The Student Sustainability Committee funded the design and installation of a small solar PV array on the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building. This particular location was chosen due to its viability, visibility, and location near the heart of campus.  The roof was found to be strong enough to hold a ballasted solar array, and a design was completed. That design is available here in PDF format and can be pursued, if desired.

The ECBS SWATeam has been looking into the option of creating a Certified Green Labs Program, to match and augment the Certified Green Office Program. 

To donate in support of the Campus Bicycle Plan, go to give.illinois.edu and reference Campus Bicycle Plan Implementation and Mission Fund (11338548) in the Gift Designation section.

The Student Sustainability Committee funded an effort to decrease the use of single use plastic bags at the Illini Union Bookstore.

The campus needs funding for solar installations in order to meet the 2015 iCAP objective for on-campus solar generation.  An account should be set up with the University of Illinois Foundation for interested supporters to donate to campus solar efforts.

The Resilience Commitment is focused on climate adaptation and community capacity-building to deal with a changing climate and resulting extremes.

iCAP Teams report annually on progress made toward Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) objectives in their area of focus, and the Resilience Team advocates for achieving the iCAP 2020 objectives related to community resilience.

One component of the campus sustainability efforts is to spread awareness of our progress. Press releases, media alerts, and attention from the news about specific projects.  By raising awareness of our efforts, we naturally encourage adoption of similar projects elsewhere in the community and the world. 

This project provides Illini Urban Farmers with a hydroponics systems for our club to learn more about urban farming and grow student effort on campus. Once an understanding is developed on how the system functions, efforts can be expanded for use within campus dining halls, dorms, or other buildings. The university will benefit from having this system because it will provide a feasibility study of using these systems on a college campus for year round sustainable food production.

Parking Lot E37 (near the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and Natural History Survey) currently lacks sufficient lighting to meet minimum light requirements, but unfortunately is located in a low-priority area located away from current electrical access. The use of standalone solar-powered lights for parking is an innovative solution that allows the system to remain off-grid while improving illumination for the lots – which in turn improves campus safety.

This project created an aquaponics system that serves as a demonstrative unit on campus to spread sustainability awareness and illustrate the effectiveness of aquaponics in a small area. The goal of aquaponics is to create a closed ecosystem in which both plants and fish benefit and grow. Produce and fish grown in the system are harvested served by Food Science students at the Bevier Café. (Pictures attached of a Tilapia dish served with Tasoi greens, grown side by side in the system)