Wednesday, November 19, 2008

This week in green......

Hey everyone

So Green is Universal? More like hypocritical if you ask me. While NBC is publishing stories about how the big 3 automakers are flying their private jets to DC to ask for money, they spend even more money sending their Today show characters all around the world to talk about.....water? Great job on that fuel consumption NBC.

Congratulations to Kate Ekman of Northeastern Illinois University for winning a grant from the National Wildlife Federation! It will be used for analyzing campus activities and more. The full story can be read in the Independent.

A Fresh Squeeze has written some articles on winterizing your garden and profiled some Hyde Park eateries in their recent Chicago update. Click here for their Seattle activities.

ENN has continuously updated its website. There recently was an interview with Worldwatch's Chris Flavin.

Northside College Prep CASE members took a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in order to take a tour of The Green Home.

- Wikipower is in a partnership with The Peggy Notebaert Museum and A Fresh Squeeze. The partnership exists to provide funding for the museum's educational programs. For every person that signs up to A Fresh Squeeze's email update list, the blog will donate $0.25 to The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum! You will receive up to date information on environmental issues in the Chicago area and be helping one of Chicago's top environmental resources. So please take a moment to go to my donation page and sign up. The list of donors is growing and money has already been sent to the museum.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

results of ISEC conference

Hey Everyone

Here is a quick summary of the conference. The answers come from Andrew Weithe, program coordinator for the Illinois Student Environmental Council.

WP: What was the reason behind the conference?

AW: The conference was held for a number of reasons. The broadest reason was that bringing students together from all over the state to dialogue with, and learn from, each other helps to create a sense of community and a collaborative spirit among student environmentalists. The energy and actions being generated by young people around Illinois is truly inspiring, and as we look to the environmental challenges of the future, the best way to meet these challenges head on will be by bringing all that intellectual and social capital together as much as possible.

WP: How many presentations were there and how many people attended?

AW: Nearly 60 energized students gathered at Loyola to hear stimulating speeches from Gina Lettiere, of the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy, Barry Matchett, of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn. Additionally, workshop sessions were held on the topics of leadership development, strategic planning, alternative transportation, and university green fees.

WP:Do you see the conference growing into the future?

AW: The energy and momentum carried forward from this conference gives me great confidence that it will only continue to grow. The feedback on the program was overwhelmingly positive, and the conference concluded with a networking and idea-sharing activity that stimulated an incredible volume of conversations which will no doubt continue to spur creativity and action.

WP: What do you hope the participants got out of the conference?

AW: I hope that participants came away with a stronger sense that they are not just isolated actors doing good things on their individual campuses, but also part of a wider community of environmentally concerned youth. The conference provided excellent content on sustainability issues, leadership development, and environmental policy, and I believe that the students came away feeling empowered to synthesize the information they learned with their existing efforts, and to apply it to those they hope to initiate in the future.

Great job Adam! Hopefully Wikipower can be part of the process.

- Wikipower is in a partnership with The Peggy Notebaert Museum and A Fresh Squeeze. The partnership exists to provide funding for the museum's educational programs. For every person that signs up to A Fresh Squeeze's email update list, the blog will donate $0.25 to The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum! You will receive up to date information on environmental issues in the Chicago area and be helping one of Chicago's top environmental resources. So please take a moment to go to my donation page and sign up. The list of donors is growing and money has already been sent to the museum.