University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
EN-3: Student Life

Student Sustainability Committee (SSC): recommends allocation of student green fees. Students for Environmental Concerns (SECs)- Red Bison - prairie restoration USGBC - green building Green Observer: student environmental newspaper Environmental Law Society ActGreen

The farm serves as a production farm to supply our residence halls with locally grown, low-input sustainable food. In addition, the farm acts as a living laboratory to connect students, community members, and the state at large with regional, small-scale food systems. We plan to broaden our focus to include the research, education, and outreach missions of the university. Currently, the farm operates between 45-48 weeks per year, occupying 3 acres for outdoor field production and nearly 10,000 square feet of year round high tunnel production. Every attempt is made to integrate educational aspects into all activities on the farm.

Illinois BioDiesel Initiative - The Illinois Biodiesel Initiative’s mission is to lower the emissions of the university by recycling waste vegetable oil into useful products, and to promote renewable, alternative energy sources to the greater community. Our team strives to make the Illinois Biodiesel Initiative a model for university and community biodiesel production. Beginning in Spring 2006 as a local project within Engineers Without Borders, IBI has grown to be one of their largest projects incorporating students from a wide variety of majors within engineering and otherwise. Together, the group works to meet the needs of the initiative which includes but is not limited to the following: used vegetable oil pick-up from the dining halls, biodiesel production, quality testing, biodiesel integration, soap production from the by-product glycerin, project management, budgeting and accounting, publicity and outreach to other communities and universities. The group sells the final product to the Facilities and Services Garage and Carpool where it is blended with regular diesel for us in the campus fleet.

Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are assessed a self-imposed sustainability fee which accumulates about $1,000,000 annually. The Student Sustainability Committee is a funding board comprised of ten voting student members, five ex officio non-voting staff members, and six non-voting faculty members. At least three SSC student members are graduate students. SSC is responsible for allocating funds generated by two student fees--Sustainable Campus Environment and Cleaner Energy Technologies. SSC proposes funding recommendations to the Director of the Office of Sustainability for final approval. Students are appointed by the Illinois Student Senate and serve a one-year term. Faculty and staff ex officio members are appointed by the Director of the Office of Sustainability and serve a one-year term. Administrative support, including the full-time Program Advisor, accounting, and marketing is provided by the Student Programs and Activities Office in the Illini Union.

Each fall semester the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment sponsors Sustainability week, and each spring semester supports Earth Week. In addition, the institute supports the spring offering of the Scholarship of Sustainability Series - an in-depth examination of sustainability literature.

Campus Recreation and the Kinesiology department offer several outdoor programs that follow Leave no Trace principles, like hiking, backpacking and kyaking.

The Illini Union’s One Book, One Campus program hopes to provide a shared experience for our community. Through reading the same book community members will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue and explore various themes. Through lectures, book discussion groups and many other activities we will learn about ourselves and others while experiencing a unique sense of community. The 2011-2012 book selections was Annie Leonard's 'The Story of Stuff'.

Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall - Sustainability Living Learning Community. Tours available in summer.

The Illinois campus offers a pledge program for all faculty, staff, and students. Many of the options provided center around energy use, but there are also components regarding the stewardship of natural resources.