On Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center, the IWU Environmental Studies Program and JWP Audubon will present Unfractured, a feature documentary about activist Sandra Steingraber (an alum from IWU) as she leads the fight against hydraulic fracturing in New York state.  The following information was taken from the documentary web site (https://www.unfractured.com/).  “A hopeful documentary about fighting with your whole heart, Unfractured follows introspective biologist and mother Sandra Steingraber as she reinvents herself as an outspoken activist and throws herself into an environmental war that many believe is unwinnable.  Branded a “toxic avenger” by Rolling Stone, Sandra quickly emerges as a leader of New York’s biggest grassroots movement in decades. Determined to win an uncompromising battle with the oil and gas industry, Sandra decides she must fight with her whole heart—devoting all her time, energy, and money to the cause. But as the film opens, her personal life is thrown into crisis when her husband Jeff begins having one stroke after another. She knows her family needs her at home, but Sandra can’t stop—not until she and her allies win a state-wide ban on fracking.  Co-sponsored by the IWU Environmental Studies Program and John Wesley Powell Audubon. This talk is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the Hansen Student Center, Illinois Wesleyan University will present The Colorado, a feature documentary that creates a crossroads between art, ecology and regional history.  The project’s director and co-author, Murat Eyuboglu, will introduce the film and discuss its development and production.  The following information was taken from the documentary web site (http://www.projectcolorado.com/).  “For five million years the Colorado has carved some of the most majestic landscapes on the planet. It has also become the lifeline of a vast portion of North America, providing the water that sustains nearly forty million people, half a dozen major cities, and an immense agricultural empire. Because of these demands, the river is so overused and overpromised that it no longer flows to the sea or nourishes its delta. The Colorado, set to music by today’s leading composers and narrated by the stage legend Mark Rylance, takes us on a journey in nine chapters through the prehistoric settlements of the region, the period of European exploration, the dam-building era, modern industrial agriculture and immigration, and the impact of climate change. The Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (Kronos Quartet), and composer-percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) perform the film’s exhilarating score.” This talk is free and open to the public.  Sponsored by IWU Provost Office.

Dr. Adam Dolezal, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois, will talk about the “Interactive Effects of Environmental Stressors on Bees: Nutritional Physiology, Disease, and Landscape” at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16 at Illinois Wesleyan University in room C101 of the Center for Natural Sciences.  Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the declines of pollinators. It has become clear across the world that a variety of factors interact to contribute to the losses of these beneficial insects, both in managed (e.g., honey bee hives) and natural (e.g., native bees) situations.  Dr. Dolezal is interested in how multiple environmental factors, specifically viral pathogens, nutritional deprivation, and pesticide exposure, interact to affect bee health in the real-world landscapes of the agricultural Midwest. This area is marked by some of the most intensive agriculture and highest crop yields in the world, which has resulted in a transformation of natural and semi-natural landscapes into efficient production of only a few crops.  This talk will be geared for science students, but non-science students are also encouraged to attend. Sponsored by the IWU Biology Department.

On Monday, February 5, 2018 at 7pm (in SFH 102) Joe Daniels ’13, Risk Manager for the Office of  Pesticide Programs in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environmental Studies alum (International Environmental Sustainability), is returning to campus to share his experiences working at the EPA, including a recent mission with FEMA doing hurricane relief work in Puerto Rico. Joe is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in Nicaragua for 27 months post graduation from IWU. This event is free and open to all at IWU and the public. Sponsored by the IWU Environmental Studies Program.

See Event Poster

Thursday, Sept. 8
12 p.m.
Davidson Room, Memorial Center

Home and business owners in McLean County have an opportunity to take advantage of record low solar pricing through a limited-time solar group purchase program. Solar Bloomington-Normal is a solar group buy program that can help residents invest in lower cost solar installations through the power of volume purchasing. This free one-hour seminar educates homeowners, small business owners, and farmers on the benefits of solar energy and is the first step to participate in the program.

The Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo, sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan University Wellness and the Ecology Action Center, will be Saturday, April 9 at the Shirk Center.

More information at islwe.org.

Monday, Nov. 2

7 p.m.

202, State Farm Hall (*Note location change)

Eban Goodstein, director of Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy and of Bard’s MBA in sustainability and the initiator of the Power Dialog, will speak. The Power Dialog is an effort to support 10,000 students in all 50 states to engage in dialog with state regulators in charge of implementation planning for the Clean Power Plan in April 2016. It is intended as an effective and fun way for students to be involved in a serious and critical policy conversation.

In his talk, Dr. Goodstein will discuss the upcoming climate conferences in Paris, the U.S. Clean Power Plan, and the Power Dialog.
Sponsored by the IWU Environmental Studies program.

Saturday, June 27
9 a.m.

The IWU Peace Garden will be one of the sites on the Ecology Action Center’s 13th annual Yard Smart Garden Walk on Saturday, June 27, 2015. (Full tour plan available to participants who register.)

Register now! This free event features beautiful and functional gardens in our community that protect the environment, create a healthy and inviting space for people and animals, and use little or no synthetic chemicals.

The morning tour is 9 am-12 pm. This year’s walk features ecological public spaces. Bill Davison, U of I Extension Educator, will speak about plants that attract beneficial insects, followed by a question and answer session. Lunch will be provided. Native Plants of Illinois Nursery will have native plants for sale after lunch. In addition, participants can bring plant and garden tools to exchange or donate.

The Yard Smart Garden Walk is free and open to the public; however, a $5 donation to offset the cost of lunch is appreciated. Registration is available online at www.ecologyactioncenter.org or over the phone at 309-454-3169. The registration deadline is Thursday, June 25.

Participants should bring reusable water bottles for the lunch and presentation. The lunch is a zero waste event. We encourage participants to carpool during the tour to reduce pollution and conserve energy.

For more information, contact Michael Brown, mbrown@ecologyactioncenter.org, Ecology Action Center, 309-454-3169.