fallen leaves, dead plants and animals, and other organic material, decompose naturally. As food scraps and all this organic material decompose they produce methane, a very potent greenhouse gas - it's over 20 times better at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. The presence of methane is a natural thing, and is usually absorbed by other organisms - like bacteria, or fungi, or scavengers - which come along and consume the decomposing material. It's a beautiful cycle that has evolved over time to create a fairly "closed loop" of material; "waste" doesn't exist in nature... a "waste product" is just another name for a resource that hasn't properly been matched to its consumer.

Now, think about a landfill. All this stuff, including food scraps, just sit there for years - although, there are certainly scavengers (think seagulls, rats) that come by and pick up some food, maybe. The methane that got absorbed by natural processes just leaks out, and up, into the atmosphere, and is a contributor to climate change. In 2009, methane emissions from landfills made up 17% of total methane emissions in the US, the 3rd highest behind Natural Gas Systems (like powerplants, home heating units, etc.) and something called Enteric Fermentation (I think that's a technical way of saying cow burps and farts). Yes, farts are one of the highest sources of carbon emissions.

So besides being (usually) stinky and polluting, landfills consume a lot of space that could otherwise be used for different purposes...like parks, forests, or other nice nature-y space. (To their credit, landfill management companies can partner with municipalities to cover and convert old landfills into useful space - see Freshkills Park in New York City.) Landfills have been necessary for a long time, but as we run out of space because we're an expanding population that produces a lot of stuff, we need to come up with some better solutions. Fortunately, composting has been around for ... well, forever, and we're starting to (re)learn how to take advantage of it.

Composting (a way to encourage decomposing material to do so in a clean and separated manner) removes that stinky stuff from landfills and creates a product that is useful to gardeners and farmers - remember, waste is just another name for a misallocated resource. There are also some innovative ways to use compost (check out The Plant in Chicago, for an example), and there are actually some UIC people researching and testing ways that both composting (and landfills!) can be better.

With all that said, composting could be a really good solution for UIC to better manage its waste. Although, in order to manage something, we need to measure it - and that's where this audit comes in. We're going to spend some time tomorrow helping people in the dining halls sort their food, so we can get a sample size of how much compostable food we throw away every day. From there, we can start to make estimates on how much equipment, training, and logistical support we'll need to get those food scraps composted.

Read more:

Environmental Protection Agency: Composting

Is it necessary to wash your jeans?

2011-11-28T16:55:00.000-06:00

Recently, I discovered an article about the non-necesity of washing your jeans, and it caused some conversation in the office about the common system of washing jeans.

Jeans typically consume 919 gallons of water during its life span. Levi Strauss & Company has realized the potential effect of this on the environment and the future of cotton availability and cost. To defray the usage of water, the company has created a nonprofit program to teach farmers in foreign countries to use less water. One of the techniques they suggested was to make a new brand of denim - stone washed jeans smoothed with rocks and not water.

However, the company is also asking us regular consumers to use less water. Labels in their jeans now urge consumers to wash less and only use cold water. Levi Strauss & Company also suggests hardly washing jeans and to freeze them instead.

Throw jeans into my freezer next to my frozen dinners? Yeah, right. What does accomplish?

Photo borrowed from mystyle.com

The company claims that freezing jeans actually kills the germs that cause sickening smells from dirty jeans. Also, I've heard and read of real life testaments that people think you can actually succeed by not washing your jeans that often (as long as you don't do heavy duty or dirty work with them on).

I personally always wash my jeans after single usage. I've grown up knowing that you wash all of your clothes after you wear them. Same thing goes for hoodies, I wash them after one usage. However, some people in the Office of Sustainability claim that they are fine by not washing their jeans or hoodies after each wear. At first I disagreed, but after research and thought - maybe we all should wash our jeans and other clothing less?

Now, I think freezing your jeans is a bit ridiculous. I barely have any room in my freezer as it is and if I did have it, why would one want to put their dirty jeans in it? I am not going to buy another freezer, either. But realistically, you and me can limit the washing of our jeans and all other articles of clothing.

I am both embarrassed and proud to say that this past weekend I wore the same pair of jeans three times. I wore them to 3 different occasions, obviously. I like to think I'm a pretty stylish guy, but as it is no one pays attention to your pants... so why not wear jeans more than once? Its pretty reasonable to wear your jeans about 3 times (at 3 different occasions, of course) and then prepare them for washing. I might not be able to do that with my undies, socks or t-shirts, but I sure can with my hoodies and jeans!

I've finally came to the realization that it is important to adapt our natural resources usage as time goes by. Water resources will be more and more scarce if our society consumes as it does today. So, for you all, I propose a challenge...

Skip the freezer and wash your clothes left!
But please, wash your underwear...

Good Jobs for Everyone: the Department of Labor's New View on Environmental Justice

2011-11-15T10:30:00.000-06:00

As a part of President Obama's move to reinvigorate Clinton's Executive Order 12898 with the "Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898" (EJ MOU) in August, the Department of Labor is taking a new perspective on work through the lens of environmental justice.

According the USEPA, the Department of Labor's new perspective aims to help those in the lower class and those without employment "find a way into the middle class." Additionally, they'd like to help those in the middle class from facing pay-cuts or lay-offs. All of this keeps in mind the health and safety of workers and the impact that labor has on environmental justice.

The Department of Labor would like to offer a public space for people to submit their ideas regarding this Memorandum.

The Office of Environmental Justice is offering a ListServ in order to notify members about activities in the EPA in the field of Environmental Justice. To join the listserv go to: https://lists.epa.gov/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=epa-ej

For more information on President Obama's Memorandum, here's a great article explaining the Memorandum, former President Clinton's Executive Order, and the effect it may have on labor and environmental justice.

Graduate Assistant needed for the Office of Sustainability

2011-11-14T16:08:00.001-06:00

There is a Graduate Assistant opening in our office - check the information below for this great learning opportunity:

Position Title: Outreach and Engagement Graduate Assistant, Sustainability

Position duties:

Support the Chancellor's Committee on Sustainability;
Manage and grow the Green Office Challenge;
Provide organizational support for other Office of Sustainability activities.

The ideal candidate:

has a strong interest in sustainability and environmental work;
is proficient in computer applications (Word, Excel, etc.);
has excellent communication skills, both written and verbal;
is available to work from January 2012 through the 2012-2013 academic year.
has some experience in graphic design, web design, or social media

Please submit a letter of interest and resume to Joe Iosbaker at iosbaker@uic.edu with the subject line"Graduate Assistant" by November 28, 2011. Only electronic applications will be accepted.

Is UIC ready for a FreeCycle Store?

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, December 9, 2011 Duke University will be having a grand opening of their new Free Store. At the Free Store, Duke students, staff, and faculty can "donate and/or take any gently used office supplies, books, classroom supplies, kitchen supplies, or other miscellaneous items." This new store was organized and will be operated by Duke Recycles and Students for Sustainable Living. The aim of the new store is to create a freecycle space to avoid waste which generally accumulates upon Residence Hall move-out.

There are several other colleges and universities around the country who have similar spaces, including Mills College in California, Tufts University in Massachusetts, and UC-Berkeley, which has an extensive website and more than eleven on-campus sites and three off-campus sites.

Check out this video on Bowling Green State University's Re-Store:

Bowling Green State University Re-Store from Black Swamp Journal on Vimeo.

UIC Campus Housing, at the end of the year, puts out bins in various places in the East Campus buildings for students to donate the stuff they don't want--and don't want to throw away. What if we had a store that students, faculty, and staff could access year-round? Think about those times in mid-September when you realize that a binder would work better than a spiral for your Orgo-Chem class. Or what about when your messenger bag breaks and your next paycheck doesn't come in for two more weeks? What about that unopened pack of loose-leaf paper that's been migrating around your room for the last three months?

What if we had a place reserved on campus where we could exchange all the stuff we don't need or use with the stuff we need and will use for free? Think of the money we would save on supplies, clothes, sports equipment, and books. If the UIC Green Fee passes, we may be able to use grant money to start up a store on campus.

So, dear readers, I ask you: what do you think it would take to start a freecycle store on the UIC campus?

Leave a comment with your ideas!

Solidify your student sustainability plans at CGI U leadership summit [call for applicants]

2011-11-07T17:06:00.000-06:00

The Clinton Global Initiative University is a national leadership summit where students from all over come together to solidify their environmental and other barrier breaking initiatives.

What does this all mean? Let's put it this way - have you had some campus or community leading experience in various projects? Have a particular plan of attack to make your campus or community a better place? This is YOUR time to meet with former President Clinton, celebrities, leading topic experts, and students to discuss your plans and get ideas to help you follow through with your plans.

You or your group can attend the conference in late March/early April in Washington D.C. If you need financial assistance the deadline to apply is December 5, 2011. The absolute deadline to apply is January 17, 2012.

For more information on this ground breaking conference and to apply please visit the website here.

Check out the following video as a supplement:

UIC Receives Award for Environmental Protection

2011-11-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

I was proud to accept the 25th Annual Governor's Sustainability Award for 2011 last week, on October 27.

UIC was recognized for its commitment to improving the environmental health and sustainability of Illinois. We were one of 19 first-time winners, along with 4 other colleges and universities. In his recognition letter, Governor Quinn wrote that "implementing energy efficiency upgrades, fuel savings, pollution and waste reductions, and other sustainability improvements requires vision, strong leadership, and the dedication of individuals throughout an organization. I applaud your prioritization of these important objectives and your accomplishments in these areas."

I would like to thank the Chancellor and VCAS for their support in these initiatives and thank the entire campus community for its participation. This award is a recognition of all our efforts.

Keep up the good work!