Illinois Green Alliance

Illinois Green Alliance Illinois Green Alliance is a nonprofit membership driven organization that advances buildings and communities that are sustainable, prosperous and healthy.

We achieve this through education, advocacy, and collaboration.

06/18/2026

Even small upgrades, or "low-hanging fruit," can make a big difference when it comes to designing clean, efficient buildings.

In this episode of The Building Energy Pod, we explore simple yet innovative approaches to building sustainability with industry expert Sachin Anand, Principal at dbHMS. The conversation covers practical steps for building owners to upgrade their facilities, save energy and save money. He also outlines strategies to meet emerging energy code requirements and dives into the transformative potential of new energy codes in accelerating decarbonization efforts..

Learn more here: https://buildingenergypod.podbean.com/e/sachin-anand-sustainability-code-innovation-and-system-optimization/

06/12/2026

The $200 million Ogden Commons mixed-use redevelopment in Chicago's North Lawndale is a strong example of green building certification done right — transforming a former public housing site into housing, healthcare, and commercial space across four building phases.

Illinois Green partner Baumann Consulting supported the effort through commissioning, enclosure testing, and sustainability consulting from design through construction, helping the project achieve LEED Silver and Green Globes certifications with verified energy performance and dramatically reduced air leakage.

Read the case study to gather more actionable insights from the project:
https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/high-performance-case-study-ogden-commons

Take a sneak peak at the agenda for our first-ever Illinois Energy Efficiency Showcase!This new half-day conference brin...
06/11/2026

Take a sneak peak at the agenda for our first-ever Illinois Energy Efficiency Showcase!

This new half-day conference brings together decision-makers from government, housing, utilities, and the private sector to highlight success stories of buildings that have completed recent retrofit and decarbonization initiatives.

As we dive into the project case studies, we will also be sharing relevant resources and tools—including financial incentives, technical guides, and best practices—that will help attendees tackle their own retrofit and efficiency projects.

Featured case studies include:
Barbara Hickey will share how Willis Tower optimized operational energy savings through the Strategic Energy Management Program
Emmy Riley will talk about 340 on the Park's Long-term Decarbonization and Capital Planning
Austin Shipman from the Chicago Department of Housing will share how Brainerd Senior Center layered financing for a comprehensive retrofit
Mark Milby from Elevate will talk about improving energy efficiency for affordable housing

Learn more here: https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/illinois-energy-efficiency-showcase

Meet the 2026 Illinois Green Schools Project Awardees!Elementary/Middle School Division🏅Whittier Elementary School🥈Elmwo...
06/10/2026

Meet the 2026 Illinois Green Schools Project Awardees!

Elementary/Middle School Division
🏅Whittier Elementary School
🥈Elmwood Elementary School

High School Division
🏅Evanston Township High School
🥈Whitney Young Magnet High School

Since August 2025, schools participating in the Illinois Green Schools Project have been hard at work learning more about their school’s infrastructure and environmental practices while finding creative and impactful ways to prioritize sustainability across school culture, educational programming, and physical spaces.

As the school year comes to a close, we want to recognize all who were involved and reflect on the achievements and impact of their work.

Meet the cohort here: https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/meet-the-2026-illinois-green-schools-project-awardees

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign that serves as a beacon for conservation efforts aimed at safeguard...
06/09/2026

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign that serves as a beacon for conservation efforts aimed at safeguarding migratory birds and their journeys across borders.

Building professionals in Illinois have a unique responsibility here, as Chicago sits along a major migration route, seeing over 250 species and millions of birds pass through the area each spring and fall. Unfortunately, our built environment is the deadliest in the entire country for these birds.

The good news is that industry professionals can make a real difference through the design and operations of their buildings!

Learn more about the difference you can make at Bird Friendly Chicago: https://birdfriendlychicago.org/solutions

At last week’s Advocacy in Action panel discussion, our Policy Associate Ryan Wilmington led Liliana Scales, State Direc...
06/09/2026

At last week’s Advocacy in Action panel discussion, our Policy Associate Ryan Wilmington led Liliana Scales, State Director of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, Jamie Johnson of Verde Energy Efficiency Experts, Emily Purcell of CannonDesign, and Natalia Quintanilla of Gensler through a conversation exploring how building industry professionals can shape climate policy, advance energy equity, and drive meaningful change across Illinois.

One quote from Lili drove home the theme perfectly:

“We need to dispel the idea that an advocate is a certain type of person. Anyone who asks for something at work is an advocate. A teenager asking to stay out late is an advocate. We are all advocates.”

This unique panel gave attendees a chance to hear how professionals from all different types of backgrounds have learned how to use their voice and experience to make our home more sustainable.

Reach out to Ryan Wilmington to learn about how to get involved.

Thank you to the Auxiliary Board Policy Committee members for all of the hard work that went into the planning for this event: Brianna Galvan (Co-Chair), Kyle Quan (Committee Lead), Natalia Añasco Heredia, Ciaran O’Connell, and Christian Koch.

Finally, thank you so much to Gensler for their generous support which made this event possible. A special shoutout to Louis Galleos who made sure this event ran seamlessly.

06/05/2026

Nicole Burmingham's students at Deer Path Middle School conducted an energy audit through the Illinois Green Schools Project and noticed something: the school's fluorescent emergency lights were wasting energy and money. So they partnered with the school facilities team to gather real energy data and design a solution.

Operation Light Swap will retrofit nine fluorescent emergency lights with LED troffers using a $1,000 Student Innovation Grant. The strategic upgrade will use about 1/3rd the amount of energy, save the school $241 in energy costs, and reduce carbon emissions by 2 tons per year.

But here's the brilliant part: the students designed this as a "proof of concept." By upgrading nine lights now, they're creating evidence to convince administration to replace the remaining emergency lights on campus. This shows how small wins can drive systemic change.

Congratulations to the Deer Path team for their data-driven leadership! Thank you to DocuSign for supporting these young problem-solvers and to the Illinois Green Alliance for connecting EcoRise with teachers in Illinois. Together, ! 💡 Lake Forest School District 67

🎉🎂Today marks Sondra Morin's two-year anniversary at Illinois Green Alliance!🎂🎉As our Development Manager, Sondra has th...
05/28/2026

🎉🎂Today marks Sondra Morin's two-year anniversary at Illinois Green Alliance!🎂🎉

As our Development Manager, Sondra has the crucial responsibility of leading our event sponsorship initiatives, growing our membership, and fostering relationships with stakeholders from across the industry. Sondra's work revolves around building new connections and strengthening existing ones, a role she shines in. Her efforts enable us to throw signature events like the Getting to Zero Tech Forum as well as maintain our day-to-day efforts.

Thanks for helping us keep the lights on Sondra!

Last week, Chicago's green building experts fought hard to be named the unofficial top minds in sustainability at our 4t...
05/27/2026

Last week, Chicago's green building experts fought hard to be named the unofficial top minds in sustainability at our 4th annual Green Minds Think Alike Trivia Night! Congrats to the team Chaos Champions for taking home first place and bragging rights for the year!

We also had another big winner last night — our entire community. Through your support and generosity, we raised over $15,000 for the Illinois Green Schools Project. These funds will support student-led sustainability projects in schools across the state!

Shoutout to our event emcee Kariem Hashem and the rest of the Fundraising Committee for their hard work planning this event: Derek Krantz, Clayton Artz, Asli Topuzlu, Nicholas Villarreal, and Gabi Dwyer!

A special thank you to our event sponsors, IMEG, Mannington Commercial, TYLin, The Prime Group, and Beyond hlw! Lastly, thank you to our fantastic hosts at Haymarket Brewery.

These are the kids dreaming of a future where high-performance buildings are feasible, affordable, and so commonplace th...
05/26/2026

These are the kids dreaming of a future where high-performance buildings are feasible, affordable, and so commonplace that every building contributes to a sustainable and resilient future for all communities. Meet our staff and learn more about what they do to advance our mission!

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180 N. LaSalle Street #2210
Chicago, IL
60601

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