In 2008, our campus signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, formally committing to become carbon neutral as soon as possible, and no later than 2050. The first Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) was developed in 2010 as a comprehensive roadmap towards a sustainable campus environment. The present 2015 iCAP was developed using the Procedure for Formulating and Evaluating Campus Sustainability Policies & Initiatives, with many 2010 iCAP targets restated or revised and new targets added.

The replacement of incandescent lighting in the audience chambers of each of the three major performance spaces in KCPA has a threefold purpose. Its primary purpose is to remove from service incandescent lighting that has been in place for nearly 50 years and is very energy inefficient. Beyond the energy efficiency issue is the efficiency of personnel who maintain the facility because of 1,500 light bulbs in question that have to be changed frequently, plus the safety issues involved in accessing many of the ceilings that are 35 to 56 feet above the floor.

Printer cartridges come in many varieties, and so do the recycling options.  Because these items are considered consumable supplies, they don’t have the same stringent state regulations over disposal that equipment does.  The university has the right to dispose of waste stream items like this in the most economical and prudent manner.  There is not currently a university-wide recycling program for printer/toner cartridges, so departments are encouraged to identify the best option for their program.  Here are some possibilities:

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received an honorable mention in the 2015 Illinois Green Office Challenge, for efforts at the Physical Plant Service Building. F&S earned points by completing specific activities to reduce waste and save energy and water, which help make resources and cost reductions the norm in workplaces. Some of the activities completed at PPSB included tracking energy use, utilizing duplex printing, encouraging staff to commute by bike, and improving the building’s recycling program.  A list of the completed activites is available below.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Partnership has more than 1,700 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually.

To help the University of Illinois become a model of sustainability both in the community and for the world to emulate, the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) developed a tiered system for campus sustainability procedures.

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD), City of Champaign, City of Urbana, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are partnering to improve mobility in our communities core through a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. The $47.2M Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project (MCORE) Project is unprecedented in our community’s history and will have a transformative impact.

The end of the spring semester sees thousands of students moving out of on-campus residence halls. A spring move out program, Dump & Run, has been implemented to collect good materials and divert them away from otherwise being discarded in the trash. The collected materials will be donated to local non-profits in Champaign-Urbana to promote the reuse and repurpose of these items. Every year, hundreds of volunteers are needed to assist with this program.

The University of Illinois Laboratory High School (Uni) received grant funding from Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation  (ICECF) through its