University of Illinois Springfield
Climate Action Plan
January 15, 2015
Photo: The Recreation and Athletic Center from across the UIS Campus Prairie
Prepared by: Faculty Senate Committee on Sustainability
Dr. Andrew Predmore (co-chair), Dr. Marc Klingshirn (co-chair),
Dr. Jay Gilliam, Dr. Roxanne Kurtz, Dawn Orlove,
Zach Bright, and Dave Barrows
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Document Overview
The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a signatory of the American Colleges and
Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). As a signatory, the University agreed
to complete periodic greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and prepare a climate action plan. This
document is written to fulfill this second commitment and contains the following sections: an
institutional overview of UIS; a description of existing sustainability education efforts; an
overview of sustainability leadership structure; a brief history of sustainability activities on
campus; a summary of GHG emissions; and a discussion of GHG emissions reduction goals for
the campus. Although GHG reduction goals are included in this document, they should not be
viewed as binding, rather they are written to stimulate discussion about how the campus might
work to reduce its carbon footprint.
The University of Illinois Springfield
UIS is a public, comprehensive, regional university, serving approximately 5,000 undergraduate
and graduate students. Originally founded in 1969 as Sangamon State University, UIS became
part of the University of Illinois system on July 1, 1995. The mission of UIS is to provide “an
intellectually rich, collaborative, and intimate learning environment for students, faculty, and
staff, while serving local, regional, state, national, and international communities.”
The vision of UIS is to become a premier public university offering innovative, high-quality
liberal arts education, public affairs activities, and professional programs dedicated to academic
excellence, to enriching individual lives, and to making a difference in the world. The mission
and vision of UIS will be achieved through six strategic goals: academic excellence, enriching
individual lives, making a difference in the world, strengthening campus culture, enrollment
and retention, and resources and infrastructure. Being a signatory to ACUPCC contributes to
several of these goals.
Sustainability Education and Outreach
UIS is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
(AASHE), a global network of colleges and learning institutions that seeks to share ideas and
promising practices regarding sustainability. As previously stated, UIS is also an ACUPCC
signatory.
The Department of Environmental Studies at UIS is working to become a national leader in
sustainability education. The mission of the Department of Environmental Studies is “to
enhance society’s ability to create an environmentally acceptable future.” The program
currently has six full-time tenure-track faculty serving over 100 Master’s students focusing in
several areas: environmental planning and management; sustainable development and policy;
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environmental humanities; and environmental science. The program currently offers an
undergraduate minor in environmental studies and will launch a new BA program in
environmental studies in the fall of 2013. Several other Departments, such as Biology,
Sociology, and Public Health, also offer courses with focuses in sustainability and environmental
education. The Department of Chemistry is making efforts to incorporate green chemistry
principles into its curriculum with multiple faculty members making green chemistry a thrust of
their scholarly work. The Emiquon Field Station, a partnership between UIS and The Nature
Conservancy, also offers a hands-on opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to
engage in faculty led research focused on ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration,
nutrient cycling, native species recovery and eradication of non-native invasive species, among
other areas.
Beyond the academic curriculum, UIS offers several extra-curricular opportunities for students
interested in sustainability. Student organizations, such as the Students Allied for a Greener
Earth (SAGE) and the Biology Club, offer students the opportunity to get involved with
volunteering, campus events, and field trips. In the recent past, these activities have included
campus’ Sustainability Week held in the fall of each year, Earth Week in the spring, field trips to
the farmer’s market in downtown Springfield, and volunteer clean-up projects in the Springfield
community throughout the year. Additionally, we plan a new sustainability themed community
within one of our first-year residence halls. The Department of Environmental Studies continues
to maintain a restored native prairie on campus, which serves as an educational tool for
students and community members. (The campus prairie was recently expanded by an
additional 6 acres, to a total of 9 acres, in 2011.) A green roof on Founders Residence Hall on
campus serves similar environmental education purposes, while also reducing storm water
runoff and improving energy efficiency.
Sustainability Leadership at UIS
At this juncture, the Director of Sustainability title is associated with the Associate Chancellor
for Administrative Affairs and Executive Director of Facilities and Services; however, due to
extensive responsibilities associated with this position, sustainability initiatives are started by
other means. (This will be explained in the next paragraph.) Since the University does not have
a position that is dedicated to the development of sustainability initiatives, the creation of such
a position is a goal of the University. Such full-time positions focused on sustainability issues are
becoming increasingly common at both two-year and four-year higher learning institutions.
Leadership on sustainability issues at UIS falls mostly to the Campus Senate Committee on
Sustainability; the committee has faculty representation from each of the University’s colleges,
as well as representation from staff, academic personnel, and graduate and undergraduate
students. Also serving on the committee is the Associate Chancellor for Administrative Affairs
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and Executive Director of Facility Services. The Committee is charged with providing leadership
on sustainability issues on the UIS campus and in other communities. This includes advancing
sustainability in teaching and curriculums, research, and practice in a variety of areas including
but not limited to policy development, building design and construction, waste management
and recycling, energy production and use, water use, and transportation.
History of Sustainability, Current Commitments and Recent Actions
UIS updated its strategic plan in 2007. The plan reflects a growing interest in environmental
sustainability at UIS. Under the goal of “strengthening campus culture” the plan states that UIS
shall:
“...be a role model in promoting campus environmental sustainability. UIS
recognizes that we are part of a global community with limited resources and
that our choices can positively affect the community and campus life.”
Under this strategic goal, the plan lists four “action steps” that are restated below:

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
Expand, implement, and maintain an effective recycling program on all campus facilities.
Design new university buildings complying with Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) standards and consider LEED standards in remodeling of existing
buildings.
Raise campus awareness regarding our impact on the environment by developing
environmental education programs and participating in public dialogue on
environmental issues within and beyond the campus community.
Consider landscaping, energy use, building maintenance, purchasing, food service, and
transportation as specific areas in which environmentally friendly practices are possible
and desirable; implement such practices to the extent possible.
In 2008, prior to becoming an ACUPCC signatory, UIS completed a thorough Energy Report.
Members of the task force responsible for the report met on several occasions with
representatives from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and with the energy provider
for UIS, City Water, Light and Power (CWLP). The report provided several sobering statistics.
UIS’s total building space had increased by 37% over the 10-year period preceding the report.
At the same time, electricity costs has more than doubled, GHG emissions were shown to have
increased yearly since 1990, and the University’s consumption of energy per square foot of
building space was slowly rising. In sum, these energy use numbers suggested patterns of
increasing consumption and decreasing efficiency.
Likely in response to the seriousness of these findings and the University’s emerging awareness
of these issues, UIS signed the ACUPCC in 2009. The commitment requires that UIS take the
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following steps. Under each, we list relevant activities that have been completed by UIS since
adopting the climate commitment.
1. Initiate the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as
possible.

This plan is the beginning of an effort to develop a comprehensive plan for GHG
reductions.
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UIS most recently submitted a GHG emissions updated report on January 15, 2011.

Sustainability is increasingly a part of the curriculum and the educational experience for
all students. The Committee on Sustainability has attracted nationally recognized
speakers on Earth Day each of the last two years—focusing on corporate responsibility,
green business, and theories of public ecology. As part of the Engaged Citizenship and
Common Experience program at UIS, these lectures have been well-attended by
students and community members with over 200 attendees each of the last two years.
In addition, UIS is growing its program in environmental studies by adding a BA program
in the fall of 2013.

The Associate Chancellor for Administrative Affairs and Executive Director of Facility
Services is tracking changes in energy consumption and GHG emissions on an annual
basis.
2. Initiate two or more tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more
comprehensive plan is being developed.
A) 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.
Evidence of progress: The last four newly constructed buildings on campus (2004 to
present) were designed to meet a minimum of LEED silver standard. Future buildings
will strive for a higher rating. The proposed new Public Safety building is being
designed to incorporate geothermal heating and cooling systems. Additionally, the
new Student Union which is currently in the design stage will also be planned with
sustainability in mind. A survey of the students indicated that the incorporation of
sustainable features was the second most important aspect in terms of design.
B) Encourage use of, and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff,
students and visitors at our institution.
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Evidence of progress: Springfield Metro Transit District provides frequent bus stops
to UIS from points within the city of Springfield. The Committee on Sustainability has
made efforts to encourage the use of public transportation, carpooling, as well as
cycling to work during Sustainability Week.
C) Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania
competition, and adopt 3 or more associated measures to reduce waste.
Evidence of progress: In 2007, a matching funds grant was received from the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This grant allowed us to
expand our recycling capabilities into every part of campus in addition to our
outdoor spaces. The Committee on Sustainability, established in 2008, has built
upon these efforts and has actively encouraged recycling at UIS. We have held
electronics recycling drives and increased signage for paper and plastic recycling on
campus. To embrace the idea of “Freecycling,” a new blog is being developed that
will allow the UIS community to reuse, repurpose, and trade goods with the primary
goal of diverting waste from landfills. Finally, the committee is working with Food
Services to replace the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) take-out containers with reusable plastic containers.
D) We also feel there are other noteworthy efforts underway that will substantially improve
the energy efficiency of the campus. We list these miscellaneous efforts below:

Brookens Library is the largest building on campus. The following improvements
have been made to this structure: replaced singled-glazed exterior windows with
double-glazed units; replaced 30 year-old cooling towers with high efficiency cooling
towers; have replaced and are in the process of replacing older, inefficient boiler
controls.
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Efforts to improve efficiency that are currently underway for all campus buildings
include: replacing leaking exterior doors with newer doors; replacing old roof
insulation with newer, reflective white membrane roofs; replace older roof-top
heating and air conditioning units with more efficient roof top units; replace older,
inefficient hot water heaters with new, more efficient units; replace all T-12
fluorescent light bulbs and magnetic ballasts with T-8’s, T-5’s and LED’s, with
electronic ballasts.
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This coming year, UIS will enter into contract with an Energy Services Contractor to
develop a comprehensive building system efficiency plan. Construction and
efficiency upgrades will be paid for by energy savings dollars.
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3. Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available by
submitting them to the ACUPCC Reporting Systems for posting and dissemination.
Evidence of Progress: UIS has fulfilled this commitment with a GHG report submitted
on January 15th, 2011. The submitted report was based on calculations of the
campus energy report previously mentioned. However, the new calculations
included travel estimations (outside of motor pool usage) from the campus
community, whereas the former did not. In terms of campus infrastructure, there
was virtually no change so a rough consistency was assumed for calculation
purposes. This plan is our effort to reinvigorate a discussion of GHG emissions and
mitigation strategies.
Green House Gas Inventory
A GHG inventory was conducted in 2008 which analyzed the various sectors (housing facilities,
etc.) of the UIS campus. Based on our calculations, we found the following:
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The UIS campus had a net emission of just under 17,600 metric tons of CO2 equivalents,
This equates to nearly 5.6 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per full-time enrollment, and
16.8 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per 1000 square feet.
Overall, the campus has seen an increase in electricity and natural gas usage. This has been
consistent with the growth of the University over the years in terms of campus infrastructure
and population. The majority of the campus GHG emissions (and associated energy use) are
from purchased electricity, followed by on-campus stationary units, and finally transportation.
(On-campus stationary sources include those sources that consume natural gas and propane for
heating.) This data is shown in Figure 1.
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Total Energy Use (MMBtu)
250,000
200,000
150,000
Transportation
On-campus Stationary
Purchased Steam and Chilled w ater
100,000
Purchased Electricity
50,000
0
1990 1992
1994 1996 1998
2000 2002 2004
2006
Year
Figure 1. Total Energy Use by Sector at UIS, FY 1990-2007
Our calculations indicate that not only has our campus consumption increased over the years
(along with our monetary cost), but also the energy density. Figure 2 shows this trend.
Thousand Btu / Square Foot Building Space
250
Total Energy Use per square foot
(kBtu / ft 2 )
200
150
100
50
0
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Figure 2. UIS Energy Density (i.e., total energy use divided by total square footage of university), FY
1997-2007.
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To help overcome this rising trend, the Department of Residential Life has undergone a massive
renovation process to rehabilitate old and inefficient apartment residential units. All renovated
units have increased insulation, more energy efficient windows, and Energy Star appliances.
Also many of the furniture and other items were reupholstered within the region to reduce use
of virgin materials and indirect fuel costs associated with transportation of materials.
Additionally, while we expect the campus to continue growing, we will strive to lower the
energy density.
Greenhouse Gas Goals
As mentioned previously, UIS participated with the other University of Illinois campuses in
completing a strategic plan in 2006. The plan suggests that in the coming years UIS will
increase student enrollments and numbers of residential students, while also adding to campus
infrastructure. A new student union and a new public safety building are on the immediate
horizon. Although it is difficult to project actual growth over the long term, the vision of growth
for UIS will directly impact GHG emissions, mitigation strategies, and what can be considered
“realistic” for emissions reduction targets. As already stated, the main source of GHG emissions
at UIS comes from purchased electricity from CWLP, which generates roughly 80% of its power
from non-renewables, namely coal. Given the expected growth of campus infrastructure at UIS
and the relatively fixed power source for the campus, we felt that stating ambitious goals for
GHG emissions reductions would be unreasonable at best and perhaps disingenuous. Using our
2008 baseline levels we suggest the following modest goals:

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Aggressively work to lower energy density (improve energy efficiency) below 2008
baselines
Return to baseline 2008 emissions by 2050.
The Committee on Sustainability favors more ambitious goals; however, we feel they are
inappropriate here without further campus discussion and buy-in. The goals bulleted above
should not be considered “fixed,” rather they are a starting point for campus discussions
concerning what can be achieved at UIS. We feel that UIS’s location in the state capital and its
leadership and engagement with public policy demands that these discussions are inclusive and
taken seriously; we plan to encourage these discussions moving forward.
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