IWU Hosts Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo Saturday

BLOOMINGTON, Il.— Central Illinois’ premier green event, the Illinois Sustainable Living and Wellness Expo (ISLWE), will return on Saturday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Illinois Wesleyan University Shirk Center.

Sponsored by the Illinois Wesleyan University Wellness Program and the Ecology Action Center, the Expo is free and open to the public. Thanks to the help of Midwest Fiber, ISLWE is the largest Zero Waste event in central Illinois. Sustainable commuting to the event is encouraged with free rides to and from ISLWE provided by Connect Transit.*

ISLWE will offer MEGA Recycling again this year in the north parking lot of the Shirk Center from 9 a.m. to noon, with one-stop recycling of items such as household electronics (no tube style TVs), clothing and other textiles, eyeglasses, hearing aids, Christmas lights, corrugated plastic campaign signs, and Terracycle items. Please check the Ecology Action Center website for a complete list of acceptable items.

With healthy and sustainable living information and interactive displays from numerous exhibitors, there will be fun activities for the whole family. This year, ISLWE includes a coffee area in cooperation with The Coffeehound, “Cooking Flatbreads With Local Grains” with Chef Chad Sanders, a WGLT panel on timely environmental issues, and locals bands including: Stone and Snow, Hot Sauce Universe, and David Berchtold. Local food trucks The Dinner Bell, Healthy in a Hurry, and Oogies Food on Wheels will be on hand serving food from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m along with Chef Shamon Bell’s famous hog roast samples in the afternoon.

Expo highlights include:

9 a.m.
Mega recycling event begins
Tai Chi demo on the main stage

10 a.m.
Live music by Stone and Snow

11 a.m.
Lunch with local food trucks Healthy In A Hurry, The Dinner Bell, and Oogies Food on Wheels open in the Shirk Center parking lot
Cooking demonstration: “Cooking Flatbreads With Local Grains” with Chef Chad Sanders

12 p.m.
Live music by Hot Sauce Universe

1 p.m.
Local hog roast samples
Live music by David Berchtold

2 p.m.
WGLT environmental panel discussion

* A downloadable voucher required for free bus rides, plus more detailed information about the event can be found at ISLWE.org.