Big things have been happening for SECS recently. The Beyond Coal Campaign and Sustainable Landscaping group are both quickly moving forward in their work, and SECS members had the opportunity to hear from several important speakers.
On Wednesday, November 1st, SECS switched up the routine of meetings to listen to Robert F Kennedy Jr. speak at Foellinger Hall about his work in defending natural resources against corporations. After the talk, Kennedy signed on to support the UIUC Beyond Coal Campaign to divest the campus from coal. The campaign is proud and excited to have such a prominent figure as a supporter.
The Sustainable Landscaping project has been especially busy in the past few weeks. On Wednesday, November 9th, the project group hosted a round table discussion entitled “Conservation and Restoration in the Prairie State.” A large number of students showed up to listen to local ecologists Anthony Yanarell, Steve Buck, John Marlin, and Gary Miller talk about their work at this discussion, including topics such as prairie, industrial, and woodland restoration, and the main principles related.
The following Saturday, SECS teamed up with Red Bison and took a scenic hike in Allerton Park, identifying many different species of trees and plants. In addition to the hike through the beautiful woods and prairie, the group also saw the famous statues of Allerton.
On the Beyond Coal campaign front eight students met with Deputy Comptroller Mike Bass to formally request that the university disclose how our endowment money is being invested and to encourage responsible behavior by not investing in companies heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Mr. Bass was receptive to the request for information and said he would consult with others and follow up in a December. A Responsible Investment Speak Out event occurred on Wednesday, Nov 16th on the quad to make the campaign’s demands public and to present the 2,000 petition signatures that have been gathered from students in support of responsible investment.
The other SECS project groups are also progressing well. The compost tumbler is well on its way, and more will be built. Preparations for exciting events on Earth Week have been made. Finally, weatherization has been hard at work auditing small University buildings. In early December, they will be submitting their assessments to Facilities and Services and formally presenting on their results and recommendations for improvements to those buildings in the Spring.
For more information, go to http://secs-uiuc.blogspot.com/
Tamara Liu
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