Campus Sustainability
Our campus is a global model for sustainability and environmentalism — because people across campus are taking action. So can you! Through iSEE, students, faculty, and staff come together to discuss issues, set goals, and get involved in initiatives that move us closer to becoming carbon neutral and zero waste.
Our Accomplishments
Grind2Energy
With the “Grind2Energy” system, campus dining hall food scraps are ground down and run through an anaerobic digester at the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District, producing methane that is used for energy.
Geothermal at CIF
At the University of Illinois, multiple organizations and campus units are championing geothermal to meet clean energy goals. In April 2021, the largest geothermal energy system on campus became operational to condition CIF.
Solar Farm 2.0
Solar Farm 2.0 is a 12.32 megawatt utility-scale array located north of Curtis Road, between First Street and Dunlap Avenue. It produces approximately 20,000 MWh/year for the university, and is the larger of two on-campus solar farms.
Net Zero ECE Building
In 2023, the ECE Building became the university’s first zero energy certified facility. All of the building’s operational energy is offset through a combination of on-site solar production and solar renewable energy credits.
Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP)
The iCAP is a university roadmap — with explicit, achievable steps — toward fulfilling our commitments to a sustainable, carbon-neutral campus by 2050, if not sooner. Learn how we can become a model for innovative, progressive environmental stewardship.
Get Involved!
Students, staff, and faculty from across campus are taking action to make Illinois a model of sustainability in higher education. Explore the ways that your classmates and colleagues are making a difference.
Sustainability Resources
At Illinois, sustainability isn’t just a concept. From recycling to dining to transit, iSEE and its campus partners have the tools and programs to help you incorporate sustainability into everyday life.
