As part of the Campus Sustainability Procedures approved in June 2014, the Illinois Climate Action Plan Working Group (iWG) was formed. It is made up of representatives from major stakeholder groups across campus, and it has been tasked with a) reviewing Sustainability Working Advisory Team recommendations and transmitting them to the affected units or the Sustainability Council, as appropriate; and b) initiating a process for revising the iCAP.
The University of Illinois is currently in the process of becoming an Affiliate of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transportation Partnership. The SmartWay program aims to reduce global freight emissions by providing strategies for shippers and carriers to adopt more sustainable practices. While Dining Services joined the program in 2013, the University will now be able to make these changes on a campus-wide scale as an Affiliate.
"SmartWay Transport®” is a registered service mark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
In order to engage both subject matter experts across campus and interested members of the campus community, iSEE formed six topical Sustainability Working Advisory Teams (SWATeams). Each SWATeam consists of a core group of faculty, staff, and students who will do the detailed analysis, heavy lifting, and formulation of recommendations. The core group will be surrounded by a larger consultation group of experts and stakeholders from around campus to provide information, advice, and ideas the core group. Visit the iSEE website for the
There are many metrics that the University needs to evaluate the success of bicycle programming efforts. The University aims to improve and increase the rate of reporting on bike thefts and crashes to better understand changing trends for safety and security of bicycles on campus.
Like any large community with many bicycles, bike theft is a problem in Champaign-Urbana. Bike theft is a real barrier that prevents theft victims from riding bicycles, and discourages others from bringing high-quality bicycles to campus. The University aims to reduce bike thefts on campus by providing better, more secure bicycle parking and storage facilities, a more robust bicycle registration system, and by working with local police enforcement, bicycle shops, and community groups to identify theft deterrents on campus.
The Student Dining and Residential Programs Building (SDRP), constructed in 2010, was built to LEED silver certification, but continued improvements to the facility could enhance its green capabilities even further. The lighting system at SDRP has been identified as an area in which minor upgrades could be very beneficial to supporting the energy reduction goals of the iCAP.
Community gardens built on the farmlands at Orchard Downs are available to use for growing their own food. They are managed by volunteers who assign and take payment for plots for the Family Housing Council. Housing pays for the water via funds that are collected, and they manage the plowing, clean-up, and maintenance of the garden area. Gardeners range from University administrators and students to community members. This program has been active since at least the 1990s.
Materials consumption contributes directly to climate change. It requires energy to mine, extract, harvest, process, and transport raw materials, and more energy to manufacture, transport, and disposal of products. This is a throw-away society. Waste prevention and recycling are important components in the University’s effort toward carbon neutrality. Zero Waste is a goal for how campus should responsibly manage materials and the energy required to make them. Zero Waste requires a “whole systems” approach to resource management that implicates purchasing, maximizes recycling, minimizes
The dining halls at the University residency halls produce an estimated average 14,962.5 pounds, or 7 tons, of food waste every week. To combat the amount of this food waste that goes to the landfills a pilot on-site vermi-composting project on the Sustainable Student Farm will be created. The project has the potential to turn into a campus-wide vermi-composting model.
The UIUC Biodiesel Initiative (or Illinois Biodiesel Initiative) is a project that evolved from Engineers Without Borders and has collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) from dining halls on campus in order to convert it to biodiesel fuel. This fuel has been used by campus vehicles at the Facilities & Services (F&S) Garage and Car Pool since spring of 2006.
