Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Western Illinois University Campus Sustainability Planning and Accomplishments
Western Illinois University
Kibbe Life Science Research Station located on the Mississippi River.
• The College of Education and Human Services’ 92-acre Horn Field Campus (located one mile south of Western
Illinois University-Macomb) advances regional community and environmental sustainability through experiential
education and leisure services.
Contact Information
Name: Dr. Joseph Rives
Email: J-Rives@wiu.edu
Phone: (309) 298-3455
Direct Connection to Policy Area 6 of The Illinois Commitment
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
Western Illinois University’s Strategic Plan, Higher Values in Higher Education, expresses the University’s
commitment to serving as a resource for and stimulus to economic, educational, cultural, environmental, and
community development in our region and well beyond it. Environmentally, we are leaders who create and support
strategies for a better environment by providing and modeling healthy, economical, and productive places to live,
work, and study.
Description of the effective practice:
Sustainability planning extends across all facets of institutional life at Western Illinois University. There is not one
single program, but a collection of activities with commitments at all levels of the organization and coordination
provided by the newly created Campus Sustainability Committee.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
Environmental sustainability is evident in all facets of the University’s instructional, research, and service mission;
we are committed to our statewide and national leadership in this area. For example:
• The Department of Biological Science offers summer classes and conducts year-long research at the University’s
• In August 2005, the College of Arts and Sciences established the Institute for Environmental Studies (IES) to
undertake environmental research, support interdisciplinary academic programs, and to provide
campus/community environmental service.
• In April 2006, President Goldfarb signed the Talloires Declaration, a document signed by more than 300
university presidents from across the globe. President Goldfarb was the second Illinois president to sign the
declaration that commits universities to improved environmental standards on their campuses.
• In June 2006, Western Illinois University became the first higher education institution in the state of Illinois to
join the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), a membership-based
association of colleges and universities working to advance sustainability in higher education in the United States
and Canada.
• Document imaging across the University significantly reduces paper use, and the University is committed to a
comprehensive recycling program.
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
There are both quantitative and qualitative evidence for the success of environmental sustainability at Western Illinois
University. For example:
• In fall 2005, 70 undergraduate students were pursuing an academic minor in Environmental Studies.
• All buildings on the new Quad Cities Riverfront Campus will achieve at least silver Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design certification.
• Western Illinois University received a $59,000 Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant for energyefficient
lighting upgrades in Morgan Hall. The University recently completed work from a previous foundation
grant to upgrade the lighting in Stipes Hall. The $83,000 project will save nearly $15,000 a year in energy costs
due to more efficient lighting.
• A global survey on the south end of the Macomb campus has been completed. Results will help the University
address issues of storm water retention and irrigation.
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