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Projects Updates for President's Strategic Framework

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  1. Archived info - previous background

    Associated Project(s): 

    IV. Tomorrow's University Today: 4. Become a model of environmental sustainability

    We will incorporate practices that reduce our carbon footprint and  build a System-wide culture of environmental care, supporting the efforts of our universities and campuses to achieve carbon neutrality over the next three to four decades. To do this, our universities and regional campuses will actively seek:

    • Climate neutrality by increasing building energy efficiency, achieving LEED certification for construction and renovations, enhancing the efficiency of campus fleets and shuttle buses, and becoming more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
    • Zero waste by increasing waste diversion rates, reducing bottled water use, and increasing the number of green-certified campus events.
    • Net zero water use by managing and reducing storm water runoff within parking lots and structures and reducing water use through more efficient technology and practices.
    • Campus biodiversity by promoting the use of local produce, increasing tree canopy size and the diversity of plants on campus, and using sustainable landscaping practices.
  2. Archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 

    In 2015-16, University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen led an initiative to develop a System-wide strategic framework to chart the institution's path to the future and build on the U of I's rich legacy of service to students and to the public good. The development process was a team effort involving all of the U of I's stakeholders.

    The resulting strategic framework was approved at the May 19, 2016 meeting of the U of I Board of Trustees. The framework calls for the U of I System to organize its world-class resources around four strategic pillars:

    I. An Institution of and for Our Students

    II. Research and Scholarship with Global Impact

    III. A Healthy Future for Illinois and the Midwest

    IV. Tomorrow's University Today

  3. Climate Emergency Letter

    Associated Project(s): 

    I approve signing this on behalf of the system - thanks, Evan, for your leadership

        Tim

     

    Sent from my iPhone


    On Sep 11, 2019, at 2:32 PM, Delucia, Evan H <delucia@illinois.edu> wrote:

    Dear Tim,

     

    All three U of I campuses have signed the Second Nature climate commitment for American higher education institutions.  The Climate Emergency Letter is associated with international efforts, and it is already signed by Second Nature, automatically bringing in our three campuses.  It is an opportunity to reinforce the commitments of the Urbana, Springfield, and Chicago campuses, while also sending a clear signal to the System Office departments and employees. 

     

    The letter is simply this:

    “As institutions and networks of higher and further education from across the world, we collectively declare a Climate Emergency in recognition of the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change. 

    The young minds that are shaped by our institutions must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and capability to respond to the ever-growing challenges of climate change. We all need to work together to nurture a habitable planet for future generations and to play our part in building a greener and cleaner future for all.

    We are today committing to collectively step up to the challenge by supporting a three-point plan which includes:

    1.       Mobilizing more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation;

    2.       Committing to going carbon neutral by 2030 or 2050 at the very latest;

    3.       Increasing the delivery of environmental and sustainability education across curriculum, campus and community outreach programmes.

    We call on governments and other education institutions to join us in declaring a Climate Emergency and back this up with actions that will help create a better future for both people and our planet.”  

     

    The Urbana commitment is to be carbon neutral as soon as possible, and no later than 2050, I am writing to ask that you sign the Climate Emergency Letter to formally have our System join the commitment and the international movement. 

     

    This has a deadline of November 1, 2019, so that the signatories can be shared at the COP 25 in Chile this December. Click here to sign.

     

    Thanks,

    Evan

     

     

     

    -- 

    Evan H. De Lucia, Ph.D.
    G. William Arends Professor of Integrative Biology
    Baum Family Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
    Director, Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation
    University of Illinois

    phone: 217 333 6177
    fax: 217 244 7246

    http://sustainability.illinois.edu
    https://cabbi.bio/