Seminar Promotes 'Green' Campuses, New Campus Sustainability Compact
CHAMPAIGN - August 27, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today spoke at the 2010 Sustainable University Symposium at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). At the symposium, the university became the first to sign the Campus Sustainability Compact with Governor Quinn.
"I'm proud to be here today with so many of Illinois' best and brightest to share in the excitement about the initiatives that are keeping our college campuses 'green'," Quinn said. "Illinois' colleges and universities are the best in the country - they're proving that again today by showcasing their commitment to environmental innovation."
The symposium, hosted by the Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council, the UIUC's Office of Sustainability and the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, enables college and university administrators, professors, students, architects and engineers to discuss exciting innovation in sustainability. Workshops, panel discussions, and speakers addressed topics as diverse as sustainable renovation and construction, environmental education and service learning, energy efficiency and conservation, waste reduction and water conservation.
The primary goal of the symposium is to offer insight to developing sustainability programs at Illinois universities and colleges. Universities shared plans for energy efficiency, partnerships with local businesses and energy technology programs that are proven to be successful.
Also at the symposium, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joined Governor Quinn to become the first university to sign the new Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact. The compact encourages institutions to make sustainability an element of their campus operations, academic and research programs, community outreach, and student activities.
The compact was created in 2005 and has been signed by 81 institutions statewide. Universities that sign on, pledge to achieve program sustainability goals by the year 2015. The new compact also outlines incremental levels of participation: "bronze," "silver" and "gold." The UIUC signed on at the highest, "gold" level.
Governor Quinn has signed numerous Executive Orders and statutes into law to ensure greater energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, and protection of Illinois' land, air and water resources. For more information please visit Green.Illinois.gov.
