URBANA, IL (CHAMBANA TODAY)—A new Champaign County Environmental Stewards event is bringing together a host of waste and sustainability experts to connect with one another and those who live and work in Champaign County. 

“Waste Not: A PechaKucha sustainability event” begins at 7 p.m. Friday, May 31. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Gallery Art Bar, 119 W. Main St., Urbana. Tickets are only $10. Purchase tickets at bit.ly/WasteNotTickets. Organizers will raffle off free prizes throughout the evening.

“This new event aims to unite like-minded people in our community around sustainability, waste and recycling and other issues and opportunities that are key to improving the state of our environment,” said Dominique Gilbert, Champaign Environmental Stewards (CCES) board president. 

“It will be inspiring to see how much power and passion already exist, as well as what more we can accomplish together.”

The dynamic “Waste Not: A PechaKucha sustainability event” presenters include (in alphabetical order):

  • Kim Curtis, fine artist and teaching faculty in the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

  • Gilbert and Susan Monte, president and executive director of Champaign Environmental Stewards (CCES)

  • Chris Hanson, CCES vice president and director of the Hazardous Materials Training Program at UIUC

  • Jason Mack, owner of Jason Mack Glass, creator of the world’s tallest glass Christmas tree using all recycled bottle glass, and founder and director of Mack Glass Community, a 501(c)(3) focused on community glass art projects and glass-recycling education

  • John Scott, senior chemist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at UIUC

  • Randa Watts, clean water organizer with Prairie Rivers Network

CCES supports the ability of area citizens to responsibly manage materials by advancing improved local options for recycling, composting food scraps, and the safe and convenient disposal of household hazardous waste. CCES fosters local solutions for waste reduction, such as reduction of single-use plastics. CCES provides useful information and resources that assist citizens in these efforts.