The UIUC campus has several research labs across campus, with amazing cutting-edge research underway and accomplished over the last 150+ years.  These research facilities are transformative for the global community, yet they also use a lot of energy and water and produce waste products.  This project aims to integrate the iCAP objectives in the research areas on campus, through an open and concensus-based discussion with sustainability staff and research staff, as well as interested students and researchers.

Food insecurity is a major public health issue in the United States, affecting over 1 million Illinoisans in 2018 and over 13 million Americans in 2019 (Feeding America, 2019; USDA, 2019). Furthermore, nearly 20% of greenhouse emissions come from livestock and around 70% of all land used for agricultural production is used for breeding and maintaining livestock (UN Report, 2006; FAO Report, 2012).

Near campus exists an under-utilized living laboratory that could contribute significantly to student education and improve campus sustainability initiatives like iCAP. This 13-acre prairie experiment was established in 2018 with funding from a USDA grant. Across 96 plots, the project was designed to examine interactions between soil, microbes, prairie plants, agrochemicals, and bees with the goal of identifying best prairie restoration practices for habitat adjacent to crops.

Rain is a blessing and a curse on our research farms.  We cannot grow a crop with out it but when it comes in excessive quantities has a destructive result on University farms.  Our farms are intertwined too so as water flows downhill it passes from one department farm to the next.  This project looks to redesign the Energy Farm waterway and install a waterway on the Animal Sciences farm to the west so that water flow can be channeled to the Embarrass River in a more direct and environmentally sound path.

In 2010, grant funding from the Energy Biosciences Institute established buildings that support the research, education, and operations of the Energy Farm.  This facility is utilized by students and researchers in biofuel and sustainability research.  HID lighting in the main high bay work area has been measured to be well below minimum standards for a safe and efficient work space. 

This project will upgrade fixtures from HID to LED and also install occupancy sensors in workspaces that are observed to remain lit well after activities have concluded by the occupants. 

Illini EV Concept is a student-run automotive club at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our membership is diverse, with students of all backgrounds in engineering, business and design. We compete in the Shell Eco-marathon Americas Competition.

For more information, check out Shell’s Eco-marathon page.

Illini Solar Car is a multidisciplinary engineering student design team that designs, builds, tests, and races fully road-legal solar electric vehicles in cross-country competitions around the world. We have completed two cars thus far - Argo, in 2015, and Brizo, earlier this year. The team has previously received support from SSC, and our continued improvement at each competition we’ve attended. The team is currently working on designing and then constructing our third vehicle to be the most efficient Illini Solar Car yet. 

This project proposes using funds for setting up one monitoring station for Air Quality for streaming live data through an open access web dashboard accessbile to all campus community members.  

The Illini Union piloted new recycling bins to encourage appropriate recycling behavior.

Our Mission: The Illinois Geothermal Coalition is a group of corporations, non-profits, geothermal professionals, and researchers seeking to establish Illinois as a leader in geothermal energy.