University of Illinois Chicago
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The CCSE will support the Chancellor’s Climate and Resilience commitments of Climate Neutral Campus, Zero Waste Campus, Net Zero Water Campus, and Biodiverse Campus. It also advances the relevant recommendations of the sustainability strategic thinking report “To Green and Beyond: Excellence through Sustainability at UIC.” The CCSE will recommend priorities, suggest new initiatives, monitor UIC’s progress towards our sustainability commitments and goals, and assist with the preparation of reports as required. For the coming two years, the main tasks of the CCSE will be to update the UIC Climate Action Plan, establish an implementation plan with measurable goals, support the resilience assessment and planning process, and develop an action plan for integrating sustainability into the curriculum. The Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) was formed, as a response to the campus’s Climate Action Plan, which commits UIC to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2004 levels by 2030, and 80% below 2004 levels by 2050. The CCSE is tasked with making progress towards these Climate Action Goals, assisting with the accountability of sustainability initiatives, and bringing environmental awareness to the UIC campus. The CCSE has six subcommittees. The Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) has been working since its establishment to: Set priorities Suggest new initiatives Monitor UIC’s progress towards goals and actions Assist with the preparation of reports for the campus climate commitments Help with the accountability of relevant sustainability initiatives Promote environmental awareness on campus

George Crabtree, Professor of Physics, co-chair Rob Dixon, Registrar, co-chair Subcommittees Energy and Utilities Subcommittee Dave Hofman, Professor and Head, Physics, co-chair Robert Roman, Director, Utilities, co-chair Grainne Cassidy, Assistant Director, Office of Capital Programs Sandeep Dath, Director, Director of Technology, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Jimmy Hopper, Deputy Director, Utilities Fernando Howell, Director, Facilities and Space Planning Joel Karman, Associate Director, Hospital Administration Vy Milunas, Director of Project Management, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services David Taeyaerts, Associate Vice Chancellor, Learning Environments and Campus Architect J. Rex Tolliver, Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Auxiliary Services Grounds Subcommittee Roberta Mason-Gamer, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, co-chair Carly Rizor, Superintendent of Grounds, Facilities Management co-chair Julie Finlay, Nursing Consultant, Specialized Care for Children Sarah Gabriella Hernandez, Graduate Student, Heritage Garden Student Leader Kristy Kambanis, Assistant Director for STEM Initiatives, Office of Degree Progress Emily Minor, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences Tania Sosa, Undergraduate Student, Heritage Garden Student Leader Robin Sylvester, Preawards Sponsored Projects Specialist, School of Public Health John Wagner, Grounds Maintenance, Facilities Management Sustainable Materials Subcommittee Ning Ai, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning and Policy, co-chair Gabriel Bernal, Assistant Director, Facilities Management, co-chair Robert Anderson, South Campus Property Coordinator, Campus Auxiliary Services Karen Baker, Visiting Assistant Director, Facilities Management, Environmental Services William Bavirsha, Associate Athletic Director/Facilities, Intercollegiate Athletics John Bruch, Assistant Director for Facilities, Campus Housing Anna Calix, Research Associate, Pediatrics William Colwell, Events Coordinator/Production Manager, Pavilion Joshua Dorka, Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Kevin Fair, Associate Director, Purchasing Tamnekia Grant, Resident Director for SSR, Campus Housing Denise Rosen, Facilities Manager, Nursing Administration Eric Simon, Executive Director, Student Centers Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Elizabeth Kocs, Director of Programming and Outreach, The Energy Initiative, co-chair Tom Theis, Director, Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, co-chair Rosa Cabrera, Director, Latino Cultural Center Molly Doane, Assistant Professor, Anthropology Rachel Havrelock, Assistant Professor, Jewish Studies and English Kathy Nagy, Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences William Ryan, Clinical Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Benn Williams, Assistant Director of Interdisciplinary Programs and Development, Graduate College Moira Zellner, Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Policy Transportation Subcommittee Kate Lowe, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning and Policy, co-chair Kevin Shalla, IT Director, Academic and Enrollment Services Information Technology, co-chair Pablo Acevedo, Associate Director of Facilities Management William Burton, Senior Director, Public Affairs Shelby Egan, GIS Program Coordinator, Facility and Space Planning Sheena Freve, Visiting Research Transportation Analyst/Research, Urban Transportation Center Mike Landek, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Wanda Perry, Director, Campus Parking Bob Witas, Transportation Manager, Facilities Management Brian Zeid, Accountant, Biological Sciences Climate Resilience Subcommittee Cynthia Klein-Banai, Associate Chancellor, Sustainability, Co-Chair Carol Petersen, Associate Director, Student Development Services, Co-Chair Caryn Bills-Windt, Associate Chancellor, Office for Access and Equity Shauhrat Chopra, Postdoc Research Associate, Institute for Environmental Science and Policy Teresa Cordova, Director - Great Cities Institute and Professor Tanya Peykova Slavchev, Senior Coordinator, Budget and Financial Analyst Samuel Dorevitch, Associate Professor, Interim Division Director, Environmental and Occupational Health Science Christian Gossett. Visiting Senior Research Specialist, Department of Medicine Julie Grey, Emergency Management Specialist Robert Roman, Director, Utilities Moira Zellner, Associate Professor, Urban Planning and Policy Zuka’a Joudeh, Undergraduate Student (Undergrad Student Government - Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee)

The Office of Sustainability forms the focal point for coordinating sustainability initiatives on campus by receiving information, tracking data, and assessing progress. This is accomplished through involvement in institutional and programmatic planning, information dissemination, providing guidance, reporting, and acting as a resource for on sustainability in higher education.

The Office of Sustainability coordinates initiatives on campus that bring UIC towards greater social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Our current initiatives are focused on improvements to campus-wide recycling, active transportation options, and energy efficiency; all are strategies in UIC’s first Climate Action Plan. Through outreach, education, and partnerships, the Office of Sustainability is able to collect information, act as a resource to the UIC community, and help facilitate improvements to the campus that reduce our university’s impacts on the environment (while also improving the educational atmosphere and our fiscal bottom line). The Associate Chancellor for Sustainability is responsible for the entire campus and the CCSE is the reach to all the units. In the previous three years, the CCSE with the support of the Office of Sustainability, developed the UIC Climate Commitments and the Climate Action Implementation Plan (CAIP). The CAIP lays out the path to achieving the Climate Commitments, the financial investment needed, and the responsible parties.