Following the cancellation of the wind turbine project on South farms, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) wrote a complaint letter to the Chancellor Richard Herman. SSC and SECS expressed their disappointment about the decision as well as the timing of the decision. They were also upset because the university didn't discuss or consult with the student stakeholders in this decision.

Following cancellation of the wind project, the students were angry about autocratic and secretive behaviour of the university administration regarding cancellation. They were disheartened and upset with the timing of the decision because the decision came during the finals week when the students were pre-occupied and under stress with exams. Students felt that university's choice of cancelling the project during the finals week was to avoid any response or protest from the students.

However, following the finals week, students protested the decision of cancelling the wind turbine project.

News Bureau of Illinois published an article regarding the problems associated with wind-farm project: "Answers to huge wind-farm problems are blowin' in the wind" -- http://news.illinois.edu/NEWS/08/1215windfarm.html

In December 2008, the wind turbine project on South farms was unilaterally cancelled by the university Chancellor Richard Herman, when he cancelled the purchase of one 1.5 MW wind turbine from GE Wind Energy citing "dismal fiscal condition" of the university.

A total of 531 lighting fixtures in the Advanced Computation Building were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 84,092 hours. The Simple Payback for changing the fixtures in the Advanced Computation Building is 2.95 years.

A total of 314 lighting fixtures in the Child Development Laboratory were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 50,497 hours. The Simple Payback for changing the fixtures in the Child Development Laboratory is 3.49 years.

In December 2008, Facilities and Services published a fact sheet for the wind turbine project. 

Daily Illini published an article about wind turbine proposal: "Sustainability Committee struggles to pass wind turbine proposal" -- http://dailyillini.com/news/2008/10/23/sustainability-committee-struggle...

A total of 3,799 lighting fixtures in the National Soybean Research Center were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 597,686 hours. The Simple Payback for changing the fixtures in the Turner Student Services Building is 1.89 years.

The lighting fixtures in the Psychology Building were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. In this facility, 2,571 fixtures were changed. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 393,534 hours. The L.S. project seperately funded 1,812 of the 2,571 fixtures. Occupancy sensors were also installed in the lighting retrofit of this building in order to provide further energy savings.

The 1,481 lighting fixtures in the National Soybean Research Center were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 248,885 hours. The Simple Payback for changing the fixtures in the National Soybean Research Center is 1.28 years.

In the past two years, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has made a substantial and systemic commitment to sustainability. This commitment is expressed in our strategic plan, in the development of a campus Sustainability Council, a new Office of Sustainability, and in a host of other ways that impact our curriculums, physical design, and our daily practices.

See file.

The lighting fixtures in the English Building were changed from T-12 fixtures to T-8 fixtures as part of the ICECF Lighting Retrofit. In this facility, 1,006 fixtures were changed. This will allow an Annual kWh Savings of 245,319 hours. The Simple Payback for changing the fixtures in the English Building is 1.31 years. Occupancy sensors were also installed in the lighting retrofit of this building in order to provide further energy savings.

Phase 2 of the LED Exit Sign project to replace incandescent exit signage with LED fixtures started on June 30, 2008. This phase of the project will replace fixtures in the Armory, Foellinger Auditorium, Harding Band Building, Illini Hall, the Optical Physics Building, the Illinois Program for Research & Humanities, the Architecture Building, Noble Hall, the Art & Design Building, the Music Building, Flagg Hall, and University High School.

In May 2008, ICECF approved the university's request to build only one wind turbine instead of three because of insufficient funding (based on estimates from GE Wind Energy proposal).

In February 2008, the students leaders in the environment movement wrote letters to the Provost Linda Katehi, Chancellor Robert Herman, and Facilities and Services Administration, Dr. John Dempsey. These letters were signed by the student leaders and expressed their excitement and support to the project.

In FY08, the UI funded a Transit Analysis for the University District by MAB.   The study reviewed options for Bus Rapid Tramsit lines and methods for reducing bus traffic on Wright Street.