As part of the iCAP and LED Campus initiatives at the University, incandescent and flourescent bulbs in Exit Signs are being replaced with LEDs. This is part of the LED Campus commitment to replace all interior wayfinding fixtures on campus by 2025.

The University has delivered on a pledge to become the first major research university to commit to becoming a LED Campus. This essentially means the University has decided to work to make LED technology the major source of lighting. The pledge includes replacing interior and exterior wayfinding fixtures by 2025 and having a majority of all lighting be LED by 2050.

“The Tempest – Sustainability Project” explores the possibilities and limitations of creating sustainable theatre within the university environment in Urbana-Champaign. Using the production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a laboratory for the examination of sustainable theatrical practice, the production team will consider how the purchase, use, and disposal of building materials, the operation of lighting systems, energy and water use, and the representation of human beings interacting with their environment can contribute to an ecologically-sound production.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a focus of the University’s continuing efforts in reducing fossil fuel emissions. Petroleum-based vehicles are powered exclusively by fossil fuels, while electric vehicles are powered by a range of energy sources including fossil fuels, nuclear power, solar power, and wind power. Golf carts are one type of electric vehicle the University has been using on campus.

An Outdoor Wood-fired Boiler system was funded to replace a natural gas heating system at Allerton Park. By replacing the previous system, CO2 emissions will be eliminated and there will be a substantial cost savings. The use of a renewable resource (wood), obtained from landscape management at the park grounds in place of a non-renewable one (natural gas), combined with the greenhouse gas emissions reduction will help increase campus sustainability. The Student Sustainability Committee Granted the project $25,500.

This project is meant to map the sustainability related programs, facilities and organizations in the Champaign-Urbana Area. The purpose of this project is to inform the community of the sustainability programs the University is undertaking. There is also an educational component to the project, since a Univeristy of Illinois class will be involved. Visit the map at http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/champaign-urbana-green-map.

This project constructed an Algae Biodiesel Production Facility at Abbott Power Plant. The facility's purpose is to sequester some of the flue gases produced at the power plant while providing a renewable, carbon-neutral fuel source for transportation. The project involves several student organizations and has research potential. The Student Sustainability Committee provided the project with $13,000 worth of funding in 2008.

Who We Are

Illinois Solar Decathlon is an interdisciplinary registered student organization with over 60 undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We compete in the international, Department of Energy-sponsored Solar Decathlon Build and Solar Decathlon Design competitions. Illinois Solar Decathlon is comprised of an executive board, a build competition team, a design competition team, and a concept team, which fosters skills and knowledge development for younger organization members.

The Illinois Natural History Survey was awarded the LEED Silver Certification on August 1, 2012. The building received 36 of the 69 possible points. With a staff of over 200 scientists and technicians, the Illinois Natural History Survey is recognized as the premier natural history survey in the nation. The resources needed to effectively support the Survey have changed considerably since their current headquarters building was completed in 1942.  

Nugent Hall (the Champaign Housing Residence Halls Phase A) was awarded the LEED Silver Certification on January 20, 2011. Nugent received 34 of the 69 possible points on the LEED Scorecard. The construction was especially strong in the Indoor Environmental Quality, receiving 13 of the 15 possible points in that area. Nagle Hartray was selected as the Architect of Record in order to ease the transition in the unusual project delivery approach.