The Columbia College Recycling Program is coordinating their fifth annual Donation Drive for the week of April 30-May 6.

Collection boxes will be placed in the lobbies of Buckingham, Dwight Lofts, Plymouth Court, and the University Center for students to donate unwanted items while moving out of the residence halls on campus.

Donations should be gently used items in usable condition such as shoes (with their laces tied together), clothing, linens, books, home décor, kitchenware and so on.

Items that cannot be donated include perishable or open food, as well as items that are dirty, broken, or hazardous. Clothing and other textile products should be put in garbage bags. Hangers should be bagged separately.

Students with questions should contact recycling@colum.edu.

Chicago skyline before and after Earth Hour in 2009.

For five years, Chicago residents have made a bold statement of concern about climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour—Earth Hour.

Last year, more than 200 downtown buildings and 1,400 local landmarks, businesses, schools and churches participated in the Earth Hour movement, showing that by working together, in cooperation with cities and nations around the world, we can find solutions. We must turn the lights off on pollution and climate change and create a cleaner, safer, more secure future.

Led by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour began as a single-city initiative – in Sydney, Australia – in 2007 and has since grown into a global movement with hundreds of millions of people from more than 4,500 cities and towns in 128 countries across every continent switching off their lights for Earth Hour 2011, creating history as the world’s greatest ever environmental action. 

Columbia College Chicago is proud to be an official supporter of Earth Hour. We encourage you to join with us and millions of Americans in making Earth Hour 2012 the biggest effort yet. Getting involved is easy.

1. Sign up at EarthHour.org:
Show your support, be counted and get tips on how to reduce your impact on the environment.

2. Spread the Word:
Invite students, friends and family to join the movement.

3. Turn off the lights:
Turn off all non-essential lighting in your home, office and classroom at 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 31st.

The online publication is looking for original essays that address local or global solutions to environmental challenges. To see more examples, and work from past winners, visit Earthzine’s website.

Essays should be no longer than 2,500 words and are due by 12/22. Submissions will be posted online in the spring and the writers will be asked to lead a blog discussion centered on their essay.

Winners will be announced on March 20th and will share $1,200 in prizes. First place is $500, and all winners will receive an Earthzine t-shirt and certificate. More details are available online, along with details regarding other contests and calls for work.

Students are being asked to select a photo from the online archive of these photos (some of which are also available on Flickr) and create an artistic response. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of six categories–based on age and medium. Accepted mediums include graphic art, video, and poetry.

Check out the official rules and submit your entry by January 6, 2012! Judging will take place throughout January and winners will be announced on February 6th!

Two of the exhibits, Gulp Away by Michelle Korte Leccia and The Clouds We Breathe by Trisha Martin, address environmental issues. Leccia addresses consumption and disposal by tracking soda cans to and from campus, while Martin focuses on the effects of coal-fired power plants in Chicago.

Both exhibits will be open from 3-7p this Thursday and Friday (December 8-9), next Monday and Tuesday (December 12-13), or by appointment. The opening reception will be held on the 13th, from 5:30-7:30p in the gallery space–the 2nd floor of 916 S. Wabash.

Contact Jeanine Mellinger at jmellinger@colum.edu or 312.369.7199 with questions

Adapted from a documentary of the same name by Dr. Randy Olson, Sizzle is about the credibility crisis currently consuming science in America. “It’s about the hilarious (and not-so-hilarious) ways we behave when unable to bring others to our point of view,” the official description explains.

The play will be performed every weekend through November 13, 2011. Shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays start at 8:30pm. Sunday matinees start at 3:30pm.

For ticket information, contact the New Suit Theatre Co.

The swap will take place the week of Nov. 7-11.

For the third year in a row, the Columbia Recycling Program will be hosting a Sustainable Swap to encourage students and staff to recycle nontraditional items.

During the week of November 7-11, recycling bins will be present in lobbies all over campus. These bins will accept batteries, cell phones, techno trash (CDs, DVDs, film), plastic bags, and ink cartridges. Students and staff are encouraged to bring items from their offices and departments, or from home.

Bins will be present in the lobbies of the following buildings: 624 S. Michigan, 600 S. Michigan, 618 S. Michigan, 623 S. Wabash, 33 E. Congress, 916 S. Wabash, 1104 S. Wabash, and The Dance Center.

Along with donation bins, The Recycling Program will set up shop in various lobbies to bring advocacy, Pete the Polar Bear, and fun to the campus!

On Tuesday, November 8th, meet Pete the Polar Bear in the lobby of 33 E. Congress from 11-4p. On hand will be a snazzy backdrop and paparazzi to capture the moment.

On Wednesday, November 9th, learn more about environmental issues from local advocacy groups. They’ll be in the lobby of 623 S. Wabash from 11-4p.

On Thursday, November 10th, members of the Recycling Program will be hosting craft demos and giving away prizes for students and stuff who stop by the Conaway Center in 1104 S. Wabash from 11-4p.

Visit Pete Bear’s Facebook page for additional details.

Join us next Thursday at 623 S. Wabash!

Next week, the Recycling Program will host another screenprinting event to promote reuse within the Columbia community.

Screenprint A Lower Carbon Footprint will be hosted in the Hokin Gallery of 623 S. Wabash on Thursday, Oct. 20^th. Students are invited to bring their own shirt or pick one from a selection provided by the Recycling Program—all of which will be purchased secondhand from local thrift stores or donated from past events such as Manifest, Convocation, etc.

Students who choose to screenprint their shirt can choose from a number of student designs. Including the winning submission of this year’s call for work—which was designed by Jason Curescu. Participants can then hack their shirt to their liking, and use any leftover fabric to make necklaces, scarves, and other crafts.

Event partners will be on hand to help out students who stop by. Anchor Graphics will be leading the screenprinting process. The Columbia College Fashion Association (CCFA) will lead students in demonstrations at an ‘alteration station,’ and students from Michelle Sayset’s Writing & Rhetoric II: Environmental Concerns class will be helping students make patches from leftover shirts.

Arti Sanhu, an associate professor in Columbia’s Fashion Studies department will be talking about her coordination of last year’s Zero Waste exhibit, and to lead a discussion about sustainable practices in fashion and zero-waste design.

 For additional details, visit the event page on Facebook.