EnergySense Resilience Center

05/29/2026

We're hiring!

EnergySense is accepting applications for new positions dedicated to advancing climate action, economic resilience, and sustainability programs in Illinois!

If you are a mission-driven professional ready to contribute to high-impact, community-centered solutions, we want to hear from you. Applications for our three open positions are as follows:

Visiting Senior Energy Program Manager
Visiting Energy Specialist
Visiting Energy Research Program Specialist

The deadline for applications is 6pm on June 11, 2026.

View each position description and application information here: https://energysense.uillinois.edu/careers/

05/28/2026

Join Choose DuPage IL and EnergySense for a free webinar – From Assessment to Illinois Green Business Certification: A Sustainable DuPage Webinar – on 6/10 at 1:30pm to learn how local manufacturer, Chicago Glue and Machine, successfully achieved Illinois Green Business Certification with the help of Choose DuPage IL.

In this webinar, Chicago Glue & Machine will share their journey to earning statewide green certification. Whether you’re just beginning to explore sustainability or looking for a proven path to certification, this webinar can help, offering actionable insights from a business that’s already done it—right here in DuPage County!

This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. For more info & to register, click here! https://energysense.uillinois.edu/events/from-assessment-to-illinois-green-business-certification-a-sustainable-dupage-webinar/

05/27/2026

Join the EnergySense Resilience Center and partners for Using Safer, Sustainable Food Packaging, a free in-person workshop on June 11th from 10 am -12 pm at the Oak Park Public Library.

Traditional single-use foodware, such as plastic takeout containers, can contain coatings that leach harmful chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) into our food and beverages, potentially causing adverse health effects. This workshop is designed to help food business owners address PFAS risks in food packaging and provide resources to navigate the transition to sustainable alternatives.

For more info and to register, click: https://energysense.uillinois.edu/events/using-safer-sustainable-food-packaging/

05/26/2026

Request for proposals! Illinois Innovation Network is holding their 2026 Powering Illinois’ Future Together conference on October 22-23, 2026 SIUE Cougars.

IIN seeks proposals for presentation panels, roundtable discussions, and workshop sessions that address the high-priority challenges of our rapidly changing region through research-fueled, socially conscious innovation. Proposals should align with one or more of the following areas of focus for the conference: 1) Sustainable approaches to clean energy production; 2) Developments in next-gen agricultural technologies; 3) Advancements in biotechnologies; and 4) Social and economic innovation.

The deadline to submit proposals is June 15, 2026. For more info and to submit, click: https://iin.uillinois.edu/conference/2026-iin-conference-request-for-proposals/

05/21/2026

This is a reminder to join us on June 3rd for our next electric outdoor equipment field day to explore the climate benefits of electric outdoor equipment at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' (IDNR) William W. Powers State Recreation Area (12949 S Avenue O, Chicago, IL 60633).

The field day – free and open to the public – features a discussion & demonstration of electric outdoor equipment for both commercial and residential purposes that reduce costs & reduce climate emissions from such as commercial/ residential lawn mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws and more! Learn about the feasibility of electric versions of these tools for your sites or management needs, as well as their economic and environmental benefits.

Finally, we’ll also discuss how the use of electric tools help the Illinois Department of Natural Resources reduce its climate footprint through its climate action plan. See that plan here: https://dnr.illinois.gov/outreach/climate-action-plan.html Register here: https://energysense.uillinois.edu/events/electric-mowing-and-tool-field-day-3-2/

05/19/2026

On May 14th, EnergySense Associate Director Todd Rusk joined dozens of public and private industry leaders at the Advanced Energy Group (AEG) Chicago 26Q2 Campus & Building Decarbonization Stakeholder Challenge.

According to AEG, the AEG Chicago 26Q2 Campus & Building Decarbonization Stakeholder Challenge convened healthcare leaders, building scientists, clean energy workforce advocates, and others to “confront the structural barriers slowing the modernization of critical community infrastructure.” According to Todd, when it comes to Campus & Building Decarbonization, “a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is to intervene in capital projects and equipment replacements, [and] inserting decarbonization practices."

To learn more and review reflections from the event, click here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/strategic-modernization-chicagos-built-environment-k2lme/?trackingId=KJE9nT5ESWWwzvyJHadnMQ%3D%3D

05/14/2026

Dairy farms are responsible for a large share of methane emissions; however, a new study suggests that converting dairy farm lagoons—manure storage ponds – to covered digesters could slash these methane emissions by roughly 80%.

Methane is a greenhouse gas emission that is 80 times more potent than CO2. The digesters capture methane from the manure; after a cleaning process, it can be used as renewable natural gas or biomethane in trucks as a replacement for diesel. More than 130 of these systems are now operating across California dairies. Lead researcher, Francesca Hopkins, a climate scientist at UC Riverside, says, “for dairies that can make it work, this is one of the most cost-effective ways we have to cut these greenhouse gas emissions.”

Click here to read more:

Sealing manure ponds at a Central Valley farm cut emissions dramatically.

05/14/2026

Yesterday, volunteers from EnergySense and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources presented their Camp Like a Pro education initiative at the 2026 Earth Stewardship Day at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, as part of their work implementing IDNR’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).

CAP volunteers reached over 150 students from 7 different schools, educating them on how they could help sustain and protect nature through responsible camping and hiking, recycling, composting and more! Students showed great interest and expressed interest in sharing what they learned with family members. The IDNR Climate Action Plan is a roadmap to achieving net-zero emissions by 2025 to help combat climate change, protect human health, and the health of all flora and fauna in the state of Illinois.

To learn more about the IDNR CAP, click:https://dnr.illinois.gov/.../cap.../idnr-cap-final.pdf

05/14/2026

Join the Village of Oak Park, Illinois, the Illinois Climate Bank, and Cook County Government CPACE for an in-depth webinar designed to help building owners, developers, and facility managers navigate the evolving landscape of low-cost, long-term financing in Illinois on May 20th from 11am to noon.

We will break down how to leverage available capital to fund comprehensive energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects that pay for themselves.

Whether you’re looking to retrofit a historic Chicago landmark or optimize a residential building, this webinar offers the localized expertise to turn sustainability goals into ready-to-go projects.

Register here! https://energysense.uillinois.edu/events/13512/

05/11/2026

Micro-plastics pervade the natural world, damage fertility in aquatic wildlife, cause negative behavioral changes and metabolic disorders, but new research on the Great Lakes could help national and international efforts to reduce microplastics.

Previous studies revealed that the Great Lakes contain more microplastics in the guts of fish than any other lake in the world. Chelsea Rochman, a microplastics researcher from the University of Toronto studies microplastics in the Great Lakes, says, “When we look at those fish, we find microplastics in every single fish,” Rochman said. “Near the city of Toronto, we find hundreds of particles in an individual fish, sometimes as many as 1,000 in the gut, and dozens of particles in the filet.”

Read a 2024 report here:https://ijc.org/sites/default/files/SAB_MicroplasticsReport_2024.pdf