Sustainability Institute

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2024

Join us from April 15 to April 28 for events that celebrate our commitment to sustainability.

Spring Ephemerals Walk

Monday, April 15, Meet by Harrington Hall, Oshkosh campus, 5:00 PM

Take a tour of our spring ephemerals throughout campus and see interesting blooms that only last a few short weeks.

 

The Intertribal Lake Winnebago Wild Rice Revitalization Project

Friday, April 19, Oshkosh campus, Sage 2224, 12:40-1:40 PM 

Join us for a presentation with Dr. Jess Conway of the Nelson Institute at UW-Madison and Jessica Ryan, Vice Chair for the Brothertown Tribal Council. 

 

Tuesday, April 23: “Kiss the Ground”- Earth Day Film Screening and Discussion 

Sage Hall 1210, 4:45-6:30 PM 

 

Fourth Annual Heirloom Apple Tree Grafting and Scionwood Exchange 

Saturday April 20, 2:00-5:00 pm – Sage Hall Atrium

Dan Bussey, Henry Jacobson, and John Kring (Maple Valley Orchards) will be available to teach grafting and help you make new apple trees, or they can do it for you. We will have a limited number of trees available for grafting. We will have rare heirloom varieties available for you to choose from. Trees and grafting are free but you can donate to the Central Mine heirloom orchard. Email dijkstrm@uwosh.edu for more information.

Hands On Earth Day

Saturday April 27, 9:00 am-12:00 pm

Volunteers will sign up to help out at the UW Oshkosh Community Garden, plant and mulch on campus, or participate in a nature walk and pick up trash to clean up campus.

Sign up here

Meeting at Sage Hall, check-in starts at 8:30 am

 

Arbor Day tree planting ceremony

Friday May 3, Student Rec and Wellness Center, 10 AM

Join us for a brief ceremony honoring our Tree Campus commitment.

 

Fox Wolf River Clean Up

Saturday May 4, Meet at Culver Family Welcome Center, 9 AM

More info and sign up here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2024watershedcleanup/event/attendthe2024watershedcleanup/embed/?blm_aid=1176015

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2022

Week  1: March 27-April 2: Climate Justice and More

Monday March 28: An Introduction to Zen Buddhism and Meditation 

• 7:00-8:00 PM, Reeve 227 
• Come join Soto Zen priest, Tai Alford for a brief overview of Zen Buddhism and a couple of short meditation experiences that might help you find your own center.  Tai started meditating in the yogic tradition in 1983 in Texas and has been teaching user friendly yoga since 1998 in Appleton Wisconsin. An illness in 2012 led him to Zen meditation. He was ordained in the Soto Zen tradition by Sōsan Flynn in the Katagiri Roshi lineage in 2016 and is the only out trans priest in his tradition that he knows of. He hopes to help alleviate suffering for all beings, by applying and sharing the joy of zazen (seated meditation). Co-sponsored by LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Rainbow Alliance for HOPE, Active Minds, Women’s Center, Club Nippon.

Tuesday March 29 & Wednesday March 30th: E-Waste Recycling 

• 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM, Campus Services Center, 650 Witzel Ave., Lot 39 
• Recycle your e-waste on the Oshkosh campus! Accepted Items Include: Cell Phones, Electrical Cords & Cables – power cords (cut off appliances), VGA cords, CAT-5 cables, Desktop Computer Towers (CPUs), Keyboards, Mice, Laptops, Chromebooks, Hard drives/Memory or RAM/Boards, Modems, Servers, Network switches, DVRs/Cable boxes, game consoles.
• Contact spanbauerb@uwosh.edu for more information.

Wednesday March 30: Climate Justice Teach In  

• All day: 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM, Reeve 227, Virtual
  • Meeting ID: 996 3396 6157     Passcode: 53225
• Please join us for a full day of events focused on the climate crisis. Presentations and interactive events are coordinated with class time slots, so instructors, please bring your class! Topics covered will include the basics of climate change and its impacts, solving the climate crisis, a Climate Café lunch hour with informal discussion with student and campus leaders, climate action at UWO and in the UW System, climate justice, a mock climate summit, Indigenous resistance to fossil fuel pipelines in the Upper Midwest and more. Presenters will include UWO students, faculty, staff and special guest Senior Chief Meteorologist at WKOW, Bob Lindmeier. 
• See Teach In website or contact spehars@uwosh.edu for more information.

Thursday, March 31: Think Oshkosh: UWO & Community Networking and Happy Hour 

• 5:00-7:00 PM, Becket’s Restaurant, 2 Jackson St, Oshkosh, WI 
• Join us for a casual evening of networking, idea sharing and partnership building.  Meet collaborators and learn about what is happening at our university and in our community. All who are interested in building connections and exploring ways to work together- on research, community projects, classes, internships and more- are welcome! Ready-made projects not required. Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic and Community Engagement and SIRT.

Saturday, April 2: Free School  

• All day: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Sage Hall, 3rd Floor 
• Free School was created to recognize that education should be affordable to everyone. It is open to the public, admission is free, and free snacks and childcare will be provided. Volunteer teachers will teach classes on pysanky (Ukrainian egg decorating), writing, wildlife rehabilitation, nature activities for kids of all ages, tai chi and more! 
• Free School Schedule will be posted here. 

 

Week 2: April 3-9: Growing Sustainability 

Wednesday, April 6: Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene 

• 3:30-4:30 PM, Virtual 
• Do you menstruate? Would you like to learn more about environmental and financially sustainable solutions to menstrual hygiene management? Join us for a Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene workshop! Participants learn about different sustainable menstrual hygiene products and their environmental impacts. Thanks to initial funding from the Green Fund and ongoing funding from the Women’s Advocacy Council, student participants who menstruate will leave with a sustainable menstrual hygiene kit, while supplies last, to promote the adoption of sustainable menstrual management. 

Thursday, April 7: Ohe∙láku and Ukwakhwa: How the Oneida Community is Coming Together to Care for Our Seed Relatives 

• 9:40 AM -11:10 AM, Sage Hall 1214 
• In this presentation, Laura Manthe and Rebecca M. Webster talk about two community groups that strive to grow and share indigenous foods and seeds. Ohe∙láku (Among the Cornstalks) is a co-op dedicated to growing several acres of heirloom Tuscarora White Corn and involving the community with all aspects of caring for the corn. Ukwakhwa (Our Foods) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to sharing knowledge about growing, harvesting, cooking, and caring for Haudenosaunee varieties of seeds. 

Friday, April 8: Heirloom Apple Tree Grafting Workshop and Scion Wood Exchange 

• 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Sage Hall 
• Come learn about the propagation of heirloom apple trees and make your own apple tree to take home! Grafting lessons provided by Dan Bussey, writer of several books and expert grafter. Scion wood for many rare apple varieties available to choose from (some pear and cherry scion wood is available for collectors, but we have no rootstock for these this year). We will have limited dwarf and semi dwarf apple tree rootstock available and there are only 15 free rootstocks (first come first serve). More are for sale by some participants at the event (cost ~ $4 per rootstock). Sponsored by the Sustainable Solutions For Tomorrow club. 

 

Week 3: April 10-16: Social Justice Week 

Cosponsored by the Social Justice Program, the Social Justice Club, and SIRT 

Monday, April 11: Pub Crawl Cleanup 

• Meet up on stairs of Polk Library at 1:30 and 3:00 PM 
• Help keep our campus clean and beautiful.
• Bags, gloves, and grabbers provided, but it might be a good idea to bring your own work gloves.  

Monday, April 11: Motivations for Social Justice: Spirituality, Faith and Human Goodness Panel Discussion 

• 6:00 – 7:30 PM, Sage 1210 

Tuesday, April 12: Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene 

• 10:00-11:00 AM, Virtual

Tuesday, April 12: “Maps: Storytellers or Factfinders?” Lori Palmeri, Mayor of Oshkosh 

• 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Sage Hall 1214 
• Sponsored by the UWO Geography Department: Geiger Lecture 2022 Lori Palmeri, Mayor of Oshkosh “Maps: Storytellers or Factfinders?” 
• Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri will discuss how maps can be storytellers and/or factfinders that inform local decisions. In a time where misinformation and disinformation have made it difficult for people to know what to think, there is a need to critically examine how data are provided to local decision makers and to the public. This is particularly true in consideration of local budgets and in the equitable allocation of resources. Lori Palmeri has a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Urban Planning from UW Oshkosh and a Masters in Urban Planning from UW Milwaukee. 

Tuesday, April 12: LGBTQIA+ Ally March 

•  5:00 – 7:00 PM, Reeve Ballroom 
• On this day, we celebrate all who are queerly diverse and all who are dedicated to making our schools, communities, nation, and world safer and more accepting of sexuality and gender diversity. Join us in celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and come march with us! Families welcome! 

Wednesday, April 13: Reimagining Social Welfare: Past, Present, and Future  

• 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Reeve Union 227 and virtually

• Increasing polarization, budget cuts, stigma and other challenges have made it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of the most socially vulnerable in our communities. This conversation will reimagine how to advance social welfare and wellbeing to advance racial and economic equity. The panel will provide a historical account of public assistance programs in the United States, which were historically extensive and run by local governments. Yet, such services were not regarded as controversial, unlike today. Further discussion will examine how programs of the past have evolved, now requiring more collaboration between the public and nonprofit sectors. This conversation will also tackle the question of how government and nonprofit leaders can more effectively work together, promising practices that can foster collective impact, and why such partnerships are critical to address present and future issues. 

• UWO Social Justice Week programming and sponsored by the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research, the UW Oshkosh Department of Public Administration and the Center for Civic and Community Engagement. 

Thursday, April 14th: An Evening with Michelle Alexander 

• 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Virtual
• Join us for an evening with The New York Times best-selling author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander. She will talk about her work on breaking the silence about racial injustice in the modern legal system to reveal how mass incarceration has come to replace segregation. The conversation will be a moderated Q&A by our own Dr. Damira Grady, Associate Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence and University Diversity Officer. 
• Speaker Series and Reeve Union Inclusion Programs

Saturday April 16: Birding at Asylum Bay 

• 9:00 AM, Asylum Bay, Oshkosh 
• Join UW Oshkosh Biology and Environmental Studies instructor Dr. Shannon Davis-Foust to look for birds and spring ephemerals.
• Use the parking lot at the end of Snell Road. Dress for the weather and be prepared for muddy conditions. Bring binoculars if you have them!

 

Week 4: April 17-23: Earth Week 

Monday, April 18: Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene 

• 6:30-7:30 PM, Women’s Center Virtual

Wednesday, April 20: Earth Month Keynote by Venice R. Williams, Executive Director of Alice’s Garden Urban Farm in Milwaukee

•  5:30 – 7:00 PM, Sage Hall 1214, Virtual Recording
• Our Earth, Our Lives: Everything we do is connected to the gifts the Earth, the Elements, and Creation provide for us. How are we doing as stewards of the planet?  The Earth cares for us; what are some of the things we need to be more aware of when it comes to caring for the Earth? As the health of the planet diminishes, so will human lives. There are many things that cannot be undone.  However, we may embrace the Earth more lovingly, intentionally, and as gentle caretakers moving forward.
• Venice R. Williams is the Executive Director of Alice’s Garden Urban Farm in Milwaukee, which provides models of regenerative farming, community cultural development and economic agricultural enterprises for the global landscape. They recognize the cultivating, preparing and preserving of food and food traditions as cultural arts to be reclaimed and celebrated fully in urban agriculture.
• Co-sponsored by: SIRT, Speaker Series, Student Environmental Action Coalition, Wildlife Conservation Club, Environmental Studies Program, Sociology Department, Women’s Advocacy Council 

Saturday, April 23: Hands on Oshkosh

• Once a semester UW Oshkosh hosts “Hands on Oshkosh” a program where students, faculty and staff come together to go out into the community to volunteer and make a difference. Volunteer projects during the day vary based on what agencies are partnered with. Painting, weeding, planting, digging, cleaning and moving are all likely projects to help with.
• Questions? Email handsonoshkosh@uwosh.edu

Saturday, April 23: The Buzz About Bugs: insect chemistry

• 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Oshkosh Public Library
• Join the Northeast Wisconsin Local Section of the American Chemical Society for Chemists Celebrate Earth Week 2022. We’ll have fun learning about the Chemistry of insects!
• Questions about the event, please contact: ACSNEWIOutreach@gmail.com

 

Week 5: April 24-30: Let’s Get Outside! 

Tuesday, April 26: Arbor Day Observance and Tree Planting 

• 10:00 AM, near Tennis courts.
• Join us and help plant trees across campus with the help of the Grounds Crew. Shovels and gloves provided. 

 

Wednesday, April 27: Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene 

5:00-6:00 PM, Virtual

 

Thursday, April 28: Bike Safety and Repair Event 

• 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Reeve Union Concourse – outdoors 
• Spring means it’s time to ride! To get us ready for our spring cycling adventures, bike experts from Winnebago Bicycles and the Outdoor Adventure Center will be on hand to answer your questions and do minor tune-ups on your bike. You will also have the opportunity to chat with folks from the East Central Wisconsin Planning Commission about how to make our area safer for cyclists. 

CANCELED: Saturday, April 30: Bike Tour of Oshkosh! 

• 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM; groups leaving at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 AM from meeting spot #1
  • Meeting spot/ Stop #1: Ephemeral gardens by Halsey/Harrington Halls
  • Stop #2: Co-Op (story of the Co-op from Food Justice Team and tour of the store)
  • Stop #3: Chief Oshkosh 

• Join us for an easy paced bike ride around Oshkosh! We will explore sustainability efforts, both traditional and contemporary, as we stop at the ephemeral gardens, Oshkosh Food Co-Op and Menominee Park. Pre-Registration is required via our google form, where more details can also be found. Limited bikes may be available for rental at the UARC, otherwise your own personal bike is required. 

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2021

Week 1: April 4–10 

Saturday, April 3: Birdwatching at Picnic Point 

8:00-10:00 AM Birdwatching at Picnic Point at Asylum Bay located on the north side of Oshkosh.   The trail winds through a variety of habitats including grasslands, wetlands, forest, and ends at the shores of Lake Winnebago.  Dress for the weather and be prepared for muddy conditions. Use the parking lot at the head of the trail at the end of East Snell Road.

   

Monday, April 5- Friday, April 9: SEAC Free School! 

This year UWO Free School will be a full week of FREE learning for all people of all ages! Sustainability-related topics include health, social justice, and community building. 

Free Schools are necessary as a means to help bridge a social injustice. We live in a world where only “some people” can afford to receive education. The UWO Free School hopes to provide a forum for community engagement and a place where all can come together to learn.

2021 schedule 

 

Tuesday, April 6 

3:00-4:00 PM – Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene (WAC, Women’s Center)

 

Wednesday, April 7 

7:00-8:15 p.m. – Alicia Garza, Principal at Black Futures Lab, Author of “The Purpose of Power”  & Co-founder of The Black Lives Matter Global Network
Recording link: 
Alicia believes that Black communities deserve what all communities deserve — to be powerful in every aspect of their lives. An author, political strategist, organizer, and cheeseburger enthusiast, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics. She is the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, serves as the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and is a co-founder of Supermajority, a new home for women’s activism. Alicia has become a powerful voice in the media and frequently contributes thoughtful opinion pieces and expert commentary on politics, race and more to outlets such as MSNBC and The New York Times. She has received numerous accolades and recognitions, including being on the cover of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World issue and being named to Bloomberg’s 50 and Politico’s 50 lists. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart (One World Penguin Random House), and she warns you — hashtags don’t start movements. People do.  

Co-sponsored by the Student Organization of Latinos, Women’s Advocacy Council, University Speaker Series, Pepsi Fund, Women’s Center, LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Black Student Union, SIRT, and Social Justice Club. 

 

7:00 PM Solve Climate 2030 

Please join us for an online panel discussion with state climate leaders—including Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes—around three themes: green recovery, climate solutions, and a just transition. UW–Madison is playing webinar host (specifically, the Wisconsin Energy Institute and Office of Sustainability), but this event is about and open to all WI institutions. Go to http://solveclimateby2030.org/ for details and registration. 

 

Thursday, April 8: Sustainability Jobs Panel and Networking Event 

4:00-6:00 PM

Interested in learning about the growing world of sustainability jobs, and meeting potential employers in a low-stakes setting? Listen to a panel and then chat informally with employers from the business, nonprofit, and government sectors! Representatives from a numerous industries will share their experiences and backgrounds and offer advice on pursuing careers in the rapidly growing sustainability field. Participants include Appvion Operations, Evergreen Credit Union, The Nature Conservancy, the Oshkosh Food Co-Op, City of Oshkosh, and more. Students of all backgrounds are welcome.

Hosted by SIRT and Career and Professional Development.

Recording here

 

 

Week 2: April 11-17 

Monday, April 12th  

3:00-4:00 PM – Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene (WAC, Women’s Center) 

 

7:00-8:00 PM – Amanda Nguyen, CEO and founder of Rise 

Amanda Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Rise, a social movement accelerator. She is a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Nguyen penned her own civil rights into existence and unanimously passed the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, after having to navigate the broken criminal justice system after her own rape. 27 bills protecting more than 72 million sexual violence survivors have been created modeled off of her federal law. The federal law was the 21st bill in modern US history to pass unanimously on the record. She has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30, a Top 100 Leading Global Thinker by Foreign Policy, a Young Woman of the Year by Marie Claire, and The Tempest’s #1 Woman of Color Trailblazer. Previously, Nguyen was appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States Department of State as his Deputy White House Liaison and served at NASA. Nguyen, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, graduated from Harvard University. 

Part of Asian Heritage Month, Earth Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Social Justice Week Programming. 

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmX7E_y_0VY  

 

Tuesday, April 13th  

5:00 PM – SPARKing Sustainability (SPARK task force) 

Join the UWO SPARK Task Force to learn more about the many environmental impacts of tobacco product waste on and off our campus.

 

Thursday, April 15 

8:30 AM Rachel Brookins, Wildlife Biologist with the WI DNR

Rachel will speak about her job, career path, and her advice to students who are looking to get into a similar line of work. This informal event will offer the opportunity for students to ask questions. Please join us if you’re interested in working in the field of wildlife conservation! Cosponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Club.

 

3:00-4:30 PM Eco-Anxiety Workshop location: Outdoor Classroom; rain location: Sage 1235 

Worried about the impacts of a changing climate? Depressed by the news of hurricanes, forest fires, and other climate catastrophes? Looking for ways to find firm ground in what often seems like a chaotic world? Come to this workshop to learn strategies to manage and channel these disruptive feelings. Hosted by the Counseling Center and the Environmental Studies Program. 

 

 

Week 3: April 18-24 

Monday, April 19 

3:00-4:00 PM – Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene (WAC, Women’s Center) Microsoft Teams 

 

Tuesday, April 20: Growing Heirloom Apples

9:10 – 10:10 AM Grafting class HS 202 

10:20 – 11:00 AM – Orchard planting by Lot 11. 

2:00 – 4:00 PM – 1st Annual Heirloom Apple Scion Wood Exchange Fair, Sage Hall courtyard. Are you interested in grafting rare heirloom fruit trees? Do you have wood to exchange with other fruit tree enthusiasts? There will be a few distributors of scion wood with root stock and scion wood to take home. Please park in lot 7 and enter through doors (#). Masks and distancing will be enforced. 

 

Wednesday, April 21 

10:20-11:20 AM – Melissa Weyland presents “What is sustainable food, really?” 

Carbon footprints, animal-welfare, ingredient labels, single-use packaging, oh my! Grocery options can be overwhelming. We are all drawn to or away from specific foods for different reasons. In this workshop, we will pick apart a real-life lunch that a conscious consumer might enjoy. You’ll leave with a sense of empowerment to make choices that support your own value system with clarity of how they impact our planet. 

Melissa Weyland has over twenty years of organic farming experience and has worked professionally in the consumer-packaged-goods industry for over a decade.  

 

Thursday, April 22: Earth Day 

5:00-6:30 pm, Keynote: Dina Gilio-Whitaker, author of “As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock”
https://us-lti.bbcollab.com/recording/13dc87e6e91743c28bdc2dc7b9beef95

Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos, and an independent consultant and educator in environmental justice policy planning. She also works within the field of critical sports studies, examining the intersections of indigeneity and the sport of surfing. As a public intellectual, Dina brings her scholarship into focus as an award-winning journalist as well, contributing to numerous online outlets including Indian Country Today, the Los Angeles Times, High Country News and many more. Dina is co-author with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz of Beacon Press’s “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans (2016), and her most recent book, As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock, was released in 2019. Her talk will discuss highlights from As Long As Grass Grows and will includes a discussion of Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge. 

Cosponsored by SIRT, the Intertribal Student Council, English Club, and Sigma Tau Delta 

 

 

Week 4: April 25-May 1 

Monday, April 26 

3:00-4:00 PM – Go Green for Menstrual Hygiene (WAC, Women’s Center) Microsoft Teams

 

5:00-6:30 PM- Ka Oskar Ly, “Cultivating Creative Space for Community Futures” 

The meaning of a place, space, and land can largely depend on how we experience it. Yet, those who came before us have cultivated it for us. What can we learn from the generations before us?  Ka Oskar Ly will share their work as an artist and cultural worker fostering community, space, and place. For Hmong Americans, war and displacement have often made us feel like strangers on the lands we occupy and the bodies we embody. We are more rooted than we realize. We can reclaim that.  

As the co-founder of ArtCrop, Ka led a 3-year inquiry merging art and culture through a Community-Supported Art and Agriculture (CSAA) share model. This facilitated reconnecting second-gen+ Hmong Americans and invited broader communities to experience Hmong culture without appropriation. This talk will invite participants to consider their role in culture, the places, and the land we occupy. 

Ka Oskar Ly (she/her/they/them) is a queer Hmoob (Hmong) French American artist and cultural producer rooted in creating social change. Ly draws on their identities, lived experiences, and various communities to redefine and reclaim Hmoob and queer aesthetics, cultural innovation, and community futures. They have organized community by transforming campaigns through Hmong textile, cultural experiences, and public space installations and murals to raise awareness of equity and visibility of gender, queer/trans, and racial justice. Pairing organizing and art empowers them to stay curious and to continuously be in conversation with ourselves and communities about how we show up. 

 

**NEW DATE- weather permitting** Tues, April 27th  

Tree planting with classes April 29th 10:00-2:50. Work with the Grounds crew in various locations around campus to help plant trees in observance of Arbor Day on Friday April 30th. In addition, crews will be spreading mulch. If you are interested in helping or having your class involved, Faculty email Brad Spanbauer, students attending this event for a class fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ugRC8jFhsGESzUcNA  

 

 

Wed, April 28th

10:20-11:20 AM – Dolly Ledin and Bob Martini present “A Voice for Science: Wisconsin’s Green  Fire”  

Bob Martini, retired DNR, will present what we’ve learned about protecting water in Wisconsin over the past 45 years and what it means for the future. An interactive session will follow the presentation. We want to learn about your interests as the next generation of natural resource professionals and citizens.  We work to elevate the voices of citizens and work to make sure political decisions are based on sound science.   

Wisconsin’s Green Fire organization works to promote science-based management of natural resources in Wisconsin.  Our members include hundreds of environmental professionals with expertise in science, policy, law and education.   

 

Thursday, April 29 

5:00-6:30 pm- Dr. Misty McPhee, The science of denial:  Why people reject climate change 

From climate change to COVID-19, many people refuse to accept the science that could save their lives.  Why?  In this talk, I will explore that question from multiple perspectives, ultimately grounding the answer in evolutionary theory (interestingly, another science that is often rejected despite deep scientific understanding).  Rejection of science is a relevant topic and urgent challenge that has profound moral implications.  Understanding why people deny the scientific realities of climate change and other issues can help us work toward effective cooperation versus division. 

https://us-lti.bbcollab.com/recording/837253b966914ed4b8e1e32afcf9dae6

 

Saturday, May 1  

Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup 

Fox-Wolf’s 2021 Fox-Wolf Watershed Cleanup event set to take place on Saturday, May 1st from 9-11:30 a.m. We are looking to have volunteers clean up the UW-Oshkosh riverfront area as we have for several years, but feel free to sign up for any of the locations in the watershed!. For the UWO site we will meet at Culver Family Welcome Center parking lot – bags, gloves, etc. provided. Instructions will be given at the meeting spot at 9:00 AM. Register here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/20wcle/  

 

10th Oshkosh Bird Fest

Oshkosh Bird Fest will be back in 2021! Nothing is for certain during this pandemic and things could change, so we are scaling back and planning activities that allow for social distancing and ask that you please wear a face mask, for our safety and yours. We look forward to seeing everyone! Rain or shine! Free! Fun for the whole family. Bring your binoculars.

Spend the day at Oshkosh Bird Fest:
Menominee Park 6:00am-Noon

Event website

http://www.oshkoshbirdfest.com/schedule.html

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2020

 

This April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, which was organized by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. The current global pandemic also gives this Earth Day special significance, as it encourages us to reflect on our relationships to each other, to other species, and to the broader environment, and to consider the kind of world we want to shape going forward. This year, we engage with Earth Day’s past, present, and future through a series of virtual events, remembering that even when we are apart, we are in this together.

 

 

 

 

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – 2019

 

Earth Week 2019

April 22, 2019 is Earth Day. UW Oshkosh will celebrate this day as part of a week of celebrations.

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, marked a turning point for American environmentalism—20 million Americans participated in the nationwide event that many consider the catalyst for the modern environmental movement.

Each year the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh celebrates Earth Week through a variety of events, activities and speakers.

 

Monday, April 22

Tabling in Reeve

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Reeve Concourse

 

Tuesday, April 23

Speaker Jill Hirosky “Solving the Climate Challenge.”

11:20 AM – 12:20 PM

Reeve 220

Kate is a volunteer for Citizens Climate Education and works to inform the public and our local leaders about how we can most immediately impact climate change. Kate retired from Kimberly Clark Corp last year after 34 years as a Senior Research Scientist.

Keynote: University Speaker Series – Malia Hulleman

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Location: Reeve Union Ballroom 227

Wednesday, April 24

E-Waste Collection

7:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Blackhawk parking lot

Recycle your household electronic waste. Campus operating units, please contact the Sustainability Office for more info about how to recycle campus-generated E-waste.
Accepted Items

• Cell phones, Rechargeable Batteries, Cords, CRTs/Computer Monitors, CPUs/Computer Towers, Printers, DVDs/VCRs, Fax Machines, Cell and Corded Phones

Items Not Accepted

• TVs, Microwaves, Dehumidifiers, Light Bulbs, Alkaline Batteries, Household Appliances

Contact Jonah Hood (hoodj31@uwosh.edu)

Film: “The Human Element”

4:30-6:00 PM

Location: TBD

Speaker Melissa Weyland: “The True Cost of Our Food”

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Reeve 306

Food plays so many roles: health, community, tradition, and pleasure, to name a few. We’ll dive into food labeling, marketing, regulations and the varying methods used to produce the foods we’ve grown to enjoy today. We’ll leave with a deeper understanding of why our food costs what it does and how our dinner decisions today shape the world we will live in tomorrow.

Melissa has worked professionally in the agriculture and food industries for over 12 years. She currently works for CROPP Cooperative/Organic Valley as the Midwest Regional Pool Manager where she oversees 100 organic farms throughout Wisconsin. Melissa dairy farms with her parents and three sisters west of Neenah, operating 1600 certified organic acres and milking 110 Holstein cows. She enjoys serving the community as a UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer and is a member of the Oshkosh Food Cooperative Board of Directors.

Thursday, April 25

Film: Dolores

7:00 PM

Reeve 212A

One of the most important, yet least known activists of our time, Dolores Huerta was an equal partner in founding the first farm workers union with César Chávez. Tirelessly leading the fight for racial and labor justice, Huerta evolved into one of the most defiant feminists of the 20th century — and she continues the fight to this day, in her late 80s. With unprecedented access to this intensely private mother of 11, Peter Bratt’s film “Dolores” chronicles Huerta’s life from her childhood in Stockton, California to her early years with the United Farm Workers, from her work with the headline-making grape boycott launched in 1965 to her role in the feminist movement of the ’70s, to her continued work as a fearless activist.

Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Luis Valdez, Angela Davis, her children and more, Dolores is an intimate and inspiring portrait of a passionate champion of the oppressed and an indomitable woman willing to accept the personal sacrifices involved in committing one’s life to social change.

1 hour 35 minutes long

Bike Fair

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location Reeve Union (Library side)

Local bike vendors and advocates will be on hand to answer your questions about the local biking scene as well as provide opportunities to buy biking gear.

Friday, April 26

Tree planting

Time TBD

Location TBD

Every year during Earth Week at UW Oshkosh, we commit to planting more trees on campus. UW Oshkosh has been awarded with a Tree Campus USA designation since 2010. We plan to plant trees this year, as we have done in the past, if the weather works out. Check back later for updated information regarding this event! Learn more about our landscaping sustainability.

Film: Gasland

4:00 PM

Reeve 210

After being approached by a natural gas company interested in leasing his land, Josh Fox sets out to investigate the fracking industry. He interviews those affected by fracking across the United States to try and gain a better understanding of the impacts the industry has on the environment and the people who live near drilling sites. Released in 2010, “Gasland” has been nominated for an Oscar in Best Documentary and has won multiple awards, including an Artistic Vision Award and an EMA Award.

1 hour 47 minutes long