Academy for Global Citizenship

A Global Exemplar of Sustainability

The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is an early-childhood and K-8 charter school located on the southwest side of Chicago. The campus is officially Living Building Challenge® certified by Living Future, becoming the first project in Illinois and also the first whole school building anywhere in the world to reach this milestone.

Community engagement, earth stewardship, connection to nature, nutrition, and agriculture are central to the educational mission of AGC to empower all students to positively impact the community and world.

As of 2026, AGC's campus produces 107% of its own energy on-site and operates net positive in both energy and water, closing the loop on the very resources most buildings simply consume. Over 10,000 pounds of fresh produce is harvested each year through its one-and-a-half-acre urban farm and educational gardens, supporting a sustainable school food program that serves 350,000 fresh meals annually.

The building is constructed with low carbon and non-toxic materials. It provides daylight for 90% of the occupants and fresh air above the required code minimum. An air quality monitoring system and full access to all the building and site metrics are incorporated into the academic curriculum. 

Net positive Water employs an integrated set of water collection, conservation, reuse, and treatment strategies. Building roofs also collect as much water as possible.

With a mission of fostering environmental stewardship, the building itself serves as a teaching tool for the students with exposed and labeled MEP systems and windows into mechanical rooms.