
Fossil Fuel Divestment
The University of Illinois has over a fifth of a billion dollars invested in companies that profit from the extraction, transportation, or combustion of coal, petroleum, or natural gas. The possession of these assets demonstrably opposes the University's stated values of “enhanc[ing] the lives of people in Illinois, across the nation, and around the world” [1] and “dedicating its [the University of Illinois’] brightest minds and resources toward prioritizing the environment” [2]. Students have recognized this hypocrisy, and in 2019 voted with overwhelming majority for the University to divest from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels degrade the health of our planet and her peoples. The University of Illinois has stated and acknowledged that “the threats that we are facing due to climate change are immense and connect us all¹”; yet their continued investments in fossil fuels has conveyed the converse: THEY DO NOT CARE. The University of Illinois must reverse the damage investments in fossil fuels have done to our local communities and to the world at large. This begins with the immediate removal of all investments currently held in fossil fuel corporations, and the complete cessation of further investment into these industries. As students and community members, we must foster an environment built upon unity and compassion. We must protect our communities from environmental harm. We must protect low income communities from climate genocide. We must protect indigenous lands from further violent degradation's by fossil fuel companies. We must save our planet, we must work as one. You can read the entire SECS 2021 fossil fuel report here: https://secsatuiuc.web.illinois.edu/2021/12/01/uis-investment-data-report-2021/ [1] https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ [2] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gkOkvez20ZWUCFdGhpT1WR_R6JsYNepX/view
iCAP Accountability
The Illinois Climate Action Plan aka the iCAP is an overarching plan for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to reach carbon neutrality and foster a culture of sustainability on campus. The iCAP is written by Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) and Faculty and Services with input from the community and is signed by the chancellor. It gets rewritten every 5 years to update and add new goals. As the oldest and largest environmental organization on campus, we are working on making sure the university goes through with the promises it makes in the iCAP. We are doing this by educating the student body about the iCAP and working on projects that help the campus get closer to the goals set in the iCAP. Examples of projects include expanding recycling in dining halls, implementing composting on campus, adding more native species and green spaces on campus, and many more!