Sustainable Transportation and Grounds in UIC - University of ...

Report to UIC Chancellor’s Committee on Sustainability and Energy
the economic and financial component (which includes issues of
adequacy of transportation infrastructure funding, organization and
scale), the social component (which emphasizes on adequate access
to transportation by all segments of society) and finally, the
environmental and ecological component (with an emphasis similar to
what was described earlier).
Sustainable grounds emphasize the use of sustainable design
principles in the planning, design, and maintenance of outdoor space.
Design techniques include planting trees to shade buildings from the
sun or protect them from wind, minimizing building heat and cooling
requirements with vegetation, emphasizing plant longevity and health,
reducing the need for potable water for irrigation, using local materials
and buying stock from local growers, or within reasonable distances to
avoid energy use in transportation.
As in the case of sustainable transportation, sustainable grounds and
landscapes consist of an environmental and ecological component, an
economic component and a social justice and equity component.
However, many times, definitions place greater emphasis on the
environmental component, as in the case of the Sustainable Site
Initiative (2008) report, the primary focus of which is the environment,
including those aspects of economic feasibility and social equity that
intersect with the environment.
Vision of UIC Transportation and Grounds
The vision of the UIC Sustainable Transportation and Grounds
Subcommittee is to have transportation and grounds investments,
planning and operations be driven by eco-friendly principles that
target reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Subcommittee
has put forward a series of benchmarks that are based on desirable
outcomes rather than prescriptive measures, with the aspiration of
enabling UIC to leverage advances in technology and educational
practices and to inspire a change in thinking among administration,
faculty, students and staff.
The goal in doing so is not only to initiate economically feasible and
equitable reductions in greenhouse gases but also to position the
campus in the frontier of leadership among university campuses
nationally in pioneering sustainable transportation and grounds
practices.
Policy Statement
Consistent with our mission of creating a sustainable urban campus,
we recommend adopting a balanced, cost-effective and equitable
short-term strategy towards achieving the university’s sustainable
transportation and grounds goals and a long term strategy that
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