Public Engagement seeks to bring all members of the UChicago community into addressing the most pressing environmental issues, both through education and collaborative action, as well as to leverage partnerships with other environmentally-oriented groups to improve the sustainability of the school and community.

MPAC President Bronwyn Nichols Lodato and event moderator Georgia Wluka discuss the environmental consequences of draining the Midway's Ephemeral Wetlands on Southside Communities. 

Public Engagement welcomed the Midway Plaisance Advisory Council’s President, Bronwyn Nichols Lodato, to explain the City of Chicago’s proposal to designate the eastern end of the Midway Plaisance as an Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR) replacement area following the construction of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) in Jackson Park. Currently, the plan to use the eastern end of the Midway as a UPARR replacement space involves creating new green space by draining wetlands located in the park, removing a powerful carbon sink. 

Draining the Midway is not an adequate UPARR replacement area when a new park could be built in a community that needs it.

In Winter Quarter 2022, we focused on spreading awareness of the divestment from fossil fuels movement at UChicago. We partnered with the Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) on their divestment campaign to create an educational speaker event, showcasing what divestment is, how divestment has worked at other institutions, and how it could be implemented at UChicago.

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Donuts and Divestment had 5 virtual panelists (Rutgers University, UW Madison, Responsible Alpha, Stanford) and a PSI + EJTF moderator. Our panelists were very supportive of the campaign efforts so far and knowledgeable and ranged in terms of fields (professors, students, financial advisors), allowing for a varied perspective.

Sign the divestment petition today!

Donuts awaiting, event moderator Sam Heintz leads a question and answer session between the audience and the five virtual panelists.

We hosted a Paint-a-Pot Movie Night in Autumn Quarter 2021, partnered with Kitchen Sink. We watched Fantastic Fungi, provided snacks, and gave out succulents and clay pots to paint, and Kitchen Sink provided the paint supplies.

Public Engagement and Kitchen Sink hand out painting supplies for the event. 

A painted pot from the event.