Stories
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Congratulations to the Winners of the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge
On Earth Day, Friday, April 22, six teams of Loyola students pitched their eco-friendly business plans to a panel of expert judges in the final round of the Abram's Sustainable Business Challenge. The three winning teams received cash prizes to help them launch their sustainable ventures. Meet the finalists and learn more about their inspiring enterprises. -
Student Government Honors SES Student
This spring, the Student Government of Loyola Chicago (SGLC) held a year-end banquet to honor members who have shown extraordinary leadership. School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) student Beth Thilges received the Ignatian Leadership Award for her outstanding accomplishments this year as the chair of the SGLC Sustainability Committee.
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Abrams Challenge 2022
The Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge Finalists
This year on Earth Day, teams of Loyola University Chicago students will pitch their ideas for sustainable businesses to a panel of expert judges in the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge. The top teams will win funds to help them launch their environmentally friendly ventures.
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2021 Climate Change Conference
View recordings of our panels and peruse our conference poster session
Thank you to all of those who attended this year's conference. We are pleased to be able to post the recordings of our panels on our conference website. We will also continue to post conference materials and presentations on this site throughout the coming month. LEARN MORE -
Environmental Health
Sex, Gender, and Endocrine Disruption: Framing the Conversation
Listen to scholars discuss guidelines for having public conversations about sex, gender and environmental contaminants in a way that does not pathologize LGBTQ+ people at this SES panel in March. WATCH -
SES Grand Opening
Watch this Blessing of SES from the Vatican
We are honored to have Father Josh Kureethadam provide SES with a Vatican Blessing. WATCH -
Read this EarthBeat article in the National Catholic Reporter about the new SES
Loyola University Chicago boosted its commitment to addressing environmental and climate change issues with the unveiling Dec. 14 of its new School of Environmental Sustainability.READ MORE -
Press Release: Loyola University Chicago Launches New School of Environmental Sustainability
CHICAGO, December 10, 2020 —Loyola University Chicago formally announces the launch of its new School of Environmental Sustainability (SES), the first-ever school dedicated to environmental sustainability across Jesuit institutions worldwide.LEARN MORE -
Message from the Office of the President
Announcing the New School of Environmental Sustainability and Big Plans Ahead
September 24, 2020: Dear Loyola Community, I am pleased to share the news that the Board of Trustees has approved the elevation of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES) to the School of Environmental Sustainability, creating Loyola University Chicago’s 11th school. The School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) solidifies our University’s continued commitment to addressing the causes and impact of global climate change.READ MORE -
COVID-19 Response
Helping hands
Inside the School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola is addressing its hand sanitizing needs with creativity and resourcefulness. READ MORE -
Climate Change Conference 2020
Youth climate activists strike for hope and aim to educate
Tokata Iron Eyes and Greta Thunberg have learned they have a lot in common. Both Thunberg and Iron Eyes are 16-year-old climate activists who are missing school in order to “fight for their futures and that of their children.” On October 6, the activists spoke to an audience of supporters that included SES Dean Nancy Tuchman and IES Professor Michael Schuck at Iron Eyes’s high school in South Dakota. READ MORE -
2020 Graduates
Congratulations to all of our IES Graduates!
It has been our great privilege to guide and mentor you through your development and watch you become the strong environmental scientists and advocates that you are. We are proud of your accomplishments, and grateful in return, for all you have taught us -- helping us to continue to grow as an Institute. READ MORE -
Laudato Si'
Everything is Connected: Reflections on "Home" on the 5th Anniversary of Laudato Si'
The vision outlined by Pope Francis in Laudato Si' transcends the often narrow and individualist boundaries of contemporary Christian spirituality (not to mention consumerist/materialist economic systems), in order to include a fruitful relationship with all created things. Join us for a compelling conversation marking the 5th anniversary of the publication of this landmark encyclical. LEARN MORE -
Contest
IES Students: Share your funniest or most heartfelt quarantine moments with IES!
Share with your IES community the many ways you’ve staved off boredom and stayed in touch with the outside world during this pandemic. We are looking for videos or honest and funny well-written reflections. Show us what keeps you going and helps you regain your sanity and composure during this time.LEARN MORE -
Online Learning
The New Class Zoom
Carissa Hipsher knew that her “Foundations of Environmental Science” lab would be trickier to reorganize than her traditional lecture classes. In the hours leading up to Loyola University Chicago’s transition to online or virtual instruction on March 13, that lab—or, technically, the lack of one—is where she focused all her energy.READ MORE -
Annual Report
Empowering environmental leaders
Read our 2019 annual report and learn what IES is doing to care for our common home and empower our future leaders. READ MORE -
IES Alumni Spotlight
IES 2016 Alumn Monique Sosnowski featured as a Wildlife Criminologist on PBS
Monique Sosnowski answers our questions about illegal wildlife trade and trafficking.READ MORE -
COVID-19
IES Professor Ben Johnson featured in this news story on WBEZ
Loyola University Chicago history professor Ben Johnson was in the middle of a lecture on World War II one early morning last week when he tried to share a picture of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms with his class via Zoom video. READ MORE -
Sustainability-in-action
A change of texture
The new and improved foaming version of Loyola's Biosoap was rolled out across campus at the beginning of 2020. LEARN MORE -
Living Laudato Si'
The Amazon Synod: Plus Tard Sera Trop Tard
IES Professor Michael Schuck reflects upon the Catholic Church's recent Amazon Synod -
Meet Kevin White: IES's latest Presidential Medallion recipient
“When I think of my Jesuit education, I think of generosity and giving back to others. Loyola has given me a voice I can use for positive change.”LEARN MORE -
Sustainability Award
Loyola University Chicago honored among 2019 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools
CHICAGO and WASHINGTON D.C., September 25, 2019- Loyola University Chicago was honored for its achievements in sustainability by the U.S. Department of Education at an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. Loyola, along with 53 other honorees were named a US Department of Education Green Ribbon School.READ MORE -
Graduate Program
Driving toward a more sustainable world: master’s and certificate options open up new professional advancement
From the loss of biodiversity and polluted waterways to growing waste, the globe’s greatest challenges continue to intensify. The need to protect the world’s natural resources and create more sustainable ways of living remains not only an urgent problem but an ultimate problem in need of informed, decisive action. READ MORE -
Sustainability
Loyola announced as 2019 USG NACDA Sustainability Award winner
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) have announced Loyola University Chicago as the winner of the fifth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award. Loyola was chosen from a pool of three finalists and received the award for its work on the Alfie Norville Practice Facility. The Sustainability Award will be presented to Loyola at an on-campus event this fall. READ MORE -
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Awakening your heart to ecology
Father Steve Mitten writes about his relationship to ecology in this article. READ MORE -
Analytical Chemistry
Lead’s dangerous legacy
With lead lurking in the paint, soil and water, many Chicagoans are at high risk. IES's Analytical Chemist Zhenwei Zhu is featured in this piece. READ MORE -
Graduate Program
Introducing IES’s new graduate program: The Master of Science in Environmental Science and Sustainability (MSESS)
A changing climate requires a changing professional. At the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, we are educating the next generation of professionals - environmental science and sustainability professionals who can apply an interdisciplinary approach to solve today’s environmental problems. READ MORE -
Student Achievement
Embracing the sciences
In some circles, Kevin White (’20) might be considered an overachiever. But he doesn’t see it that way; he's just someone who’s tried to make the most of his time as an undergraduate. Originally from Wooster, Ohio, White’s initial decision to attend Loyola University Chicago was largely based on athletics. A track and cross country athlete, he wanted to achieve athletically and academically (though he came in undecided) at a high level. READ MORE -
Annual Report
5 Years of IES
This year's annual report marks the five-year anniversary of IES. In 2018, we can boast of 10 LEED-certified buildings, a beautiful campus landscape with native vegetation, and a University core curriculum that requires environmental science. READ MORE -
Faith and Science
Where faith meets science
Ecologist and Dean Nancy Tuchman on how Loyola’s Jesuit mission calls for us to restore our future.READ MORE -
Healing Earth
Loyola University Chicago’s innovative online textbook, Healing Earth, wins high honors from the Vatican
Healing Earth Co-Editor Michael Schuck shakes hands with Pope Francis. Drs. Schuck and Tuchman traveled to Rome to receive the Vatican's first-ever Expanded Reason Award. READ MORE -
Sustainable Business Practices
Messaging the circular economy
IES and Quinlan School of Business Professor Nancy Landrum writes about communications strategies for organizations that utilize the circular economy in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's report "Messaging the Circular Economy." Read what she has to say. READ MORE -
Student Scholarship
Meet IES Student Paul Campion: A 2018 President's Medallion award winner
“We learned how to live justice, simplicity, faith, and community. When committed to these values, it feels impossible not to have hope," says Campion. READ MORE -
Sustainability
Mayor announces Chicago Renewable Energy Challenge
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the launch of the first-of-its-kind Chicago Renewable Energy Challenge with seven founding members. The Renewable Energy Challenge is a voluntary leadership effort to accelerate the installation of renewable energy in commercial and institutional properties across the City. The initiative builds upon the City’s commitment to using 100% renewable energy to power all City buildings by 2025. Loyola University Chicago is one of the seven founding members. LEARN MORE -
Sienna Fitzpatrick Awarded President’s Medallion
IES Senior Sienna Fitzpatrick has been awarded the President’s Medallion for her steadfast commitment to leadership, scholarship, and service throughout her time at Loyola. Sienna received the award at the 2017 President’s Ball.READ MORE -
Biodiesel
Fueling Loyola: See how we turn used cooking oil into biodiesel
The process itself for biodiesel production isn’t simple, but it’s still completely operated by students. PHOTO GALLERY -
Earth Day
Join Team Rambler's Go Green in April's Earth Day Ecochallenge
Earth Day EcoChallenge takes place during the entire month of April. EcoChallenge is a web-based annual competition to get us all involved in taking actions to better the planet and our community. Participate in daily challenges, track your actions, and spread the word to win points, real-life prizes, and bragging rights. You can choose actions to curb emissions, spend more time outdoors, generate less waste, among other challenges. JOIN -
Sustainability
How nature can teach business to be more sustainable
If a business wants to sustainably survive, it must take notes from nature’s 3.8 billion years of survival, says Nancy E. Landrum, PhD.READ MORE -
Waste makes haste: How used cooking oil becomes bus fuel
Many University-wide initiatives have grown out of Loyola’s Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) course: the apiaries, the Loyola station farmers market, and the campus-wide bottled water ban. However, the biodiesel program is the one that has been a permanent fixture for over a decade and caught the attention of the EPA, earning it a Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award in 2015. LEARN MORE -
How business can lead a sustainability revolution
Nancy E. Landrum, PhD, professor of sustainability management with an appointment in both Quinlan and Loyola’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability, outlines the key reasons all business leaders should care about the environment and what they can do to create a healthier planet.READ MORE -
Sustainability
IES Students: Are you looking for free tickets to Lollapalooza?
Volunteer for our Lolla Divert IT team. The application will go live in mid-May. LEARN MORE -
Environmentally Engaged
Olivia Urbanski is just one of many environmental studies majors graduating this May, but her Loyola experience has taken her from Alaska to KenyaREAD MORE -
Curriculum and Career Growth
New at IES: Take a look at our new four-course sequence in sustainability
Students taking our new Sustainability Assessment & Planning: Four-Course Sequence for Sustainability Professionals will learn the types of operations and activities that affect a company’s overall environmental impact. As a student, you’ll look about a broad range of impact areas - water, energy, waste, emissions, transportation, construction, food, and land – while measuring and tracking their current and future impacts for an organization. LEARN MORE -
Dean Tuchman delivers the Cardinal Bernardin Lecture at Georgetown University
Dean Tuchman spoke on Pope Francis's Laudato Si' and how this encyclical was a call for courageous leadership and climate action. READ MORE -
Climate Change Conference
Watch our Climate Change Conference Highlight Video
Listen to key panelists from this year's conference. WATCH VIDEO -
Biodiesel Lab
An ecosystem built on used cooking oil: Loyola’s biodiesel lab
Check out this blog post written by Searle Biodiesel Lab Manager Zach Waickman READ MORE -
Sustainability
IES Dean Tuchman named an eco-champion in Chicago's Make It Better magazine.
She's featured as one of the seven eco-champions bringing positive change and sustainability to Chicago and beyond.READ MORE -
Research
EPA awards grant to Loyola University Chicago for innovative technology project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $15,000 for a Phase I student team from Loyola University Chicago through the People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) grants program.READ MORE -
Loyola's free e-textbook brings environmental ethics to classes worldwide
In October 2017, students at a Jesuit secondary school in Spain's Aragon region were studying hurricanes. At the same time, their peers in Puerto Rico were living through the aftermath of one.READ MORE -
Why Loyola received a Climate Leadership Award is no mystery: read our stats
For this year’s Climate Leadership Awards, USGBC and Second Nature chose winners who contributed to the environment through extensive sustainability efforts. WATCH VIDEO -
Dean Tuchman and Professor Schuck talk Healing Earth with Mike Nowak
How do you have an audience with a couple of people who have just had an audience with the Pope?READ MORE -
New Economic Models
IES students respond: How can we create a successful economy without continuous economic growth?
Sustainable Business Management students worked with the Center for Humans and Nature to develop these responses. READ MORE -
Healing Earth
Loyola University Chicago’s innovative online textbook, Healing Earth , wins high honors from the Vatican
First edition of the Expanded Reason Award aims to honor professors whose work integrates faith and reason READ MORE -
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RESEARCH
What's in the water?
Researcher Tham Hoang is working to make rivers and lakes from Vietnam to Chicago safer for their inhabitants—and for usREAD MORE -
We Are Still In
Loyola University Chicago charts a course toward a just future
Loyola Chicago, a signatory of the Climate Leadership Network at Second Nature, is committed to addressing climate change in its educational curriculum, operations, and community engagement strategies. To codify that intention, the school recently released its climate action plan, “A Just Future,” which lays out a path for achieving carbon-neutrality by 2025.LEARN MORE -
Call to Action
Loyola University Chicago President Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD responds to DACA rescission.
Dr. Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD, reaffirms the University’s commitment to a community based in hope, faith, and service—and to the extraordinary group of students affected by the decision ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.READ MORE -
Internship
Internship Profile: Olivia Urbanski
Senior Olivia Urbanski wants to explore the world. And she’s known since she was a girl that she wanted to study in Africa. READ MORE -
Event
Is it man vs. planet? Find out at the IES Seminar on September 29, 2017
Our culture is awash in ideas that are contradicted by the well-established theory of natural selection. For example: “Everything in nature is in balance (until humans get involved).” In his seminar, Dr. Dybzinski will explore myths like these and replace them with something that is grounded in science and more hopeful for the planet’s future.LEARN MORE -
Event
Will the petroleum industry participate in habitat conservation for imperiled species?
Dr. Melstrom will be hosting the first research seminar of the semester. Join him for his lecture on the petroleum industry’s impact on endangered species through voluntary conservation agreements with assurances on September 15, 2017.LEARN MORE -
Healing Earth wins Expanded Reason Award in Teaching Category
Organized by the University Francisco de Vitoria Madrid and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Foundation, the Expanded Reason Awards “seek to support and acknowledge those professors and researchers who are working to broaden the horizons of rationality through a dialogue between the sciences and philosophy and theology, grounded in the certainty that the fundamental questions of human life cannot be ignored by scientific rationality.” Healing Earth is one of four winners from a field of 367 submissions from 30 countries. LEARN MORE -
Congratulations to our 2017 Bike Commuter Challenge Winners!
Loyola won in the education category for employers between 2,500 and 4,999 staff. Loyola faculty and staff logged over 1400 miles during this two week event. LEARN MORE -
What happens when we see ourselves as separate from or as a part of nature?
IES students pondered this question posed by the staff at the Center for Humans and Nature as part of the Center's Resilient Future series. Read our students' thoughtful responses. READ MORE -
Invasive species have a massive impact, but wise policy can keep them out
IES Professor Reuben Keller wrote this Op-Ed for the Conversation READ MORE -
We are still in
President Rooney joins leaders across the country reminding the world that many US citizens still support the climate action in the Paris Climate Agreement. READ MORE -
Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy named as Keynote Speaker for our 2018 Climate Change Conference
As the head of EPA under President Obama, McCarthy led historic progress to achieve the administration’s public health and environmental protection goals and the Climate Action Plan. McCarthy will give the Keynote Address at our 2018 Climate Change Conference on March 15, 2018 at 7 p.m. in Mundelein Auditorium. LEARN MORE -
Congratulations to the IES Class of 2017!
Our graduating seniors have taken to heart Loyola's mission of social justice. This year's Senior Award winners have worked for the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke; developed an innovative way to clean waste water in our biodiesel lab; managed our farmers market; brought solar to our campus, and much more.
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Father Stephen Mitten wins Mary Therese Langerbeck Award for Undergraduate Research & Mentoring
The Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy is pleased to announce that Fr. Stephen Mitten was awarded one of two Mary Therese Langerbeck Awards for Undergraduate Research & Mentoring at the recent Weekend of Excellence awards ceremony. After reading the comments written by nominating students about Professor Mitten, it is a clear that he is revered and appreciated by those he teaches and mentors.LEARN MORE -
AJCU Connections Features Hands-On Research at Loyola and IES
Throughout the year, Loyola University Chicago students conduct research to advance their education and gain valuable hands-on experience. This work is celebrated every April during the Weekend of Excellence, which includes a program of research symposia, awards ceremonies and a student performance. READ MORE -
IES Students and Faculty Take Top Honors at Loyola's Weekend of Excellence
The Outstanding Loyola Undergraduate Research Award has been established to honor Loyola undergraduates who conduct exceptional research, articulate their work to others, and integrate research into their overall learning experience. IES is pleased to honor the work of Erica Becker, Lian Lucansky, Samantha Panock, Daniella Herrera, Kristen Courage, Sean McNelis, Natalie Burgos, Aqsa Junagadhwala, and Marykate Fitzpatrick. We are also pleased to have our very own Father Stephen Mitten receive the Langerbeck Award for Undergraduate Research Mentoring. Congratulations to all! LEARN MORE 
Every day is Earth Day at Loyola
Loyola has been a leader in sustainability for years, and it recently was named the seventh greenest college campus in the country by the Sierra Club. Watch Video-
EarthWeek 2017
Get involved and help the environment during this year's EarthWeek. From environmental justice panels to our annual Clean and Green and Arbor Day Tree Planting, there's plenty of ways to participate. LEARN MORE -
Sustainability Awards Round-Up
2016 was a stellar year for Loyola and sustainability initiatives across our campus. Take a look at some of the awards we received for the work the Office of Sustainability does on campus.READ MORE -
Performance
Addressing climate change through a dancers' lens
SES and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts (DFPA) are bringing the message of climate change to audiences through art and movement.READ MORE -
Collaboration
Dancing with Science: Collaborating for Vocational Activism and Effective Citizenry
On a recent icy morning, a group of fourth-graders from Peirce Elementary International Studies School arrived at Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability to shoot a dance film.MORE -
Loyola alumni David Miller and Dr. Stephen Rivard profiled in Crain's for their business Iroquois Valley Farm
Access to capital is notoriously difficult for farmers. Growing and raising certified organic food is even more daunting. That's because the USDA requires organic farmers to work the soil for three years before allowing them to certify their crops as organic. What's more, yields are lower for a good five years after starting out while the soil becomes richer.READ MORE -
Want free tickets to Lollapalooza?
Volunteer for at least three hours with the Office of Sustainability and become part of the Lollapalooza Divert It! team. -
Awards
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and Solution Generation Announce 2016 Winner of the Climate Leadership Awards
ACCU and ecoAmerica’s Solution Generation program are pleased to announce that Loyola University Chicago has been selected as the 2016 Climate Leadership Awards recipient. Loyola was recognized for its commitment to addressing climate change and making climate impacts on natural and social systems a key aspect of social justice.READ MORE -
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My Top Five: SES Student Rachel Monsey ‘18 reflects on her experience at COP 22 in Marrakech
In November, a cohort of SES Students studying abroad at the Newman Institute in Sweden attended the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) in Marrakech, Morocco. Here, Environmental Policy major Rachel Monsey tells us her top five takeaways from her experience at COP 22.
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Sustainability Across the Curriculum
The Office of Sustainability is available to help faculty from across the university integrate sustainability into their teaching and research.LEARN MORE -
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Through the Loyola Lens: Savannah Webb
IES Alumni Savannah Webb ('16) used her Urban Agriculture skills and her psychology major while working at the Global Garden Refugee Training Farm. More than 40 families from Bhutan and Burma work the formerly vacant one-acre plot growing organic fruits and vegetables and selling them in Chicago. WATCH VIDEO -
Student Research
Poster Session for STEP: Food Systems
Join the students of Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP): Food Systems to see the outcomes of their semester-long, hands-on, engaged learning projects.LEARN MORE -
Faculty Research
The unintended impacts of mosquito insecticides
How do you minimize collateral damage in the war against disease-carrying mosquitoes? “In the long run, we need to think about better ways to control mosquitoes than applying chemicals.” says IES Ecotoxicologist Tham Hoang, PhD. READ MORE -
STUDENT EXCELLENCE
Student leader committed to sustainability
President's Medallion recipient Christie Kochis has worked on several eco-friendly initiatives at Loyola and interned in the Office of Sustainability since 2013.READ MORE -
J-Term
J-Term at LUREC
Spend your January watching movies or learning how temperate plants and animals survive and thrive during winter. We have two January Term classes scheduled at Loyola University's Retreat and Ecology Campus this year. Go snowshoeing and study Winter Ecology with Dr. Roberta Lammers-Campbell or relax and watch movies with Dr. Milan Pribisic.REGISTER -
International Impact
Ecotoxicologist sought out during Vietnam disaster
This spring, Vietnam experienced a massive localized die-off of fish populations in the waters off of four coastal provinces, a disaster that sparked rare protests across the country and affected thousands of people. IES (now SES) ecotoxicologist Tham Hoang, PhD was tapped by the Vietnam Environmental Administration to provide expert advice.
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Local Food System
No Impact Meal - A More Mindful Dinner
A group of sustainability interns started the No Impact Meal Program, an initiative that's rethinking food on campus. WATCH VIDEO -
Faculty Research Grant
Dr. Nancy E. Landrum Selected as IES Abroad Research Associate
Dr. Nancy E. Landrum, professor at the Quinlan School of Business & Institute for Environmental Sustainability, has been selected by the Office of International Programs as an IES Abroad Research Associate for the summer 2017 term in London, England! IES Abroad, a Loyola-approved study abroad program provider, offers only two research grants to visiting faculty each year, making the process highly competitive. Her research will focus on the Circular Economy, a more sustainable economic model being adopted by Japan, China, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. LEARN MORE -
Water Conservation
SES Leads Water Efforts at Loyola
With the current Flint water crisis and recent reports of lead in Chicago’s water supply, water has been a hot topic over the past several months. Though we still face water challenges on a local and national level, Loyola has been taking action to ensure quality, conscious water-use within our own campus.
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Northwest Herald
Restoration project ongoing at Loyola University campus in Woodstock
At the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with what they’ve learned in class – something an urban setting couldn’t provide. Read this article in the Northwest Herald about LUREC's farm and ecological restoration work.VISIT -
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Kevin Erickson, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, receives June Commitment to Excellence Award
A few questions with IES staff star, Kevin Erickson.READ MORE -
SES student helps Rogers Park and Edgewater restore butterfly population
Last fall, a new program started at Swift Elementary School in Edgewater. Fourth grade students spent the afternoons outside away from screens and electronics, reconnecting with the outdoors. The program taught students about sustainable gardening, and specifically showed them how planting milkweed can save the monarch butterfly population. Loyola’s very own Marina Garcia started the program.
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Live Broadcast
Worldview joins us at our 2016 Climate Change Conference
WBEZ's Worldview featuring Jerome McDonnell attended our 2016 Climate Change Conference. They also toured IES during a live broadcast of their show. You can listen to the podcast here. LEARN MORE -
IES Courses
IES Highlighted Courses
Students: Considering a career in Environmental Journalism or Sustainable Business Management? Why not take one of these courses that IES will offer during the Summer or Fall of 2016. LEARN MORE -
LUREC
Study nature in nature at LUREC this summer
We have two sessions of classes at LUREC this summer. Join us for Session 1: May 16-June 3, 2016 and take Field Ornithology, Principles of Ecology Lab and Restoration Ecology with Lab among others. Session 2: August 3-24, 2016 will feature Late Summer Flora and a Saturday seminar on mosquitoes and ticks. LEARN MORE -
Urban Agriculture
DNA Info interviews Urban Agriculture Coordinator Kevin Erickson
IES is one of two retail sources of aquaponics-bred tilapia at Chicago Farmers Markets. Take a look at this article and don't forget to purchase some of our local tilapia at the Loyola Farmers Market beginning June 8, 2016. (Scroll down half way for the information about Loyola.) READ MORE -
Internships
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Delta Institute partner with IES to offer unique internships
Students: Apply to these internships before the May 1, 2016 deadline and work for these stellar non-profit institutions. LEARN MORE -
Seminar Series
Kim Ferraro: Environmental Justice and the Failure of Current Policy
Join IES on April 19 as we welcome Kim Ferraro for our last research seminar of the semester. Kim Ferraro is the senior staff attorney with the Indiana-based Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC). Kim came to HEC from the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation (LEAF), the state’s only non-for-profit legal aid services organization focused on environmental protection. LEARN MORE -
Every day is Earth Day at Loyola
As Earth Day approaches on April 22, Loyola is hosting several events on campus to help make the world a greener—and better—place. But the University’s commitment to the environment extends far beyond Earth Day. See what Loyola does year-round to promote sustainability.
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David Treering, GIS Specialist, receives February Commitment to Excellence Award
IES staff star David Treering talks about his ten years at Loyola.READ MORE -
WBEZ's Worldview features Healing Earth
A new era calls for new tools. Loyola University-Chicago’s International Jesuit Ecology Project has created a new environmental science e-textbook and multimedia project called “Healing Earth.” The project goes beyond science to add the perspectives of ethics, spirituality, and action. Listen to the entire Worldview interview here. -
LUREC
Students: Apply for these LUREC internships and scholarships
Study nature in nature. Now that summer session registration is open, SES students can apply for internships and scholarships that will enhance their summer. Spend it at LUREC with SES. LEARN MORE -
SES Student Profile: McNair Scholar and first-generation college student Brittany Rivera
While some students relaxed over the summer, Brittany Rivera spent her time working as an LUREC intern researching invasive species and soil. Most days she worked with buckthorn and collected data on the wetland’s water table. Rivera used this internship to learn more habitat restoration.
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Climate Change
SES interviews Andreas Carlgren, former Swedish Minister for the Environment
Andreas Carlgren was the longest serving Swedish Minister for the Environment from 2006-2011. Throughout his term, he helped Sweden expand renewable energy and significantly reduce its’ GHG (Green House Gas) emissions.
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News
National Geographic Interviews IES Soil Ecologist Bala Chaudhary
Let’s face it: we treat soil like dirt. And for all our sakes, we shouldn’t. READ MORE -
Climate Change
Andreas Carlgren, former Swedish minister for the environment, examines the issues at play in the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21)
How can we develop international agreements to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions? Will the Global Climate Summit in Paris (COP21) be a success or a failure?
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Student Achievement
President's Medallion: She takes urban agriculture to new levels
Give Magdalena Nykaza an open space on campus, and she’ll likely turn it into a vegetable garden. Nykaza, who was one of the first interns at the student farm on Loyola’s Retreat and Ecology Campus, is heavily involved in the University’s urban agriculture program. -
Student Research
Loyola's Edible Mushroom Project
Brendan Goodwin, a junior studying food systems and sustainable agriculture, and Chance Moore, a junior studying environmental science, met second semester of their freshman year in STEP Food Systems. READ MORE -
Climate Change
Global Climate Meeting in Paris: Success or Failure?
The Paris meeting in December should save the climate –but will that happen? Are our world leaders prepared to respond to the global crisis at hand? Join IES on November 3 at 5:30 p.m. in McCormick Lounge as Andreas Carlgren, former Swedish minister of the environment, lectures on this topic. Check out this flyer for more details. LEARN MORE -
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Student Action
Kill the Cup until November 13th!
Want to help Loyola’s Student Environmental Alliance win funding for reusable coffee cups on campus? Download the Kill The Cup app on your smartphone today! Upload your reusable cup photos every day and don’t forget to share with your friends. Let’s make carrying a reusable cup on campus a social norm. VISIT -
Student Action
Hunger Week: November 2-8
Hunger Week has been a tradition at Loyola for over 40 years. Each year, students create a week of activities that increase awareness of hunger issues and raise funds for charities. See how you can help. LEARN MORE -
Climate Change
Students lead day of action to combat climate change
Loyola joined 60 college campuses across the United States on October 2nd for Know Tomorrow, a student-led demand for action on climate change. Hosted by the Student Environmental Alliance (SEA), Loyola’s KnowTomorrow event brought awareness to eco-friendly living habits and collected environmental petitions.
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Climate Change
The Week in Climate News
This past week two major announcements were made with regards to climate change. For now, Shell has abandoned Arctic Drilling in Alaska and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney says climate change could wreak havoc on the world's financial markets if left unabated. READ MORE -
In the News
Loyola Sustainability Highlighted in Local News
While Pope Francis visits the US, Loyola University Chicago is highlighted for our efforts being on par with his principles. -
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Searle Biodiesel Lab receives award
On July 21, the School of Environmental Sustainability’s Searle Biodiesel Lab was honored along with four other Chicagoland organizations by the Environmental Protection Agency. The five were among 21 recognized nationwide with the 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award.
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In the classroom
STEP courses give students chance to make a difference
Students each semester in the Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) class study, develop, and enact a service project to address a local environmental issue. The fun part? They get to pick the undertaking they want to study.
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Summer 2015
LUREC Summer Session starts May 11, 2015
This summer, take a course in Loyola's "wilderness classroom" at the Retreat and Ecology Campus and get hands-on experience in ecology, restoration and sustainability. Act Now! Registration closes on April 24th. WATCH VIDEO -
Students
IES students take top honor at Weekend of Excellence
IES LUREC Biodiversity Research Interns Catherine Pacholski (Environmental Science 2015) and Samantha Keyport (Biology 2016) have won the STEM Outstanding Loyola Undergraduate Researcher Award for 2015 awarded at this year's Weekend of Excellence. Their research was titled Ecosystem Profile Assessment of Biodiversity at LUREC. READ MORE -
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Graduate Programs Expansion
Responding to the changing demographics and professional needs of our society, several graduate programs were developed to address those challenges. The new programs are offered in a variety of delivery models: on-campus, off-campus at the Cuneo Mansion in Vernon Hills, online and blended.
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IES one of five LEED certified buildings on campus
The Institute of Environmental Sustainability received LEED Gold designation in November 2014. The 217,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility at the University’s Lake Shore Campus includes clean energy and biodiesel production labs; a green house; two aquaponics systems; an ecodome; classrooms; San Francisco Hall, a 412-bedroom residence hall; and the largest geothermal heating and cooling installation in Chicago.READ MORE -
Great Lakes Pollution
Nutrient pollution has recently been connected to adverse impacts for ecological and economic systems across the Great Lakes Region. A two-day symposium in Chicago is examining the current state of nutrient management in the Great Lakes, what policies are working and how stakeholders can work towards solutions. Founding Director of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Nancy Tuchman featured in this radio interview. LEARN MORE -
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Chicago Audubon Society Award
Dr. Rueben Keller was recently recognized as a "Protector of the Environment" by the Chicago Audubon Society 2015 Environmental Awards. -
Loyola is No. 4 on Sierra Club’s annual list of greenest colleges
This year, Loyola finished near the top of the Sierra Club’s annual rankings of “Cool Schools”—making it one of the most environmentally responsible universities in the country. -
For this alum, it’s all about making an eco-friendly impact
For someone who didn’t plan on studying environmental science, Loyola alum Kelsey Horton has left her mark on the local green community. Horton, who graduated in 2012 and helped start the Loyola Farmers Market, now works at the Chicago-based Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.
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Energy Week 2014
Loyola has made great strides in conserving energy. But what more could we be doing? Join us to understand what happens when you flip the switch and see how it affects the world we live in. -
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Profile
Junior Wins EPA Fellowship
Loyola Junior Amber White Wins USEPA Research Fellowship for her Project: "Achieving Net-Zero: Designing a Sustainable Waste-Water Treatment System for Biodiesel Production Processes." -
Feasibility Study
Solar Thermal Study
A Residence Hall Solar Thermal Feasibility Study was completed during the 2014 spring semester, funded by Loyola's The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), a sustainability fund for students, from students. Dana Buelsing, class of '14, was the project's student coordinator and led this effort on behalf of Loyola.READ MORE -
Loyola Earns AASHE Gold Rating
This spring, Loyola achieved GOLD status through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Ratings System (STARS). The STARS rating system is evaluated by reviewing a college’s curriculum, research, campus engagement, public engagement, operations (air & climate, buildings, dining services, energy, grounds, purchasing, transportation, waste, and water), and planning an administration. There are 650 institutions that have registered for the AASHE STARS reporting tool, and Loyola is one of only 61 schools that have received the GOLD ranking. Loyola is the first Jesuit institution to achieve this level.
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Recognition
Gold Certification
Governor Quinn and the Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council have officially recognized Loyola as a Gold-level school for sustainability goals in higher education as established by the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact.LEARN MORE -
IES awarded $500,000 US EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant
Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability was awarded a $500,000 US EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to implement an innovative coastal wetland restoration, invasive plant management, and renewable bio-energy production project: Furthering capacity to maintain high quality coastal wetlands in Northern Michigan.
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Residence Life Unveils Green Room Virtual Tour
Working with the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Residence Life has developed an interactive virtual tour of their model green room in San Francisco Hall. -
Farmers Market
New location, new vendors: Loyola’s Farmers Market brings more to your table
Loyola's Farmers Market opens for its fourth season, Monday, June 9, at its new Loyola Plaza location, just steps from the Loyola stop on the CTA Red Line.VISIT -
Biodiesel Program
BioSoap recognized by EPA
Loyola University Chicago’s BioSoap has been recognized for safer chemistry by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Design for the Environment program, allowing for a pilot program to make BioSoap the exclusive liquid soap used in bathrooms and locker rooms across Loyola’s campuses. -
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Bees buzzing to campus
There will soon be a new buzz on campus, and this time the source will be the real thing: Loyola is getting honeybees. "We, here at Loyola, are trying to establish a healthy bee colony," said Jared Brocklehurst, 21, a junior environmental science major. “We want it to be an educational experience for other students.” -
Through March 29
Recyclemania
Recyclemania is a national competition between among universities to measure and compare recycling over an eight-week period. Pitch in, and learn how you can help reduce waste at Loyola! -
Waste Reduction
How much waste do we generate?
As a kickoff to RecycleMania, a two-month recycling competition among U.S. universities, Loyola is celebrating Waste Week. The idea is to help everyone on campus think about the waste we generate and what we can do to reduce it. -
Fall 2013 TGIF Projects Awarded
The first round of sustainability projects through The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) have been awarded. All projects were proposed by students or student groups and have a staff or faculty sponsor. They will also be supported by a member of the TGIF Council and Loyola’s Office of Sustainability, Facilities Department and Student Development.
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U.S. Energy and Climate Change: Science, Ethics, and Public Policies
The School of Environmental Sustainability, Department of Theology, Office of the President, College of Arts & Sciences and Richard A. McCormic S.J., Chair present the U.S. Energy and Climate Change: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy Conference. There will be a keynote address by James Balog, director of Chasing Ice, on Thursday, November 14 at 7 p.m. The conference will be November 15 from 9 a.m - 4:00 p.m. at the Mundelein Auditorium.
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Professor profile
Ozone expert brings science down to Earth for students
Professor Ping Jing of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability recently received Loyola’s Excellence in Teaching Freshmen Award. Read more about the classes she teaches and what lessons she hopes to instill in her students.
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Loyola Farmers Market
Get healthy and sustainable fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and prepared foods at the Loyola Farmers Market. Stop by the southwest corner of Albion and Sheridan Roads every Monday, 3-7 p.m. thru October 14. -
For Students, From Students
Apply by October 1st for The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) to implement sustainability projects at Loyola. TGIF is a new initiative at LUC that supports student-run projects with the goal of improving environmental sustainability efforts relating to student life and our campus environment. Apply now! LEARN MORE -
EPA P3 Project
This year’s Loyola P3 team competed at the EPA National Sustainable Design Expo, working on developing sustainable solutions for the treatment of BWW and the recycling of waste streams back into the Biodiesel production process. -
Building for the future: Institute is almost finished
The $58.8 million Institute of Environmental Sustainability—is set to debut this month at the Rogers Park campus. The environmental structure “will raise our profile,” says the Rev. Michael Garanzini, Loyola's president since 2001. “We're building, I think, the best undergraduate university in the Midwest.” -
Green Building & Design
Fr. Garanzini and Loyola University Chicago are featured in the current issue of Green Building and Design magazine. Read about his environmental sustainability initiative and the greening of our campus over the past 12 years. -
Hope is the thing with feathers
Despite several degrees and years of experience that indicate otherwise, Stephen Mitten, S.J., doesn’t think of himself strictly as a scientist. “I see myself more as a naturalist,” he says. “I’m an ambassador for the environment.” As spiritual director and resident ecology faculty at Loyola’s Retreat and Ecology Campus, Fr. Mitten teaches several biology and conservation courses. But his real love is avian ecology.
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Loyola's P3 team research earns Phase Two Grant
A Phase Two $90,000 grant was awarded to the Loyola P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) team for their research on improving the sustainability of water use in Loyola Biodiesel Production, allowing the team to further the project design, implement it in the field, and move it to the marketplace. Congratulations! -
Take a Summer Course at the Retreat & Ecology Campus
As a special addition to the regular Summer Session curriculum, the courses listed below will be taught entirely at Loyola's Retreat and Ecology Campus for Summer Session 2013. -
Master Researcher
Congratulations to Reuben Keller, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, who has been designated a 'Master Researcher' by the Sujack Selection Committee. Sujack winners will be celebrated at a ceremony and reception in Crown Center Auditorium on April 17 at 4:15 p.m. -
Continuing Education
Small Scale Biodiesel Production
This hands-on class will serve as an introduction to the production of biodiesel. -
Tuchman honored with Chicago magazine’s 2013 Green Award
Loyola's Nancy Tuchman, PhD, is one of five winners of Chicago magazine’s 2013 Green Awards, honoring unsung locals whose innovations are putting Chicago on the national map and doing something good for the earth.
