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.

It’s almost time to step back into the Limelight, so join us this November for an evening celebrating the Illinois green...
10/08/2026

It’s almost time to step back into the Limelight, so join us this November for an evening celebrating the Illinois green building community!

On November 12, we’re heading to the Union League Club of Chicago for our annual Limelight Celebration, bringing together green building professionals, advocates, volunteers, and partners from across the region.

This year, we’ll recognize outstanding achievements in green building through the Emerald Awards, celebrate the volunteers who bring so much to our community, and make plenty of time to catch up, make new connections, and enjoy the evening together.

Whether you’ve been part of Illinois Green Alliance for years or are joining us for the first time, Limelight is a chance to come together and celebrate the people and work moving green building forward across Illinois.

Tickets are on sale now:

https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/limelight-gala

And a special thank you to our sponsors who help make Limelight possible: Arup, AT Mechanical, LLC, Gilbane Building, HED, Jaqcorp intl, Leopardo Construction, Logistics Property Company, LLC, Powering Chicago, Slipstream, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Zakrzewski Architectural Engineering!

One week until Spooooky Speed Networking! 🎃Looking to make some new connections in Chicago's green building community? T...
10/08/2026

One week until Spooooky Speed Networking! 🎃

Looking to make some new connections in Chicago's green building community? The Illinois Green Alliance Auxiliary Board has you covered!

Join us October 15 for an evening of quick conversations, new faces, and a little Halloween spirit. Whether you're a familiar face at Illinois Green events or looking to get more involved, it's a chance to meet fellow professionals, break the ice, and expand your circle without the pressure of traditional networking.

Costumes are welcome, but all you really need to bring is yourself!

👻 Don't ghost us! There's still time to register.

🔗 Learn more and register for Spooooky Speed Networking:
https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/spooooky-speed-networking

⚡ Happy Energy Efficiency Day! 🌱Today, we’re celebrating something our community works on every day: finding better ways...
10/07/2026

⚡ Happy Energy Efficiency Day! 🌱

Today, we’re celebrating something our community works on every day: finding better ways to make our buildings work.

Sometimes that means a major retrofit or a new high-performance system. Sometimes it’s better controls, a tighter envelope, smarter operations, or simply understanding where a building is wasting energy and doing something about it. Taken together, those decisions can lower operating costs, reduce energy use and emissions, improve comfort, and extend the value of the buildings we already have.

Energy efficiency isn’t one technology or one project. It’s a way of looking at our buildings, asking what could work better, and finding practical ways to get there.

On Energy Efficiency Day, we’re celebrating the building owners, operators, designers, engineers, contractors, advocates, and others across Illinois who turn those opportunities into real improvements every day.

Curious about getting more involved with Illinois Green Alliance? Come see what the Auxiliary Board is all about.Join us...
10/05/2026

Curious about getting more involved with Illinois Green Alliance? Come see what the Auxiliary Board is all about.

Join us on October 14 for an open meeting of the Auxiliary Board, our volunteer network of young professionals in the building industry, and get to know the group as applications open for the 2027 Board.

You’ll hear directly from current Auxiliary Board members about what they’ve worked on, what being part of the Board actually looks like, and the different ways members contribute throughout the year through education, networking, strategic collaboration, and more.

If you’ve been curious about the Auxiliary Board but aren’t quite sure what joining involves, this is a chance to learn more, meet the people behind the work, and decide whether you’d like to apply.

The meeting is free to attend, with options to join us at the Illinois Green Alliance office or virtually.

Learn more and register for the open meeting:
https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/auxiliary-board-open-meeting

Ready to take the next step? Applications for the 2027 Auxiliary Board are open through October 25:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAUz4Ttj7b_hoDyzTXzDOGNJmJeuJkEZqSCnBqVD_V00t5-g/viewform

One week later, we’re still thinking about everything we heard and saw at the 2026 Getting to Zero Tech Forum!Last week,...
10/01/2026

One week later, we’re still thinking about everything we heard and saw at the 2026 Getting to Zero Tech Forum!

Last week, the Illinois Green community gathered at the Old Post Office in Chicago for an afternoon exploring emerging technologies and new approaches to high-performance buildings.

Across a fast-paced lineup of presentations, speakers shared innovations spanning building systems, geothermal, envelope performance, energy optimization, materials, and more. The conversations carried beyond the presentations, as attendees exchanged ideas, asked questions, and connected with peers from across the building industry.

Thank you to all of our speakers for sharing their work, and to everyone who joined us and brought their own questions, perspectives, and experiences to this year’s Tech Forum.

And of course, the event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors: Tree Street Group, Canadian Consulate General, Integra X Builders (IXB), Powering Chicago, Reflection Window + Wall, U.S. Green Building Council, BrainBox AI, CarbiCrete, GRUNDFOS, Mitrex - Building-Integrated Solar Technology, TROES Corp., USG, Buro Happold, Evergreen Energy Partners, Green Badger, Intelligent Generation, Johnson Controls, LuxWall, Inc., McGuire Engineers, Peoples Gas, and Windy City Representatives.

09/25/2026

What does it actually mean for a home to be affordable?

For Ri Prasad, CEO and Co-Founder of AR2 HomesHomes, the answer goes beyond the initial price of a home. Energy efficiency and operating costs can play an important role in what residents can afford over time.

Ri joins The Building Energy Pod to talk about why affordability and sustainability don’t have to be competing priorities, and how that thinking is shaping her work in Rockford.

From zoning reform and community development to electrification and resilience, the episode looks at the decisions that can shape the long-term cost of living in a home.

Watch the clip and listen to the full episode: https://buildingenergypod.podbean.com/e/ri-prasad-the-long-term-economics-of-sustainable-housing/

Congratulations to Ananya Jain on being named a finalist for USGBC’s 2026 Emerging Leader recognition!Ananya, an Electro...
09/23/2026

Congratulations to Ananya Jain on being named a finalist for USGBC’s 2026 Emerging Leader recognition!

Ananya, an Electronics Sustainability Coordinator at Jacobs, has already made an impact in Chicago through her work with the Illinois Green Alliance Auxiliary Board and the Carbon Leadership Forum Chicago Hub.

Through Illinois Green Alliance, she’s helped create opportunities for sustainability professionals to learn from one another and have candid conversations about the challenges they face in their work. She’s also helping advance embodied carbon education through the Carbon Leadership Forum Chicago Hub, where she launched an LCA Tools Working Group for practitioners to share knowledge and navigate a rapidly evolving field.

We’re excited to see Ananya’s contributions to Chicago’s green building community recognized on a national stage. Voting for the Emerging Leader is now open, so be sure to check out this year’s finalists and cast your vote!

Learn more about the finalists and vote here: https://usgbc.my.site.com/Surveys/s/feedback?su=VDpzwA

The Getting to Zero Tech Forum is tomorrow - get your tickets before it is too late! Check out all the presenters. Thes...
09/22/2026

The Getting to Zero Tech Forum is tomorrow - get your tickets before it is too late! Check out all the presenters. These experts will explore the cutting-edge advancements in building technology that drive sustainable and regenerative approaches to the design, construction, and operation of the built environment.

And after the education, stay for a reception out on the Old Post Office North Meadow rooftop to mingle with presenters and attendees alike - hope to see you there! Get your tickets here: https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/net-zero-buildings-illinois/getting-to-zero-tech-forum

We’re grateful to our sponsors for helping make this year’s Tech Forum possible: Tree Street Group, Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, Integra X Builders (IXB), Powering Chicago, Reflection Window + Wall, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), BrainBox AI, CarbiCrete, Grundfos, Mitrex - Building-Integrated Solar Technology, TROES Corp., USG, Buro Happold, Evergreen Energy Partners, Green Badger, Intelligent Generation, Johnson Controls, LuxWall, McGuire Engineers, Inc., Peoples Gas, and Windy City Representatives.

Today is the five year anniversary of CEJA and there's a lot to celebrate!On September 15, 2021, the Climate and Equitab...
09/15/2026

Today is the five year anniversary of CEJA and there's a lot to celebrate!

On September 15, 2021, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was signed into law, expanding clean energy across Illinois and creating new opportunities for workers and communities to participate in the clean energy economy. Illinois Green Alliance was proud to support its passage.

CEJA also brought important changes for Illinois buildings. The law called for the creation of the state’s first Stretch Energy Codes, giving communities the option to adopt higher energy-efficiency standards for new construction.

Five years later, those codes are available to communities across Illinois, with higher efficiency targets planned for the years ahead. It’s one example of how decisions made at the state level can shape the buildings being designed and built in our communities.

As we mark five years of CEJA, we’re looking ahead to what the next five years can bring for buildings and communities across Illinois.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Leadership Circle Reception in August!It was wonderful to come together with...
09/13/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Leadership Circle Reception in August!

It was wonderful to come together with so many members of our community, reflect on the work we’ve been doing together, and celebrate the support that makes it possible.

We were especially glad to welcome Peter Templeton, President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council, who joined us to share the exciting news that Greenbuild will return to Chicago in 2027. With Illinois Green’s 25th anniversary coming up next year, there’s a lot to look forward to as we celebrate 25 years of green building leadership in Illinois and continue building on that work together.

A special thank you to our Leadership Circle members and supporters, including Board Member Amina Helstern, and to Perkins&Will for hosting us in their beautiful space.

Interested in being on the forefront of green building innovation while deepening your support of Illinois Green? Learn more about Leadership Circle Membership and how you can get involved:
https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/join-the-leadership-circle

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180 N. LaSalle Street #2210
Chicago, IL
60601

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