Each morning, Monday through Friday, this blog provides an update on sustainability research and case studies from around the world, with a brief description and link to the source material. A wide variety of sustainability topics are covered, with an emphasis on areas of expertise and research interests of staff at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
To clarify, the “Sustainability in the News” blog does not highlight research or projects conducted by ISTC; those types of updates are available via the ISTC Blog, the ISTC Newsletter (subscribe here), and the Technology Acceleration Program (TAP) Newsletter (subscribe here). Instead, the “Sustainability in the News” feed helps you learn about the issues that ISTC itself is monitoring. Consider it your daily dose of sustainability science inspiration!
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Questions or suggestions can be directed to Joy Scrogum.
In a previous post on back-to-school sustainability resources, the Illinois Climate Education Hub was mentioned as a forthcoming resource for K-12 teachers, to assist them in complying with Public Act 103-0837. That legislation provides that, “Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public school shall provide instruction on climate change, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as appropriate. The State Board of Education shall, subject to appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements of this subsection.”
The hub is now live and is available at https://illinoisclimateeducation.org/. The IL hub (like its sister hubs in New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin, Maine, New York, Connecticut, and Michigan) provides free, educator-vetted teaching resources, professional development opportunities, lesson plan examples, and relevant news articles for students. All resources on the hub can be used for educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
Every October, colleges and universities around the world celebrate Campus Sustainability Month. According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the goal of Campus Sustainability Month is “to raise the visibility of campus sustainability and provide campus sustainability advocates with a platform through which to deepen campus engagement around sustainability. It provides an excellent opportunity to recruit new leaders and set goals for the rest of the year. It serves as a complement to Earth Day, which is held each year in April, and is often a time for celebration and recognition of the good work that took place over the course of the academic year.”
The following resources will help members of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus community learn more about and contribute to sustainability efforts on campus. This list is extensive but not exhaustive. You’re encouraged to explore websites referenced below for further information or reach out to the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) at sustainability@illinois.edu with questions.
Staff members of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), including the PRI Office of the Executive Director and the five State Scientific Surveys, can join the PRI Sustainability Microsoft Team to share resources, ask questions, and collaborate on solutions. Open the Teams app on your work computer and search for “PRI Sustainability” or contact Joy Scrogum to join. Staff from the Urbana campus Facilities & Services (F&S) unit, including the campus zero waste coordinator, also participate in this group.
Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). This plan, updated every five years, represents the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship and outlines strategies that are being pursued to reach carbon neutrality as soon as possible (no later than 2050). Objectives relate to energy, transportation, land and water, zero waste, education, engagement, resilience, and implementation. The latest edition of the iCAP was published in 2020 (which means a revision is currently underway). Check out the 2020 iCAP athttps://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/files/project/5293/iCAP-2020-FINAL-WEB.pdf.
Progress toward iCAP goals involves detailed analysis, research, and formulation of recommendations by topical iCAP teams (previously referred to as Sustainability Working Advisory Teams, or SWATs) comprised of faculty, staff, and student members. Topics covered by these teams roughly correspond to iCAP objectives and include Education, Energy, Transportation, Land & Water, Zero Waste, and Engagement. Interested staff, faculty, and students can reach out to team chairs (listed as “Project Leaders” on the team pages) to express interest in joining topical teams. All recommendations made by iCAP topical teams are available on the iCAP Portal (described below).
Recommendations made by the topical teams are then considered by the iCAP Working Group, a committee of mid-level administrators as well as students, staff, and faculty members, which evaluates and routes them to appropriate campus units or to the Sustainability Council for further evaluation and implementation. The Sustainability Council is chaired by the Chancellor, vice-chaired by the Director of the iSEE, and is composed of campus decision makers at the highest level. The flowchart below illustrates the process of progress toward iCAP objectives.
Illustration of the iCAP recommendation and approval process from the iCAP Portal.
The iCAP Portal: Launched in 2012, this is an online repository of information on various sustainability efforts across campus, including past projects, those currently underway, and those in the planning stages. The iCAP Portal features updates, historical context, metrics, and contact information for all current and past iCAP projects. Project descriptions are organized into10 themes on the portal: Energy, Transportation, Land and Water, Zero Waste, Resilience, Reporting Progress, Engagement, Education, Research Opportunities, and Funding. Aproject’s status may be listed as Proposed (prior to approval), In Progress (projects actively being implemented), Ongoing (for projects running on their own, or for summaries of overarching efforts with multiple subprojects), Completed, or even Cancelled (for efforts that didn’t work out or ceased for some reason). The “Objectives Dashboard” can help portal users find updates and track progress toward the various objectives outlined in the current iCAP.
The iCAP Portal is a massive resource, and it contains a wealth of information about campus sustainability efforts, though many campus community members remain unaware of this repository. Content maintenance and portal design are led by Facilities & Services (F&S), iSEE, and the College of Education’s Office for Math, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE). Other contributors include the iCAP Working Group and topical iCAP teams (and associated student clerk and interns), under iSEE’s direction, as well as the Student Sustainability Committee (described below under “Student Organizations”). As you can imagine, keeping this type of extensive record up to date takes a lot of time and effort. The various projects the portal outlines are contributed to by students, faculty, and staff, which are all populations comprised of busy people with varying degrees of turnover. As a result, you may occasionally find outdated information (e.g., old contact names) or a lack of recent project updates on the portal. So, if you happen to have knowledge of a project and/or are browsing the iCAP Portal and see something that needs to be updated, use the online “Suggestions” form to inform the team working on portal maintenance. That same form can also be used to suggest ideas for new projects (after checking the list of existing projects, categorized by topic).
Green Guide: Published in spring 2025 through a collaboration of F&S, iSEE, and Student Affairs, this document is designed to highlight opportunities for campus sustainability engagement. It overlaps with much of the information provided below, while providing a few specific examples of student organizations, cultural and resource centers, key campus programs, relevant facilities that you can tour, and tips for sustainable behaviors for individuals to pursue.
Student Sustainability Home Page: This section of the Urbana campus Student Affairs website is the gateway to student engagement in campus sustainability efforts. Included are subsections on the following:
Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and the Illinois Green Fund (IGF). The IGF is North America’s largest university sustainability funding pool, financed by two student-initiated fees, the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee (CETF) and the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee (SCEF). The SSC is a student-led university funding board charged with distributing IGF funds. Working with staff and faculty advisers, the SSC allocates $1.5 million annually toward the development and seed funding of projects that have an environmental impact on the university community.
Student Organizations. There are over 1,000 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) related to sustainability or environmental issues on the Urbana campus. A comprehensive list is available online. A few examples include:
ActGreen, which is focused on sustainable business.
Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC). This group serves as a hub to facilitate collaboration and communication between student groups, administration, and community members; spearhead and assist educational programming; and advocate for students’ campus sustainability concerns.
Sustainability Training Videos: These videos can help individuals understand how they might contribute to the iCAP objectives. Different videos are available for students, faculty and researchers, and for other staff members, administrators, and community members. Links to surveys are available for viewers to provide feedback on what campus is doing right and what needs to be prioritized moving forward.
Greener Campus Certification Programs: Did you know that your office, sorority or fraternity chapter, or your campus event could receive recognition for the implementation of simple, inexpensive sustainable actions? This section of the iSEE website outlines the campus green certification programs and how to participate.
Sustainability research on campus. Each year, iSEE calls for proposals to provide seed money for faculty-led teams to engage with interdisciplinary sustainability issues on campus or in neighboring communities as part of theCampus as a Living Lab research program. The goal is to leverage this seed money to attract external funds for research relevant to achieve the iCAP objectives. Check out the link above to learn about previously funded projects and watch that space for information on calls for proposals.
Sustainability Education Opportunities: Finally, be sure to check out this section of the iSEE website for more information on sustainability education opportunities on the Urbana campus. These web pages offer a wealth of information on sustainability-related fellowships, certificates, and programs (including courses, majors and minors) that students can pursue.
The third week of September annually is celebrated as Pollution Prevention, or P2, Week. P2 Week 2025 is September 15-21 using the theme: “40 Years of Pollution Prevention: Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future!”
As defined by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR, emphasis added), “Pollution is the contamination of air, soil, or water by the discharge of harmful substances. Pollution prevention is the reduction or elimination of pollution at the source (source reduction) instead of at the end-of-the-pipe or stack. Pollution prevention occurs when raw materials, water, energy and other resources are utilized more efficiently, when less harmful substances are substituted for hazardous ones, and when toxic substances are eliminated from the production process. By reducing the use and production of hazardous substances, and by operating more efficiently we protect human health, strengthen our economic well-being, and preserve the environment.”
Rather than being a burden on industry, NPPR points out that “Adopting pollution prevention practices and techniques often benefits industry by lowering a company’s operational and environmental compliance costs. By preventing the generation of waste, P2 can also reduce or eliminate long-term liabilities and clean-up costs. Furthermore, disposal costs are reduced when the volume of waste is decreased. This can also lead to a reduction in workplace exposures to hazardous materials which can affect workers’ health and hence, their productivity. If less waste is produced, there will also be a diminished need for on-site storage space. Furthermore, by preventing pollution there will be a greater likelihood that a company will be in compliance with local, state, and federal compliance statutes. Finally, as community pillars, businesses shoulder an important responsibility for protecting the environment and natural resources for their own good as well as that of society.”
In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act (P2Act), which states “The Environmental Protection Agency must establish a source reduction program which collects and disseminates information, provides financial assistance to States, and implements the other activities….”
The technical assistance experts within ISTC’s Center for Economic Impacts and Societal Benefits (CEISB) help businesses, organizations, institutions, and government agencies throughout Illinois and beyond prevent pollution and use resources more efficiently. This benefits our shared environment while also ensuring that companies and communities are more competitive and resilient.
CEISB technical assistance providers currently have federal funding toprovide P2 assistance at no cost to certain industrial or market sectors. See the following brief descriptions and links to project flyers:
Advancing Beverage Resilience through Pollution Prevention. This collaboration with EnergySense Resilience Center supports breweries, wineries, distilleries, and other craft beverage businesses across the state of Illinois. Following their assessments, participants will also have the chance to assist in shaping the certification process for green beverage manufacturing in Illinois and to be recognized for their sustainability efforts through the Illinois Green Business Program.
Mississippi River Corridor Pollution Prevention. ISTC staff are working with partners at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Office of Pollution Prevention Services and Missouri State University to provide free industrial sustainability assessments across three states.
Pollution Prevention at Food Focused Businesses within DuPage & Kane Counties. Another collaboration with EnergySense Resilience Center, this project is providing free technical assistance to 10 small for and/or non-profit entities, such as restaurants, grocers, and other food-focused businesses and organizations in DuPage and Kane Counties. By getting assessed, businesses can lower operational costs, reduce wasted food & resources, and attract environmentally conscious customers.
Don’t see your sector or organization reflected in the projects listed above? Our team may still be able to assist you through other funding sources or fee-for-service work. Contact us at istc-info@illinois.edu or fill out our online site visit request form.
Pollution Prevention 101 LibGuide. Curated by ISTC for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign library, this online guide provides the basics for technical assistance providers new to the field.
Photo by bernardbodo – stock.adobe.com (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
In her 2018 TED Talk, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe asserted that the most important thing one can do to combat climate change is to talk about it. Citing long-term opinion research conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, she pointed out that although a majority of people (~70%) in the United States agree that climate change is happening, and that it will also harm plants, animals, and future generations of humans (~70% for each type of impact), only about two-thirds of the population believe it will impact them personally. And two-thirds of the population never talk about climate change, even occasionally. If you explore the interactive Yale Climate Opinions Map based on 2024 data, you’ll see that these statistics remain roughly the same today within a few percentage points. So, it seems there is widespread belief that climate change is real and will be impactful, but for many, there’s still a disconnect between that uncomfortable truth and our immediate lives. Dr. Hayhoe posits that as long as we don’t talk about it, we’ll continue to convince ourselves that climate change is a distant problem removed from our experience, and this attitude will delay progress toward solutions.
If the subject of climate change feels taboo, how does one begin climate conversations, especially in a society that seems to be increasingly polarized? In this post, we’ll explore some ideas and resources to help you broach the topic.
Keep an open mind about how open others are
If the above statistics about the belief in the existence and impact of climate change surprised you, you may also be operating under assumptions about how polarized we are in general. It may seem as if you’re surrounded by people with extreme opinions, on the opposite side of the spectrum from you on just about any topic, let alone climate change. This perception might feed into an unwillingness to even try to talk to others about important issues.
But the keyword there is perception. If you assume that you already know what other people think and that they won’t be open to your views, and further allow that assumption to halt conversations before they begin, you’ll never actually find out if your assumption was true. And the more you base your action—or rather inaction—on a potentially false assumption, the more likely you are to reinforce an atmosphere in which individuals fail to connect and simply accept division as insurmountable. While it’s certainly true that people can disagree strongly about specific issues, it’s also true that we’re all human. We all eat, pay bills, love our families, experience loss, etc. By focusing on the differences between us, we make the conscious decision to ignore all that we share.
In the July 2024 Time article “The Growing Evidence That Americans Are Less Divided Than You May Think,” Karl Vick describes research that illustrates the disparity between individuals’ opinions on what is important and what those individuals thought other people would find important, along with psychological principles that tend to skew human perceptions and behaviors to create a sense of isolation. A recent report from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, “Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2025″ reflects a high degree of support for climate change policy and various mitigation strategies among all registered voters (view the Executive Summary for results regardless of political party; details by party are provided within the report). For example, 52% of registered voters think global warming should be a high or very high priority for the president and Congress; 71% support tax credits or rebates to encourage people to buy electric appliances, such as heat pumps and induction stoves; and 79% of registered voters support strengthening enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution. Writing for the Summer 2025 edition of the Carnegie Reporter magazine, Dame Louise Richardson stated: “Preliminary research and polling that we have supported suggest that the population at large is less polarized than our political leaders and that smaller communities are less polarized than larger ones. Moreover, they demonstrate that there is actually a strong convergence of opinion among Americans on many core issues, but widespread misunderstanding of the views of those on the other side of the political spectrum.” She cites and provides links to the various studies that support her assertions.
In other words, remember that your impressions might not be accurate, and if you’re going to make assumptions, err on the side of assuming that the number of things most people have in common outweigh their differences. This can combat the fear of conflict that might form a barrier to engagement.
Connecting rather than convincing
Dr. Hayhoe suggests the best way to begin climate conversations is not by spouting data or citing research to try to make the other person adopt a particular viewpoint. If people feel overwhelmed by information because of its quantity or complexity, or if they perceive your lecture as a personal attack on their character, they’re likely to stop listening to you. Instead of approaching climate conversations as an opportunity to convince, see them as an opportunity to connect with a fellow human being. Ask the other person questions about themselves (e.g., what are their hobbies, where are they from, what is their family like, what do they enjoy, etc.) and really listen to what they have to say so you can start to understand who they are and what they care about. Then consider if what they’ve said resonates in any way with your values and experiences. Find what you have in common.
Illustrate immediacy through common connections
Once you’ve found what you have in common, you can build a bridge by talking about it. Then you have the opportunity to introduce the idea of climate change as it relates to your common interest or experience. This can help transform the subject from an abstract and removed concept to a tangible and directly relevant issue. If you both like to garden, you might talk about how the USDA plant hardiness zones were updated a few seasons ago; maybe now you can confidently grow plants that were once reserved for warmer areas. Or maybe you’ve noticed that you can start your garden earlier in the year or that you need to water more than you used to. Perhaps you’ve noticed a change in the types or number of insects or birds present while you’re working in your garden. If you’re both parents, you might observe that your kids get time off from school these days due to high heat advisories in the warm months, or windchill factors instead of snowfall in the colder months. If you’ve bonded over needing a cup of coffee to start your morning, you might talk about hearing that climate change might impact coffee yields and where coffee can be grown, among other things.
You don’t have to be prepared with an arsenal of trivia; again, the point is not to present a litany of facts but to connect the impacts of climate change to something you both care about. If you aren’t already aware of a fact related to your shared value or experience, it could be enough to wonder aloud about the potential impact (e.g., “I wonder if climate change will impact coffee production? I don’t think I could cope if there was a coffee shortage!”). You don’t have to be an expert in every possible impact of climate change, just a fellow human being willing to share concerns, questions, and reactions to a changing world.
Respect emotions
Be prepared for the fact that climate change can trigger a wide variety of emotions. If the other person wants to share their experiences, let them, and again, listening mindfully is important. Remember that all feelings are valid. If the other person expresses something that you don’t personally feel, don’t belittle their feelings (e.g., “there’s no reason to be afraid of sea level rise in this area…”), just listen respectfully and respond with empathy. Be willing to share your own emotions authentically, regardless of whether the other person volunteers their feelings. If, for example, the other person tells you what scares them about climate change, share your own related fears. If you don’t have any fears about climate change, share what you do feel (e.g., grief, anger, anxiety, etc.). Again, having the conversation can help normalize the idea that climate change is an emotional reality as well as a physical one, and that we don’t need to bury those emotions.
Be advised that talking to children is very different from talking to adults. Don’t present potentially traumatic information when dealing with very young children, and don’t overwhelm kids with too much information. See the “Resources to explore” section below for links to guidance on talking about climate with young people.
Invite hope to the conversation
The magnitude of climate change issues can evoke a sense of despair or powerlessness. While acknowledging these feelings is important, if your conversation focuses solely on doom and gloom, you’ll end up fostering the idea that climate change isn’t something worth thinking about, talking about, or acting on—in direct opposition to the point of your starting the conversation in the first place. If you’re aware of a case study to mitigate climate change that gives you hope, share that (e.g., “My church recently installed solar panels on the roof,” or “I read there’s been a drop in deforestation in Colombia”). At the very least share one or a few examples of what you are doing, however simple, to fight climate change, and why that relates if the other person doesn’t know (e.g., “I’ve started composting my food scraps,” “I plan my errands to minimize the amount of driving I do,” “I’ve gotten to the point where I almost always wash my clothes in cold water,” etc.). Examples may not only reassure your conversation companion that solutions exist and are being pursued, but also inspire and empower them to take action.
Resources to explore
The following resources can help you prepare for, or conduct, climate conversations with others.
Illinois Extension Climate Stewards:https://extension.illinois.edu/climate/illinois-extension-climate-stewards. This course trains environmental stewards to communicate about climate change and engage in local solutions. Though upcoming dates for the course have not been scheduled, you can contact your local Extension office to express interest. ISTC’s Joy Scrogum completed this course in Fall 2024 and can provide insights on the experience.
Climate Conversations Card Game:https://climateconversationslex.weebly.com/card-game.html. Available to download in English, Spanish, or in K-12 versions for printing or in versions appropriate for remote play. “This game aims to create conversations, having participants work through their own relationships with climate change while envisioning a climate resilient future. Working with a partner, participants pick one card from each of the four conversation levels.” This card game was developed by a network of community members in the Lexington, KY area interested in fostering resilience through climate change conversations.
Talking climate handbook—how to have a climate change conversation:https://climateoutreach.org/reports/how-to-have-a-climate-change-conversation-talking-climate/. Developed by the British organization Climate Outreach, this guide is meant to assist anyone interested in having constructive day-to-day conversations about climate change. Their advice is presented via an acronym representing important steps for good climate conversations (REAL TALK). It includes sections on dealing with specific audiences, such as young people and those strongly opposed to climate action.
Principles for effective communication and public engagement on climate change: A handbook for IPCC Authors: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2017/08/Climate-Outreach-IPCC-communications-handbook.pdf. This brief, evidence-based handbook was commissioned by the Working Group/Technical Support Unit of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and prepared by Climate Outreach.
Talk Climate:https://talkclimate.org/. This Seattle, WA organization offers resources that are “are age-appropriate, emotionally-responsive, and designed to empower people to build emotional and interpersonal capacity for facing the climate era together.”Contributors and collaborators include scientists in various fields, healthcare professionals (including therapists), musicians, and activists. Their website includes sections on talking about climate with birth to kindergarten-aged children, elementary school students, middle to high school-aged students, young adults, and caregivers and adults. They provide resource compilations related to education (K-university), environmental justice, faith and spirituality, healthcare and public health, mental health and wellbeing, and climate science. Site visitors can browse downloadable handouts, music and book suggestions, and more.
The Daily Climate:https://www.dailyclimate.org/. A publication of the nonprofit Environmental Health Sciences, this online newsletter includes sections focused on Solutions and Good News to help you sow the seeds of hope.
Active Hope:https://www.activehope.info/. Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone first published the book, Active Hope, in 2012, and then released a revised 10th anniversary version in 2022. The book focuses on how to face the complex environmental “mess” that we’re in and how to find your role in collective positive change (what the authors call the “Great Turning”). Among other things, the revised edition shifts from seeing the negative impacts that might come about in the future due to various environmental challenges to acknowledging that those negative consequences are underway. This website provides information not only about the book, but related free training and resources.
If you have questions or are interested in exploring ways to have climate conversations within your organization or institution, contact Joy Scrogum.
Photo by wavebreak3– stock.adobe.com (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Time flies, and August is upon us already, so it will soon be back-to-school time in IL. Whether you’re a parent, student, or educator, if visions of classrooms or campuses are dancing in your head, the following resources will help you prepare for the new school year. As always, please keep in mind that links to specific products or services are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.
Did you know that beginning next fall, IL K-12 public schools are required to provide climate change education? Public Act 103-0837, signed into law by Governor J. B. Pritzker in August 2024, provides that, “Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public school shall provide instruction on climate change, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as appropriate. The State Board of Education shall, subject to appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements of this subsection.”
An organization called SubjectToClimate is already leading efforts to develop an Illinois Climate Education Hub. The goal of the online hub is to make it easier for Illinois K-12 educators of all grade levels and subjects to teach about climate change by providing access to free, vetted teaching resources, professional development opportunities, lesson plan examples, and more. They’ve previously created similar hubs for New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin, Maine, New York, Connecticut, and Michigan. Check our their “Get Involved” page if you’re interested in being part of the effort, or reach out to Katie Nahrwold, the Illinois State Lead, for more information. While the IL hub has yet to be launched (the tentative launch date is September 10, 2025), teachers may still consider registering for an account on the SubjectToClimate website to browse teaching resources already available. Resources can be searched by grade, subject, resource type, standards, providers, locations, and languages. You can also use online forms to suggest teaching resources or suggest a teacher professional development opportunity.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) defines education for sustainability (EfS) as follows (as relayed on the Getting Started with Sustainability in Schools website): “Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills, values and world-views necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living. It enables individuals and communities to reflect on ways of interpreting and engaging with the world. Sustainability education is futures-oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action. Actions that support more sustainable patterns of living require consideration of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems and their interdependence.”
Similarly, UNESCO uses the term “education for sustainable development,” or ESD, stating “Education for Sustainable Development empowers people with the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and behaviors to live in a way that is good for the environment, economy, and society. It encourages people to make smart, responsible choices that help create a better future for everyone.” The UNESCO ESD website provides a variety of resources to explore, along with its Education for sustainable development for 2030 toolbox.
The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education provides professional development opportunities, EfS standards and indicators, and a variety of other resources to support educators interested in integrating sustainability in their curricula.
Illinois Green Schools Project:https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/illinois-green-schools-project-home. According to the Illinois Green Alliance, this is “an annual sustainability action and recognition program for K-12 schools in Illinois. We help educators engage students and school stakeholders in hands-on projects that improve health, efficiency, and environmental impact.”
Green Lunchroom Challenge archive: Launched in 2015, the Green Lunchroom Challenge (GLC) was a voluntary pledge program for K-12 schools to improve the sustainability of their food service operations. By registering, participants were accepting the challenge to reduce and prevent food waste in their facilities. The GLC website provided suggested activities that ranged in complexity and commitment, to allow participants to best suit their situation, budget, and available community resources. Participants were not required to complete activities, but with each activity that was completed successfully, they earned points toward recognition at different levels of accomplishment. When the project ended, material from the original website was folded into a topical blog that also included information on food waste reduction for sectors besides K-12 schools. The archived blog is available at https://wayback.archive-it.org/6086/20250528191406/https://green-lunchroom.istc.illinois.edu/ or . See https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/2016/12/07/green-lunchroom-challenge/ for further project information.
Photo by smirart for Adobe Stock Images (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Note that ISTC does not endorse, either explicitly or implicitly, any manufacturer, vendor, product, or service. Mentions of specific products or businesses below are provided for informational reference only.
The International Day of Zero Waste, observed on March 30th annually, was established through UN General Assembly Resolution 77/161 and is jointly facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The day highlights the importance of waste reduction, sustainable materials management, and responsible consumption and production as part of sustainable development.
This year’s theme and why it matters
This year’s theme is “Towards zero waste in fashion and textiles.” According to the non-profit organization Global Fashion Agenda, 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced globally each year. (Note that a “tonne” or metric tonne is equal to 2,204.6 lbs., as opposed to a “ton,” a.k.a. short ton, which is equal to 2000 lbs.) In 2018, the U.S. EPA found that nearly 17 million tons of textile waste were generated nationwide, with 11.3 million of those tons going to landfills (3.2 million tons were combusted). According to the Illinois Materials Management Advisory Committee Report to the General Assembly (2021), 279,188 tons of clothing were disposed of in Illinois landfills in 2018, along with 235,523 tons of “other textiles.” In its 2017 report A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation stated that between 2000 and 2015, global clothing production doubled while the duration of garment use decreased by 36 percent. So-called “fast fashion,” defined by Merriam-Webster as “an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers,” tends to involve production of less durable items that wear out quickly, contributing to this trend of high production rates and shorter periods of use.
Further, it is estimated that over 15,000 chemicals are used in textile manufacturing processes, some of which are toxic or prone to persistence in the environment (Roos, et al, 2019). Textile manufacturing also uses lots of water and is responsible for massive greenhouse gas emissions. Given the variety of textiles produced, and with some being natural and others synthetic, it’s hard to characterize the total amount of water used for, and emissions resulting from, all textile production worldwide. Considering a cotton t-shirt as an example, a frequently cited article from the Spring 2014 edition of World Wildlife Magazine claims it takes 713 gallons (2700 liters) of water to produce one cotton t-shirt. Mayer and Birkocak (2024) estimate the textile and apparel industry accounts for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Suffice it to say, due to the massive amounts of resources involved in the production of textiles, the potential for pollution from the manufacture and use of textiles, and the amount of textile waste filling dwindling landfill space, anything we can do to reduce waste associated with textiles is important.
Ideas for positive action
While the potential negative impacts associated with textiles seem daunting, there are several things that individuals can do to prevent textile waste and manage them more responsibly at their end-of-life. Here are a few suggestions to consider.
Invest in more durable items. The upfront cost may be higher, but reducing the need to replace worn out items can make that worthwhile in the long run. Check out Good on You’s guide to choosing clothes that last.
When possible, buy secondhand clothing from thrift stores, consignment shops, or similar outlets. You might get lucky and find some deeply discounted, high-quality items that wound up at a thrift store precisely because they were made to last! In any event, keeping wearable clothing in use longer conserves the resources invested in their creation. If you have items that are still wearable but no longer wanted, consider donating or consigning them at relevant local charities or shops.
Repairing your clothing and textiles, rather than replacing them when seams rip or holes begin, is another strategy to conserve natural and financial resources. If you’re not handy with needle and thread, connect with friends or family who are, or support the local economy by taking items to an alteration shop or shoe repair service in your area. You can also do an Internet search for a local Repair Café, Fixit Clinic, or similar gathering where others might help you fix your items. You might also look for no-sew options using iron-on patches, fabric glue, or shoe glue (Shoe Goo is a popular brand of the latter, available in many hardware or “big box” stores; though typically used to repair soles that are separating from uppers, the Shoe Goo website notes that it can also be used for other repairs, such as fixing holes in backpacks). Marissa Elena’s Simple Ways To Mend Your Clothing Without A Sewing Machine is a good resource with embedded videos for illustration.
Wash your clothing less frequently and use cold water when you do. Unless you’ve sweat profusely or been doing a particularly dirty job, your outer garments might be able to be aired out and worn at least one additional time before getting tossed in the laundry basket. Washing less often will reduce wear and tear on your clothing and reduce your chores as a bonus. Check out Real Simple’s guide on how frequently to wash various types of clothing. And Don’t Bother Using Hot Water to Wash Your Laundry from Consumer Reports should set your mind at ease about the efficacy of cold water, which means less energy used during washing.
Reuse your textiles for crafts or cleaning rags. Some people enjoy making quilts or rag rugs from fabrics reclaimed from old clothes, or even tote bags or hot pads. See 9 Ways to Make a Rag Rug you’ll Want to Try! for some inspiration. If you’re not crafty, consider repurposing your castoffs into cleaning rags you can launder after use—an option that will also help you reduce your use of disposable items like paper towels. Some textiles are of appropriate size to use as rags as-is (e.g., an old washcloth or cloth diaper), but if you want to cut old shirts or pants down to size, use pinking shears to reduce fraying.
Recycle textiles that are not suitable for donation that can’t be repurposed in your own home. Check city, county, or local non-profit websites for “where to recycle it” guides, or do an Internet search to find recycling options near you. If you’re not sure which agency to contact in your area, reach out to the Illinois Recycling Foundation for guidance. Textiles collected for recycling might be turned into industrial rags, insulation or other construction materials, or carpet padding, among other items. Like more traditional recyclables, textiles should be seen as resources that don’t belong in landfills.
If you’re already doing some of the things suggested above, great! If it’s all new to you, don’t try to tackle everything at once. Choose one or two suggestions that fit well with your situation and circumstances and try them out. Talk to friends and family about your successes, and any challenges you encounter. They might help you overcome barriers and you just might inspire them to fight waste too! Don’t focus on trying to be perfect–you’re human, after all. If you try too many new things at once, or get too wrapped up in doing the exact “right thing,” you may become overwhelmed and either never start your new habit, or start and quickly give up. Every small step you take to reduce waste matters. If you’ve read through this whole post, congratulations–you’ve taken the first step toward sustainable behavior by being open to new practices!
More ways to get involved in waste reduction
Visit the UNEP website and click on “Events” to find Zero Waste Day events near you, or to add your own event to their map!
Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Whichever winter holiday(s) you observe, you’re likely considering showing your appreciation for loved ones through gifts as part of your celebration. It’s worth noting that consumerism has real consequences for climate change, as outlined by Renée Cho on the Columbia Climate School’s blog, State of the Planet. Last holiday season, we outlined holiday gifts with sustainability in mind, including some ideas that didn’t involve consumption, such as giving experiences and donations to charity. This year, we’ll highlight gift options that, despite involving consumption, may help the recipients reduce emissions of greenhouse gases or otherwise foster climate action. Please note that links and companies mentioned in this post are for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as endorsements by ISTC, the Prairie Research Institute, or the University of Illinois.
Food waste reduction
US EPA infographic on the climate impacts of food waste.
Check out The Original Green Pan’s guide to 10 Sustainable Cookbooks to Help You Reduce Food Waste for ideas for using up items that may often be disposed of as scraps. The foodie in your life might appreciate one of these volumes.
Make sure your recipient has the URL for Save the Food’s Interactive Storage Guide (https://savethefood.com/storage) with tips for proper storage of various foods, and consider adding a set of clear glass storage containers. Being able to see the food stored in your refrigerator provides a visual prompt to use it up, hopefully avoiding the cliché of an unrecognizable moldy mess in an opaque container at the back of the fridge.
A marker and some label tapecan help your recipient keep track of when they stored various items, so they’re more likely to eat older items first before spoilage. You could even print off the US EPA’s “Eat First” sign and suggest they keep a bin in their fridge for produce and containers that need to be used up first.
Composting
US EPA infographic explaining how composting decreases GHG emissions, sequesters carbon, and improves soil health and resilience.
For unavoidable food scraps, such as eggshells, bones, peels, etc., it’s still better for the climate if you can compost instead of sending those to a landfill. Here are a few suggestions for helping your loved one compost their food scraps:
Check out the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition (IFSCC) list of residential food scrap haulers and food scrap drop-off locations. If your recipient lives in a part of the state where commercial food scrap composting is available, consider a gift card or paying for a trial month or two for a pickup service or providing information on drop-off bins and an offer to help them transport their scraps to the drop-off location. Giving the gift of trying out composting services might help your loved one form a positive habit.
If they don’t live in an area where composting services are available, or if they’re more of a DIY-type, check out IFSCC’s resources on composting at home through a backyard bin, worm bin (vermicomposting), or bokashi (using micro-oganisms in an airtight container). The Strategist’s list of The Very Best Compost Binsprovides suggestions for countertop food scrap collection (before transporting to an outdoor bin), as well as gear for worm composting or bokashi. This Green Lunchroom Challenge post on home composting includes links to YouTube videos with tips for simple home composting, even if your recipient is an apartment dweller.
Energy efficiency
Gifts that help your recipient save energy can reduce their use of fossil fuels and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. Here are just a few ideas:
The ENERGY STAR product finder can help you choose appliances and other items that will use less electricity so your loved one can save money while saving the planet.
While most people have heard about climate change, not everyone may feel knowledgeable about it or feel they have enough of a handle on how they can make a difference. These items can help your recipient learn more and feel empowered:
Daybreak board game. A potential option for a family gift, this is a “cooperative boardgame about stopping climate change. It presents a hopeful vision of the near future, where you get to build the mind-blowing technologies and resilient societies we need to save the planet.” The game is for 1-4 players, ages 10+, and takes 60-90 minutes to play.”
Saving Us:A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katherine Hayhoe is a book that helps readers learn how to talk about climate change with anyone, even those who may hold very different worldviews from them. Dr. Hayhoe suggests that talking about climate change and making human connections, without focusing on changing minds, is an effective way to inspire action.
Since 1971, the Global Footprint Network has calculated “Earth Overshoot Day” to highlight the impacts and implications of human resource consumption. As stated on the event website,“Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”
“To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day for each year, Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days of that year that Earth’s biocapacity suffices to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year corresponds to global overshoot. Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by the number of days in a year. This year, as we are in a leap year, it is 366 days:
In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day falls on August 1st. Collectively, humanity would need 1.75 Earths to meet its resource demands.
The numbers get worse if you look at consumption at the country level. If everyone globally lived like the residents of the United States of America, Earth Overshoot Day would have occurred on March 14th this year, and humanity would need the equivalent of five Earths to match resource demands.
Clearly, none of this is sustainable. So what can we do to #MoveTheDate later in the year, so our demands better match the ability of Earth to regenerate ecological resources? The Global Footprint Network presents potential solutions to pursue individually and collectively as “The Power of Possibility” in five main categories:
Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, who created the concept of the environmental footprint with Professor William E. Rees in the early 1990s, provides an online primer to understanding the implications of overshoot and how to respond. He states “Because the accumulated stock of nature is finite, overshoot will inevitably end as stock get depleted. The question, therefore, is not whether it will end, only how. It can end by design or by disaster – most likely it will be a combination of both.” Let’s work together to do our best to end overshoot by design.
Recently, project partners released the initial feasibility study report from the first year of this project, entitled Exploring the Development of an Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program. The report is available in IDEALS, the University of Illinois’ institutional repository.
Through interviews, surveys, focus groups, and pilot projects it became clear that a Farm to Food Bank program would be welcomed by both the farming and food banking communities in Illinois. Such programs are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations [at 7 CFR 251.10(j)] as “the harvesting, processing, packaging, or transportation of unharvested, unprocessed, or unpackaged commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by Emergency Feeding Organizations (EFOs)” – i.e., hunger relief agencies. Several such programs exist throughout the United States, though not in every state (for examples, see the “Lessons from Other Farm to Food Bank Programs” section of this report). While commonly referred to as Farm to Food Bank, these programs can also operate as Farm to Food Pantry programs.
While this is an ongoing research project, this report serves to demonstrate research efforts undertaken from December 2020 – February 2022 that have led to this conclusion along with identifying strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities, and recommendations for a statewide Farm to Food Bank program.
Recommendations for 2022 and beyond include the following:
1. A Farm to Food Bank program should have three primary goals:
➢ Support farmers by providing a secondary market for off-grade and surplus products.
➢ Increase access to local, nutritious foods.
➢ Reduce food waste/surplus on farms and associated energy and resources.
2. Equity must be an essential part of the program.
3. Seek out partnerships with existing aggregation and processing centers.
4. Seek out partnerships with new food pantries.
5. Make Feeding Illinois and their member food banks a staple at ag-focused and food access events.
6. Increase communication between food banks.
7. Ensure buy-in from food banks and food pantries.
8. Improve capacity and resources at the food pantries.
9. Connect a Farm to Food Bank program with existing
technology platforms.
10. Diversify funding sources. Develop an advocacy plan to pursue public and private support.
11. Establish an advisory board to guide the actions of the Farm to Food Bank program.
12. Develop guidance and educational programs for farmers.
13. Measure success by more than just pounds of donated food.
14. Hire a dedicated employee to manage the Farm to Food Bank program.
15. Adapt the program as needed.
16. Continue piloting Farm to Food Bank strategies around the state.
While these recommendations can serve to guide Farm to Food Bank efforts, further research is needed to uncover opportunities and test collection and distribution strategies. ISTC and Feeding Illinois will collaborate to continue this research for the remainder of 2022 into 2023. The project team will continue outreach and engagement efforts to both increase participation and gather feedback on the program. They will also continue to work with Rendleman Orchards, which participated in the first pilot project of the study, as well as conducting additional pilot projects. In the coming year, ISTC and Feeding Illinois will also work with farmers markets around the state to test aggregation strategies.
1. A Farm to Food Bank program should have three primary goals: