Category: Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability Committee Meets on 12/13 @4:30pm

RU’s Environmental Sustainability Committee will convene virtually on Monday 12/13 from 4:30-6pm for an open discussion of campus sustainability projects, issues, concerns, and goals. We will get an update on a recent student sustainability forum held on 11/29, share information with each other from across departments, and identify potential projects and initiatives for the Spring 2022 semester.

The ESC is an open committee that welcomes participation across colleges and departments from all members of the RU community: students, faculty, staff, administration, and alumni. Of special focus this year is the updating of our 2015-20 Strategic Sustainability Plan. We also are pleased to report that Roosevelt’s membership in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides anyone with an active RU email address full access to AASHE’s online resources.

Hope to see you there on 12/13! If you cannot attend, please take a moment to email any ideas, questions, and/or suggestions to the ESC (see contact info below).

Zoom info: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/94378920390

RSVP / questions / suggestions to Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Dept. of Sociology & Sustainability, CAS

Eden Place Founder Michael Howard Addresses the Resilience Studies Consortium on Environmental Justice

Mr. Michael Howard, CEO and co-founder of Eden Place Farms and Nature Center in Chicago IL, will address the Roosevelt and Resilience Studies Consortium (RSC) communities on Tuesday, 26 Oct 2021, at 11am CST on the topic of “Sustaining Environmental Justice in a Pandemic.” Please join the faculty and students of SUST 350 Service & Sustainability at Roosevelt University and ENVS 397 Environmental Justice at Western Colorado University as they host Mr. Howard’s virtual presentation and a Q&A session. This presentation is made possible by the generous funding of the RSC — thank you!

Michael Howard’s life passion is to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Fuller Park community on Chicago’s South Side, both financially and environmentally. As Founder and CEO of the Fuller Park Community Development (FPCD) organization in the 1990s, he has worked to address housing, education, and environmental issues that have kept this generally African American and low-income community in poverty and disrepair.

In the late 1990s, Michael and his wife Amelia Howard led the effort to clean up a three-acre vacant lot near their Fuller Park residence that was piled two stories high with illegally dumped waste. With help from many in the community, the site was cleared of debris and restored into a thriving green space called Eden Place — still the only nature center on the entire South Side of Chicago. In the early 2010s, Eden Place opened its farm operation about a half-mile south of the nature center. They host community events, market their produce to local restaurants and farmers markets, and provide ecology, urban farming, and nutrition workshops to citizens of Fuller Park and beyond.

Since 2014, students in Roosevelt University’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class have volunteered one morning a week in a multi-year service project at Eden Place, helping with farm chores, repairing and painting structures, building trails, planting and harvesting crops, and organizing events to support the organization’s mission. In return, Eden Place has taught them much about the process and importance of community organizing, the rigors of urban environmental conservation and farming, and the challenges of fostering sustainability and community resilience in this era of social and economic stress.

Zoom Login Info:

Topic: Michael Howard on Environmental Justice for RSC
Time: Oct 26, 2021 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/97714968242
Meeting ID: 977 1496 8242

For More Information:

Contact Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Professor & Director of Sustainability Studies, Roosevelt University

The Resilience Studies Consortium, of which Roosevelt is a charter member, is a network of small liberal arts Institutions dedicated to sustainability and community resilience, place-based educational experiences, and shared academic and co-curricular offerings in ways that empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

SUST 350 Students Organize Concert & Fun Fest @ Eden Place Farm (Fri 10/15) & Nature Center (Sat 10/16)

Dear RU community — The students of Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class have dedicated this past week to planning two pop-up events to help our longtime community partner non-profit org, Eden Place Nature Center and Farm, survive and thrive in these difficult pandemic times.

  • Friday 10/15 Music! “Farm Aid” benefit concert (6:30pm, doors open at 6pm) to save Eden Place Farms (live in person at 4911 S. Shields Ave., Chicago). Live concert is free to attend in person, with suggested donation and mandatory vax proof; make any online donation for livestream access.
  • Saturday 10/16 Family Fun! “Family Fun Fest” event at the Nature Center the following day, Sat 10/16, from 12-4pm to connect with the community and help raise funds. Details below.

Here’s how you can help with Saturday’s Fun Fest!

Where: Eden Place Nature Center (4417 S. Stewart Ave.) — 10min walk from the 47th St station on the Red Line, or EP staff can pick you up at the station if needed

When: Set up from 9:00am-12:00pm , event at 12:00pm-4:00pm , clean-up 4:00pm-5:00pm

What: Looking for at least 1-2 people to manage the raffle/pumpkin pick-up booth and a wristband seller at the entrance during 12-4pm event. Also looking for raffle donations from local businesses, saleable clothing items and/or plants in small pots.

Activities: Train ride and pumpkin/plant pot painting (wristband activities), bake sale, raffle, thrift and houseplant sale, and free games such as jumbo Jenga, basketball, cornhole, etc.

RU Contact People:

  • Alyssa Spleha (aspleha@mail.roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 student event organizer (main student contact for volunteering at event)
  • Gabriel Gonzalez (ggonzalez25@mail.roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 student thrift sale organizer (for dropping off gently used clothing @WB today or Friday)
  • Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 prof (for general questions)

Eden Place Contact Person:

  • Michael Howard (michaelhow@msn.com), Eden Place executive director and co-founder

If you have some time this week to contribute to this effort, please get in touch with Alyssa or Gabriel to find out how you can help and discuss logistics. The most pressing need is for a couple extra people to help work the entrance and booths at the Fest. However, if you can bring some clean articles of clothing to WB for the thrift sale, that’d be great too. Sorry about the short notice, but we’re doing the best we can on a tight deadline!

All off-campus volunteers would need to complete the RU Travel Waiver Form. Return to me (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) prior to the event. 350-98 RU Waiver Forms 2021Fall.pdf

Peace and thanks to all,
The SUST 350 Service / Eden Place Team

Help Save Eden Place Farms! Benefit Concert this Friday 10/15

Dear lovers of good music and supporters of urban agriculture in Chicago: this Friday 10/15 at Eden Place Farms, local musicians Wyatt Waddell and Headed Home will perform at 6:30pm in a livestreamed benefit concert. Located in the heart of the Fuller Park community at 4911 S. Shields Ave., Eden Place Farms is an iconic family-run urban farm on Chicago’s South Side.

To view the concert and support Eden Place, please make a donation at this link. After your donation, you will receive a link for the livestream event. No donation is too small! If you prefer your live music in person, admission is free and donations are accepted/encouraged; just be sure to bring your mask and proof of vaccination. Doors open at 6pm at the Farm.

The story of Eden Place is as inspiring as it is improbable. Eden Place Nature Center was founded on the site of an illegal waste dump by community activists Michael and Amelia Howard, who built a Nature Center in the late 90s and established their Farm about 15 years later. Eden Place has been a longstanding community hub and green oasis in the Fuller Park neighborhood, and is seeking to raise money to help recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and continue its mission to provide fresh organic produce and environmental education to its community. Though it has experienced setbacks this past year, Eden Place is a resilient and high-impact institution known throughout the US and beyond for its urban conservation work here in Chicago.

Roosevelt University has deep ties to Eden Place, as well. Since 2014, RU students each fall semester have worked onsite at the Nature Center and Farm through Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class. Students from all walks of life learn what it’s like to work on an urban farm and in return provide their labor and ideas to the staff at Eden Place in a process of reciprocal learning and cooperation. This summer of 2021, five student interns with the Mansfield Institute’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement program have worked 10 hours per week at Eden Place helping to cultivate and harvest crops, build and repair structures, and work productively as a team. We in the Sustainability Studies program at RU are grateful to have Eden Place as a community partner and look forward to many more years of collaboration.

Thanks to the Roosevelt students of SUST 350 for helping organize this concert, and to everyone reading this for all for your past support of Eden Place! Please spread the word to everyone you know who appreciates healthy food and good music.

SUST 350 students help build a hoop house at Eden Place Farms, Fall 2019 (M. Bryson)
SUST 350 students harvest veggies, Sept 2021 (M. Bryson)

Apply Now for SUST Work-Study Opportunities for 2021-22

The Sustainability Studies Program @RooseveltU is hiring up to three undergraduate students to work as Sustainability Student Associates for the Fall 2021 semester. Information and application instructions for this part-time position can be found on Student Employment website: to apply, just login to the Handshake job posting system and upload your letter of interest, résumé, and writing sample.

The application deadline as been extended to Friday 10/08/21 and interviews will be conducted the following week via Zoom. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. A cover letter, updated résumé, and writing sample (which can be paper written for an RU class) are required for the application. 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.)

Desired Majors: Sustainability Studies, Sociology, or Biology preferred; however, all majors will be considered.

Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability and strong work ethic.

Scope of Duties: This $15/hour FWS student position will work at the Chicago Campus as well as remotely to support the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the SUST Program at Roosevelt by the following (other duties as assigned):

  • developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the program director, department faculty, operations and planning staff, and the RU Green student organization;
  • providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, both on- and off-campus;
  • supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;
  • coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., Campus Sustainability Month [October], SUST Symposia, & Earth Month);
  • performing current student and alumni outreach;
  • serving as the primary student liaison between the SUST Program and the university community in the advancement of RU’s 2015-2020 Strategic Sustainability Plan;
  • managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & WB Rooftop Garden

Student Associates will work closely with the SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson, and utilize the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab at the Chicago Campus as their home base. Funding for the position is provided by federal work-study funds.

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

Earth Week 2021 @RooseveltU

This April is #RUEarthMonth2021, 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 to hearing from SUST alumni to joining fellow students in RU Green’s activities. All events are virtual and detailed information can be found in the various links below!

Mon 4/19 thru Mon 5/3 — Spring 2021 Student Research and Creative Scholarship Symposium: week-long event featuring a mix of live sessions, poster presentations and pre-recorded oral & performance studies presentations. Student presentations will be posted on the site during RSRS week. Register for sessions ahead of time (not required) to receive a link to add the event to your calendar.

Mon 4/19 thru Th 4/22 — RU Green Earth Week Activities for students, including an Environmental Success meeting (Mon), Day in Nature (Tue), and Planting & Good Vibes (Th).

Tues 4/20 — Nature, Love, & the Healing Wilderness: a talk by author and naturalist Tom Fleischner, sponsored by Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 101 Humans & Nature class and the Resilience Studies Consortium (3-4:15pm).

Th 4/22 Earth Day — RU Alumni Talk Sustainability: two panel sessions, each featuring five SUST alumni talking about the sustainability work they do in their jobs, communities, and personal lives, as well as reflecting on the meaning of Earth Day (1pm and 6pm).

Th 4/29 — SUST Alumni Talk Grad School: join recent SUST alumni as they recount their process of researching, selecting, and applying to a graduate program; what their time in graduate school has been like; and how their RU education prepared them for graduate study (5-6pm).

Throughout April — 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!

Earth Day 4/22: RU Alumni Talk Sustainability

This Earth Day, April 22nd, join alumni of Roosevelt’s Sustainability Studies (SUST) program as they talk about the sustainability work they do in their jobs, communities, and personal lives, as well as reflect on the meaning of Earth Day. Since its founding in 2010 as the Chicago area’s first sustainability-focused bachelor’s degree, the SUST program’s more than 100 alumni have pursued a wide variety of career pathways, community and environmental service projects, and creative endeavors.

Please join Dr. Mike Bryson, Professor and Director of Sustainability Studies in Roosevelt’s College of Arts & Sciences, as he hosts two virtual roundtable conversations on Earth Day with SUST alumni. Learn about how sustainability plays a role in their current jobs, get inspired by their service and activism, and engage in thoughtful discussion about the state of the world in 2021 and its sustainable future. Two roundtables are scheduled: the first at 1pm and the second at 6pm (both CST), each featuring different alumni. All members of the RU community are welcome to attend one or both!

— REGISTER HERE for these Zoom events —

Moderator: Dr. Mike Bryson, Professor and Director of Sustainability Studies, Roosevelt University’s College of Arts & Sciences

Alumni Participants – 1 PM Session

  • Maria Cancilla (BPS ’18), Garden Educator
  • Karen Craig (BA ’15), Manager of Retail & Visitor Experience at Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
  • Reece Krishnan (BA ’16), Energy Specialist at Franklin Energy Services
  • Tiffany Mucci-Heitman (BPS ’16), Licensed Massage Therapist and Freelance Writer
  • Emily Rhea (BA ’16), Project Manager and Energy Analyst at Eco Achievers

Alumni Participants – 6 PM Session

  • Zarakyah Ahmadiel (BPS ’13), Restorative Practices Coordinator for Blocks Together / Cameron Elementary School
  • Jessie Crow Mermel (BPS ’12), Marketing & Development Assistant at Severson Dells Nature Center; On-farm Educator at Angelic Organics Learning Center
  • Stephanie Eisner (BA ’13), Program Manager & Philanthropic Advisor at Caerus Foundation
  • Diana Ramirez (BA ’17), Roving Forest Corps Leader at Student Conservation Association (Americorps)
  • MeLissa Tate (BA ’18), Corporate Sustainability Specialist at Ferrara Candy Co.

“Climate Warriors” Film & Discussion on Mon 12/7 with RU Green

The Roosevelt sustainability student organzation, RU Green, is hosting a showing of the documentary Climate Warriors on Monday, December 7th, at 5 pm. This film follows many stories of climate injustices around the world and shows what people are doing to combat these atrocities. Following the documentary will be a short discussion about the climate justice movement.

All RU community members are welcome to attend! To register for the event please go to https://linktr.ee/rugreen so RU Green organizers can get a rough headcount of attendees and work out final logistics. RU Green will email responders a link on the day of the event. For more info, contact RU Green president Sophia Gallo (sgallo01@mail.roosevelt.edu).


RU Green-Climate Warriors Event 2020-12-07 (Flier)

Service Project Info for SUST 350 (Fall 2020)

Hey, SUST 350 students! One of the unique experiential learning (EXL) features of our online section of SUST 350 Service & Sustainability is that you get to determine what your individual service project is for the Fall 2020 semester. This is your chance to contribute to the sustainability efforts of an organization you care about that is advancing sustainability and/or enhancing resilience within in your home or neighboring community, in the city of Chicago, here at Roosevelt University, or even beyond the borders of the Chicago region. It also serves as an analog to the on-site service work at Eden Place Nature Center and Farm performed during the last several years by students in past F2F versions of this course.

So what counts as a suitable project in this context? And what do we mean by community-based sustainability work? You will address these questions from the perspective of your own personal/academic knowledge and background, work and educational experience, personal interests, geographic range/limitations, and personal/family safety considerations here in the Covid-19 era.

My own general answer as the SUST 350 instructor is that there are a wide variety of service projects you can undertake, whether in person or remotely, as long as they contribute in some form or fashion to the advancement of any one or combination of the Three Es of sustainability within a given community — environment, economy, and/or equity — which in turn impact the resilience of that community.

For more detailed information on the service project component of our class, check out this document: 350 Service Project Info 2020Fall (pdf)