Category Archives: IWU in Action

Sustainability projects and progress on campus.

Stop Paying to Truck Water to Campus

Offices in Holmes Hall and The Ames Library will be ending contracts for Culligan bottled water and will instead make use of hydration stations. A station is already installed in Ames, while savings from the terminated contract will be used to install one or two stations for filtered drinking water in Holmes Hall.

The GREENetwork and Sierra Student Coalition urge other campus offices to consider conserving both costs and environmental resources by making use of filtered tap water.

Tap into WaterAid 

Monday-Tuesday, April 21-22

Memorial Center Dugout and Lobby, State Farm Hall

Wednesday, April 23
The Ames Library

Students from Health 280: Perspectives in International Health are raising money and awareness to bring safe water and sanitation to millions of people in need through the organization WaterAid. 

To donate and learn more about WaterAid, visit their tables in the Dugout from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or the State Farm Hall Lobby from 1-3 p.m. on Monday or Tuesday, April 21-22, or at The Ames Library from 2-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23.

Students Attend Environmental Lobby Day

Nine Illinois Wesleyan students attended the Lobby Day sponsored by Illinois Environmental Council (IEC)  on Thursday, April 3. Students attended a training prior to the event and lobbied their representatives and senators on select environmental bills.
Ellen Cornelius ’14, an ES intern with the IEC this semester, helped organize the group from IWU. Other attendees were:
Mackenzie Rivkin ’14
Hannah Scatterday ’17
Kahri Jung ’16
Nicole Chlebek ’16
Dana Rotz ’14
Cameron McKee ’17
Amanda King ’15
Kirsten Slaughter ’16
Environmental Studies Coordinator Laurine Brown 
Director of Government and Community Relations Carl Teichman

Invitation to Lobby Day for Environmental Issues – April 3 in Springfield

Ellen Cornelius is a senior Environmental Studies major who is currently interning with Illinois Environmental Council and is helping to organize the following event (including helping organize transportation). See contact information below and consider attending.

Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) is holding its
Lobby day on 
Thursday, April 3 in Springfield

Hello! I’d like to tell you about an exciting opportunity for those of you passionate about environmental issues and public policy. The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) is holding their Lobby day on Thursday, April 3 in Springfield. Lobby day is a chance for constituents to come to the Capitol and tell legislators you want your environment protected. It is the IEC’s biggest day of the year because they make the largest gains on environmental legislation.

If you want to meet legislators and experience first-hand environmental policy happening RIGHT NOW in Illinois, you should definitely go. This is an all day event, but I am sure your professors would understand you missing one class to fulfill your civic duty! Even if you do not have experience with lobbying, the IEC trains you on what to say and how to say it. The IEC will also reimburse you for transportation costs to Springfield. If we get enough students, we may take a bus down.

If you want to learn about the issues we will be lobbying for, or know more about IEC, go to this link: http://ilenviro.org/register-for-lobby-day-2014/. Please feel free to contact me, Ellen Cornelius (IWU Environmental Studies Intern for  Illinois Environmental Council) for more information: ecorneli@iwu.edu. 

This will be a fun, action-packed day where you will be able to meet so many important players in the environmental arena.

Thanks everyone!
Ellen Cornelius

Water Conservation

The City of Bloomington Water Department reports that U.S. Drought Monitor continues to rate McLean County as being in a moderate drought, and declining levels in the city’s two reservoirs have triggered action. Voluntary water conservation efforts are encouraged. Read more.

Among its goals for the year, the GREENetwork has identified the need for a campus drought response plan, to determine possible actions when water conservation is mandated.

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar: Creating a Sustainable Society – Community Briefings

The Environmental Studies Senior Seminar is an integrative, interdisciplinary, project-oriented capstone course required of all ES majors in their senior year. The students have worked all semester individually developing and conducting research related to an aspect of environmental sustainability–in consultation with a local community partner–and have prepared a presentation on their findings. Please feel free to attend any or all of the presentations. Light refreshments will be served.

Community Briefing #1
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Beckman Auditorium, Ames Library

6:05 p.m.   Mackenzie Rivkin: Determining the Feasibility of Implementing a Fungiculture Program with The Peace Garden at Illinois Wesleyan University

6:25 p.m.   Dana Rotz: Exploring Barriers and Solutions to Recycling Programs in Apartment Complexes in Normal, Illinois

6:45 p.m.   Ian Powers: Measuring the Costs and Benefits of Permeable Paving in the City of Bloomington, Illinois

7:15 p.m.   Alicia Barnett: Determining Best Practices for the Implementation of a Sustainable Bicycle Sharing Program at Illinois Wesleyan University

7:35 p.m.   Jeffrey Golladay: Examining Wildlife Use of Constructed Wetlands in Central Illinois.

7:55 p.m.   Genevieve Alexander: Assessing the Biodiversity and Susceptibility of Trees in Maxwell Park to Future Invasive Species Outbreaks

Community Briefing #2
Monday, December 9, 2013
1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Beckman Auditorium, Ames Library

1:05 p.m.   Ellen Cornelius: Assessing the Indoor Tanning Behaviors at Illinois Wesleyan University and Lowering Students’ Risk of Skin Cancer

1:25 p.m.   Carolyn Ashley: Assessing Local Food Resources and Strengthening the Regional Food System of McLean County, Illinois

1:45 p.m.   Shane McGowan: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Food Composting at Illinois Wesleyan University

2:05 p.m.   Break

2:15 p.m.   Kylin Wagner: Assessing the Feasibility and Best Outlets for Micro Level Wind Energy at Illinois Wesleyan University

2:35 p.m.   Gabriel Chanez: Exploring Barriers to Recycling in Illinois Wesleyan University Fraternal Housing

2:55 p.m.   Mark Hansen: Assessing Student Water Use Behaviors and Conservation in Residence Halls at Illinois Wesleyan University