News & Events

EPC Speaker Series

EPC will host Barry Rabe, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Environmental Policy, University of Michigan, on

March 8, 2012.

Title: Can we tax Carbon?  Lessons from American States and Canadian Provinces

The talk will be part of Northwestern third Climate Change Symposium.

More information will be available soon.

 

Other News and Events

Winter Quarter Advising Hours:

Tuesday 9-11 in Scott Hall #227

Thursday 10-12 in Scott Hall #227

Thursday 2-4 in EPC on 2010 Sheridan Road (and by appointment -call 847 491-2645).  You can also write to Ms. Jessica Koski.

 

* We are very sad to report the passing of Elizabeth Brumfiel who died on Sunday, January 1st at the age of 66.  Liz taught Environmental Anthropology for many years, was one of the world’s leading scholars of Aztec archaeology, and a pioneer in feminist anthropology. She was a beloved teacher of many EPC students. We will miss her.

Congratulations to Doctoral Candidate and EPC Affiliate

Jessica Koski has just been awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation’s Science, Technology, and Society Program. Jess’s dissertation is entitled “Human Rights and the Warming World: Investigating the Use and Impact of Social Knowledge Claims in the Climate Debate.”

EPC Student Ariel Drehobl Helps to Develop a Google Earth Video: Climate Change Tour in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. As part of the Environmental Field School, EPC senior Ariel Drehobl, working with William Elder of the National Park Service, helped develop a video that allows viewers to learn about the effects of climate change on different sites in Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the San Francisco region. Watch it here http://www.nps.gov/goga/naturescience/climate-tour.htm

EPC Welcomes New Director of Sustainability

Robert W. Whittier has been hired as the first director of sustainability for Northwestern University. Whittier is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic sustainability plan for Northwestern. The hiring follows a three-year long initiative by the Environmental Policy and Culture Program, SEED (Students for Ecological and Environmental Development), and SWaG (Northwestern Sustainability Working Group) to promote sustainability on campus.

Whittier earned an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan with an emphasis on strategy and sustainability. He received his bachelor’s of science degree from Central Michigan University where he majored in finance and minored in environmental policy. Whittier is a LEED Accredited Professional with the U.S. Green Building Council. 

Chicago Wilderness Honored for Collaborative Work by the Institute for Conservation Leadership

The Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL) today honored the Chicago Wilderness alliance for collaborative conservation that is “creative, visionary, and highly effective.” Chicago Wilderness received this national recognition at ICL’s annual Fall Fest Benefit, held in Washington, D.C.

"We are deeply honored that the Institute for Conservation Leadership recognizes the value of our work,” said Melinda Pruett-Jones, Executive Director of Chicago Wilderness, “And as importantly, the value of how we work. Conservation alliances transcend the limits of what individual organizations are capable of accomplishing. By working together, Chicago Wilderness members leverage resources and expertise to protect and restore nature in our region.”

Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance of nearly 260 organizations working together to restore local nature and improve the quality of life in the region stretching from southeastern Wisconsin, through northeastern Illinois, into northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.

Congratulations to the 2011 EPC Award Winners:

Dylan Lewis and Emily Wright - winners of the H. Paul Friesema Award for Environmental Leadership and Academic Achievment

Emmaline Pohnl- winner of the Certificate of Honor in Recognition of Dedicated Environmental Citizenship and Service

* William Fan (EPC 2010 ) is leading the Tiny House Project together with other McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students. The group is part of a new movement to create sustainable housing options by reducing the size and increasing the effciency of living spaces.

Evanston: Winner of 2011 Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Award
Evanston, IL Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and Houston, TX Mayor Annise Parker have been selected as the nation’s top winners in the 2011 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, an initiative sponsored by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Walmart.
The annual awards program recognizes mayors for innovative practices in their cities that increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An independent panel of judges selected the winners from a pool of 130 applicants.

Congratulations to Mayor Tisdahl and to Citizens' Greener Evanston for their key role in initiating, drafting, and helping to implement Evanston Climate Action Plan.

* Solar Panel System Installed on Ford Roof

* EPC Josh Kaplan and Ren Chung Yu (EPC class of 2010) led the installment of Northwestern's first solar roof on the Ford building!  Congratulations to EPC (and Chemical Engineering) student and project manager Josh Kaplan, EPC (and Electrical Engineering) grad Ren Chung Yu (class of 2010), who initiated the project two years ago with Phil Dziedzic (Mechanical Engineering), project manager Anthony Valente (Economics), Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the Northwestern Sustainability Fund.

The two-year long project raised $117,000 from both external sources and university departments for the 16.8-kilowatt solar panel.  It is expected to generate about 20,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year, enough to power a computer lab in Ford, and to help reduce the University’s reliance on the power grid.

 

 

February 9, 2012