Sustainability at SAIC

Creating a Sustainable Future

SAIC is a forward-thinking community of artists, designers, and educators, many of which complete invaluable work to address urgent environmental challenges. It is the institution’s responsibility to support this work and to exercise leadership in communities and throughout society by modeling ways to minimize emissions that contribute to climate change.

Exterior shot of the SAIC Sharp Building.

SAIC Achieves Carbon Neutrality

From LEDs to bees and renewable energy in between, for the past 10 years SAIC has been busy becoming a sustainable and resilient campus. SAIC joined the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitment in 2008 and in its first 10 years, the School reduced its carbon footprint by 57 percent. As of January 1, 2020, the School achieved carbon neutrality through continued operational changes, renewable energy credits (RECs), and carbon offsets.

Our Sustainability Networks

In addition to signing the Second Nature Climate Commitment (formerly known as the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment), SAIC has implemented numerous measures to reduce its carbon footprint and move toward environmentally preferable practices. Systematic upgrades to building mechanical systems, improved metering and monitoring of building systems, and energy efficient lighting upgrades contribute to this commitment. SAIC also works with local networks, national organizations, and peer institutions to advance sustainability and accelerate climate action. SAIC partners include the Alliance to Retrofit Chicago Higher Education (ARCH).

A person with light skin tone wearing a baseball hat sits on a bench with a sketchpad in front of a painting.

Sustainability In the Curriculum

As a school of art and design, SAIC has the responsibility to engage students, faculty, and staff by providing them with a supportive environment for sustainability-focused teaching, learning, living, making, and research. SAIC supports this mission through the Sustainable SAIC committee, which promotes and facilitates the cooperative efforts of the SAIC community to educate, develop values, share knowledge, adopt policies, and implement sustainable practices. Many students have chosen to design curricular pathways that allow a broad exploration of issues related to the study of resource conservation, environmental activism, and ecological principles.

Prioritizing Energy Conservation

SAIC recognizes that improving the energy efficiency of campus buildings plays a critical part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in creating a culture of sustainability.

As a signatory of the Second Nature Carbon Commitment, SAIC has conducted five greenhouse gas reports in the past seven years. Since 2009, SAIC’s school-wide emissions have decreased by 18 percent per square foot. In addition, overall emissions have decreased by 6 percent and thus effectively prevented the emission of 9,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This reduction in emissions was achieved despite a 15 percent increase in the SAIC community population.

Bike SAIC
SAIC has a robust biking culture that reflects a strong commitment to lower carbon transit and healthy lifestyles. Many students, faculty, and staff bike to campus every day. SAIC provides resources to support their ability to ride confidently and safely.
Bike Storage
There are city-managed bike racks in front of each of SAIC’s primary buildings available for use by the SAIC community and the general public.
The 280 Building at 280 South Columbus Drive offers sheltered outdoor bike racks and a bike repair station with an air pump.
The Lakeview Building at 116 South Michigan Avenue houses a bike room that is available to AIC and SAIC staff and faculty. The bike room is accessible during regular building hours, Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. Employees are required to complete a one-time, 15-minute orientation to receive key access to use the facility. Email wporter@saic.edu to sign up for an orientation.
Jones Hall and the 162 Residences have bike rooms that can accommodate 30+ bicycles. They are available for long-term storage by current residents and are accessible 24/7. All residents have access with their ARTICard and can store their bikes throughout the school year.

Please note that bikes left on city-managed bike racks for an extended period of time are subject to removal by the Chicago Department of Transportation.
U-Lock Check Out
Emergency U-Lock checkouts are available at security desks in the Sharp Building, MacLean Center, and the 280 Building. U-Locks can be checked out for 24 hours, but must be checked out again for longer periods of use.
The Bike Commuter Challenge (BCC) is an opportunity for staff and faculty of the Art Institute of Chicago (museum, school, and central administration) to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of commuting by bike. The team has won the 500+ Employees education category four times in recent years.
SAIC has a partnership with Divvy Bikes that provides students with discounted annual memberships. Students receive $25 off the annual membership for an annual cost of $118.90.

Students: Visit Divvy’s Become a Member page to register for a Divvy account. Use your SAIC email (@artic.edu) and enter "SAICBikes" in the Partner Password field to complete registration and receive the discount.

Recycling

Recycling bins are located in all offices, classrooms, and residence halls across campus. SAIC has a single-stream recycling collection program. Paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, tin, and aluminum all go into the same blue bin. All recycling collection bins are lined with clear plastic bags to distinguish the contents from black trash bags. Clear bags of recyclables are removed by cleaning personnel and then picked up by Lakeshore Recycling. Once the recyclables reach a material recovery facility (MRF) they are separated by people and machines and then sold by the material.

A student adding food to their plate at the neiman center

Compost

SAIC provides post-consumer compost collection in the 280 Building Café. Any food that you don’t eat should get scraped into the compost collection container. Food scraps are a valuable resource that can be kept out of landfills and converted back into healthy soil.

SAIC collects organic material created during food preparation at all campus kitchens. The Columbus woodshop also collects sawdust. Collective Resources picks up the collected organic material and then processes it into healthy soil.

Interior shot of a painting studio with students.

Surplus

Surplus is a program where used and excess materials can be made available for other students to take and use for free. Students can bring art-making supplies they no longer need that meet the material guidelines and take away materials that they can use. Surplus provides a stream of materials for art making while keeping excess materials out of the landfill. Surplus currently operates in the 280 and Sharp buildings.

Electronic Waste

Electronic waste collection bins are available in SAIC's media centers, the Sullivan Advanced Output Center, and residence hall mailrooms. Used batteries, light bulbs, and small electronics can be deposited in these bins. All collected electronic waste is picked up and processed by Sipi. Sipi provides SAIC with chain of custody information and ensures all electronic waste is handled appropriately.

Electronic Reuse

SAIC's media center and gallery equipment are used throughout the year. Therefore, equipment is constantly updated according to community needs. This results in an excess of electronics that are no longer needed. FireSale, an event in which used electronics are sold to students for substantially reduced prices, furthers this equipment's use while reducing electronic waste.

Students wheeling carts in and out of a residence hall

Residence Hall Move-In/Out

Instructional Resources and Facilities Management collaborates with Residence Life to provide donation collection bins in residence halls for students to donate unwanted items. In spring 2017 over 5,000 pounds of donated goods were given a second life.

Exterior shot of the entrance to SAIC's MacLean Center.

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste is created when there is no longer a use for a hazardous material or chemical. SAIC utilizes the services of licensed hazardous waste haulers to safely dispose of chemical and biohazard wastes.

Food Sustainability at SAIC

Local Food Partners

HandCut Foods, SAIC's provider of dining services across campus, collaborates with nearby farmers and small businesses to ensure that our ingredients are fresh, high-quality, and sustainably sourced. This approach minimizes our transportation footprint and supports the economic vitality of our local community. By choosing to work with local producers who share our commitment to sustainable practices, we know that our food is grown and harvested with care and responsibility toward a healthier, more sustainable food system.

Preventing Food Waste

HandCut Foods implements a comprehensive waste reduction strategy that begins with menu planning and forecasting demand to prepare meals with precision, minimizing food waste from surplus. We educate our staff about the importance of reducing food waste to foster a culture of sustainability within our organization. For inedible food scraps, we have a robust composting program that converts waste into valuable compost for local farms and gardens. Through these initiatives, we contribute to the creation of a circular food economy, where every resource is utilized to its fullest potential.

Campus Community

HandCut Foods is proud to be working with long-time SAIC partner and cooperatively owned local business, Collective Resource Compost. Together, we are operating a comprehensive composting program on campus to ensure that all inedible food scraps are effectively diverted from landfills and transformed into valuable compost for local use.