Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 54.91
Liaison Andy Mitchell
Submission Date July 17, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Illinois Chicago
IN-11: Grounds Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Cynthia Klein-Banai
Associate Chancellor for Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
Yes or No
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) or ACSP for Golf No
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard No
National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program No
An IFOAM-endorsed organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) No
Salmon-Safe No
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) No
Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) Yes
Bee Campus USA Yes
An equivalent program approved by AASHE ---

A brief description of institution owned and/or managed land that is currently third party certified under one or more of the programs listed above, including the year each certification was achieved and/or renewed:

UIC has been certified as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation every year since 2001 (https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecampususa/campuses.cfm). Current tree metrics have been cataloged by the most recent tree inventory, completed by private contractors, Bartlett Tree Experts, in 2017 that included a majority of trees on UIC’s property, excluding those managed by UI Health, Incubator Laboratory Facility, and trees at the 2242 W Harrison location. Bartlett Inventory Solutions (BIS) combines the latest technology in Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), in order to map and manage data on all Trees within UIC property. Our inaugural forest inventory was completed in spring of 2017. The UIC Tree Inventory can be viewed publicly on the Arbor Scope website at arborscope.com/inventories/1954
The entirety of the UIC campus, including the east, west, and south sides, currently encompasses a total approximation of 240 acres, with 39% green space and over 37 acres of tree cover. The Campus Forests and its benefits for overall health and sustainability have become an increasing priority at UIC, as we are home to over 3,500 trees, of roughly 100 different species.

UC became a Bee Campus USA in the Spring of 2017 (https://www.beecityusa.org/current-bee-campuses.html). A majority of open space at UIC is comprised of lawns. Just 0.1 acres of campus land houses native plantings. Existing pollinator habitats include rain gardens adjacent to LEED-Gold certified classroom buildings of 1,000 square feet, a native plant garden near the west campus of 2,000 square feet, a monarch butterfly habitat, a bioswale, and the UIC Plant Research Laboratory.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.