Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Abbey Ascolani, RORG Communications Coordinator On a recent sunny morning in July, I was running my first 10K race along the Lakefront Trails of Chicago when I saw them. While powering through the final two miles of the course, I noticed an array of plants lining the trail and was pleasantly surprised that IContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG experience: Abbey Ascolani”

As a senior in Sustainable Design at Illinois, I spent my last semester as an undergrad focused on my Capstone project, which acted as a culmination of everything I have learned in my college education. I independently chose my problem topic, researched it, and designed a solution. With all of my passion and experience withContinueContinue reading “Maddy’s Senior Capstone Project: The New Lincoln Quad “

by C. Eliana Brown, RORG Director On November 28, the Red Oak Rain Garden will join millions around the world by participating in the GivingTuesday global generosity movement. We celebrate this event with a campaign to provide signage for the rain garden and our ongoing effort to grow the RORG Maintenance Endowment. RORG Signage WeContinueContinue reading “Giving Tuesday 2023”

By Abbey Ascolani, RORG Student Team Howdy! This was the typical email greeting the Red Oak Rain Garden team would receive from former RORG Project Engineer, Tony Heath, who I recently had the pleasure of interviewing. While Tony contributed a great deal to the early development stages of the rain garden, his professional journey isContinueContinue reading “Interview with Tony Heath”

by Stormwater Interns Madelyn Craft, Gary Liu, and Chantal Korde RORG Director Eliana Brown asked the Stormwater Interns each to write a blog summarizing their time with us: what they worked on, what they learned, and what’s next for them. Read about their experiences below! Madelyn Craft It’s strange to think that another season ofContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG experience: Summer 2023 Stormwater Interns”

By Maddy Craft, RORG Student Team Welcome to Scandinavia!Since I began my journey as a Sustainable Design student, I have always enjoyed the idea of studying abroad. Even back when I started volunteering at RORG in 2021, I wondered what sustainable landscape designs looked like around the world. So, when the opportunity arose, I knewContinueContinue reading “RORG Intern Travels: Maddy in Sweden”

By Abbey Ascolani, RORG Student Team Introducing Gabriel Harper-HagenMeet Gabe, a recent graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has been the Volunteer Coordinator for the Red Oak Rain Garden since January 2022. As he takes the next steps in his career path, we commemorate the highlights of his educational and professional journey. BackgroundContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG Experience: Gabe Harper”

By Piper Siblik, RORG Student Team It seems hard to believe I’ve wrapped up my time with RORG and the RORG Team. It was just over a year ago that I was first meeting with RORG Director Eliana Brown to discuss her desire to develop an interactive, web-based app to showcase the species of theContinueContinue reading “Looking back on my RORG experience: Piper Siblik”