A tall grass prarie garden that mimics the natural Illinois prairie landscape of Illinois was planted on the Vet Med Campus. The garden consists of 40 to 50 different plants and around 7,000 seedlings. The Student Sustainability funded the project for $20,000 to cover all costs excluding labor, which will be done by volunteers.

Illinois Path is a vision to transform the Military Axis from its current use into a landscape that incorporates prairie, savanna, a wet prairie swale, and woodland.  With implementation of the Illinois Path, the University has an opportunity to explicitly link the prairie ecosystem and the richness of its soils to the early agricultural legacy of this Land-Grant University represented by the Mumford House and the Morrow Plots.

Pollinators are struggling to survive in the modern world due to several reasons, including the fact that their habitats are too few and far apart. The main purpose of pollinator-friendly areas is to facilitate the survival of pollinators by providing them with the homes and food that they require. Pollinator-friendly areas are locations that are bursting with a diverse collection of plants, often featuring native species. Native species are especially advantageous to plant because they are adapted to the local climate, and provide food and habitat for local insects and animals.  

Sustainable landscapes, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects, are meant to “sequester carbon, clean the air and water, increase energy efficiency, restore habitats and create value through significant economic, social and, environmental benefits”. The focus of this project is to design campus landscapes and practices to reflect these objectives. 

According to the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan, one of the major goals under the theme of Campus Lands and Space is the development and implementation of a plan for sustainable landscapes and landscape maintenance practices on campus. Carbon sequestration, the process through which land management practices absorb and sink carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is a large part of sustainable landscaping and maintenance.

Computer server rooms and data centers take a lot of energy to keep our extensive Information Technology systems running smoothly.  Luckily, technology advancements now allow us to provide the IT infrastructure needed for campus departments with fewer computer units.  The sustainability page from AITS includes this description of Server Virtualization:

From 2010 iCAP: "The SAIC report assumes very little potential for savings from the purchase of ENERGY STAR® equipment such as computers and printers. Thin client computers being deployed on campus today offer the potential for a 90 percent reduction in energy use compared to desktop computers.

The LCLB basement roof is a plaza at ground level. It was built to accommodate greenery on the roof and did so from 2012 to 2014. The planters were filled with porous rock for ease of maintenance. The area still helps with rainwater runoff, however, plants could be added to the planters again to provide more benefits around the ground level of the building. Plants were added on 6/18/24 thanks to funding from the Student Sustainability Committee. 

A pilot green roof plot was proposed to be installed at the Krannert Center for the Performing Artis. This would be a 960 square foot installation that would be of much lower cost and have much lower maintenance requirements as compared to the University's first installation at the Business Instructional Facility.The project levered significant external funding and helped Krannert effectively fundraise for the installation.

Utilizing green roof technology helped NCEL to achieve LEED® Silver, the standard in effect when the project was initiated.   The materials used include various types of grasses, plants, and other vegetation. When properly built and maintained, green roofs can last as long as 75 years as opposed to a conventional roof life of 15 years.  Green roofs lower roof surface temperature, reducing the “urban heat island” effect and creating a cooler microclimate around the building.