Category: Sustainability

Green Up & Clean UP @RU on 9/15

Hey, RU faculty and staff — Start fresh this fall and join your Roosevelt colleagues for Green Up Clean Up Day! This first-ever event @RooseveltU is an opportunity for you and your co-workers to connect, collaborate and clean out your office spaces to make our campuses the best place to work and best possible learning environment for our students. Wear your Roosevelt green, grab some coffee and a snack and get ready to spruce things up for the academic year!

Save the Date!
Green Up Clean Up
Friday, September 15 | Noon – 3 p.m.

During Green Up Clean Up offices are encouraged to:

  • Grab some snacks in AUD320 (Chicago Campus) and SCH616 (Schaumburg Campus)
  • Donate and reallocate unused office supplies (Notepads, pens, Post-Its, markers, folders, etc.). The Dean of Students Office will gather office supplies for students to use.
  • Purge old documents. Speed packs will be available in Ida B. Wells Lounge to deliver documents to a Pro Shred shredder truck on Wabash Ave. Please review our document retention policies.
  • Donate books (Book donation bins will be provided in the libraries on both campuses)
  • Spruce up their personal spaces
  • Recycle electronics

Accepted items: 

  • Computers & Laptops (wiped clean in the process)
  • iPods and MP3 Players
  • Cameras and DVD’s
  • CD, DVD/VCR Players
  • Keyboards and Mice
  • LCD/LED Monitors
  • Printers and Fax Machines
  • Power Cords/Cables
  • Scanners/Copiers
  • Cable Boxes
  • Cell Phones

Items NOT accepted:

  • CRT or Old Tube TV’s
  • Light Bulbs
  • Hazardous Items (Paint)
  • Dehumidifiers
  • White Goods (Washers/Dryers)

Green Up Clean Up will immediately follow the University Senate meeting and start with snacks and refreshments on each campus. Speed packs will be available to move any larger supplies or equipment. If you need some green apparel, Roosevelt t-shirts will be available at the receptions. These hours can be classified as an in-service day for non-exempt workers. Please work with your supervisors to plan accordingly.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Wanted: Sustainability Student Associates for Fall 2023 @RooseveltU

The Department of Law, Society & Sustainability (LSS) @RooseveltU is hiring up to two undergraduate students to work as Sustainability Student Associates for the Fall 2023 semester. Information and application instructions for this position can be found on the RU Student Employment website. To apply, just login to the Handshake job posting system and upload your letter of interest, résumé, and writing sample. These positions are funded by the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program as well as Testa Produce; FWS and non-FWS eligible students are therefore welcome to apply.

These 15 hour/week student positions support the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the Sustainability Studies (SUST) as well as other related programs in the LSS Dept at Roosevelt by

(1) developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the SUST program director; Dept of Law, Society & Sustainability faculty; Operations and Planning admin/staff; and the RU Green student organization;

(2) managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & WB Rooftop Garden;

(3) providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, especially our ongoing efforts at strategic sustainability planning;

(4) coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., Campus Sustainability Month in October, SUST Symposia, & Earth Month in April);

(5) supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;

(6) performing alumni and community outreach.

In 2023-24, up to two Student Associates will work under the direction of the LSS Dept Chair and SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson. Associates will utilize the RUSLab in AUD 526 as their home base at the Chicago Campus as well as perform some work remotely. Both FWS eligible and non-eligible students from any major are welcome to apply, but priority in hiring will be given to FWS students who are based in the programs of the new Department of Law, Society & Sustainability within the new College of Humanities, Education & Social Sciences (formerly the College of Arts & Sciences).

The application deadline is Friday 9/15/23. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted starting the week of 8/29/23. Consequently, interested students should get their applications submitted ASAP and may contact Prof. Bryson in advance to indicate their intention to apply and ask questions about the position. A cover letter, updated résumé, and writing sample are required for the application.

The writing sample should be at least 1000 words and should demonstrates your writing & research skills (this may be a paper submitted for a college class). Topic related to sustainability and/or the environment is recommended, but not required. This should be something that demonstrates your *best* writing, and not overly technical.

Please note your FWS eligibility status in your cover letter. Applicants should explain their interest in advancing campus sustainability as well as highlight their prior knowledge about and/or skills in relevant sustainability issues and practices (e.g., recycling, gardening, event planning, data analysis, student outreach, etc.)

  • Priority Majors: Criminal Justice, Economics, English, International Studies, Paralegal Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Social Justice Studies, Sociology, and Sustainability Studies. Students from other majors will also be considered.
  • Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability, strong work ethic, and ability to work independently.

Please email Prof. Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) for questions about the position or application process.

Wanna Learn More ’bout Sustainability? Here’s 10 Ways You Can this Fall @RooseveltU

Let’s be real, shall we? A world rocked by climate change, toxic pollution, devastated biodiversity, and persistent environmental injustice demands change. The folks in charge? While some have their hearts in the right place, and others even know full well there’s a crisis ongoing around us that demands immediate action, the fact is they’re not getting it done.

So who is going to do it? Who’s going to actually get off their duffs, get us out of collective fossil-fuel guzzling garbage-spewing junk-food-eating rut, and create healthy sustainable future for people and the planet? Everyone has a stake in this, of course, particularly the current generation of college students (of all ages). Here @RooseveltU, creating a sustainable future isn’t just a cool and fun thing to do with like-minded folks (though it certainly is); it’s an obligation mandated by our social justice mission.

Education, experiential learning, and activism are key parts of the struggle to create a truly sustainable planet (not to mention college campus), and that’s where SUST courses come in. RU students should look over the Fall 2023 schedule using this Coursefinder, (2) check the remaining course requirements in Degree Works, and (3) email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register. Click on selected titles below for detailed course previews!

Sustainability Studies courses still open for enrollment this Fall 2023:

  • SUST 101 Humans & Nature (TTh 11am-12:15pm, Ideas, Prof. Bryson)
  • SUST 210 Sustainable Future (M 9:30-12pm, EXL, Staff)
  • SUST 220 Water (Th 2-4:30pm, EXL, Prof. Bryson)
  • SUST 230 Food (W 2-4:30pm, Staff)
  • SUST 240 Waste (online, 8/28-10/21, Prof. Jones)
  • SUST 261 Writing for Non-Profits (TTh 2-3:15pm, EXL, Prof. Blancato)
  • SUST 320 Sprawl, Transportation & Planning (online, Prof. Gerberich)
  • SUST 330 Biodiversity (Field Museum, Th 9am-1pm, EXL, Prof. Kerbis; see course preview)
  • SUST 362 Climate, Cities & Justice (W 2-4:30pm, Prof. Farmer)
  • SUST 390 Environmental Crime (MW 12:30-1:45pm, Prof. Green)

Ideas = Ideas of Social Justice course (CORE gen ed credit)
EXL = Experiential Learning course (ditto)

For additional useful info, see this Advising Resources page on Prof. Mike Bryson’s faculty website as well as this Registration page on the RU website.

Students of SUST 250 Sustainable University (April 2022) after their team presentations of campus sustainability projects

Green Landscape Technology Virtual Town Hall (Th 7/20)

As a manual reel mower and old-fashioned rake kind of guy, I’m keen to see non-polluting landscaping and yard care technology become a cutting-edge trend. (Get it? I know — lame dad joke.)

It’s not just that the loud noise and choking fumes from these infernal contraptions (mowers, week-whackers, and the worst of the worst, leaf blowers) are annoying if not intolerable, which they are. Consider the startling and sobering fact that gasoline-powered lawn and garden engines (GLGE), along with other non-road engines, account for 5% of GHG emissions in the US, according to the EPA. That 2015 study also noted that:

In 2011, approximately 26.7 million tons of pollutants were emitted by GLGE (VOC=461,800; CO=5,793,200; NOx=68,500, PM10=20,700; CO2=20,382,400), accounting for 24%−45% of all nonroad gasoline emissions. Gasoline-powered landscape maintenance equipment (GLME; leaf blowers/vacuums, and trimmers, edgers, brush cutters) accounted for 43% of VOCs and around 50% of fine PM.

We don’t have to accept this as the status quo, though. Join folks from the Urban Efficiency Group and the Cross Community Climate Collaborative for a virtual town hall this Th 7/20 to hear about green technology for landscape maintenance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GLT Virtual Town Hall Flyer 2023-07-20

Learn about Sustainability Careers with the Chicago Wilderness Alliance (Fri 6/16)

Emerging and Intergenerational Thought Leaders: Introducing Professional Opportunities and Uplifting Your Voices on Topics Around Sustainability

Friday, June 16, 2023
2:00 PM CST Register for Zoom link
At this Chicago Wilderness online café we will introduce professionals and their pathways, opportunities in the industry, and talk about the current understanding of climate protection, sustainability, and equity. We will be challenging societal norms an aiming to redefine how we engage with society through this new narrative of sustainability solidarity.

This café session will introduce the concepts of our systematic approach to sustainability and then engage participants in a polling activity to identify regional key focus areas for an intergenerational sustainability action plan.We encourage registrants to complete a survey about your priorities as an emerging conservation professional.

For additional info, contact Laura Reilly (laura.reillycw@gmail.com)

5wk Online Summer Course: SUST 101 Humans & Nature

Hey there, RU students! Looking for an Ideas of Social Justice course to take this summer to make progress on your CORE gen ed requirements? Here’s a great option: a 5-week fully online seminar, SUST 101 Humans & Nature, taught by Prof. Mike Bryson of the Sustainability Studies Program at Roosevelt from 5/30 to 7/10.

SUST students explore Northerly Island, March 2023
SUST students explore Northerly Island, March 2023

To register for this class: please visit RU’s Registration page for info and contact your academic advisor for your summer (and fall!) registration code(s). You can find the name of your advisor in Degree Works.

SUST 101 (CRN 31950) features interactive online discussions on Bb and three self-directed “nature outings,” wherever you are, that give you a great excuse to get outside and enjoy summertime while earning credit for this unique learning experience. For more information on that, just email Prof B (mbryson@roosevelt.edu).

Detailed info for those who want to learn more:

This summer 2023 section of SUST 101 Humans & Nature takes place fully online on a compressed five-week calendar from 5/30 to 7/10. We’ll be using the virtual learning environment of Blackboard (hereafter referred to as “Bb,” for short). The key thing to understand about online courses, like this one, is that they’re interactive — just as my on-campus students read assignments, write papers, construct arguments, do research, and come to class to engage in lively discussion, so too will you share ideas and interact in virtual time. Bb gives us the web-based tools to do just that.

For the vast majority of our interaction, we’ll use threaded discussion forums, which are asynchronous (i.e., not in real time) means of communicating, to exchange ideas and materials on a weekly basis. Reading and posting to the discussion board is like coming to class, except that you can do it any time of day throughout a given week.

Learning Objectives

Students who complete SUST 101 successfully should be able to:

  • Understand how different individuals, whether political theorists, philosophers, artists, activists, scientists, and/or writers, have characterized the relationship between themselves and nature (and, more broadly, between the human species and the non-human environment)
  • Appreciate the complexity of the physical and biological world, and understand the various impacts humans have upon local and global ecosystems
  • Draw connections between their own life experiences as they evaluate and expand upon their understandings of the texts of this course
  • Articulate ways in which the course themes embody or illuminate ideas of social and environmental justice
  • Demonstrate skills in foundational academic skills: close analysis of texts, idea-centered dialogue, and essay writing
  • Become a better communicator by honing one’s writing and discussion skills, using words powerfully and strategically, and gaining confidence in the mastery of these skills

SUST Program Learning Objectives addressed in SUST 101:

  • Understand the relationships among social justice, environmental justice, and corporate social responsibility; and analyze sustainability issues in light of this ethical framework.
  • Apply knowledge about sustainability to areas of personal, educational, and/or professional interest through applied research, community service, environmental activism, project management, or related activities.

Required Textbook

The selections in our textbook comprise the bulk of our assigned readings for this semester. It is available in print from the RU bookstore as well as a free e-book from the RU library. Make a note of the ISBN # so you get the correct edition when ordering. Additional reading selections will be available to you on our course Blackboard (Bb) site.

Deming, Alison, and Lauret Savoy, eds. The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World. 2011. Milkweed Editions. Paper. ISBN 9781571313195.

Requirements and Key Assignments

This class is five weeks in duration (running from 6/1 through 7/5) and has a distinct weekly rhythm. Required readings will include selections from our assigned textbook, supplemented by assorted websites related to each week’s topic, student-selected readings and videos, and/or other documents (usually pdfs) available in the Readings section of our Bb site. Key course requirements include:

  • Class Participation: regular and engaged participation during our weekly online discussions of assigned readings
  • Discussion Leadership: an assigned week during which you select and lead discussion on one selection from our anthology (this is on top of your regular class participation for that week)
  • Nature Outings: three self-directed nature excursions (30 minutes or more) in which you observe and experience nature in whatever context is appealing and available to you, then post your reflections about it on the DB
  • Creative Nature Essay: a 4-5 page paper that creatively engages and explores your relationship with the natural world, as well as critically reflects upon two of our course readings

Elevate Your Education & Beautify RU’s Campus this Summer 2023 in SUST 390 Rooftop Garden

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

  • Title/number: SUST 390 Rooftop Garden (section 10)
  • Semester offered: Summer 2023 (from May 30 thru Aug 14)
  • Location: Chicago Campus
  • Day/time: Online learning commences 5/30, with garden workdays and field trips to selected urban farms/green rooftops in the Chicago region scheduled by the instructor according to students’ availability
  • Pre-req: ENG 102

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

RU Alumni Scott Rosenzweig & Jeff Kressman: Starting ESG Core Advisors LLC

Corporate/Industrial ESG — Operations, Management, and Organizational Culture
RU Alumni Scott Rosenzweig, MBA ’98, Founder and CEO of ESG Core Advisors (LinkedIn profile) and Jeff Kressman, MSMC ’83, VP Marketing of ESG Core Advisors (LinkedIn profile)

This Tuesday 4/25 at 5pm CST, please join us for our third virtual Master Class on the relations between sustainability business, when we host Mr. Scott Rosenzweig (MBA ’96), Sustainability Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of ESG Core Advisors, and sustainability consultant/strategist for mid-market companies seeking to integrate sustainability into their mission and operations. As a proud 1996 alum of RU’s Heller College of Business, Scott is highly engaged with our university in various capacities, notably serving on the HCB Advisory Board and mentoring business students as they seek out their career pathways.

Scott is a dynamic and engaging speaker who will share his compelling personal story of business and management success as well as why and how he started ESG Core Advisors to help transform and inspire corporations to lead us toward a sustainable future.

Joining Scott is his colleague and fellow RU alum Jeff Kressman (MSMC ’83), VP Marketing of ESG Core Advisors.

Zoom Login Info:

https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/99002167623?pwd=Q3VKdndzVE1RdndEOTQzVUNpNVdZdz09
Meeting ID: 990 0216 7623
Password: 871074

This Earth Month 2023 @RooseveltU on Tuesdays we explore different aspects of the critical role of sustainability in today’s business world. Distinguished RU alumni from the Colleges of Business and Arts & Sciences are giving special guest presentations each Tuesday 5-6pm CST, in Prof. Jennifer Muryn’s MGMT 390 Contemporary Topics in Business online class. These SUST + MGMT alumni talks are open to the RU and Resilience Studies Consortium community via Zoom. Please join us!

Earth Week 2023 Action @RooseveltU!

It’s Earth Week 2023 @RooseveltU! Students in the RU Green club and the SUST 210 Sustainable Future course have a whole bunch of cool stuff planned today 4/19 through Fri 4/12. Please attend and spread the word!

Wed 4/19 from 5-6:30pm (WB 1111) — Powerlands film screening: Join RU Green for a viewing of the documentary Powerlands, in which a “young Navajo filmmaker investigates displacement of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies that have exploited the land where she was born.” A short discussion will follow the film, and snacks will be provided!

 

Th 4/20 from 11am-1pm (WB 5th Floor Fitness Center) — WB Rooftop Garden Clean-up (waiver required; see below). Get some fresh air and your nails dirty by helping to clean up the garden and prepare it for the spring planting season!

Th 4/20 from 11:30am-1pm (WB Dining Center) — Ice Cream Social! Calling all Roosevelt Students! We need your help spreading the word about LakersDay. Come to the LakersDay Ice Cream Social on Thursday, April 20, take a picture in our photo booth, and post to social media using the #rulakersday. You will receive $20 in LakersDay bucks to place in the college fund of your choice.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is lakersday-ice-cream-social-2023.png

Th 4/20 from 12:30-1:45pm (WB 616 / Dining Center) — Students in SUST 210 Sustainable Future are staging two good-old-fashioned environmental happenings as part of the WorldWide Teach-In for Climate & Justice. A team focused on the sustainability in our Dining Center will be staffing an info/outreach table in the caf, while six other teams will present a provocative series of lightning talks on Athletics, Environmental Justice, Food, Transportation, Waste, and Water!

Join us in WB 616 as well as on Zoom for those presentations, and check out these other RU Green-sponsored Earth Week activities and events. Zoom link: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/92892253109

RU Student Waivers are required for all participants in the Th Rooftop Garden clean-up and the Eden Place community service field trip.

  • Please return a signed pdf version to Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) and to RU Green president Natalie Seitz (nseitz@mail.roosevelt.edu).
  • Waiver document: ru-green-travel-waiver-forms-2023april (pdf)

For more info, email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST 210 Instructor and Dedicated Composter, and/or Natalie Seitz (nseitz@mail.roosevelt.edu), RU Green president. Keep using those green bins for your banana peels!

Celebrate Earth Month by Documenting the World’s Biodiversity! 4/13 through 4/16 online & @ the Field Museum
Dear community scientists!
 
You are receiving this email because you registered and/or kindly participated in a prior WeDigBio event, Meet a Scientist, Members Night, etc. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you will find instructions to unsubscribe after our signatures.
 
Be a part of a global effort to digitize centuries of data about life on Earth! Organisms may include ferns, fungi, mosses, lichens, insects, and mammals. Participants will have an opportunity to meet scientists and join in behind-the-scenes tours or talks about the significance of the scientific collections!
 
WeDigBio will be held online daily from Thursday, April 13th – Sunday, April 16th.
 
The Field Museum is kindly welcoming a small group of volunteers to work in-person to assist with the curation process of the botanical collections. This opportunity is on a first-come, first-served basis so please fill out the registration form below. NOTE: The Field Museum will not be offering free parking at this time, only free admission. If you are a docent/volunteer with the museum, you will still be able to use your badge for parking at the West Lot. We are sorry for the inconvenience!
 
To register for this event, please click here.
 
WeDigBio is ideal for teens aged 15+ and adults. However, families are welcome as it is a great opportunity for all age groups to work together.
 
For educators with classes, please contact us directly.
 
Details for all WeDigBio days:
  • A Zoom link will be emailed the day before each session starts regardless if you are participating online or in-person.
  • Check-in will start at 9:30am CDT (10:30am EDT/8:30am MDT/7:30am PDT) whether you are volunteering online or in-person.
  • For in-person volunteering at the Field Museum, volunteers will be checked in at the East Entrance of the museum and must be masked when behind-the-scenes – in compliance with Museum policy.
  • Each event will begin at 10:00am CDT until 1:00pm CDT (11:00am–2:00pm EDT/9:00am–1:00pm MDT/8:00am–12:00pm PDT).
    • Talks and behind-the-scenes tours will be scattered throughout.
Thank you everyone for considering participating in this event!
 
The WeDigBio Team
Matt, Jessica, Miranda, and Yarency

Questions? Reach out to:

Matt von Konrat, Ph.D., FLS

Head of Botanical Collections, Gantz Family Collections Center

Adjunct Curator & McCarter Collections Manager (Bryophytes & Pteridophytes)

pronouns: he/him/his

O: 312.665.7864

 

Field Museum

1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Chicago, IL 60605

fieldmuseum.org