UIC Climate Commitments
The University of Illinois at Chicago is committed to creating a resilient campus and recognizes the impacts of climate change. The UIC Climate Commitments include goals to become a carbon neutral campus by 2050 and also to become a zero waste, net zero water and biodiverse campus.
The UIC Climate Commitments consist of aspirational goals that offer visionary solutions for the future, short-term action items that ensure progress over the next five years, UIC’s existing accomplishments, and a discussion on how teaching and learning on campus can support the institutional response to global climate change, and offer educational experiences that train students to address 21st century problems.
These efforts are led by Sustainability in conjunction with the Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE). The CCSE updates the goals of the Climate Action Plan to include the new resilience commitment and the recommendations of To Green and Beyond. These new goals are now the UIC Climate Commitments and include four major categories in order to reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste, increase water efficiency, and increase biodiversity at UIC.
UIC Climate Commitments Heading link
download the full report UIC Climate Commitments, 2016 (Accessible PDF)
Carbon Neutral Campus Heading link
UIC will strive to achieve carbon neutrality with net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through reducing and offsetting emissions related to operations and travel.
Zero Waste Campus Heading link
UIC will divert 90% of landfill-bound material through techniques such as source reduction, materials reuse, recycling, and composting.
Net Zero Water Campus Heading link
UIC will use the same amount of water in its operations (irrigation, plumbing, etc.) as the amount of natural rainfall on UIC’s campus.
Biodiverse Campus Heading link
UIC will create a resilient campus landscape supportive of a variety of life such as plants, animals, and people.
Teaching & Learning Heading link
UIC will create meaningful interdisciplinary and sustainability-focused learning and research opportunities for its students.
