According to Recovery.gov, Champaign and Urbana recipients alone have been awarded more than $30 million in the form of grants and contracts, many of which have been awarded money for projects promoting ecological efficiency. Recovery.gov was created after President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act went into effect in 2009; the act allocated $787 billion to jump-start the economy, creating and saving jobs, according to the Web site.

Recipient: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – $420,000

Funding Agency: The National Science Foundation

Tarek Abdelzaher, professor from the department of computer science, said this project is focused on increasing the energy efficiency of data centers that expend $4.5 billion in energy costs per year. According to Abdelzaher’s research, up to 80 percent of this energy expenditure can be avoided, overall reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 47 million metric tons per year.

Recipient: Creative Thermal Solutions, 2209 N. Willow Road, Urbana – $1,415,276

Funding Agency: Department of the Army

Creative Thermal Solutions is using waste heat created by a diesel-electric generator in order to produce cooling and heating.

Recipient: Housing Authority of Champaign County, 205 W. Park Ave., Champaign – $1,426,734

Funding Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development

The project includes the installation of an ENERGY STAR-rated boiler system which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, meets the international standard for which consumer products are classified as energy efficient.

Recipient: IllinoisRocstar, LLC, 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign – $499,999

Funding Agency: Department of the Air Force

IllinoisRocstar, in correspondence with Purdue University, is developing green rocket propellants that would be of use to government agencies, primarily the Air Force.

Recipient: Urbana and Champaign Sanitary District, 1100 E. University Ave., Urbana – $10,000,000

Funding Agency: Environmental Protection Agency

The sanitary district is in the process of building an employment facility that will be heated and cooled by wastewater, or contaminated water, said Michael Little, executive director of the sanitary district. He said the district is also treating sewage that produces methane gas, which is later used to run generators that generate about 40 percent of its electricity.

Recipient: City of Champaign, 102 N. Neil St., Champaign – $763,200

Funding Agency: Department of Energy

Champaign is implementing more renewable energy sources with the help of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

Sources: Recovery.gov, Urbana and Champaign Sanitary District Executive Director Michael Little, Tarek Abdelzaher. professor in computer science