IGEN Community College Net Zero Collaborative – SEDAC | Smart Energy Design Assistance Center at The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

SEDAC is partnering with the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN) to provide planning, education and support to community colleges in the IGEN network to develop Net Zero Plans. Show your commitment to mitigating climate change by collaborating with SEDAC and IGEN colleges to create a pathway to carbon neutrality! Colleges can participate by attending collaborative meetings and receiving free technical assistance for developing and implementing Net Zero Plans.

Contact us to learn more about this program and join the collaborative. Call 800.214.7954 or email Sedac-netzero@illinois.edu to get started.

What is a Net Zero Plan?

Also called a Climate Action Plan, a Net Zero Plan describes a pathway to reduce energy use or greenhouse gas emissions and achieve "net zero" by some future date. A Net Zero Plan typically includes the following key components:

An energy use or emissions inventory of building energy use, transportation, waste, and more.
A "business as usual" forecast into the future that predicts energy use or emissions if no climate actions are pursued.
Descriptions and analysis of measures that can lead to net zero energy or emissions by some future date.
Interim target dates for meeting milestones that will lead to net zero goal.
A roadmap for implementing short, medium, and long-term measures.
Mechanisms for tracking progress.

Collaborative Meetings

SEDAC organizes monthly collaborative meetings where IGEN community college leaders can meet together to learn about climate action planning. These meetings allow community colleges to network and learn from each other, sharing best practices and strategies to overcome barriers. Topics are determined by the needs of the collaborative members. Past topics have included:

Climate Action Planning Basics
Conducting an Emissions Inventory
Emissions Data Challenges
Energy Efficiency
Renewables

Recordings of past meetings are available upon request to members of the collaborative.

Technical Support for Select Colleges

SEDAC works with select colleges to create net zero plans or revise existing ones. SEDAC's technical support is customized to college's unique strengths, abilities, and limitations. SEDAC works with each college to determine goals, data collection methods, the sectors to focus on, reasonable target dates, and measures to pursue. We build off what the college has already accomplished. Participants will work with SEDAC to: