WHAT: The University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (CURES) will hold its inaugural Community Project Lab at the University of Illinois Springfield. This year’s lab topic is “Sustainable Solutions for Small Illinois Communities Facing a Changing Climate.”

WHEN: 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021

WHERE: University of Illinois Springfield Student Union

DETAILS: Local leaders, key regional and state stakeholders from several communities with a population of less than 150,000 people outside of the Chicago metro area will learn how to bring sustainable solutions to their small Illinois communities —from grant-writing and planning assistance to technological innovations and assessment tools. The lab will be focusing on water systems (stormwater, wastewater, drinking water) and energy systems (both efficiency and the transition to renewables).

Participants will network with state, regional and local leaders; hear from experts on federal and state policy updates; learn about best practices in other communities; and participate in breakout sessions focused on solutions in energy and water systems.

The event is a multi-university initiative, coordinated by the Discovery Partners Institute Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (DPI CURES), and is sponsored by the Illinois Innovation Network, the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University and the University of Illinois Chicago Energy Initiative.

For more information, contact Molly Lamb, executive director of the UIS Center of State Policy and Leadership, at 217-206-8622 or mehle01s@uis.edu.