This year, our major projects are:
No-Trash Bash
This fall, we're throwing a big waste-free party! This is meant to promote GCI as a student group, showcase ways to green an event, and provide info to the university community on the different environmental resources available on campus and in Hyde Park. If you have great ideas for music, green caterers, or fun decorations or would just like to help out, come out to a meeting.
The Battle of the Bulbs
In winter quarter, we will organize a competition between dormitories to see who can reduce their energy use by the highest percentage over the month of February. The month will begin with an event where we will provide food and talk about what will happen during the competition, and end with a celebration! Go to the Battle of the Bulbs Website to learn more.
Earth Week
In spring, GCI will work with the Sustainability Council and other environmental groups to organize a week-long celebration of the Earth! There will be lectures, workshops, study breaks, and more. Check out Earth Week 2008 to see what we did last year.
Also in the works are ways to reduce use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in University-commissioned landscaping as well as harmful cleaning chemicals in University buildings, and pushing for a green roof on top of Crerar.
Past major projects include:
Brown Bag Lunch Series
This series of brown bag lunches aims to introduce University professors to GCI, with the hope of engaging them in greening the campus. We invite professors who study environmental issues to discuss their work with GCI members over lunch. We aim for two lunches a quarter.
Native Plants Garden Project
In cooperation with the Religion and the Environment Initiative (REI), GCI currently maintains a native plants garden on the southwest corner of 58th and Woodlawn. GCI and REI propose approximately doubling the size of the current garden by adding a second plot on the same corner. With the help of professional landscapers from Greencorps Chicago and by involving Hyde Park community members, we hope to create a showcase garden that will serve as a catalyst for increasing the number of native plants used in campus landscaping as a whole. We also plan to educate the community about Illinois's native plants by installing educational signs and creating a self-guided tour of the University's landscaping.
Other past projects include:
• Providing battery and printer cartridge recycling on campus
• Paper recycling and promoting better use of paper resources in computer labs
• Investigating renewable energy sources to provide the University's power, such as wind energy and methane-produing food digesters
• Establishing a working relationship with Facilities and other administrative bodies to pursue energy efficiency through audits and pushing dorm-dwellers to consume less energy, and overall to "green" the UofC
• Bringing organic food to the dining halls and raising awareness about food waste
• Making suggestions about how the University could build the new dorm and new buildings to have low environmental impact
• Working with the Chicago Department of the Environment to build relationships with the government of the city of Chicago, gain access to resources like grant money and expertise, and to help GCI refine our goals and plans to achieve these goals.
• Working with the Sustainability Council to create the University's first sustainability report that will assess where the University currently stands and that will make recommendations for progress
Projects