| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.32 |
| Liaison | Andy Mitchell |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2021 |
University of Illinois Chicago
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 2.00 |
Cynthia
Klein-Banai Associate Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
EcoEducators - a student organization at UIC at Chicago (UIC) dedicated to promoting sustainability and environmental justice at UIC and around Chicago. All of our approaches are student-based, focusing on what we, as students at a University can do. With ideas, motivation, and hope, we've managed to accomplish many great things at UIC and for the greater Chicago area. There's even more hope for the future. https://www.instagram.com/uicecoeducators/?hl=en
Food Recovery Network - UIC FRN, Food Recovery Network of UIC tackles two of the most important issues in America: Food and hunger. Fight hunger and reduce food waste! https://www.facebook.com/FRNatUIC/
Engineers for a Sustainable World is a student organization in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The group is focused on creating new technology while being environmentally conscious. Students across all majors and programs are welcome to join.
https://esw.students.uic.edu/
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The UIC Heritage Garden offers an experiential learning space where students in collaboration with faculty, staff, and community members can engage in hands-on horticultural activities while expanding their knowledge of sustainable practices that include culturally diverse and environmentally friendly traditions and values. http://heritagegarden.uic.edu/
The “backyard” of the Applied Health Sciences Building at 1919 W. Taylor is now home to a teaching garden, courtesy of the AHS Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition.
Growing, harvesting and preparing the foods is part of the curriculum in her Introduction to Foods course, open to all UIC students and required for nutrition undergraduates. Students also learn about organic agriculture. http://ahs.uic.edu/kinesiology-nutrition/news/uic-teaching-nutrition-garden-wins-a-chicago-excellence-in-gardening-award-for-the-fourth-year-in-a-row/
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
UIC hosts a number of sustainability focused events. One example:
UIC John Marshall Law School Center for Real Estate Law presented "Cutting Through Academic Silos to Achieve Sustainability" which provided an interdisciplinary look at how advancing sustainability can help address issues of climate change, which are looming challenges in the Midwest. Using convergence and the emerging circular economy, sustainability can help meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Presenters discussed how their research advances sustainability and is shared with students and stakeholders outside the UI System. Organized in interdisciplinary panels, faculty presented their innovative scholarship and research and show ways in which Midwest residents and businesses can reap the benefits of advancing sustainability.
https://email.jmls.uic.edu/events/braun/2020/2/schedule.html
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
From January - March 2019 at Gallery 400. All have the same breath emerges out of a two-year interdisciplinary, collaborative project in which groups of anthropologists, archaeologists, art historians, artists, geographers, and scientists, have been investigating the politics of the environment and how the changing climate is experienced and negotiated across the world. The exhibition considers our relationship to the earth, and how that relationship is mediated by outside forces. The title signals the vital importance of acknowledging that all things—human, animal, vegetable, and mineral—are dependent on the same ecosystem and, indeed, breath the same air. The artists in All have the same breath give visual expression to the lived realities of those experiencing a changing landscape across the globe. Rather than engaging with the politics and rhetoric of climate change, All have the same breath raises urgent questions about how the global environmental crisis is experienced, felt, and visualized. https://gallery400.uic.edu/exhibitions/past-exhibition/all-have-the-same-breath/
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Yes, Outdoor Adventure Trips and Workshops include a presentation on "Leave No Trace"
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
UIC's Green Living Guide teaches students how to incorporate sustainability in the decision making of their daily lives. https://uofi.app.box.com/file/739635805947?s=k0xfc3xcolwxacyn0hov3hz37ei68039
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Heritage Garden project and the Office of Sustainability have internship programs that offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities.
http://heritagegarden.uic.edu/
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
UIC Impact is the University of Illinois at Chicago’s commitment that all students will have the opportunity to apply their learning to real world challenges through high impact engagement. UIC Impact has adapted the high impact practices from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Research indicates students who participate in high impact practices are more likely to persist through graduation and are more successful in their initial steps after college.
UIC Impact’s Goal: Every student will engage in at least two high impact activities while at the university. One category is ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS & SUSTAINABILITY Students participate in sustainability-related research and internships that offer hands-on learning experiences that advance the overall mission of greater social, economic and environmental sustainability in the campus community.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Office of Sustainability knowledge of activities on campus.
Office of Sustainability knowledge of activities on campus.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.