On April 24, nearly 100 members of the UIC community joined Planning, Sustainability and Project Management in the Quad to commemorate Arbor Day by releasing thousands of beneficial insects. 

Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda kicked off the event and participated in an educational demonstration by Bartlett Tree Experts arborist Erik Grossnickle, who explained the role that insects like lady beetles and lacewings, the two species that were part of the release, play in supporting the university's tree canopy and ecosystem. The insects also reduce the need for chemical remedies that prevent damage to campus trees.

The Arbor Day celebration is one of five standards that must be met to earn Tree Campus Higher Education recognition, which UIC has achieved since 2011. 

Read more about the event on the UIC today website. 

There is still time to register for fall semester sustainability-related courses.

Thank you to UIC community members who supported the four personal electronics recycling collection events held throughout April. More than 2,000 pounds of electronic waste was collected and included:

The collected items were donated to PCs for People and will be refurbished and repurposed for resale to low-resource households and nonprofit organizations or recycled.

For the first time, UI Health has received the Sustainable Healthcare Certification from the Joint Commission. The new certification was launched in 2024 and UI Health is the one of 40 organizations nationwide and the fourth in Illinois to be awarded such recognition.

The certification acknowledges the hospital’s integration of environmental stewardship into clinical and operational practices while maintaining its focus on quality of care and patient safety. It also recognizes UI Health’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact through measurable actions that decrease energy, waste, anesthetic gas and metered-dose inhaler use across the organization while strengthening governance and accountability for sustainability goals.

Achieving this certification from the Joint Commission reinforces the hospital’s commitment to sustainability and a strategic priority that supports resilience, operational efficiency and long-term public health outcomes for its patients and community. The award also supports the enterprise sustainability targets set in the university's Climate Commitment Action Plan 2024.

Congratulations to Biological Sciences graduate student Mateo Valdiviezo for taking third place in the still image category of the 2026 Image of Research contest with the photograph “Zombie Spiders: The Living Dead of the Web.” The image shows the final stage of the zombie fungus gibellula floridensis on a spider cadaver that Valdiviezo photographed in north-central Florida. Valdiviezo's research explores spider- and insect-related fungi and their influence on natural ecosystems.

Two other biological sciences students, Esther Tirmizi and Yahya Najjar, earned honorable mentions in the still image category. Tirmizi’s photograph is titled “Eating Your Host: Fungal Diseases of Cicadas.”.Najjar’s “Nature’s True Colors” is a microscope image of mutant arabidopsis thaliana cells fluorescing due to the stress of light exposure.

In the moving image category, College of Applied Health Sciences graduate student Naphatsorn Sakdaauscoskul received an honorable mention for “VR Animal Embodiment,” a prototype VR experience that simulates a point of view from a Malayan tapir’s eyes.

The Image of Research is an annual interdisciplinary exhibit competition organized by the Graduate College and University Library to showcase the breadth and diversity of research at UIC.

Each year, students enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program at UIC are invited to submit an image they created along with a brief précis of how the image relates to the student’s overall research. The winning entries are chosen by a multi-disciplinary jury.

View the winners on the Graduate College website.

Last year, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research launched GreenUp!, a pilot program to help research labs reduce energy use and adopt more sustainable practices. Led by Melissa Leone, a director in the Research Resources Center, the program is supported by the Sustainability Fund.

Through the program, undergraduate students partner with participating labs to measure equipment energy consumption and identify opportunities for improvement. The assessments generate practical, lab-specific data that informs changes like improved freezer management and proper fume hood use. The program is now laying the groundwork to expand sustainability efforts to more labs and departments under the My Green Lab certification framework.

Learn more about the national My Green Lab initiative. 

If you have questions or need more information about the GreenUp! pilot program, please email mleone@uic.edu. 

The College of Nursing's Project Plenty is a long-term initiative that collects surplus office supplies and makes them available to nursing students, faculty and staff. The effort is led by Carla Pierre Gini, the college's director of procurement solutions.

Last month, UIC Nursing held a ribbon cutting to mark the official opening of the Office Supply Closet in Room 103N. There is no sign out process for taking items and nursing community members can take what they need. 

If you have questions or need more information about this program. please email gini@uic.edu.

Aspen Ideas: Climate returns to Chicago on July 20-22 to showcase the Midwest’s leadership in the energy economy.

The solutions-focused climate event provides an expanded platform to discuss climate solutions and foster collaboration across the city and the greater Midwest. Students and others in the UIC community have the opportunity to attend as well as apply for a limited number of scholarships or volunteer opportunities.

PSPM is supported by many outstanding student employees. Graduate students Nisha Bhatta and Megan Tan have made significant contributions to PSPM and will be completing their employment with the department this month.

Nisha joined PSPM in fall 2024 to support the extensive data collection and cataloging required for UIC’s sustainability tracking and rating process. With her help, input was gathered from hundreds of UIC sources and compiled into information into a comprehensive certification document that helped UIC maintain its Silver Status. Nisha made these important contributions while supporting the Economics Department and making steady progress toward her PhD. 

Megan joined PSPM earlier this year to support our outreach efforts and contributed her artistic perspective and editing skills to Greenlights and other marketing materials. In June, she will present a joint art exhibition with artist and filmmaker Curtis Miller at the Comfort Station cultural center in Logan Square. She will continue pursuing her MFA at the School of Art & Art History and will be a teaching assistant this fall. 

PSPM is grateful for the time Nisha and Megan spent with us and we wish them both well with their future endeavors. 

Greenlights is pausing publication in June and July and will return in August with more updates and opportunities related to sustainability at UIC.

Have a safe, restful and sustainable summer.

Connect with us via Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to stay updated about sustainability-related events, news, jobs and involvement opportunities.

Become an EcoVolunteer
EcoVolunteers help eventgoers properly sort waste, set up and run annual events like the Great Stuff Exchange, talk about UIC’s sustainable initiatives and spread the good word at campus events. EcoVolunteers also help plant trees and native plants on campus.

More information can be found on the EcoVolunteer web page

Join EcoReps
EcoReps act as liaisons between their unit/department and Planning, Sustainability and Project Management. Group members attend webinars throughout the year to learn about sustainability issues and how to make their office space and culture more sustainable. They also share information with their organizations about upcoming sustainability events such as the Great Stuff Exchange, Campus Electronic Recycling Events and Earth Day.

You can find out more on the EcoReps web page.

The Chancellor's Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) focuses on implementing CCAP 2024 and achieving the UIC Climate Commitments.

Join a subcommittee!