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

WHEN: 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

WHERE: University of Illinois Springfield Student Union and online

DETAILS: Local and community leaders, as well as key regional and state stakeholders will learn how to bring water and energy-related sustainable solutions to Illinois communities they support —from grant writing and planning assistance, to technological innovations and assessment tools.

Participants will network with state, regional and local leaders; hear updates from experts on federal and state grants and loans; learn about successful 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 Lumpkin Family Foundation, and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs MAPPING program at Western Illinois University.

For more information, contact Carolee Rigsbee, co-organizer of the CURES Community Project and UIS assistant professor at curescenter@uillinois.edu or crigs2@uis.edu.