UIS Earth Week 2015 events announced

The University of Illinois Springfield will celebrate Earth Week (April 20-24, 2015) with a variety of events designed to educate students, faculty, staff, and the community about the environment. All of the events listed below are free and open to the public.

Monday, April 20 

ECCE Speaker Series: “Connecting Food, Climate Change and Environmental Advocacy: Lessons from Indigenous Peoples' Climate Justice Movements” 
Kyle Powys Whyte, the Timnick Humanities Chair at Michigan State University’s Department of Philosophy, will speak at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. He will discuss how people's relations to food can obscure their awareness of how their actions affect the ecosystems on which they depend. Globally, food justice movements are becoming increasingly connected to climate justice movements given how climate change will affect the food system. These movements offer lessons for how food can serve as a powerful connector of people interested in taking action to address climate change. The presentation will be followed by a catered reception.

Tuesday, April 21

Free Electronics Recycling Event 
The UIS Senate Committee on Sustainability, in conjunction with BLH Computers, is hosting a FREE Electronics Recycling event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will receive items on the north side of Brookens Library, at the loading dock on the first floor level. Visit the BLH Computers web site (http://blhcomputers.com/recycling/) for a complete list of items that will be accepted for free recycling. This list includes: desktop and laptop computers, LCD monitors, printers, keyboards, mice and cables, LCD & Plasma TVs, DVDs, etc.

Wednesday, April 22 

SAGE Earth Day Picnic 
Join the members of Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE), a UIS student group, for an Earth Day Picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the UIS quad. Play games, relax and enjoy a sandwich or cookie from Cafe Moxo, or simply drop off your clean plastic bags and clean containers with lids, which will be donated to St. John's Breadline. The picnic is the perfect place to learn more about Earth Day and what SAGE does to promote environmental awareness on the UIS campus and in Springfield.

ECCE Speaker Series: “Greening Broadway” 
In an Earth Day keynote presentation, Donyale Werle, a Brooklyn, NY based theatrical set designer, will speak about her efforts to promote sustainability in the performing arts community and beyond. The event starts at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. Werle won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for Peter and the Starcatcher in 2012. She constructed the entire Act II set from 100% recycled materials. A member of the Broadway Green Alliance, Werle is a passionate sustainability advocate whose efforts to promote upcycling, recycling, and sustainable sourcing pave the way for both a greener Broadway and a greener society overall. The presentation will be followed by a catered reception.

Friday, April 24 

Arbor Day Tree Planting Ceremony
Join the UIS Grounds Maintenance Department and the Sustainability Committee for a ceremonial tree planting in honor of both Earth Week and Arbor Day at 10:30 a.m. near the UIS campus pond (next to the UIS Police Station). The tree will be dedicated to the university’s on-going commitment to creating a greener and more sustainable campus.

Earth Week events at UIS are sponsored by the Campus Senate Committee on Sustainability, the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series, the College of Public Affairs and Administration, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education & Human Services, Students Allied for a Greener Earth (SAGE), Biology Club, Sangamon Auditorium UIS, the Environmental Studies Department, and the Art, Music, and Theatre Department.

For more information on Earth Week events, contact Megan Styles, assistant professor of Environmental Studies, at 217/206-8580 or mstyl2@uis.edu.