Last modified: Monday, April 12, 2010
SustainIU events unite IU Bloomington community in learning to live sustainably
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Student Sustainability Council at Indiana University Bloomington has organized the third annual SustainIU initiative to spread awareness about sustainability and how individuals can make a positive impact on their environment. SustainIU features a week of diverse events, all aimed at engaging and educating the campus community on issues related to sustainability.
"If you want to catch some brilliant rays of hope about the future of our planet, just look at what these student leaders are doing now to engage their university community in the solutions to our most pressing problems," said Bill Brown, director of the IU Office of Sustainability.
SustainIU kicked off on Sunday (April 11) with the Green Day Festival in Dunn Meadow. The festival highlighted sustainability initiatives on- and off-campus, showcased sustainability projects and volunteer and issue advocacy opportunities, and provided attendees with free food and live music by local vendors and bands.
A lecture by Julia Butterfly Hill, titled "Taking Inspiration into Action," also took place Sunday. Hill is an environmental activist and motivational speaker best known for the 738 days she spent sitting in a Californial redwood tree from 1997 to 1999 to prevent the tree from being cut down. She is also a best-selling author and the co-founder of the Circle of Life Foundation, which helped organize the We The Planet eco-friendly music tour, and the Engage Network, a nonprofit organization that trains civic leaders to work toward social change.
Additional lectures and panel discussions will take place throughout this week as part of SustainIU, addressing such issues as environmental justice from Bloomington to São Paulo, the gap between what students care about environmentally and what they are willing to do about it, sustainability in business, and climate change.
SustainIU will also offer a film screening of Tapped, which exposes the dangers of the bottled water industry, followed by a question-and-answer session with the documentary's director and producer. The screening is at 6 p.m. Thursday (April 15) in Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union. Single-use plastic water bottles can be traded in before the film screening for a free Kleen Kantine reusable bottle. A screening of the film King Corn and an exhibit of sustainability in art and music will also take place as part of SustainIU.
The Cream & Crimson Spring Game at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, at Memorial Stadium will conclude the week's events. The annual inter-squad scrimmage for the IU football team will serve as the first 'green' athletic event as part of the IU Athletic Department's new initiative, Greening Cream & Crimson. The Cream & Crimson Green Team, made up of about 75 volunteers, will be helping with the many new projects taking place on game day, including recycling in Memorial Stadium and the tailgate area and valet bicycle parking on the west concourse of the stadium.
Admission to all SustainIU events is free. For additional information and the time and location of all SustainIU events, visit www.indiana.edu/~sustain.
To learn more about the Student Sustainability Council and to see a list of all member organizations visit https://sites.google.com/site/iubssc/home. Interested in volunteering and becoming a part of the first Cream & Crimson Green Team? Contact IU Office of Sustainability intern Isaac Farley at ibfarley@indiana.edu.
