Campus is exploring options for retrofitting Energy Farm with Deep Direct Use (DDU) geothermal energy.

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) has announced that it will provide seed funding for Illinois faculty members to assist in preparing a proposal for external funding that will include using campus sustainability features and projects in their research related to sustainability.

Specifically, iSEE wants to leverage this seed money to attract external funds that are relevant to objectives from the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP).

Wassaja Hall was certified LEED Gold on February 18, 2017, achieving 67 out of 110 points on the LEED v2009 New Construction scorecard. To achieve its Gold-level certification, Wassaja Hall was judged on several factors, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. The project earned a high number of points for water efficiency and indoor environmental quality. “University Housing is pleased and proud to have been awarded LEED Gold certification for Wassaja Hall,” said University Housing Director Alma R. Sealine.

This project upgrades general assignment classroom lighting campus-wide. The existing lamps in these fixtures are typically incandescent, which burnout quickly and are energy inefficient. When completed, this project provides new fixture-compatible LED lamps in all general assignment classrooms across campus, reducing electricity costs, improving board visibility, and improving student learning environments.

Facilities & Services (F&S) was Building a Lasting University Environment (BLUE) by pursuing departmental goals and projects that implement sustainable practices on campus and in the community.  This book contained highlights of recent efforts. 

In April 2017 three faculty members received $14,522 from the University Research Board to conduct preliminary investigations surrounding crop residue as a building material at both small and large scale. The results of those initial investigations proved very positive. This project primarily strives to turn corn stalks into a building project. Students have assisted Associate Professor Mark Taylor, from the School of Architecture throughout the project, giving students research and professional development opportunities.

"The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge promotes sample accessibility, sample integrity, reduced costs, and energy efficiency by harnessing a spirit of competition within and between laboratories. Challenge participants use well-evidenced criteria and best practices that support science quality and resilience while minimizing total costs and environmental impacts of sample storage."
click the link for more information and to REGISTER: https://www.freezerchallenge.org/register.html

A student research team, under Dr. Yuanhui Zhang, will expand the Environment-Enhancing Energy (E2E) research program to campus application by augmenting wet food waste produced through the dining halls. They will first survey dining services food waste and make their findings available to campus affiliates. Next, they will take dining waste and convert it into biofuel and asphalt. This process will reduce UIUC’s food waste, advancing the Illinois Climate Action Plan efforts. Likewise, the project will bring awareness to food waste at a local level.

The Idea Garden previously lacked access to electricity, making garden maintenance a challenge. Since the Idea Garden’s mission statement is “helping others learn to grow,” the volunteer-led team only wanted sustainable infrastructure added to its garden.

There are several sustainability-related facilities that offer tours to the public and/or groups.  This list includes a few options for tours available on campus or in the community.