Events planned to celebrate Earth Week at UIS

The University of Illinois Springfield will celebrate Earth Week (April 22-29, 2016) 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 campus community.

Friday, April 22 

Earth Day Bike Ride, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Meet at the North entrance to TRAC for a group ride to Chatham along a local bike trail. Bring your own bike or register to reserve a TRAC bike. Co-sponsored by the UIS Bicycle Advisory Committee. Contact Nancy Barrett with questions at nfbarret@uis.edu.

Take Back the Night March & Rally, 8:30 p.m., Colonnade 
Join us for a rally and march to raise awareness of the ways that both women and the earth itself are impacted by violence. Sponsored by the Women’s Center. Contact Lynne Otterson with questions at lotte1@uis.edu.

Tuesday, April 26

Free Electronics Recycling Event, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Bring your old computers, monitors, printers, etc. to the loading dock on the north side of Brookens Library for recycling. A list of acceptable items can be found on the BLH Computers website. Only the items that BLH Computers accept for free will be taken. UIS faculty, staff, and students are welcome to bring items from home. No university property will be accepted. For more information, contact Dave Barrows at dbarr1@uis.edu.

Wednesday, April 27

Earth Week Keynote, 7:30 p.m. Brookens Auditorium 
The UIS Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series presents “Our Turn to Lead: Paving the Way for A Resilient, Secure and Sustainable Future” starting at 7:30 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. The Earth Week keynote address will be delivered by Roger-Mark De Souza, director of population, environmental security, and resilience for the Wilson Center. Focusing on ways we can build our resilience to natural and human-made shocks and stresses by investing in youth, women and communities, De Souza will explore how integrating concepts like women's empowerment, reproductive health, community engagement and food security can lead to better policy and actions that help us cope with adversity.

Thursday, April 28

Earth Week Fair at the Colonnade, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Learn about how you can get involved locally. Representatives from 15 local environmental and outdoors organizations will have tables with information, giveaways, and activities. Come early for free sandwiches and snacks from Head West. Co-sponsored by SAGE. Contact Clair Casper with questions at ccasp2@uis.edu.

Friday, April 29

UIS Community Garden Dedication & Picnic, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Come see the new UIS Community Garden (on the north side of the Shepard House on Shepard Road) and find out how you can get involved. Dedication ceremony, work party, and BBQ with free food. Like us on Facebook for more information. Search for “UIS Community Garden.” Contact Megan Styles with questions at mstyl2@uis.edu.

Earth Week events at UIS are sponsored by the Campus Senate Committee on Sustainability, the ECCE Speaker Series, SAGE, Biology Club, SOFA, WACCI, the UIS Bicycle Advisory Committee, the Women’s Center, Recreational Sports and the Department of Environmental Studies.