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.

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

A project is planned for March to evaluate a new outdoor recycling station in comparison to existing bins with revised signage.  Housing has the station located inside the entrance of Ikenberry Commons.  For the project, that station will be placed outside along the North entrance, directly across from the existing bins.  After one week, waste audits will be conducted on both stations, the stations will then reversed, and the experiment will run for another week.

Japan House and the University of Illinois Arboretum request funding to provide bike racks on their grounds. There are currently no available bike racks in the 57-acre Arboretum and Japan House grounds. Japan House is the site of University classes and the Arboretum is frequently used as a resource for classes from units such as Landscape Architecture, and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. In addition, the Arboretum and the Japan House Gardens are a major recreational resource for students, faculty and staff and the general public.

In February 2013, the Huff Hall Khan Annex achieved Silver LEED Certification status. The additions construction priorized the Indoor Environmental Quality category scoring 12 out of 15 possible points. The addition was made possible by a generous donation by University Alumni Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan.

Huff Hall has been home to Illinois State High School Association (IHSA) state basketball tournament. Huff Hall currently houses the Fighting Illini volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics teams. 

Bousfield Hall LEED® Certified: Bousfield Hall, which opened in Fall 2013, became the third university facility to achieve LEED Platinum status, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest certification level, joining the Business Instructional Facility and Lincoln Hall.

The Illinois Green Office Challenge is an impact-driven program that encourages friendly competition among offices/office buildings to adopt sustainable practices. By participating in the Challenge, individual offices or entire buildings earn points for their companies while helping make Illinois more competitive, livable, and sustainable.