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Sustainable Design Opportunities & Events

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  • Earth Month activities

    Community trash pickup at Boneyard Creek 3-5 p.m. April 7; “Sustainability Rocks” on the Main Quad 11 a.m.-5 p.m. April 8; Arbor Day Celebration and tree-planting ceremony April 30 AND MORE!

  • Earth Day Extravaganza!

    The Illini Union Board, with sponsorship by SSC, is hosting this event at 7 p.m. Thursday in the North Lounge of the Union. Help design the Union's new recycling containers! For more details, visit go.illinois.edu/GreenattheUnion >>>

  • Do you want to shape the future? Why not start with Graduate School at University of Illinois?

    Join faculty from ArchitectureArt +DesignLandscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning to learn about our graduate degree programs. Learn about courses, faculty, student organizations, how to apply and more!

    Students can Register Here (using your illinois.edu email) for the session which will be held Thursday, December 10 at 4:00-5:30PM (US Central Standard Time).

  • DGS Hiring Summer Peer Advisors

    We are looking to hire 10-12 students to assist us during New Student Registration this summer. It’s great if the student is former Division of General Studies, but not required. Due March 18. Email Jessica Arnold for more info.

    jarnold7@illinois.edu

  • career services

    Developing Application Materials as Sustainable Design Majors

    Friday, December 3rd 12:20pm – 1: 40pm on Zoom. Group session about writing authentic application materials that are tailored to specific opportunities. Required for Seniors; Recommended for Juniors; Sophomores & First-Year students also welcome to attend.

  • Designing in the Climate Crisis: Regenerative Design 101

    Our civilization stands at a tipping point, where we can choose to stay on the same path toward climate disaster or embrace hope, reject despair, to reshape our future. This talk with educate creatives about the risks of inactions surrounding climate change and in turn, empower them to take action through regenerative design resources and strategies. Thurs Oct 29, 2020 from 11:30-12:30 with Associate Professor of Graphic Design, Eric Benson.

  • Clare Bass

    Designing for a Circular Food World

    Clare Brass will talk about her journey from commercial designer to becoming a creative sustainability consultant in the food sector, taking on a mission to change the way designers across the world are taught. Sponsored by: School of Art & Design Visitors Committee, Ed Zagorski Visitors Fund, and Big Monster Toys, LLC. Thursday March 4 at 12:30 pm

  • Designing a Backyard Garden to Attract Birds

    Champaign County Master Gardeners invite you to Designing a Backyard Garden to Attract Birds, via Zoom at 7:00 PM, Tuesday, October 27. The program will be presented by Dr. Michael P. Ward, an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and an Avian Ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Must register to receive zoom link.

  • DesignIllinois

    Design IL Panel: Sustainable Design and You

    Fri, Nov 12, 2021 10:30 am -11:30 am. Designing objects and services that reflect the principles of ecological sustainability is the future. Inform your own career path by hearing from people working in this field. Panelists include: Barent Roth, Sustainable Designer and Activist Entrepreneur; Frank Petlak, Vice President, Innovation & New Product Development for Pactiv Evergreen; Katie Morganroth, Google Nest ID Team Lead : Speakers, Connectivity, Entertainment + Sustainability.

  • Design Illinois newsletter

    Sign-up for the Design Illinois newsletter!

    Job postings, career fair info, & weekly connections with those in the field.

    https://groups.webservices.illinois.edu/subscribe/149330

  • DESIGN FOR AMERICA AT UIUC FALL RECRUITMENT

    Design for America at UIUC is a nonprofit and student organization. We tackle social challenges in our community by using the human-centered design process. Our fall recruitment is happening virtually from 8/23 - 9/5 with applications due 9/6.  All majors are welcome to enjoy, no background in design thinking is necessary! If you have an interest in social impact projects, check us out! 

    Click here for more information! 

  • Delight Flower Farm

    We grow chemical-free flowers, in Champaign-Urbana. Fresh + Local + Women-owned + CSA + beautiful = DELIGHT! Delight Flower Farm has grown to be Urbana's pioneer organic Flower Farm, growing a variety of annuals like sunflowers, zinnias, gladiolas, marigolds, cosmos, and herbs, as well as native plants and perennials. Join us for workshops on flower arranging, herbalism, public tours, wreath making, fermentation/kombucha, and more!

  • Description of Solar Tour with QR code link to the event registration

    C-U Solar Tour: Registration

    Visit Residential, Business, Community and Utility Scale Solar installations around C-U. 

    Friday April 21

    noon - 5:00p

    Meet professionals installing and managing solar systems at multiple scales. Network with profesionals who can answer your questions about how to get started in this field. 

    Sustainable Design will provide transportation.
    Reserve your seat.
    Limited to 30 participants, on a first-enrolled basis. 

  • Cosentini Summer Internship

    Sustainability Intern , Cosentini Associates

  • CTG

    Conference Travel Grant (CTG)

    Due September 30, 2021. This grant provides undergraduate students with awards of up to $350 to subsidize costs associated with presenting their research posters, papers, or creative works at in-person and virtual professional conferences.

  • CASI

    Community-Academic Scholars Program

    A 10-week summer research experience that empowers undergraduates to address critical issues in our community related to health, poverty, and social inequity in Champaign county and beyond. Scholars work with an academic mentor and a community organization on a research project to benefit the community members served by the partner organization. Scholars receive training, support, and a $4,000 stipend.

  • Climify — Climate Designers Podcast w/Prof. Eric Benson

    A podcast connecting climate scientists and design educators together so that we can bring climate-related projects into our classrooms.

  • Flyer

    Climate Justice Lecture Series

    “Climate Vulnerability in Puerto Rico.” 12:30-2 p.m. | Tuesday, March 9 | Register. A four-part lecture series on climate justice continues with this talk by Maritza Barreto of the Graduate School of Urban Planning at the University of Puerto Rico Piedras. The lectures are sponsored by the U of I Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Next up: "Climate Crisis in California" (March 23) and "Climate Gentrification in Florida" (March 31);

  • Climate Designers: Solutions Jam Session

    Help design educators bring 20 Project Drawdown solutions into their classrooms

    Date and time
    Tue, October 18, 2022
    5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT
    (3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT)

    REGISTER HERE

    Click the article for more details >>

  • Party

    Climate Designers.org Party Program

    No more boring sustainability conferences. No more design conferences that have one sustainability break-out session. We are done choosing sustainability as a track. We are upping the fun factor on designing change. We are Climate Designers. March 1-12, 2021. Prof. Eric Benson’s workshop.

  • Climate Designers monthly virtual meetup

    Event is put on by CUDO (Champaign Urbana Design Org) for designers pushing climate action in their work, a.k.a climate designers

    Professor Eric Benson has invited you all to join this event

    Monday evenings, once a month. Full schedule and more info at https://www.climatedesigners.org/events

  • Climate Designers Midwest Chapter Trivia Night!

    Thu, April 29, 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Prof. Benson encourages SD students to attend this fun event for networking and prizes! You must RSVP ahead of time to attend. Teams will be randomly assigned so students can network with regional design professionals who are interested in or dedicated to lighting the climate crisis through design!

  • Climate Designer podcast launched by Prof Eric Benson

    Eric Benson, along with Kristian Bjornard and Marc O’Brien, created the podcast Behind the Syllabus as a way to share their journey with one another as they implemented new climate-focused projects and procedures during the spring 2020 semester. Includes examples of spring 2020 student work.

  • Roy Scranton

    "Climate Change and the Virtues of Pessimism" | Symptoms of Crisis Series

    September 23, 7:30 PM • Levis Faculty Center | Room 108. HRI's “Symptoms of Crisis” event series launches Sept. 23 with a talk by Roy Scranton, author of "Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization." Scranton is an English professor and director of Notre Dame’s Environmental Humanities initiative. Attend in person at Levis Faculty Center or view live on YouTube at go.illinois.edu/HRIstream

  • Climate Advocacy Training

    10 a.m.-Noon | Saturday, April 17 Join a free Climate Advocacy Training & Group Start led by Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), a nonpartisan volunteer group focused on national policies to address climate change. CCL trainers will teach techniques to use in lobbying Congress and building public political will for climate action! CCL focuses on shared values rather than partisan divides to achieve sustainable climate solutions!| Register

  • Climate Activism for the Graphic Designer 101 by Professor Eric Benson

  • Circular Fashion Expo

    May 6, 10 am–6 pm • Siebel Center for Design. A new event hosted in the hub of innovation at UIUC’s SCD building, gives students, local businesses, & community groups the opportunity to engage with the circular fashion economy and participate in the thriving UIUC fashion ecosystem.

  • Clare Bass

    Circular Economy & Design interactive workshop

    A workshop w/Clare Brass, Friday March 5 9am-12noon. Email nicturn@illinois.edu asap to be added. In this interactive session, Clare will explain more about circular economy principles and share osme of the tools she has creted and used to transition to being a 'better' designer. School of Art + Design ID Workshop Series.

  • Chicago River Architecture Virtual Boat Tour

    Tour guide Hillary Marzec improvises this popular river tour series, starting from the point that most tourists see — the Chicago River architecture boat tour view — and then venturing beyond the boat to show you not only some amazing interiors of well-known river tour buildings, but also some street-level details that you would surely miss if you were limited to a boat tour.This program will take place on Zoom. Use this link to join at the time of the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88158141140

  • Chicago City, Park District, & Forest Preserve Job/Internship/Volunteer Opportunities PART 2

    City of Chicago Internships and Volunteer Programs (24 internships posted as of 4.22.21); LVEJO (Leadership Development for the Sustainable Self-Determination of Little Village) internship programForest Preserves of Cook County Volunteer (Nature Ambassador, Ecological Stewardship, Nature Centers) and Jobs (none right now); Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Internship Program (postponed right now)  

  • Chicago City, Park District, & Forest Preserve Job/Internship/Volunteer Opportunities PART 1

    Chicago Park District Jobs (Teens Re-Imagining Art, Community, & Environment Recreation Leader, Architecture Intern, Nature Camp Counselor, Arts & Culture Camp Counselor, Floricultural Worker, Junior Laborer). Many of these close May 2nd, so you might want to look sooner, Volunteer with Chicago Park DistrictGarfield Park Conservatory Intern; UIC Heritage Garden Internship

  • Certificate in Environmental Writing (3 courses)

    The Undergraduate Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW) is a fantastic offering for Illinois students wanting to engage with the latest research in sustainability science — and to build their skills in environmental communication. Complete 3 courses to earn the UIUC certificate.

  • CEOS Mini-Talks on the Economics of Sustainability

    Please join the Center for the Economics of Sustainability (CEOS) for its 2nd Mini-Talks webinar! Talks will focus on organic famland, conservation tillage, food waste, and consumer preferences with regards to local brewing and local hops. Register by November 30. Event is December 2, 12–1 PM.

  • CEAPS Brown Bag - Sean Kennedy “Renewable energy and the challenges of land use in Southeast Asia: a comparative analysis of Indonesia and the Philippines”

    Sept 17 3-4:30pm

    Registration: Register to receive link and password to join on Zoom

    The Association of Southeast Asian Nations aims to quadruple its installed renewable energy capacity by 2025. Southeast Asia has abundant renewable energy resources – including solar, wind, and geothermal – yet difficulties in acquiring land pose significant barriers to project development. This study compares and contrasts the processes of land acquisition and potential implications for local land uses and livelihoods associated with two large-scale wind projects in Indonesia and the Philippines. The findings support policy recommendations that respond to energy challenges in a way that attends to the specificity of local political-ecological contexts and broader climate and development goals.

    Dr. Sean Kennedy is Assistant Professor in the Department Urban and Regional Planning

  • Cash Prizes for Student Writers!

    iSEE's Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing gives Illinois undergraduates a chance to have their work published in Q Magazine and earn cash awards! The grand prize is $1,000, and $500 prizes will be awarded in four categories. Open to students in any major. Submissions accepted July 1-Oct. 15 | Questions? Email qmagazineillinois@gmail.com.

  • Careers in Sustainability Panel

    View the link for the panel recording from early April 2021 which includes a list of weblink resources shared during the panel. 

  • Careers in Design panels with Alumni and Professionals in the Field

    Four panels between 10am and 4pm on Fri Nov 13th on the following topics: The Future of Design (10-11am), Diverse fields of Design from 1-2pm (service design, design thinking, game design, finish material design, etc.), Differing Paths of Employment from 2-3 (freelance, agency, inhouse, etc.), and What Employers are Looking for in Emerging Talent from 3-4pm.

  • Graphic Logo with "Sustainable Design" title

    Career Services Upcoming Events and Important Links

    Welcome back to Campus! 
    Be sure to attend the upcoming Career Planning workshops with Julie Rundell from FAA Career Services. 
    And keep this as a clearinghouse of links and resources to prepare for internship and career planning this semester. 


  • Career Center Workshops

    Effective Networking- Tuesday, January 19, 3-4 p.m. (Zoom)Students may register at https://go.illinois.edu/effectivenetworking1

    Creating Your Powerful Resume- Wednesday, January 20, 5-6 p.m. (Zoom)Students may register at https://go.illinois.edu/PowerfulResume1

    The Job Search Process- Thursday, January 21, 5-6 p.m. (Zoom)Students may register at https://go.illinois.edu/jobsearchprocess1

  • Campus Landscape Master Plan Student Input Session.

    6-8 p.m. | Tuesday, Feb. 22 | Register. U of I Facilities and Services is developing a Campus Landscape Master Plan and wants student input! It's hosting a virtual stakeholder input session to allow students to provide their thoughts on the campus landscape vision for the future. After registering you will receive a confirmation email that includes the Zoom meeting hyperlink.

  • Campus Bike Center

    Campus Bike Center Grand Re-Opening!

    Sept 16, 4-7pm at 51 E. Gregory Dr. Enjoy activities, games, and a chance to win a free bike! UIPD will be doing an escorted ride around the block at 5 p.m. for riders who would like to join. You will also get a chance to make a basket and be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a refurbished bicycle (adult bike and a children's bike.

  • Call for Artists

    The School of Social Work is currently seeking qualified artists to submit proposals for an art series, which will be displayed in the Social Work building. This opportunity is open to students, artists in the C-U community, or artists with ties to UIUC. This series will contain works of art to recognize the need for discussions surrounding the complexities of racial and social justice.

  • CABBI Offers New Summer Internship!

    A new research opportunity for undergraduates interested in a STEM career will launch this summer at the Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI). The Research Internship in Sustainable Bioenergy (RISE) is a 10-week summer program designed to provide research and career development opportunities to undergraduates from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Students will be paired with a mentor, attend seminars, and present their work. $4,800 stipend; application deadline is April 23

  • Champaign County Coalition

    C4 Social Media Internship Available!

    The Champaign County Climate Coalition (C4) is looking for several social media/marketing interns to share information, resources, and opportunities with the county-wide community. Applicants must have enthusiasm for climate action and experience with marketing and social media; graphic design experience appreciated. This is an unpaid internship. To apply, email your resume and/or a letter of interest describing your qualifications to Savannah Donovan at sydonovan@urbanaparks.org.

  • Building Stuff: Materials From the Earth That Sustain Our Built Environment

    Building Stuff: Materials From the Earth That Sustain Our Built Environment

    Concrete in sidewalks, brick in buildings, and glass in windows are derived from rocks and sediments, but use of these materials comes at an environmental cost. Join Professor Emeritus Stephen Marshak, former Director of the School of Earth, Society and Environment, as he kicks off his three-part lecture series, "Where Stuff Comes From: Earth's Resources & Sustainability." 

    September 29, 12–1 pm • Zoom | Password 758636

    Julie Wurth Asmussen • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

  • Buildings Don’t Need to Kill Birds: A conservation issue where anyone can make a difference

    Join this lecture from the Dept of Landscape Architecture on Monday, October 12, 5:30pm-6:30pm Central Time. Dr. Christine Sheppard (Ph.D., Cornell) is director of the Birds Collisions Campaign at the American Bird Conservancy and emeritus Curator of Birds at the Bronx Zoo, where she served from 1978 to 2009. Sheppard has conducted extensive research on modern structures and glass as lethal dangers to birds and ways to mitigate that problem through design. This lecture will take place online on Zoom, RSVP to receive the zoom link here.

  • Bridging Climate Science & Design Education talk, AIGA Professional Association for Design conference

    GD Associate Professor Eric Benson will be joining three other design faculty from across the country Mon 11/9 at 5 ET to discuss climate science in the design classroom at the AIGA | the professional association for design

    2020 Conference! There is a fee to attend the professional conference.

     

  • Biodesign Challenge 2022: Applications Open until September 16

    "Biodesign Challenge is an education program and competition that is shaping the first generation of biodesigners. We partner high school and university students with scientists, artists, and designers to envision, create, and critique transformational applications in biotech." https://www.biodesignchallenge.org/

  • CU Bike Day

    Bike to School/Work Day

    Champaign County Bike to Work Day returns this semester. There will be 17 welcoming stations open between 7 and 10 a.m., with nine on the Urbana campus. Grab a snack and get some free Bike at Illinois merchandise, including a T-shirt! To get the free T-shirt, you must register and bring your bicycle! 

  • Bike Census Spring 2021

    The Bike Census Spring 2021 is next Wednesday, April 28, from 10 – 11 AM. Bike Census is a collaborative, community-wide effort between Facilities & Services (F&S) and Champaign County Bikes that began in 2013 as part of ongoing improvement efforts to support the campus’ Bicycle Friendly University status.

    If you are available to volunteer next Wednesday morning, please sign up here. There will be a virtual training session beforehand at 9 AM.