Stories
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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
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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.
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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.
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The Mayors Are Still In
Mayor Emanuel's North American Climate Summit shows that many Americans are ready to address climate change head-on. In early December, IES students attended this Summit and learned, firsthand, what mayors are doing on the city level to combat climate change.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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
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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 us
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LUREC
LUREC restoration projects give new hope to endangered bumble bee species
This summer, IES Biodiversity Intern Kevin White encountered a newly endangered bee species at Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) while working on a pollination/pollinator research project.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Invasive species have a massive impact, but wise policy can keep them out
IES Professor Reuben Keller wrote this Op-Ed for the Conversation
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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.
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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.
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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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Loyola Dance Students Teach Science through Movement
In December, fourth-grade students from Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies visited the Institute of Environmental Sustainability to show off their scientific knowledge of Photosynthesis, nuclear fusion and the chemical process that turns vegetable oil into Biodiesel. The catch? They showcased their knowledge through dance. The LUC Dance Program has made it part of its mission to engage on social justice issues and build community partnerships through efforts like their dance program with Peirce Elementary School. IES sat down with Senior Lecturer of Dance Amy Wilkinson to discuss this initiative a little 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.
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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.
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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!
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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. -
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.
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Study Abroad
Sustainable Living--Swedish Style
Environmental Studies and Global and International Studies double-major Olivia Urbanski knew she was in her dream class when her instructor Skyped in guest lecturers from the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCC) also known as COP21 in early December. "We were talking to people in Paris telling us how the negotiations were going as they were happening."
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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.
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Performance
Addressing climate change through a dancers' lens
IES and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts (DFPA) are bringing the message of climate change to audiences through art and movement.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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My Top Five: IES Student Rachel Monsey ‘18 reflects on her experience at COP 22 in Marrakech
In November, a cohort of IES 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Faculty Profile
New Faculty Profile: John Zahina-Ramos, PhD
An established ecologist and conservationist, Zahina-Ramos spent five years cultivating his own backyard food garden in the heart of South Florida. Here, Zahina-Ramos talks about the benefits of urban gardening, Loyola’s commitment to sustainability, and how the little things people do for the environment can make a big impact.
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Sustainability
Energy Week 2016: October 11-17
Loyola is doing its part to reduce energy use and tackle climate change. Do your part in reducing your energy footprint and making a better world for all. Join us for an event to learn about energy, climate, and you.
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Campus Sustainability
Loyola #7 in Sierra Magazine 2016 Ranking of America’s Greenest Colleges and Universities
Sierra magazine, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, today released its tenth annual “Cool Schools” ranking of America’s greenest colleges and universities. This year, Loyola placed #7 nationally out of 202 schools ranked.
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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 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.
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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.
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Water Conservation
IES 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.
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Kevin Erickson, Urban Agriculture Coordinator, receives June Commitment to Excellence Award
A few questions with IES staff star, Kevin Erickson.
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IES 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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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Sustainability
EarthWeek 2016
Each year, April 22nd is a chance to celebrate Earth Day and the wonder of our planet. Join us for one of the many events taking place during EarthWeek or find your own way to engage and reflect on your relationship with the Earth’s resources and our responsibility to sustain it for future generations.
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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.
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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.
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Seminar Series
IES Research Seminar Series: Nature Reworked--The National Significance of the Calumet Region
Join Mark Bouman of the Field Museum on March 22 for our monthly seminar series. Bouman is the Chicago Region Program Director in the Keller Science Action Center of the Division of Science and Education at The Field Museum, where he oversees the museum’s interdisciplinary conservation and cultural heritage work in the Chicago region.
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LUREC
Students: Apply for these LUREC internships and scholarships
Study nature in nature. Now that summer session registration is open, IES students can apply for internships and scholarships that will enhance their summer. Spend it at LUREC with IES.
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IES 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
IES 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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IJEP
Healing Earth, a free environmental science e-textbook, launches in January
Healing Earth is for all types of students interested in environmental science and specifically designed for first year university students, fourth-year secondary school students, adult learners and those most marginalized worldwide. The textbook is aimed at heightening awareness of our planet’s environmental issues through Ignatian Pedagogy—a method that challenges students to see scientifically, evaluate ethically, reflect spiritually and act effectively.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Seminar Series
IES Research Seminar Series
On Tuesday October 13 at 4 p.m., join us for our monthly seminar series and listen to three of our graduate students discuss their research. They'll be presenting work that focuses on marine toxicology and aquatic invasive species.
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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 Institute 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.
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Congratulations to our Graduating Seniors!
Check out the pictures from our Honors Reception, held on May 6th. Special congratulations to our Award Winners: Kelly Hoff (Aldo Leopold Award for Outstanding Achievement); Susanna Lohmar & Amber Vignieri (Rachel Carson Award for Academic Excellence); and Jennifer Kelso (E.O. Wilson Award for Outstanding Performance In Internship/Research).
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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.
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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.
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Gina Lettiere, Commitment to Excellence Award Winner
Congratulations to our IES Sustainability Specialist, Gina Lettiere, winner of the Staff Council Commitment to Excellence Award for March 2015. Thank you for all you do!
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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.
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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.
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Academic Degrees
Degree Programs Offered
The Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES) has integrated Loyola’s Environmentally based academic programs into our innovative infrastructure of research, teaching and training, and outreach. IES offers five undergraduate programs designed to provide a solid inter-disciplinary base of knowledge then specialize in Environmental Policy, Environmental Studies or Environmental Science with optional concentrations in Food Systems & Sustainable Agriculture, Conservation & Restoration.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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!
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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. -
Summer Internship Applications Open
The Institute of Environmental Sustainability is accepting applications for multiple fellowships and internships for Summer 2014. We are seeking qualified individuals to work on projects in urban agriculture, GIS, restoration, biodiesel production, and database building. These paid student opportunities are a great way to apply your classroom knowledge to important university sustainability initiatives and build your resume. Additional information and application forms are available on the Fellowship & Internship Page.
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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 Institute 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. -
Featured
Loyola launches the Compost Collection Network
Through a $90,000 grant funded by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, Loyola has launched the Compost Collection Network, a new program that assists local businesses and institutions in setting up an efficient food scrap collection process.
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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!
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IES Featured on Chicago Tonight
Whether it’s a sun-drenched day or one filled with rain, the glass-draped building is designed to welcome whatever nature has to offer. It's the new Institute of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University, and it's a breath of fresh air on a traditional college campus. -
Urban Food Symposium
Thought leaders from Chicago, the Midwest region and across the nation will explore social justice, environmental and nutritional issues of food systems and offer innovative ways to approach local, alternative solutions from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the Urban Food Symposium.
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Loyola upgrades Biodiesel Lab
Loyola University Chicago is expanding its biodiesel laboratory with much-needed additional space, and a new processor and analysis instrumentation. The new space is part of the new Institute of Environmental Sustainability, and will allow more students to participate in the business and research activities in the Clean Energy Lab.
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Urban Agriculture Student Worker Job Posted
IES is seeking dependable and responsible candidates to help with various urban agriculture-related projects on the Lake Shore Campus, including the newly constructed Ecodome research/greenhouse space, Ecodome wall gardens, Ecodome aquaponics systems, Winthrop student garden, Quinlan Rooftop garden, and other agriculture and horticulture related projects.
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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.”
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From the Blog
SOAR is for the birds
Loyola's Lake Shore Campus is not just a home for undergraduate students--it's also an important habitat for many animals. Read on to learn more about how one professor and some honors students are working to make sure the campus is a safe place for migratory birds through the Student Operation for Avian Relief (SOAR) program. -
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.
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From the Blog
Rooftop research
The Artificial Stream and Pond Research Facility allows faculty and students to conduct aquatic ecology experiments on the penthouse floor of the Quinlan Life Sciences Center. Read on to learn more about current research projects, like the behavior of invasive Asian clams and leaf decay in urban streams. -
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! -
Tuchman featured on Fox 32 News
Founding Director Nancy Tuchman, PhD, was featured on Fox 32 News talking about the new Institute of Environmental Sustainability.
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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.
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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.
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Continuing Education
Small Scale Biodiesel Production
This hands-on class will serve as an introduction to the production of biodiesel. -
International Conference
IES faculty member Dr. Tham Hoang led a group of Loyola faculty members in a collaboration with Vietnam National University-Hanoi University of Science, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and Vietnam Environment Administration to organize and international conference.LEARN MORE -
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.
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Video
Chicago university cooks up green recycling scheme
Reuters TV reports on Loyola's efforts to convert all of the waste cooking oil produced in cafeteria kitchens to biodiesel that powers their shuttle bus fleet and soap products.
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Feature Story
Loyola signs Sustainability Commitments
Loyola signs compact to work towards expanding a sustainability program, engaging the campus community, greening our operations, and monitoring our performance.
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Sustainability Internship
Want to gain valuable experience working in the sustainability field? Consider applying to be a Sustainability Intern during the 2013-2014 academic year! Interns will help with campus outreach, gathering IES data, assisting campus compost initiatives, assisting IES's charitable collection drive and other tasks as needed.
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Dr. Gina Coffee – Promoting Wellness in Children and Adolescents
As a school psychologist, Dr. Coffee’s research program is driven by effective collaboration with schools, families, and communities to promote wellness in children and adolescents. Within this broad program of research, Dr. Coffee’s work follows two focused strands: the study of assessment and intervention practices within multi-tiered systems of supports in schools and the prevention of sex-risk behaviors among adolescents.
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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.
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