Wind Energy Team Receives Environmental Stewardship Award

Illinois State University’s Wind Energy Team is the recipient of the University’s Environmental Stewardship Award.  The award is presented by Illinois State’s Green Team to recognize exemplary skills and efforts in the area of environmental stewardship on campus and in the surrounding community.  The award includes $500 to be used toward further advancement of environmental efforts at Illinois State.

The Wind Energy Team was formed in 2002 to provide citizens, policymakers and wind energy developers with unbiased information on the potential for wind energy production in Illinois. The team provides basic facts about wind energy production in the state, wind data, the environmental impact of wind turbines and potential energy production output.

The Wind Energy Team is comprised of Randy Winter, Agriculture, David Loomis, Economics, and David Kennell, Technology.  The team has secured grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to support a variety of initiatives that promote environmental stewardship, education and outreach. 

In recognition of the growing need for clean alternative energy sources to support economic growth and reduce dependence on foreign oil, the Wind Team was instrumental in creating a new undergraduate major in renewable energy.  In addition to their efforts on campus, the team has established and provides leadership for the Illinois Wind Working Group. The group is comprised of over fifty members representing a wide range of business interests impacted by wind energy development as well as individuals, university representatives, and representatives of other state agencies who support wind energy in Illinois.