Students push for renewable energy commitment

UIC students Deepika Kommineni, Juri Taylor-Foster and Olivia Hutto.

By Juri Taylor-Foster

Illinois PIRG and Environment America have been running a campaign for 100 percent renewable energy on college campuses.

UIC students Olivia Hutto ‘18 and Juri Taylor-Foster ‘19, along with Lianne May, a campaign organizer for Illinois PIRG, have collected 397 student petitions, 13 faculty letters, passed a student government resolution, worked on a photo campaign, and organized on-campus events to gain awareness about this issue. Their goal is for the university system to pledge to utilize 100 percent renewable energy campus-wide by 2050.

May, Hutto, Taylor-Foster, and Kommineni together went to deliver all of the campaign’s materials to the office of U of I President Tim Killeen to demonstrate the voices of UIC for renewable energy.

Alongside Deepika Kommineni, the director for sustainability and infrastructure in the UIC Undergraduate Student Government, and Pooja Baxi, another member of the UIC Undergraduate Student Government, the group passed a student government resolution showing student support for 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.