This April is #RUEarthMonth2022, and there are lots of ways to go green at Roosevelt as part of our university sustainability efforts, whether you’re on or off campus — from attending talks and webinars by invited speakers to hearing presentations by current students to joining in the student org RU Green’s activities to performing acts of community service.

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 4/13 5:30-6:30pm — RU Green Information Forum on Pipelines: Join students in RU Green in learning about pipelines infringing on Indigenous lands and rights, as well as some other issues of environmental racism. RSVP and event details here.

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 11am-12:15pm — SUST 250 Campus Sustainability Presentations: Join the students of SUST 250 The Sustainable University as two teams present their projects on the dining center and student orientation, with time for Q&A from the audience. Attend live in WB 616 or by Zoom. Details 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 special guest speaker Iyana Simba from the Illinois Environmental Council for a special presentation 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.