1940-1990
This time period in UIUC energy history has little information available regarding activism or any discussion of energy. However, the Abbott Power Plant was completed by 1943 and was one of the first cogeneration power plants in the United States at the time. This type of plant creates energy and then uses the heat from the energy creation to provide heat for a given area. This type of plant is perfect for a college campus as it can provide both power and heat for the entire campus. The EPA claims cogeneration plants produce about 8% of all energy in the United States and have a goal to reach 20% by the year 2030. At this time, the environmental effect of society was hardly known by anyone. Not until the mid-1970s was there a spark in the activism for a environmentally friendly society. In 1969, the Students for Environmental Concerns was established which was the start of any environmental activism on campus. In 1981 the Abbott Committee was formed by this same group in order to spread the word about the Abbott Power Plant and its effects on students and the earth. It was at this point that activism surrounding energy began to pick up.
1990-2012
This 20-plus year time span at UIUC highlights the peak of activism on campus and helped put the University on the positive track that it is currently on. In March of 1990 the Students for Environmental Concerns activist group published its first edition of Resources, a sporadically published periodical that focused on campus, local, and global environmental issues. One consistent section of this periodical was titled environotes and provided readers with insight on new environmental practices and general suggestions to live a more environemtnally friendly life. Typically one could find a page dedicated to events and meetings on campus to get involved with environmentally focused events. In March, 1991, Resources posted a headline that brought to light the university's overuse and poor habits involving its use of energy. Then the article further discussed the idea of a campus energy policy devloped by a sub-committee of the UIUC student senate with SECS members in January of 1991, two months before the publication. Then the committee presented the adoption of an energy policy, but were rejected in June of the same year by the Vice Chancellor because he thought the idea was not feasible. After being rejected, many of the SECS members continued to work and develop an improved and more realistic proposal. By March of 1992, a referendum was voted on by students with a vote of 2,748 to 300 in favor of the new proposal. In April, Chancellor Weir agreed to adopt a campus energy policy that would create campus energy committee in which short-term and long-term conservation and efficiency goals would be made and enforced. This committee would also ensure the new policy is followed by all departments and facilities. This breakthrough provided an outlet for student activists to voice their concerns and opinions, which limited the need for activism at the time. In December 1996, the fifth and final edition of Resources was published. Although unfortunate to see the university's first environmental periodical die out, the publication helped spread awareness and help activists achieve their goals at the time. The last edition in 1996 noted that the state of UIUC's energy use and efforts was not perfect, the right steps were being taken and the results at the time were exciting. In 2005, the Green Observer, a biannual publication that still exists today, was established and filled the void left by the end of Resources. The first edition described how UIUC would become the first university to have its own renewable energy source, due to the efforts of SECS students on an added $2 clean energy fee to tuition approved by students. In 2008, the university signed the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) which pushes UIUC toward a greener future and a pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2050. In 2012, the university, after SECS activism, pledged to end the use of coal for energy at the Abbott Power Plant by 2017. One thing that is certain is that the University's of Illinois' recent decisions regarding energy are wonderful and certainly encouraging, thanks to the work of many tireless and passionate students.
