Binding Agreements
Since 2007, UIC’s Chancellors have signed on to commitments that require the administration to make our campus greener and reduce its environmental impact.
On September 14, 2007, UIC became an inaugural signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment when Chancellor Sylvia Manning signed on. A year later 578 colleges and universities have made this commitment to initiating the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible and to initiative two or more tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed. UIC will
- Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver standard or equivalent.
- Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution
AASHE provides individual progress reports on all participating campuses, including UIC.
Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact
On February 2, 2008, in cooperation with the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council as well as universities and community colleges across Illinois, Interim Chancellor Eric Gislason signed the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact pledging to accomplish the following goals by December 31, 2010:
- Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Challenge to increase energy efficiency on campus
- Pledge that all new buildings constructed on campus will earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification
- Promote more sustainable transportation options, such as (a) Purchasing hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles whenever practical; (b) Using renewable fuels for our campus fleet; (c)Establishing successful car-sharing and carpooling programs on campus
- Reduce carbon emissions on campus and look into joining a greenhouse gas emission reduction and trading system
- Increase the amount of overall waste recycled on campus by at least 15 percent
- Purchase non-toxic cleaning products whenever practical
STARS
UIC was one of 90 pilot test sites for the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) that is being developed through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
STARS is a voluntary, self-reporting framework for gauging relative progress toward sustainability for colleges and universities. The pilot program required that the participants submit their data by 12/31/08.
View the latest STARS reports.