Sustainability teams with the University’s Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, or iSEE, are working toward creating sustainability action plans for the new 2020 Illinois Climate Action Plan.

Illinois Climate Action Plan is a strategic plan to achieve climate commitments made by the University, which includes achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, according to a press release.

The 2020 Illinois Climate Action Plan aims for more student and community involvement. It also aims to make plans “less vague” by creating more actionable and measurable results.

The Sustainability Working Advisory Teams are working on the new climate plan related to the themes of energy, land and water, resilience, zero waste, education and transportation.

The University’s first Illinois Climate Action Plan was created in 2010 and gets updated every five years.

In the creation of this new plan, iSEE will be hosting events, such as monthly student forums and an online submission tab, to get more students involved in the planning process. 

“Giving people not only the opportunity to give suggestions but to also recognize those suggestions are being heard so they take ownership of making the campus more sustainable is important,” said Meredith Moore, iSEE sustainability programs coordinator, in the press release.

After collecting suggestions, the Sustainability Working Advisory Teams will create sustainability action plan objectives that will go through rounds of revisions and approval. Their goal is to have Chancellor Robert Jones sign the plan by fall 2020.

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