Environmental board and council press for quantitative backing, full GHG inventory and clearer sustainability commitments

Jim Kaheen, appearing for the Evanston Environmental Board, told the council the sustainability plan "was an improvement" but lacks numbers to substantiate claims about materials and LEED scoring, and that many items previously promised were marked infeasible without supporting analysis. He urged a full greenhouse gas inventory covering scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and regular, deeper meetings between Northwestern and the advisory body to track implementation.

Sustainability and operations presenters responded with a series of clarifications: little of the old stadium structure was reused but over 21,500 tons of construction debris was recycled; the operations team plans a perimeter cleanup and post-game sweeps; a day‑one target of 30% electricity procured from renewables was stated; year‑2 commitments included on-site composting and elimination of single-use plastics (dependent on vendor contracts). Presenters acknowledged electric buses were found infeasible for immediate procurement but said they would pursue hybrid options and partnerships where possible.

The committee requested that outstanding Environmental Board comments (the EEB submission) be formally incorporated into the next plan update and that responses include data and rationale for infeasibility findings. Staff and operators agreed to produce updated exhibits and to target a revised plan for review within roughly one to two weeks.