Eco Columbia

Forty years after the Environmental Protection Agency first hired freelance artists to document the need for environmental change, the National Archive is asking students to do it again.

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!

View photos from the student photographers on the trip.

Want to know the best thing about being in E.P.I.C.? Aside from meeting great people and contributing to environment change, you get to take advantage of opportunities you might not have had otherwise.

A few weeks ago, Columbia’s Recycling Program took us on a tour of the Recycling Services Inc. plant here in Chicago. We got a first hand look at where Columbia’s recycling goes and the process behind it.

When I paused from my picture taking, I saw what looked like a week’s worth of cardboard boxes and scraps of paper piled high. We learned that these piles of recyclables had come in that day alone, and that they’d all be gone by the end of the day. We also learned about some difficulties that the facility faces, such as having to sort out the items that aren’t recyclable, which takes more time and money. (more…)