Hey, RU students! You’ve got three more days to catch the RU faculty and claim victory for this year’s Ecochallenge at Roosevelt! As of 2pm on Mon 4/28, the 16 faculty are still ahead of 19 students, 1990 to 1609 points.
Category: Sustainability
Today 4/24: RU’s Very First “Trashion Pageant” Sustainable Fashion Show!
Warning! This is NOT your run-of-the-mill recycling event!
Today Th 4.24 from 5-7pm in WB 418 — RU’s First-ever Drag Trash Competition and Show, the “Trashion Pageant”
This will be a historic first at Roosevelt, and if we may say so, long overdue! See the possibilities of “trash” in this one-night Project Runway-style competition. Free food! What’s not to like!? Hosted by the students of RU Green (WB 418). RSVP here on Laker Connect!
Earth Week 2025 @RooseveltU: Campus Events & Activities
It’s Earth Week 2025, and whether you’re on or off campus, you can participate in and contribute to the sustainability of our university. “How?” you ask. Keep reading! (Upcoming events listed first; past events archived at the end of this page.)
Mon 4/21, 12:30-2pm — Mental Health Garden Planning Session: Join RU Green members & friends as they gather in the new RU Mental Health Garden (AUD Library, 10th floor) to brainstorm future plans and ideas, figure out watering schedules, and seeing who is interested in contributing to the Garden in the future. Email RU Green for more info.
Tues 4/22 Earth Day, 12:15-1:30pm — Make your own Seed-Bomb at the RU Mental Health Garden. Learn about the importance of native plants and make seed bombs with recycled materials. Free food and cool stuff! (AUD Library, 10th floor)
All day — Get outside! Take a walk . . . get some fresh air . . . listen to birdsong . . . pick up some litter . . . join an environmental demonstration . . . learn about the original Earth Day . . . do some gardening or start a nice little compost pile (you get the idea)
Tues 4/22-Mon 4/28 — One Earth Film Festival: The Midwest’s premier environmental film festival creates opportunities for understanding climate change, sustainability and the power of people. It showcases top-issue, thought-provoking environmental films, leads audiences in interactive post-film discussions focused on solutions, and offers concrete actions people can take. One Earth Film Festival is a production of One Earth Collective. Click Here for the 2025 Line-Up!
Th 4/24, 5-7pm — Drag Trash Competition and Show. This will be a historic first at Roosevelt, and if we may say so, long overdue! See the possibilities of “trash” in this one-night Project Runway-style competition. Plus, free food! (WB 418)
Fri 4/25, 10am-2:45pm — Earth Week Beach Clean-Up with RU Green & the Captain Paul Watson Foundation’s IL Chapter. Come join students from RU Green & CPWF for a fun service project along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront at 18th St Beach, just south of the Adler Planetarium. Look for details here and on Laker Connect (Meeting place TBA).
Thur 5/1 & Fri 5/2, 12-3pm – RU’s Annual Green-up / Clean-up Event: We are pleased to announce this year’s Green Up / Clean Up event on both campuses (Th at Schaumburg, Fri at Chicago), which is dedicated time for the University community to connect with colleagues, clean our spaces, purge old documents and redistribute resources.
WHEN: Thursday, May 1 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Schaumburg Campus; Friday, May 2 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Chicago Campus
During Green Up Clean Up offices are encouraged to:
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Spruce up their personal spaces.
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Grab some snacks in AUD320 (Chicago Campus) and SCH616 (Schaumburg Campus).
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Make it a Spirit Day! Wear your RU gear. Faculty and staff get a discount in the bookstore. Comfortable clothes and shoes recommended for the day.
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Donate and reallocate unused office supplies (Notepads, pens, Post-Its, markers, folders, etc.). Supplies should be delivered to the The Dean of Students Office, AUD204 (Chicago). Carts outside room 126 (Schaumburg)
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Volunteer for our special Green Up Clean Up projects on each campus. Participants will meet at noon in SCH616 and AUD320 on their respective days
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Purge old documents. Speed packs and secure trash bins will be available in Ida B. Wells Lounge and the Wabash Lobby to deliver documents to a Pro Shred shredder truck on Wabash Ave. Schaumburg documents should be taken to the dock. Faculty and staff are responsible for transporting their confidential documents to the trucks. Plan ahead to ensure documents can be purged on Friday between Noon and 3 p.m. Please review our document retention policies.
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Recycle bins for electronics recycling will be available in the libraries on both campuses.
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Donate books (Book donation bins will be provided in the libraries on both campuses)
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For more info, check out Inside Roosevelt!
All Month — Participate in the Earth Month 2025 EcoChallenge competition (students vs faculty/admin/staff) – Join this undeniably competitive yet somehow thoughtfully meditative tradition of RU students vs everyone else as you engage in and document your sustainability-related activities during Earth Month — and hopefully de-stress a bit while lowering your carbon footprint.
It’s super easy to sign up for either the RU Fac+Admin+Staff Team or the RU Student Team for this year’s Earth Month Ecochallenge. Yes, it’s online and requires the use of a Device. But if you’re using your phone-thing or your laptop anyway, why not take a short break from looking at silly cat videos or soul-killing doomsday news and do something more mindful and earthwise? Winners get bragging rights for the rest of the year! Ahem . . . like the students did back in 2019 when they soundly trounced the faculty. (Some profs are still trying to recover from that trauma.)
Fri 4/18 update: As of this afternoon, the RU Fac+Admin+Staff Team (16 members, 1576 points) remains in the lead and is 5th in the state of IL in average points per member (89), while the RU Student Team (19 members, 1175 points) is staying in the race. Will the faculty extend their lead in coming days, or can the students close the gap? Keep posting and stay tuned!
RU Students: create an account, join the Roosevelt University student team, choose your challenges, and get started! The small changes you make today can lay the groundwork for big changes in the future. Click here to create an account and start choosing your challenges! RU Faculty and Staff: you can get in on the action, too! Create an account, join the RU Fac+Admin+Staff team, choose your challenges, and get started!
Earth Day/Week/Month Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicago, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here in the city by C3 as well as these by Friends of the Parks. Outside of Chicago, look up your county’s Forest Preserve Earth Month calendar for service and conservation opportunities. 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!
Updated 4/20/25
Do Environmental Justice Research this Summer in Chicago (and Earn Credit @RooseveltU)
Now until Friday, April 18, 2025 — Applications are open for RU’s new Summer 2025 Community-based Research & Environmental Justice course. RU’s Office of Student Research and Department of Law, Society, & Sustainability will support 8-10 undergrad students in a field-based 3-credit EXL research course with full tuition funding plus a small stipend for travel. That’s a pretty awesome deal for Roosevelt students seeking a gen ed, EXL, or elective class!
This hybrid course, cross-listed as POS / SOC / SUST 262, will meet on selected Fridays (9:30am-1pm) and online from June 6 – Aug 1. And if students want to take an additional course this summer to accelerate their degree completion, they can do a “two-fer” and earn 6 credits for the cost of 3.
Our community partner this summer is the Southeast Environmental Task Force (SETF), a grassroots organization on Chicago’s Southeast Side that has advocated since the 1980s for both people and nature. SETF’s current sustainability initiatives and environmental activism focus on climate and environmental justice, pollution reduction, clean energy policy, sustainable land use, public health protection, and more.
- Deadline: Application review begins April 11; final deadline is April 18.
- Eligibility: Current RU undergraduates in any major; at least 15 credit hours completed at the time of application, including earning a C or better in ENG 102; minimum GPA of 2.0 overall (2.5 preferred).
- Course Info: 3 credit hours of either POS, SOC, or SUST 262 Environmental Justice; counts as social science and EXL credit for CORE general education requirements as well as a major elective for POS, SOC, & SUST majo
rs. - How to Apply: Just go to the OSR website for more info; use this direct link to the application; or scan the QR code to the right.
For more info: email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Chair of the Dept. of Law, Society, & Sustainability; or Dr. Laura Nussbaum-Barberena (osr@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Office of Student Research
Get Ready for Earth Month 2025 @RooseveltU!
Spring is officially in bloom and April 1st is right around the corner here at Roosevelt University, and you know what that means: it’s the return of Earth Month here in 2025. No foolin’! The earth is not getting much love these days (to put it mildly), so there’s never been a more critical time to reconnect with the natural world, learn more about environmentally-friendly practices (like composting and seed-bombing), and build a more sustainable community upon a foundation of environmental justice and stewardship.
This April, whether you’re on or off campus — from attending talks and webinars by invited speakers to hearing research presentations by current students to joining in the student org RU Green’s activities and community service work — you can participate in and contribute to the sustainability of our university. “How?” you ask. Keep reading!
Tues 4/1 12:20-1:20pm (common hour) — Grand Opening of the new RU Mental Health Garden We are kicking off Earth Month in serious fashion with the introduction of Roosevelt’s new indoor Mental Health Garden! The grand opening event will feature mindfulness exercises, coloring, and the opportunity to plant your own seeds. The space is located past the Learning Commons in the Quiet Study Zone of the Library. Check out the space to learn more about how to contribute to this community garden. All are welcome! And yeah, there’ll be snacks and treats. (RU Library, AUD 10th floor)
All Month — Participate in the Earth Month 2025 EcoChallenge competition (students vs faculty/admin/staff) – Join this undeniably competitive yet somehow thoughtfully meditative tradition of RU students vs everyone else as you engage in and document your sustainability-related activities during Earth Month — and hopefully de-stress a bit while lowering your carbon footprint. Stay tuned on how to sign up (it’s free) for either the RU Faculty/Staff/Admin Team or the RU Student Team. Yes, it’s online and requires the use of a Device. But if you’re using your phone-thing anyway, why not stop looking at silly cat videos for just a sec and do something more mindful and earthwise? Winners get bragging rights for the rest of the year! Ahem . . . like the students did back in 2019 when they soundly trounced the faculty.
Now until Fri 4/18 — Applications Open for RU’s Summer 2025 Community-based Research & Environmental Justice Course. RU’s Office of Student Research and Dept. of Law, Society, & Sustainability will support 8-10 undergrad students in a Community-based Research and Environmental Justice (CREJ) research course this summer 2025. This field-based 3-credit EXL hybrid research course includes full tuition funding plus a small stipend for travel and meets on selected Fridays (9:30am-1pm) and online from June 6 – Aug 1. That’s pretty awesome!
- Eligibility: Current RU undergraduates in any major; at least 15 credit hours completed at the time of application, including earning a C or better in ENG 102; minimum GPA of 2.0 overall (2.5 preferred).
- How to Apply: Just go to the OSR website for more info and a link to the application. Application review begins April 11; final deadline is April 18, 2025.
- For more info: email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) or Dr. Laura Nussbaum-Barberena (osr@roosevelt.edu)
Earth Day/Week/Month Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicagoland, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here in the city by C3 as well as these by Friends of the Parks. Also see this article by Block Club Chicago, 12 Things To Do Outside in Chicago this April. Beyond the city limits, look up your county’s Forest Preserve event calendar for April for service and conservation opportunities (e.g., Cook, Will, etc.). 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!
Mon 4/7 thru Fri 4/11 — Spring 2025 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium: a week-long extended week celebration of student research & inquiry at Roosevelt’s campuses: Schaumburg (April 4th) & Chicago (April 7-11)! F inquiry at Roosevelt’s campuses: Schaumburg (April 4th) & Chicago (April 7-11)! For more info, check out the RSRIS website. Tons of great stuff here, folks!
Tue 4/8, 2:30-4:30pm — “The Future of Sustainability at Roosevelt: an Earth Month Teach-In (AUD 514): Join the students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 honors seminar as they present their “Analysis of RU’s Peer Institutions and Recommendations on Implementing the 2024-29 Strategic Sustainability Plan.” This session is a good old-fashioned “Teach-In” that features a tag-team group presentation followed by a participatory campus sustainability workshop to get our audience involved and engaged. Learn how Roosevelt’s green efforts stack up against its peer institutions here in the Chicago region, and strategize how we can move RU’s 2024-29 Strategic Sustainability Plan forward while advocating for social and environmental justice and maintaining hope and courage in these tumultuous and discouraging times.
Fri 4/18, 12-4pm – Green-up / Clean-up Event: We are pleased to announce this year’s Green Up / Clean Up event on both campuses, immediately following University Senate. You and your colleagues are invited to connect, collaborate and clean out your office spaces. Details are forthcoming about special services and activities, but wear your Roosevelt green, grab some bev and a snack and get ready for some spring cleaning! Details to come.
Mon 4/21 — Composting and Recycling Seminar. Aren’t sure what bin to use when you’re cleaning up after lunch? This is the event for you! (time/location TBA)
Tues 4/22 — Earth Day!
- 12:20-1:10pm Common Hour: Make your own Seed-Bomb at the new RU Mental Health Garden (AUD Library, 10th floor)
- All day: Get outside! Take a walk . . . get some fresh air . . . listen to birdsong . . . pick up some litter . . . join an environmental demonstration . . . learn about the original Earth Day . . . do some gardening or start a nice little compost pile (you get the idea)
Th 4/24 — Drag Trash Competition and Show. This will be a historic first at Roosevelt, and if we may say so, long overdue! (details coming soon; time/room TBA)
Fri 4/25 — Earth Week Beach Clean-Up with RU Green & the Captain Paul Watson Foundation’s IL Chapter. Come join RU Green & CPWF for a service project along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. Look for details here and on Laker Connect.
Tues 4/29 2-4:30pm — Community service activity with students from SUST 250 Sustainable University (more info soon)
Stay tuned to the SUST @ RU Blog’s Earth Month 2025 page for updates!
Last update: 3/30/25
Today Is World Water Day (22 March 2025)
In recognition of World Water Day, celebrated every March 22nd by the United Nations and hundreds of organizations across the globe, here is information about this year’s water theme, “Save Our Glaciers,” from the UN’s World Water Day website.
Glacier preservation
Glaciers are melting faster than ever. As the planet gets hotter, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable. For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise. Countless communities and ecosystems are at risk of devastation.
As we work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change, glacier preservation is a top priority. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down glacial retreat. And, we must manage meltwater more sustainably. Saving our glaciers is a survival strategy for people and the planet.
Protecting frozen water resources for the future
The theme of World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’. Glaciers are critical to life – their meltwater is essential for drinking water, agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy ecosystems. Rapidly melting glaciers are causing uncertainty to water flows, with profound impacts on people and the planet. Global reductions in carbon emissions and local strategies to adapt to shrinking glaciers are essential.
This World Water Day, we must work together to put glacier preservation at the core of our plans to tackle climate change and the global water crisis.
Play your part!
Be part of the global campaign on ‘Glacier Preservation’. We need everyone – from individuals and families to companies and governments – to do what they can to reduce global warming and adapt to shrinking glaciers. Spread the word with the UN- Water material!
Key messages for World Water Day 2025
- Glaciers are melting faster than ever. As the planet gets hotter due to climate change, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable and extreme.
- Glacial retreat threatens devastation. For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise, and damaging ecosystems.
- Glacier preservation is a survival strategy. We must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage meltwater more sustainably for people and the planet.
Source (and for more information): https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day
Apply for RU’s Community-based Research & Environmental Justice Course this Summer
This summer of 2025, Roosevelt’s Office of Student Research and Department of Law, Society, & Sustainability will support 8-10 undergraduate students in a Community-based Research and Environmental Justice experience (CREJ). A cohort-based summer research course based here in Chicago, this competitive fellowship includes tuition funding for a 3-credit EXL/research-focused urban sustainability and environmental justice course on selected Fridays (9:30am-1pm) from June 6 through August 1 during RU’s 8-week summer session. In addition to a tuition waiver for the course, students will receive a small stipend to help defray travel costs from RU’s Chicago Campus to our community organization partner. You can . . .
During this summer’s Community-based Research and Environmental Justice course, undergraduate students will participate in a hands-on and field-based introduction to urban sustainability and selected research and analytic methods in the humanities and social sciences. Students will gain experience doing community-based research (CBR) in collaboration with the Southeast Environmental Task Force (SETF), one of Chicago’s oldest grassroots conservation and environmental justice organizations. In addition, they will synthesize their findings and have opportunities to present their work at events such as Roosevelt’s annual Student Research and Inquiry Symposium (RSRIS).
Based in the Hegewisch neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side, the Southeast Environmental Task Force has advocated since the 1980s for the people and ecosystems of the culturally and biologically diverse Calumet industrial region that spans Chicago’s far South Side, near south suburbs, and communities of northwest Indiana. SETF’s current initiatives and activism include several key issues within urban sustainability: climate and environmental justice advocacy; pollution reduction; clean energy policy; land use and sustainable development; green space conservation; and public health.
Industry on the Calumet River, Chicago IL (photo: M. Bryson)
Student applicants may be from any major and should have completed at least 15 hours of college credit; have earned a C or better in ENG 102; and have an interest in learning about community-based research, urban sustainability, and/or environmental justice.
Eligibility
- Current Roosevelt University undergraduate student in any college or major (except those graduating in May 2025)
- At least 15 credit hours completed at the time of application, including earning a C or better in ENG 102 (or, if currently taking ENG 102 this spring, a recommendation from the instructor is required)
- GPA of at least 2.0 overall (2.5 minimum preferred)
- Interest in learning about urban sustainability, doing applied research in the humanities and/or social sciences, working collaboratively with a local environmental organization, and exploring the neighborhoods, natural areas, and industrial landscape of Chicago’s historic Southeast Side
Fellowship Requirements and Benefits
- Participate in an 8-week interdisciplinary hybrid seminar on selected Fridays 9:30am-1pm and online on Blackboard from June 6 through Aug 1. Class meetings will be at RU’s Chicago Campus and at selected field locations on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Online work is required in addition to the scheduled class and field trip sessions.
- Work effectively as individuals, in small teams, and in collaboration with our community-based organization partner (the Southeast Environmental Task Force).
- Earn 3 EXL course credits toward graduation (SUST / SOC / POS 262 Environmental Justice).
- Gain first-hand knowledge of the remarkable people, industrial sites, and natural areas of a truly unique area of Chicago.
Application Info
Apply here for the Community-based Research and Environmental Justice Course Fellowship (application review begins April 11th, final deadline to submit April 18th, 2025). Or, go directly to the link below or use the QR code:
Students do not need to register for the course. All students will be notified about their application status once applications are reviewed. Students accepted to the CREJ program will be registered for the course by the Office of Student Research and at that time, tuition will be paid by the OSR.
For questions or more information, please contact:
- Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST Professor and Chair of the Department of Law, Society, & Sustainability
- Laura Nussbaum-Barberena (lnussbaumbarberena@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Office of Student Research and the Policy Research Collaborative
For an informational flier, click here (pdf)
Public Input Requested by 2/7 on Cook County’s Environmental Justice Policy
Cook County’s Department of Environment and Sustainability (DES) is seeking input from the public on the County’s draft environmental justice (EJ) policy. This draft has been co-developed by an EJ internal working group, made up of County employees, and the EJ Community Advisory Committee. Once adopted by the County, the environmental justice policy will help inform and guide programming and policy decision-making across County bureaus and departments.
The deadline for commenting online is 11:59pm on Friday 2/7/25.
“Residents in low to middle income communities across Cook County, particularly communities of color, have been disproportionately impacted by pollution and lack of investment in green infrastructure. This has impacted their quality of life, their health and even life expectancy,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “Creating an environmental justice policy with critical feedback from our residents will allow us to integrate this policy into programs and initiatives ensuring that we are effectively addressing past environmental injustices and working to prevent further injustices.”
Those who live or work in Cook County are encouraged to review the draft EJ policy and share their thoughts. A public input form is available on the DES website until midnight, February 7, 2025.
The County is hosting a series of in-person and virtual town hall events this month. The following town halls have been scheduled:
Tuesday, January 21 | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Niles North High School
9800 North Lawler Ave
Skokie, IL 60077
Wednesday, January 22 | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Cicero Public Library
5225 W Cermak Rd.
Cicero, IL 60804
Monday, January 27 | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
South Suburban College
15800 State St.
South Holland, IL 60473
Wednesday, January 29 | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Virtual – Via Zoom
Click here to register for the Zoom Session
Monday, February 3 | 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Malcolm X College
1900 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60612
- To learn more, review the policy and share your input, please visit:
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/environmental-justice - To register for a town hall, please click here.
- Download copies of the Cook County 2024 Environmental Justice Survey and the 2025 Draft Environmental Justice Policy:
Historically, communities of color and low-income communities have experienced disproportionate environmental burdens. Responding to the compounding effects of environmental inequities and preparing for additional challenges resulting from climate change are crucial aspects of the County’s strategic plan.
The creation of an environmental justice policy was requested in the Cook County COVID-19 Response Plan, the Cook County Equity Fund Taskforce recommendations and in Cook County Board Resolution 23-1092.
Apply for REU Fellowships for Summer 2025
Hey RU students — especially SUST majors and minors . . .
The annual Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has literally hundreds of PAID summer research fellowships in the US that you can search for and apply to. These are well-compensated and you learn a ton doing one of these fellowships as a rising junior or senior.
This REU database is searchable by geographic region, general research area, and keyword. When I did a simple search for “sustainability” I got 50 hits. Check it out!
If you’re wondering, “Have any recent SUST majors got one of these awesome fellowships?” — the answer is yes. Here’s a cool post by Kiera Carpenter (BA in SUST ’24) who completed one of these REUs at the Chgo Botanic Garden in the summer of 2023.
Remember, you can’t get one of these gigs unless you apply!
RU Green Meeting Today 10/7 at 4:30pm
Roosevelt’s student environmental sustainability club RU Green meets *today* Mon 10/7 from 4:30-6pm in room WB 418 at the Chicago Campus.
All RU students are welcome and encouraged to attend!
RU Green’s Mission
RU Green strives to embody Roosevelt’s social justice mission by taking action at the university and around Chicago to help folks understand how various environmental issues can impact their lives. We want to show people how they personally can live in a more sustainable way, advocate for their government and major corporations to do better, and learn and educate themselves/others about the issues our planet and population faces.
RU Green understands the importance of centering any conversation about sustainability around Indigenous peoples, as well as Black, Brown, disabled, and low-income communities since they have been leaders of the climate justice movement, as well as are the most affected by injustices. Climate justice will not be possible without active work to undo the effects of environmental racism and marginalization.
Contact Information
rugreenclub45@gmail.com