Illinois State University
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

Illinois Green Business Association The Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA) is a 501c3 tax-exempt non-profit organization that assists businesses in reducing their ecological foot-print by attaining green certification. IGBA staff provides three distinct services: green business certification, personalized business services, and public education. This institution has partnered with the IGBA on projects ranging from public education and outreach. One of the latest projects this is institution and the IGBA has partnered on is pairing ISU students with the IGBA through internships and work experience. Bike and Pedestrian Plan The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan provides an updated inventory and assessment of Normal’s walkway and bikeway network, and is an update of the bicycle-pedestrian component of the 1994 Bloomington-Normal Urbanized Area Long Range Transportation Plan. This Plan lays out comprehensive strategies for system-wide improvements and specifies exactly what needs to be done to achieve the Town’s goal of becoming a better walking and bicycling community. These strategies will help Normal leverage the necessary funding and other resources needed to achieve this goal. Throughout this entire process our institution played key role as one of the projects stakeholders. Community Partners include: Illinois State University (this institution), Town of Normal, League of Illinois Bicyclists, Alta Design & Planning. EV Town EVTown represents a broad-based effort to establish Bloomington-Normal, Illinois as a model electric vehicle community. The effort is being driven by a coalition of business officials, government representatives, and other interested stakeholders who firmly believe electric vehicles offer tremendous benefits to individual vehicle owners, businesses, and the greater community. EVTown aims to concisely provide members of the Bloomington-Normal community with all of the information needed to evaluate available electric vehicle technologies. In addition, EVTown is intended to connect interested persons with opportunities to personally view, test drive, and purchase electric vehicles. Community Partners Include: Illinois State University (this institution), 101.5WBNQ Radio Station, Town of Normal, Kevin Collins Design. Composting The Illinois State University Farm has been composting food scraps, landscape waste and livestock waste on a routine basis since 1993. In addition, other organic materials have been composted at different times depending on research project/study requirements. Through recent grant funding the composting facilities have grown exponentially and the process now reaches out to more community groups than ever. Community Participants Include: Illinois State University (this institution), Illinois Wesleyan University, Heartland Community College, Country Financial, Coffee Hound, Town of Normal (Yard Waste), State Farm (currently in the piloting process). Good-To-Go Good to Go is an ongoing community wide project of GLT and ISU Sustainability designed to encourage healthy lifestyles and promote the use of alternative transportation instead of driving alone. The initiative's primary event is a Commuter Challenge, a friendly competition between individuals, teams and workplaces. Community partners include: Illinois State University (this institution), Heartland Community College, State Farm, Town of Normal, The Hile Group, Coffee Hound, Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System.