Next SECS Meeting This Wednesday at 6:30! 🌱

Happy Monday, SECS! Allow this newsletter to make your inbox marginally sweeter as we roll right into midterm season.

Park(ing) Day was a major success last Saturday! We truly open up our community to endless possibility when we redirect spaces traditionally used for cars.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 4th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Channing Murray Foundation (1209 W. Oregon Street).

Our wonderful working groups are up to nothing but good this week. Please be sure to bring a computer!

Action will be contacting other campus organizations in regards to our post-Halloween pumpkin composting event!

Media will be finishing up the art project they started last week and get started on graphics to advertise the pumpkin composting event.

Education is working on a letter writing event for the Urbana Park District, which will be happening this Thursday, October 5th, from 5-6pm at the Anita Purves Nature Center.

Walkable Cities is taking a break this week after the mighty successful Park(ing) Day!

Solidarity Gardens will once again be giving action a hand with pumpkin composting, but will be happy to announce a workday this Saturday, October 7th in the garden!

Show up on Wednesday! Go green or go HOME!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free dinner at the Red Herring!

TODAY, from 6-7:30, the SSLC will be hosting a sustainable food event at the Red Herring, conveniently located in the basement of Channing Murray. Doors will open at 5:45, and the first 50 attendees will receive a free dinner! This event is just after the SSLC’s general meeting.

La Familia Dinner!
Join SECS and the Latino Student Association this Tuesday, October 1 from 7-8 PM at PAR Saunders Lounge for La Familia Dinner. We will be talking about environmental justice in the Latino community, with free dinner provided!

Champaign County Regional Planning Commission taking thoughts on Lincoln Avenue Corridor.

The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission is conducting the Lincoln Avenue Corridor study, and will be having an open house on Tuesday, October 10, from 4-7 PM at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center (601 S. Lincoln Ave.) The purpose of the open house is to get the community’s thoughts on improving the infrastructure of Lincoln Ave., between Green St. and Florida Ave. For more information on this study, you can visit them here.

Dress up for the Green Ball at SCD this Friday, October 6th!

Tuesday Talks Now Wednesday Talks!
The Bevier Cafe is pleased to announce the return of Tuesday Talks, with one caveat – they are now on Wednesdays! The SSLC and SSC co-host these events that will feature speakers with experience in the environmental industry, ranging from places such as the Environmental Protection Agency to the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Free lunch for the first 5 attendees! October dates include October 4th, 18th, and 25th from 12-1 pm at the Bevier Cafe.

Green Quad Day October 11th, 11am-3pm!
Check out environmental organizations on campus at Anniversary Plaza, just behind the Union!

Directly after Green Quad Day is a clothing swap, from 12-3pm. The drop off date and time for clothes is between 9 and 4 pm on October 9th and 10th at Channing Murray. Donate some of your old clothes to people who might get some new life out of them, and go home with something new!

Ecobricking Workshop also October 11th!
October 11th is a busy day for us dedicated environmentalists; after the SECS meeting, we will be ecobricking! Ecobricking is essentially shoving a bunch of plastic into a water bottle really tightly and you make something that is essentially a brick. These bricks can be used for swanky art projects and are generally a better way to store your plastic than in a landfill. Start collecting plastic and water bottles now! We will throw on a movie at the same time to make quick work of this feel-good activity.

NYU divests!
Great news: our friends at NYU Sunrise have won divestment!
Read all about it here. After years of pressure from student activists just like us, New York University will divest their $5 billion endowment from fossil fuel companies. Divestment is possible!

Sign the petition to save Weaver Park!

Weaver Park is a natural landscape in east Urbana that is currently at risk of being converted into soccer and baseball fields. To protect this park with inherent value, sign this petition.

The SECS talk is back!

SECS’ flagship podcast is returning under Alex Chavez’s leadership. If you have a professor, boss, colleague, or friend that would have an interesting environmental topic to cover, let us know! Here is an interest form to connect us with the wonderful folks you know.

SSC Reimagine our Future Undergraduate Sustainability Competition

The Student Sustainability Committee is co-sponsoring an undergraduate sustainability competition, where undergrads work alone or in teams to address a sustainability problem at a local, regional, national, or international level. The winning team receives $2,000 and there are cash prizes for second and third place as well. Register here by October 9th.

Illini Lights Out is Back!

Join the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment this fall semester in conserving energy! The Institute looks for students to help turn off lights in campus buildings on Friday night to help save energy over the weekend. Go here for more information and to sign up!

Sign the Fossil Free Illinois Open Letter!

In Fiscal Year 2022, the University of Illinois System reported over $120 million invested in 52 fossil fuel companies. This is in contrast to a fossil free future that seeks to mitigate climate change and ensure a healthy planet for all. Go here to learn more about and sign a letter that calls on the University of Illinois System to divest these funds.

If you’ve read this far, give some consideration to clicking right here for this week’s surprise. Come again!

Contact Us!
President — Danika Ford (she/her)
[email protected]
Vice Presidents — Alex Chavez (he/him) & Rudy LaFave (he/him)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Treasurer — Averhy Sanborn (she/her)
[email protected]
Secretary — Julia San Miguel (she/her)
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Action Coordinator — Trey McCallister (he/him)
[email protected]
Education Officer — Claire Sullivan (she/her)
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Media Officer — Sophia Beem (she/her)
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer — Fatima Naveed (she/her)
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Community Chair — Joya Weissman (she/her)
[email protected]
Land Management Chair — Liam Henry (he/him)
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Outreach Coordinator — Izzy Wilder (she/her)
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