The Office of Sustainability announced Associate Professor Keith Pluymers as the 2022 Environmental Stewardship Award winner for his work as an environmental historian.
As a researcher, Dr. Pluymers’ keen focus on environmental and ecological issues has been demonstrated through numerous publications and scholarly presentations centered around historical and contemporary issues related to ecological sustainability from an antiracist and anticolonial standpoint.
Pluymers is currently the faculty advisor of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), helping Illinois State students think more broadly about environmental issues. He has been invited as a guest speaker to discuss environmental history in the classrooms of different colleagues across campus and served as an integral task force member for Illinois State University’s first Sustainability Strategic Plan.
Pluymers co-organized the Spring 2020 International Seminar Speaker Series, with a focus on environmental literacy. In addition to raising the visibility of various environmental and sustainability issues on campus, this series was path-breaking for being organized as a zero-waste event. Pluymers currently serves on the University Environmental Advisory Committee, which provides guidance on curricular efforts related to ISU’s new Environmental Systems Science and Sustainability major (housed within the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment) and encourages cross-disciplinary research and teaching collaborations in areas related to the environment.
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