Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy
The Chancellor's Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) recommends university policies and initiatives that realize the goals of the UIC Climate Commitments via the Climate Commitment Action Plan 2024 (CCAP 2024). These recommendations are finalized by each subcommittee after obtaining input from the UIC community.
The CCSE is currently co-chaired by the dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Policy and the assistant vice chancellor and director of sustainability. Each subcommittee is co-chaired by a faculty member and staff member with expertise and/or responsibilities for programs related to UIC's five climate commitments.
CCSE Subcommittees Heading link
The five CCSE subcommittees are:
• Carbon neutral subcommittee
• Zero waste subcommittee
• Net zero water subcommittee
• Biodiverse subcommittee
• Transformative scholarship subcommittee
Each CCSE subcommittee is made up of staff, faculty and students and holds regular public meetings to harness the collective power of the knowledge and enthusiasm of the broader campus community.
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The Carbon Neutral subcommittee works toward achieving carbon neutrality with net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing and offsetting emissions related to operations and travel by 2050.
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The Zero Waste subcommittee works toward achieving a 90% diversion rate of landfill-bound material by 2050 through strategies such as source reduction, materials reuse, recycling and composting. (A 90% diversion rate is the generally accepted metric for zero waste.)
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The Net Zero Water subcommittee works to reduce water consumption, maximize the use of non-potable water for campus needs and minimize the volume, rate, and pollutant load of stormwater runoff by 2050.
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The Biodiverse subcommittee aims to create a resilient campus landscape that supports a diverse range of life by 2050.
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The Transformative Scholarship subcommittee aims to create meaningful interdisciplinary and sustainability-focused learning and research opportunities for students by 2050.