The University of Illinois ECE Building achieved LEED Platinum status on November 4, 2019. The project was awarded 81 of 110 total points on the LEED v2009 New Construction scorecard. The building earned a significant number of points in the Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, and Energy and Atmosphere categories.

Representatives from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation broke ground Wednesday, October 23 on a new, state-of-the-art greenhouse in the Research Park.

The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) outlines a path for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and no later than 2050, and to work with our local communities to build resilience to climate change. The iCAP 2020 is the campus’s strategic sustainability plan to meet our Climate Leadership Commitments.

For the iCAP objectives to be reached, sustainability outreach to the campus community needs to increase.  This project proposes to incorporate Campus Sustainability principles, expectations, and requirements in the annual ethics training required for all Urbana campus employees.  This can be done with optional short videos at the conclusion of the mandatory training. 

The university’s history of formal climate commitments began with an acute focus on one significant agent of climate change: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The vices of global climate change include extreme weather events, air pollution and respiratory ailments, food and water insecurity, land and agricultural degradation, and social injustices. Every five years we update the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) to ensure we remain focused on holistic environmental sustainability.

The Education iCAP Team was newly formed in the Fall of 2019 by students, faculty, and staff willing to help achieve the University of Illinios iCAP 2015 goals and to contribute to the iCAP 2020. We are aware that students care passionately about sustainability and are looking for it to be incorporated into their college experience.

The members of this committee are charged with presenting projects that meet one of these three education goals:

The Land & Water iCAP Team covers the majority of the objectives for the former ALUFS and WSW Teams, with the exception of the Food objective. This group will focus on land use, agriculture on campus, carbon sequestration, water, and stormwater issues outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The goals for the group include conserving potable water, sustainably handling stormwater, and reducing emissions from on-campus agriculture and land use. 

The Energy iCAP Team is a new team combining the efforts of the Energy Conservation and Building Standards and the Energy Generation, Purchasing and Distribution iCAP Teams.

Illinois Street Residence Hall is receiving a renovation, including a new food hall space. The roof of this food hall will have a green roof installed on top. This green roof was added as part of their plan to improve building efficiency and sustainability, and showcase a vibrant residential experience to students, parents, and guests who visit camps, as well install climate control additions.

Atop the Undergraduate Library is a rooftop terrace that features the building entrances, seating, and look down into the lower courtyard. This rooftop also has tree pockets built into the roof, that are supported by building infrastructure featured in the orginal plans for the building. The trees in these pockets make the terrace into a green roof for the Undergraduate Library. They provide protection from direct sunlight and the evaporation of moisure off of plant material that can cool the buidling's rooftops and lowering energy costs from cooling while increasing the roofs lifespan.