GLRPPR is hiring

POSITION:  Academic Hourly – Information Specialist (20 hours/week)

LOCATION: Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, 1 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, Illinois

JOB DESCRIPTION:  The Information Specialist, under the direction of the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) Executive director, will support GLRPPR activities as outlined in the project work plan.

Major Duties and Responsibilities (detailed duties):

Primary responsibilities will include assisting with the development of content for and redesign of the GLRPPR web site; writing and design of fact sheets, case studies and other publications; development and curation of information products and services; and representing the organization at trade shows and conferences.  Other duties include assisting with: conference/meeting planning; web site redesign; and development of training/informational programs and webinars.

Education:  Required: Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, English, environmental science, or an allied field. Preferred: A Master’s degree in an applicable field may substitute for the required two years of experience.

Experience:  Required: Two years of applicable experience, including identifying and curating content related to environmental sustainability/green business; marketing and promotional activities, including social media and content development for the web.  The successful candidate will demonstrate effective communication and customer service skills and the ability to work under minimal supervision and effectively on a team.  Preferred: Experience with event coordination and planning; web site design and maintenance; experience with developing web-based information guides; familiarity with developing infographics and data visualizations for the web; prior experience working with government, industry and/or trade groups.

Knowledge Requirements: Required: Experience with Microsoft Office products. Understanding of and appreciation for environmental sustainability and green business concepts and practices.  Preferred: Familiarity with WordPress or other blogging software; Adobe Creative Suite; social media tools such as HootSuite.

RATE OF PAY:  $17 to $20 per hour, commensurate with experience. No medical or leave benefits associated with this position.

TO APPLY: To apply, please send resume, cover letter, and names, email addresses, and phone numbers of three professional references to Erica Hanson at elhanson@illinois.edu. Reference “Information Specialist” in subject line. Closing date is December 20, 2013.

Students Honored for Fresh Ideas in Sustainable Electronics

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s Sustainable Electronics Initiative has announced the winners of the International Sustainable Electronics Competition.

The winners in the Product Category (items intended for sale) were:

  • E-waste Meets Farming, smart phones remanufactured as cow collars (Platinum, $3,000) Michael Van Dord, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia;
  • Mion, a multi-purpose dynamo lighting system (Gold, $2,000) Mikenna Tansley, Jiayi Li, Fren Mah, Russell Davidson, and Kapil Vachhar from the University of Alberta, Canada;
  • Cellscreen, a large scale display system made from old phone displays (Silver, $1,000) Sam Johnston, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

One platinum level ($3,000) winner was named in the Non-product Category (concepts valuable for artistic, educational, policy, or similar content):

  • ENERGENCIA, a children’s’ game encouraging the use of recycled materials and renewable energy concepts by Stephanie Vázquez and Pedro Baños of Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Puebla, Mexico.

The videos of the winning entries are featured on the competition site, ewaste.illinois.edu, the SEI site, sustainelectronics.illinois.edu, and SEI’s You Tube channel, youtube.com/seiatistc.