New Report Outlines the Path to a Net Zero Future in Illinois

January 29, 2025 

Chicago – Illinois Green Alliance has released the 2024 Getting to Zero Illinois Report, a comprehensive overview of building decarbonization in Illinois that examines the actions necessary to decarbonize all buildings by 2050. The report, produced together with Telesto Strategy, examines the current state of sustainable building practices and finds that Illinois must decarbonize 440 million square feet of building space each year—more than the total over the past 20 years—to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. 

Throughout the report, Illinois Green and Telesto synthesized a broad set of research literature as well as survey data from building industry leaders to address the complex challenges of building net zero and outline solutions for both policymakers and industry leaders to set the state on a path to a fully decarbonized built environment.

“While there has been progress in making Illinois a national leader in green buildings, it’s clear there is still more work ahead to mainstream the technologies and building strategies that make net zero possible so that every building in the state is net zero by 2050,” said Brian Imus, Executive Director of Illinois Green Alliance. “By surveying the industry and mapping current trends, the Getting to Zero Illinois Report is a key resource to help make this ambitious goal a reality. It provides lawmakers and building professionals with an ambitious roadmap for decarbonization, informed by data-driven insights and industry stakeholder feedback.” 

This analysis on the challenges and opportunities of building net zero focuses on four areas: policy development and implementation; financing and funding opportunities; technology solutions; and workforce development and skills training. Each chapter takes a deeper dive into one of these topics and outlines the barriers to full decarbonization as well as the opportunities to accelerate toward a net zero future. 

Some of the key findings and takeaways include: 

• Illinois has mobilized approximately $1 billion in green building funding and financing since 2022. Despite these advances, 83% of our survey respondents cite financial constraints as a primary obstacle. 
• Stringent energy codes drive significant progress, but the fragmented nature of local regulations and protracted permitting processes slow down implementation, with 38% of stakeholders identifying delays as a key issue. 
• Smart building technologies offer immense potential. Smart building management systems, for example, can reduce energy consumption by 10-60% depending on location.   
•  The rapid expansion of green technologies has outpaced the capacity of current workforce development programs, with 31% of survey respondents citing the lack of a skilled workforce as a major barrier. Skills training must be targeted at the jobs with the highest demand. 

“Our research finds that Illinois has significantly more low-emissions building space per-capita than most states” said Ben Vatterott, Partner at Telesto Strategy. “Significant and sustained efforts by policymakers, owners and operators, developers, NGOs, and our friends in the energy sector have positioned Illinois as a leader of sustainability in the built environment. Going forward, even more innovation and collaboration—in software, hardware, policy, design, energy, and ways of deploying capital—will be required to build on this momentum and achieve decarbonization of the sector by 2050.” 

To inform this report, the team leveraged secondary research as well as surveyed nearly 100 leaders in building sustainability across the state to understand the key challenges and solutions leveraged in their own low-carbon projects. They also analyzed LEED-certified building data for more than 348 million square feet in Illinois, as well as analyzed project data from hundreds of thousands of square feet of net zero projects in the state. 

About Illinois Green Alliance 

Illinois Green Alliance (Illinois Green) is a membership driven, mission-based, community centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the state of Illinois. Established in 2002 by a coalition of visionary professionals from the built environment sector and passionate sustainability advocates, Illinois Green has been at the vanguard of Illinois’ green building movement for two decades. 

About Telesto Strategy  

Telesto Strategy, a Chicago-based certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), is an ESG-focused management consulting firm founded with a bold vision to support businesses and governments in the regeneration of the planet’s health, resources, and well-being. Telesto aims to achieve this ambition through dual missions: (i) reframing how businesses, organizations, and countries can achieve enduring and inclusive growth, and (ii) redirecting corporate strategy to solve the biggest challenges of our time while delivering a positive return on investment (ROI). 

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Contact : 

Matt Watson
Communications Manager, Illinois Green Alliance 
mwatson@illinoisgreenalliance.org  
(630) 562-6903