Programs and Events

Eco Club Events 2011 - 2012

Electronics Recyclable Fundraiser

We will be collecting cell phones, ink jet cartridges, old gaming systems, digital cameras, video cameras, and many other electronics all through the year.  There is a box at the Welcome Desk at the Priory Campus and a box in Coughlin Commons on the Main Campus.  Any questions, e-mail Eco Club at ecoclub@dom.edu!

Eco Club Events

Global Warming Café

Date: Spring of 2008 and the Spring of 2009.
 
This event was displayed a gathering of several environmental presentations. Topics included: recyclable clothing, the coca cola company, sustainability efforts and more. After each presentation, a small group discussion was held among each table. Participants discussed their reaction and their own experiences regarding the each topic while jotting down ideas and reactions onto a recycled paper table cloth.
 
The café: coffee drinks and organic teas were available for free.A variety of cookies were also offered.
Each person was allowed to have as much coffee or tea as they desired but needed to provide their own cup or mug (ideally, their usual, washable coffee mug) . Recycled coffee cups were offered for a $1 donation to Eco Club.
 
PowerShift Portion: In 2009, Eco Club took a trip to Washington D.C. to be a part of the PowerShift Conference and rally. As a part of spreading our experience, Eco Club did a collective presentation on the events of the trip. We brought back ideas about sustainability, grass roots programs, rally photos and materials, and participant experiences. A table was set up displaying PowerShift 2009 materials as well.

Brookfield Zoo Trip

Date: Fall 2009
 
Thanks to some of our members who, had been employees of Brookfield Zoo at the time, Eco Club was able to obtain free tickets to the zoo. On a chilly October afternoon, we a group of members took a trip to the zoo. Again, thanks to the courtesy of one of our members, the fiedl trip was like a guided tour with free access to just about every exhibit, even the Dinasours Alive exhibit and the trolly tour which are both usually a bit costly. We saw everything that their was to see and even had the chance to participate in a study that gave participants a free $5 brookfield zoo certificate. The trip finished off with a stop to the gift shop as well an ice cream shop. Truly a fun, great animal and plant life experience.

Secret Garden Party

Date: Spring 2010

In 2010, Eco Club hosted a secret garden party on Dominican's main campus and will be repeating the event on April 26, 2011. 

The Clean Up:
Prior to the event, several Eco Club Members, as well as members of the Commuter Student Association, walked in to find the garden in pretty bad shape. The ground had been coated in leaves and mud, their were several random bricks scattered around as well as some garden supplies and chairs, the plant life had taken over the walls, and their was hardly any clear, safe path. In the few weeks leading up to the event, members from both groups got to work, clearing out all the mess and debris. It took a good while but the garden looked amazing by the end of it all!

Haiti/Recovery Tree Dedication:
Prior to the event, Eco Club raised funds to buy a tree that would be dedicated to the recovery efforts Haiti. This tree was a symbol of the Hait's hopeful recovery and branched off from the Haiti Recovery week in which many Dominican Clubs gathered living supplies and materials to send to Haiti. At the dedication, members of Eco Club, Campus Ministry, and the Dominican Community gathered at the tree to finish off its planting, throwing the last of the dirt onto the tree. As this happened, a prayer was said in hopes that Haiti would see a speedy recovery with more prosperous days ahead. This tree will be revisited on April 26, 2011, not only to reflect back on Haiti's progress but to also pray for Japan's recovery.

The Party:
The Party started out with 3 full tables of organic foods and other treets. Some things available were organic cookies, gluten free cookies, several different types of pastries, and a 100% organic carrot cake (including the frosting). During the party, guests mingled amongst each other, enjoying music and the scenery. Aside from being a bit chilly, the plant life was lively and the garden looked beautiful. Toward the end of the event, we held a raffle for various items. Guest had written their name on one of the invitations that had been hand made by Eco Club members. The invitations were then placed into a bucket and were randomly pulled. Some of the prizes included elefant poop paper, recycled school materials, and hand made accessary bags. The bags were truly something special and had been made by Ashley, a fassion major and great Eco Club member. If you were lucky enough to win one, congrats; they may be worth a fortune one day. The conclusion of the raffle marked the end of the event.

Cistern Tour

Date: Spring Semester 2011
 
This tour was organized thanks to physical plant and some of its engineers. Members who showed up to one of the scheduled meetings were treated to a tour of Dominican's 60+ year old cistern that lies underneath the Magnus Art Center (MAC/Old Science Building). This very detailed and informative tour was lead by two of Dominican's engineers which told the history of the cistern, it's purpose, how it works, and it's sustainability uses. With this cistern, Dominican is able to collect rain and snow water from the campus and hold it in a huge underground tank. This water collected is then recycled and used to water the soccer field and used to work the air conditioners in centennial hall. This saves Dominican several millions of gallons of water per year. A great thank you goes out to physical plant for organizing the tour and to our amazing tour guides.

Collaboration Events

PowerShift Conference and Rally

Green Fair

Haiti Tree Dedication

Date: Spring 2010
 
This event was a part of our Secret Garden Party event in the Spring. Eco Club raised funds to buy a tree that was planted on the south side of the Dominican campus, across from the Fine Arts building and shuttle stop. This tree was dedicated to Haiti which had gone through one of the worst natural tragedies of our time. At the planting, a prayer was said for Haiti in hopes that the people of Haiti would recover and flourish along with the tree. This tree is not only dedicated for Haiti but for the recovery of all nations through any catastrophes. A prayer serves has been scheduled again this Spring 2011 as a part of the annual Secret Garden Party and Eco Club's earth day celebration.

Haunted Tours

Date: October of 2008, 2009, and 2010
 
Haunted Tours is an event held every year around Halloween led by the Commuter Student Association (CSA). For this event, groups are gathered in the Social Hall and led on tours around the school that range from 45-60 minutes. The most common buildings covered are Lewis Hall, Parmer (2008), and the Fine Arts Building. Along the way a tour guide tells stories of supernatural events that have been recorded around the school in past years. Further details about the tours are omitted so that certain aspects are kept a surprise.
 
Eco Club's Contribution: Eco Club has given aid to CSA in many ways over the years. Every year, CSA seeks to recruit helpers to set up and clean up, lead tours, run lunge events, and serve as spooks for the tours. Eco Club has filled in the gaps at each of these positions. Aside from these tasks, Eco Club has had a designated hour during the event in which all tours are halted. During this hour, a professional story telling has been brought in to read a chilling tail. Following this story, audience members are encourage to tell their own ghost stories with the best story teller receiving a prize plant. These event is one that Eco Club members much enjoy and continues to support year after year.

Thatcher Woods Clean Up

This event originally started out as a solo effort. Eco Club made plans to go along the outer rim of Dominican University/Thathcer Woods to collect the trash and relocate it to Dominican's dumpsters. However, one of the RA's had concurrently planned a similar event. On the Day of the clean up, Eco Club met with the RA's group and we went into Thatcher Woods and Cleaned our hearts out. Among the most common items picked up were glass bear bottles and cigarettes cases. While only covering this small part of land, several trash bags full were brought back. This brings to mind how much trash is left in the remainder of the woods across the street.

Fundraisers

Living Color Fundraiser

Date: Fall 2010
 
This was one of Eco Club's first main events of the year. Members sat in the Lewis Alcove over three days selling poinsettias at $13 a piece. The poinsettias were provided by the Living Color Fundraiser. This event was a great success and we raised a lot of money which pulled Eco Club out of debt. This money was/will be used to sponsor our trip to Washington D.C. for the Power Shift Conference and the Secret Garden Party schedule for the end of the Spring semester.

Aluminum Can and Recycling Campaign

Eco Club is hosting an aluminum can and plastic/glass bottle drive for the remainder of the Spring Semester. There are recycle bins set up around the entire campus and residents halls. Please bring by any cans and/or bottles be sure to rinse them out first before placing them in the bins.
 
At times, there has been questioning on if Dominican is actually recycling. We can assure you that Dominican University is very committed to sustainability and recycling. For more information on Dominican's efforts click here. However, if you are still skeptical, then please drop off your recyclables at Eco Club's personal bins. The cans and bottles will then personally be taken to a recycling facility during spring break. The funds acquired will go to Eco Club's Powershift Trip and to The Secret Garden Party Event to be hosted this coming April. Please help spread the word and hang on to all your cans and bottles to place them into our recycling bins.