Glossary

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

AASHE empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff, and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation and are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. Illinois State University has been a member of AASHE since 2010, submitting to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating SystemTM (STARS) within AASHE every three years.

Bicycle Friendly University (BFUTM)

BFU recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff, and visitors. The BFU program provides a roadmap and technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling. The Bicycle Friendly University program evaluates applicants' efforts to promote bicycling in five primary areas: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement, and evaluation/planning, known as the Five E's. Universities are ranked by Honorable Mention, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Illinois State University received an Honorable Mention rating in 2018.

Biodegradable

Capability of being degraded by biological activity.

Campus Green Map

This unique map of Illinois State University highlights the various sustainable resources available across campus including bike racks, bike repair stations, electric vehicle parking stations, waste stations, and more.

View the campus green map

Carbon Footprint

A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, institution, etc.

Climate-Responsive

A climate-responsive design reflects the weather conditions in the precise area where a building, garden or structure is situated. The design utilizes data on the region's weather pattern and accounts for factors like seasonality, intensity of the sun, wind, rainfall, and humidity.

Community Supported Agriculture

A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program consists of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Additionally, all financial proceeds from the sale of the CSA provides support for production during the growing season. A university CSA program provides students a similar opportunity to grow and provide food to the campus in a living laboratory.

Compostable

Composting is a natural form of recycling that turns some common kinds of household waste, like food and lawn waste, into a dark organic material that can be used in a variety of beneficial ways. Instead of using plastic made from petrochemicals and fossil fuels, compostable products and plastics are derived from renewable materials like corn, potato, and tapioca starches, cellulose, soy protein, and lactic acid. Compostable plastics are non-toxic and decompose back into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass when composted at a commercial facility.

• BPI® is short for Biodegradable Products Institute. BPI® is an association that was established to provide testing, education and promotion of compostable products. BPI® ensures that any product that carries its logo meet the ASTM D6400 standard and specifications required to be compostable. Look for this logo to know whether the product is accepted in our compost kiosks across campus.

Environmental Justice

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.

Environmental Protection Agency Food Recovery Hierarchy

The Food Recovery Hierarchy prioritizes actions organizations can take to prevent and divert wasted food. Each tier of the Food Recovery Hierarchy focuses on different management strategies for wasted food. The top levels of the hierarchy are the best ways to prevent and divert wasted food because they create the most benefits for the environment, society, and the economy.

Fair Trade

Fair Trade is a global movement made up of a diverse network of producers, companies, consumers, advocates, and organizations putting people and planet first, designed to help producers in growing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. When you see a product with the "Fair Trade Certified™" seal, you can be sure it meets rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards such as safe working conditions, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and community development funds.

Green Building

A "green" building is a building that, in its design, construction and/or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts, positively effecting our climate and natural environment. Green buildings can preserve precious natural resources and improve quality of life. Features in a green building may include use of renewable energy, non-toxic and sustainable materials, efficient use of water, etc.

Green Lab Certification

Recognized by the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the American Energy Society, and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories, My Green Lab's Certification is considered the global standard for laboratory sustainability best practices. Using a multi-step approach, the Green Lab Certification Program is designed to give laboratories actionable ways to improve environmental performance at various levels from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum to Green.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG)

A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas that drives global climate change, continues to rise every month. According to National Geographic, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide – the most dangerous and prevalent greenhouse gas – are at the highest levels ever recorded. Greenhouse gas levels are so high primarily because humans have released them into the air by burning fossil fuels. The gases absorb solar energy and keep heat close to Earth's surface, rather than letting it escape into space. The trapping of heat is known as the greenhouse effect.

Scope 1, 2, and 3 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions are divided into three categories, or scopes, based on the sources of the emissions.

Scope 1 includes direct emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by Illinois State University. This scope includes emissions from the combustion of natural gas used for heating and cooling campus buildings.

Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from sources upstream from the University. This includes emissions associated with the generation of the electricity consumed on campus.

Scope 3 emissions come from the sources that are not owned or directly controlled by Illinois State University but are related to Illinois State University activities. This includes emissions from commuting, business travel, and waste disposal.

Illinois State University Green Team

The Illinois State University Green Team was established in September 2001 by president directive requiring representation from all four vice presidential areas. It was through the hard work and efforts of the Green Team that Illinois State University established an Office of Sustainability in 2010. Today, the ISU Green Team is an informal group of faculty and staff who work collectively and in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability to promote environmentally, socially, and economically friendly practices within their unit and across campus.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The Illinois Green Buildings Act requires that all new state-funded building construction and major renovations of existing state-owned facilities must be designed to achieve, at a minimum, the silver certification of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's rating system, as established by the United States Green Building Council, or an equivalent standard.

U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit organization that supports the development of prosperous, healthy and resilient communities through the transformation of the built environment. Illinois State University is a USGBC Silver level member which provides resources to our campus community including LEED courses, workshops, conferences, and webinars.

Living Laboratory

A living laboratory leverages every corner of our campus as an opportunity for sustainability improvement, education, and applied research. With collaboration between academic units and campus operations, the buildings, grounds, energy, water, waste people, and transit become learning opportunities for innovation.

Pass It On

Frustrated by the number of items thrown away at Move-Out, students in a social work class organized a project called Pass It On, in which items collected at Move Out were donated to local charities. More than 20 years later, this project continues today with the partnership of University Housing, ROTC, University Recycling, and the Office of Sustainability. Over the last two decades, students have diverted thousands of reusable items from landfills and into the hands of those in need. Pass It On continues in Illinois State University residence halls today.

Recycling

Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that might otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products.

Renewable Energy

Energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

Sustainability

At Illinois State University, we define sustainability as a practice to which we consider the implications of our individual and collective actions; the interconnectivity among people and ecosystems coexisting within communities and across the globe; and a vision for an equitable and thriving planet for generations to come.

Water Stewardship

The responsible planning and management of water resources.

Zero Waste

A set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages 90% or more of the consumable products to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The goal of Zero Waste is to conserve resources and divert as much waste as possible from landfills.