Greetings, Illini!  

We have exciting updates from the Student Sustainability Committee! 

For those who aren’t familiar with us, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) is a student-led university funding board charged with allocating the Illinois Green Fund. The Illinois Green Fund is composed of two student fees: the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee ($15) and the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee ($3) which make up a total of $18 per student per semester! 

To highlight some recent projects we have funded... 

Eco Reps- A program that will train a cohort of student peer educators who will connect the student body with campus sustainability initiatives. 

Sustainapalooza- A campus-wide festival which aims to promote a culture of sustainability on campus, foster connections between environmental entities on campus, and engage with local, sustainable organizations  

WaggleNet- A student-run research group developing IoT devices and data science techniques to advance honeybee research. 

Illini Solar Car- A multidisciplinary engineering design RSO that designs, builds, tests, and races road legal solar electric vehicles in cross-country competitions has a new vehicle which is their fourth-generation solar-powered race car. 

UIUC Student Pollinator Garden- A campus greenspace with native Illinois plants, which will provide declining native pollinators with essential food and habitat on campus to raise awareness about the importance of native species, giving students hands-on and close-up opportunities to see a native ecosystem in action. 

Board Member Elections 

Are you looking to get involved with the Student Sustainability Committee as a board member? You’re in luck! Applications for this position are due Monday, March 23rd at 11:59pm and can be found here. We also recommend attending our Board Member Basics event to learn about the everyday responsibilities, goals, and practices of an SSC board member (stay tuned for more details on our Instagram). We cannot wait to see your applications soon! 

Step 1 Applications 

We are excited to announce that Step 1 applications are now open! Any proposed student-led project requesting more than $10,000 in funding, as well as any staff- or faculty-led projects of any amount, must apply through the Step 1 funding path. This initial application serves as the first stage of the SSC funding process. Step 1 applications are due Monday, March 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM, so we encourage interested students, staff, and faculty to begin preparing their submissions and reach out early with any questions! Note that each project team must present their project at an SSC working group meeting to be eligible to submit their application. You can view our calendar of working group meetings here.  

Please note that any student-led project applications under $10,000 are accepted on a rolling basis! 

Sustainability Microgrant Update 

This semester’s sustainable microgrants applications have been completed and reviewed, and funding has been awarded to approved RSOs! We were excited to expand and reach out to more organizations with our pilot program, so we are very thankful for everyone that applied for our sustainable microgrants. We look forward to seeing more applications next semester! 

Until Next Time... 

That’s all from the SSC this semester! Be sure to stay connected with us via our Instagram, newsletter, and website for updates on events, applications, and more! 

Stay Green Illini,  

The Student Sustainability Committee 

Vice Chair External: Megan O’Sullivan 

Outreach Leads: Ishaan Bhargava, Katherine Bruce, Valeria Ocampo, Yesenia Adrianzen 

Outreach Support Intern: Mika Raviv