The trend away from outdoor play in children is having a significant impact on the health of today's youth, as well as their stewardship and interest in the environment. Take a Child Outside Week aims to combat this trend through a series of events to be held September 24-30, 2013.

The northeast corner of the Orchard Downs complex is a prime location for a sustainable land-use demonstration. The housing complexes at this corner were demolised in the late 1990s. A diverse canopy of mature trees, including red oak, sycamore, sweet gum, tulip tree, and jack pine, and grassy "no-mow" area have since grown in. The land is an underutilized educational, recreational, research, and ecological opportunity for the University.

The goal of the Illinois Sustainable Food Project (ISFP) is to further collaboration between the production activities of the Sustainable Student Farm (SSF); the teaching, research, and outreach activities at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Pilot Processing Plant (FSHN-PPP); and University Housing Dining Services' goal of increasing procurement of locally grown foods. This project supported the procurement of key equipment necessary for processing tomatoes and other produce into purees and sauces at large scale for use in commercial food applications. 

The aim of this project is to reduce the water consumption of Campus Recreation patrons without interfering with the service they receive. In order to do this, standard flush valves were replaced with dual-flush valves, pint-flow urinals were installed, and motion-sensor water faucets replaced traditional faucets in ARC, CRCE, and the Ice Arena (which are the three largest Campus Recreation facilities.)  Campus Recreation used the upgrades as an opportunity to educate their patrons about water consumption and conservation.

Thin client computing devices and servers have low power consumption and increased lifetime as compared to ordinary desktop computers. The Student Sustainability Committee allocated $7,000 (on a reimbursement basis) to the purchase of these thin client computing devices and a server to be used in public access areas, for testing, in student kiosks, and for loans to other departments to encourage widespread adoption of this technology. The Student Sustainability funding allowed for the purchase of 28 of the 40 total units on campus.

College Sustainability Report Card - Suspended

March 30, 2012 - Sustainable Endowments Endowments Institute announces suspension

of College Sustainability Report Card program. Learn More

GreenReportCard.org is the first website to provide in-depth sustainability profiles for more than 300 colleges in all 50 U.S. states and eight Canadian provinces. See the Results

Each semester, Facilities & Services works with the Learning in Community (LINC) program as a project partner for the UI Bikes course section. Working closely with the Campus Bicycle Coordinator, students learn about cycling issues on campus including planning, infrastructure, safety, education, and enforcement. 

Drawing attention to stormwater – literally – is a current goal of F&S Environmental Compliance (EC). EC, which manages the university’s stormwater program, along with a number of community organizations, has recruited 12 artists to paint themed murals near storm drain inlets to call attention to the potential hazards of what washes down our drains.

The yard of the Campus Honors House was transformed into a beautiful landscape of native plants, with the efforts of a dedicated student. Native plants on campus have become an interest of several students and community members. With their dedication, the use of native plants continues to spread on campus.

One of the water strategies outlined in the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan was to include “true cost of water” charges with the energy billing program. The idea behind this strategy was to add an economic benefit in reducing the amount of water used by the University.

The University’s decision about whether or not they will implement this strategy is still being discussed.