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  1. New iSEE Green Certifications

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Event Program
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Certified Green Chapter Program

    Congratulations to the Office of the Chancellor for Special Events, OVCRI, Pi Phi, and the Office of Academic Programs (College of ACES) for their recent green certifications!

    Green Event:

    Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Il v. Monmouth Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Office of the Chancellor for Special Events IL v. Lindenwood Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Office of the Chancellor for Special Events IL v. Syracuse Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Penn State Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v Alabama L&M Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Bethane-Cookman, Certified November 2022

    OVCRI Research Development Day 2022, Certified December 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. WIsconsin Men's basketball game, Certified December 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. vs. Michigan State Men's Basketball, Certified December 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. vs. Indiana Men's Basketball, Certified December 2022

     

    Green Chapter: Pi Beta Phi, Silver, Recertified November 2022

     

    Green Office: Office of Academic Programs (College of ACES), Silver, Certified November 2022

     

    Keep up the great work!

  2. Resilience iCAP Team December Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Resilience iCAP Team had its final online meeting of this semester on Monday, November 28th, from 11:00 - 12:00 PM. The team discussed two recommendations: Coordinated Rainwater Management Plan Recommendation and Sustainability Economic Analysis Recommendation. The team plans to revise and send the Coordinated Rainwater Management Plan Recommendation to the iWG by this Friday, December 2nd. Also, the team chair, Stay Gloss, will present the Sustainability Economic Analysis Recommendation at the iSEE Management Meeting and ask for any potential iSEE funding. Meeting minutes are attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  3. Award Ceremony Invitation

    Associated Project(s): 
    ReImagine Our Future

    Below is an email invitation to award ceremony for the Reimagine our Future student sustainability competition.

     

    Dear Initial Judges and Specialist Advisors,

     

    Thank you so much for your work making this competition possible. I have received submissions on the questionnaire from many of you judges, and clearly, you spent time assessing these students' work and it is much appreciated. Many of you also sat down with students and aided them on their projects. In whatever capacity you were able to help, my advisory committee and colleagues are so appreciative.

    This year the competition was managed by the Student Sustainability Committee and supported by many units across campus. Over 70 UIUC faculty volunteered their services as specialist advisors and judges. Almost 200 students took part including student teams from universities in China and South Africa. Winners will be announced after Saturday’s presentations and the prize money totals $5000. 

    You are welcome to attend the face-to-face award ceremony at the Siebel Center for Design, in which case you should contact my email (aecruz2@illinois.edu) before Wednesday 30 Nov. at 2 p.m. If you cannot attend the physical event, you are welcome to join via Zoom, with details given below. 

    I am also attaching extracts of the top-three winners' entries from last year's competition for your viewing. 

    Thank you again, 

    Allie Cruz 

    Award Ceremony for the 2022 Reimagine our Future student sustainability competition 

    9 a.m. (Central Time) | Saturday, Dec. 3 | Siebel Center for Design, and Zoom 

    Join via Zoom: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/85346452110?pwd=TzhWSHdMZXJpVmNobGtncUYzd0t0dz09 

    Meeting ID: 853 4645 2110 

    Password: 186469 


     

     

  4. ENG 177 Spring '23 Course

    Associated Project(s): 
    ENG 177 GFX Global Sustainability Scholars

    Below is an answer to an inquiry regarding ENG 177 course availability for the spring 2023 semester. 

     

     

    From: Forman, Gretchen M <gforman at illinois.edu> 
    Sent: Monday, November 21, 2022 10:12 AM
    To: Moore, Meredith Kaye <mkm0078 at illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: ENG100 First Year Experience spring course

     

    Hi Meredith,

     

    I too hope you are doing well!  I miss seeing you!

     

    We will have an ENG 177 Global Sustainability Scholars class in the spring that I will be teaching and I’m hoping we can still partner with you on projects for the students.  This is the class that Angie and I previously taught.  We are partnering with sustainable organizations in Trinidad and Tobago this fall and travelling there in January.  

     

    We then will focus on local sustainability work in the spring and would love to connect the students with you all and the campus projects as we have in the past.  I’d love to find a time after Thanksgiving to chat with you about the details and to catch up.  I’ll be out of the office on Monday the 28th but have availability the rest of that week or the week after.  Let me know what might work for you.

     

    Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

     

    Gretchen

     

  5. Weekly Updates for the week of 11/7 and 11/14

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    [11.7.22] All, Last week we completed the bike donation event with Working Bikes. Thanks to some Bike Project volunteers we were able to pack their truck full of bikes in about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, they were unable to take all of the abandoned bikes as there are about 50 left. I’ll work with TBP to deal with the remaining junk bikes as well as the ~200 we’ll keep for refurbishment.

    Last Thursday we were donated another pull-behind trailer, upping our count to 3 of them now. I will discuss with TBP ideas to make better use of these, as they take up a lot of space and we have zero demand for them.

    This week we will reinstate the First Visit Free policy as the cooler weather sets in.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 47

    Sales: $508
    Bike (refurbished): 1 for $225
    Memberships: 1 for $30
    Tires/tubes: 12 for $61

    [11.14.22]

    All, I was out sick for a portion of the non-open hours, but we were still able to get a few bikes on the sales floor and strip some bikes. This week I’ll grab some more of the good bikes from the barn and we’ll get to fixing those. We reinstated First Visit Free and were able to help folks get rolling.

    I had an interview last Friday with a potential new hire and we’ll be having a staff meeting this week to get some of our new staff up to speed as well as provide a refresher for the returning staffers.

    Next week we will be closed for Thanksgiving break. We’ll reopen Monday, 11/28/22.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 45
    Sales: $434
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $100
    Memberships: 4 for $120
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $103

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. New iSEE Greener Campus Programs Certifications

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Event Program
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Certified Green Chapter Program

    Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Greener Campus Programs!

    Green Chapter: 

    Phi Delta Theta, Silver, Certified November 2022

     

    Green Office: 

    iSEE, Gold, Recertified October 2022

    F&S Capital Programs, Gold, Recertified November 2022

    International Student & Scholar Services, Gold, Recertified November 2022

     

    Green Event:

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement Illinois v. Eastern Illinois Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Office of the Chancellor for Special Events and Commencement Illinois vs. Kansas City Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Purdue Men's Football, Certified November 2022

    Keep up the great work!

  8. Resilience Team November Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team

    The Resilience iCAP Team had its November meeting on Wednesday, November 9th, from 11 - 12 PM. The team had presentations from three community representatives about the resilience issues at their cities (Savoy, Champaign, and Urbana). After the brief presentations, the team discussed possible solutions and how the university can help to solve the resilience issues presented. Meeting minutes and presentation slides are attached.  

    Attached Files: 

  9. Land & Water iCAP Meeting 11/7/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)
    Vet Med Parking Lot Re-Design
    Rainwater Management
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas

    On November 7th, the Land and Water iCAP team met to review the results of the Milkweed survey, make final edits to the Monarch Butterfly recommendation, and discuss new recommendations inspired by the Campus Landscape Master Plan.

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  10. Nov 10th Meeting Space + Logistics

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control

    Below is an email between Sarthak Prasad, Sterling Laylock, Morgan White, and Carl Tutt:

    Hi Sterling,

     

    Do you know where (which hotel) your guests would be staying for the November 10 all-day workshop? Also, how many people would you expect to attend and how many would require/like the shuttle option? Please let me know as soon as you can. Thank you,
    Sarthak

     

    Sarthak Prasad

    ------------------------

    Hi Sarthak,

     

    We are confirming the list of attendees and expect to have a count for you by mid-week. During that process we will verify if any attendees plan on arriving/departing by Amtrak.

     

    I'll be sure to update you asap!

     

    Thanks, Sterling

    -------------------------

    Hi Sarthak + Morgan

     

    As it turns out, there aren't any attendees opting in to arrive by Amtrak. So there does not appear to be a need for the shuttle. Unfortunate but true.

     

    So far, there is a very high-level of interest in this event among attendees. This recent segment that appeared earlier this week on NBC4 Los Angeles made a significant positive impact on everyone.

     

    How IGT2030 Creates Positive Impacts:

    Latest List of Attendees

    To date, we have 35+ confirmed attendees. There is a mix of subject matter experts and non-subject matter experts. They consist of HVAC professionals, engineers, architects, teachers, public officials (elected and non-elected), corporate energy-efficiency executives, industrial hygienists, state and county staff (IL EPA, Dept of Treasury, Cook County), climate investors, K-12 school officials, etc.

     

    Of course, Erik Malmstrom, CEO of SafeTraces will be attending and William P. Bahnfleth, Chair of ASHRAE Covid Epidemic Task Force will stream in via ZOOM to kickoff our Design-Thinking Session after lunch.

     

    On Campus Attendees

    Members for Paul Francisco's team at ICRT will be attending and sharing impactful human-centered health data. When you get an opportunity, please let me know who the potential on-campus attendees may be?

     

    It would be great if we could set up a call for this coming Monday as we continue to tie down any loose ends.

     

    I'd like to send the official invite on Tuesday, Nov 1st at the latest.

     

    Thanks, Sterling

    -------------------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I chatted with Sarthak now that he's gotten back home to India.

     

    We're hoping to get the exact location and address of our meeting space for next Thursday November 10th so we can send out the formal invitation.

     

    We have 35 plus attendees confirmed and need to get them proper logistics instructions.

     

    Please let us know as soon as you can. We look forward to seeing you on Tues/Wed Nov 8th/9th to see the space.

     

    If there's an actual floor plan we can see beforehand it would be greatly appreciated.

     

    Thank you, Sterling 

  11. Weekly Update: Reduced hours, Working Bikes this week

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    All, While my jury duty service was still in effect, we had reduced hours as needed last week but were able to open fully Wed – Fri. It was the first week of noticeably fewer folks through the doors. As such, we got a few bikes on the sales floor and a dozen or so moved over from storage.

    Tomorrow we will host Working Bikes for our donation event. This is the first one since Nov 2019. We’ll have around 200 bikes to donate and hopefully will have a few folks available to help out and make it go quicker. They’ll be providing pizza for us, too. This event will halve the number of bikes left in storage. The Bike Project and I will sort through the remaining bikes in the coming weeks.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $475.50
    Build-a-Bikes: 2 for $100
    Memberships: 4 for $120

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  13. CIF Geothermal Exchange Borefield Information Resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Below is an email from Andrew Stumpf regarding the CIF's Geothermal Exhange Borefield.

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J <astumpf at illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, October 24, 2022 9:39 AM
    Subject: Re: CEE190 Instructor meeting

     

    Hi Eric,

     

    Yes. The report is available on IDEALS https://hdl.handle.net/2142/111796, so publicly available. Correct, John has been doing further study on the CIF building. He has been working with me on the research… his PhD exam is next Monday, so pretty busy. I’ve only had a brief tour of the mechanicals when it was first built, so I can’t really comment about the system inside. Dr. Tugce Baser in CEE tbaser at illinois.edu I believe received a more detailed tour, so you might want to reach out to her. Here is some information about the mechanicals published for an ASHRAE award the building received.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

    Attached Files: 

  14. Agri-Voltic PPA

    Associated Project(s): 
    Agrivoltaics: Crop Production and Solar Panels on the Same Land

    Below is an email from Tony Spurlock:

    Ben,

     

    Attached is a summary of UIUC’s response to Legal Concerns with PEI entering into the PPA related to the Agri-voltaics project.

     

    Mike,

     

    We do not see any hard cost savings from having PEI do the PPA as opposed to University Purchasing, but we would expect PEI to be able to get it done more efficiently its greater flexibility and expertise in procuring energy commodities.  The timing for this project is critical to be able to do the research as planned.

     

    Regards,

     

    Tony

    Attached Files: 

  15. Weekly Update: Strong Towns, Bike Summit, potentially postponing Working Bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week was a busy one. We had Strong Towns talk on Tuesday and the Illinois Bike Summit on Wednesday. Got in some good networking, heard some interesting talks/discussions, and got buzzed by two MTD buses on my bike commute there and then one car on my ride back to the Bike Center. Oh, the irony.

    The cooler weather has curtailed our visitors, but we’ve had a few volunteers, too—always nice.

    Grabbed some bikes from the warehouse last week and will continue to do so as I can this week. I have jury duty potentially all this week and next week, which majorly mucks up my plans for setting up with Working Bikes since I can’t plan past day-to-day. Likely will have to bump that to early November unless circumstances change.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 42
    Sales: $266
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $20

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  16. Campus Sustainability Celebration - 10/17/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    The 2022 Campus Sustainability Celebration was a huge success! Thank you to all who participated! The PowerPoint presentation is attached, and the agenda for the event was as follows:

    • 3-3:15 PM – Welcome
      • Jennifer Fraterrigo, on behalf of Director Madhu Khanna (iSEE)
      • Chancellor Jones
      • Vice Chancellor Susan Martinis (OVCRI)
    • 3:15 – 3:30 PM – Holistic initiatives
      • Plastic reduction (Jen)
      • Clean energy/Solar Farm 3 (Morgan)
      • Greener Campus Program (Meredith)
    • 3:30 – 4:40 PM – iCAP Team presentations
      • Energy
      • Transportation
      • Land and Water
      • Zero Waste
      • Education
      • Engagement
      • Resilience
    • 4:40 – 5 PM – Student groups (SSLC, SSC) – Jack Reicherts and Maiah Caise
      • Closing remarks by Jennifer Fraterrigo (on behalf of Madhu Khanna)
    • 5 – 6 PM – Celebration - refreshments, roundtable forum with each iCAP Team, student tabling session  
    Attached Files: 

  17. Campus Sustainability Month Activities - Oct 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Campus Sustainability Month - Waste Reduction Challenge
    Clean up campus
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)

    One of our favorite times of the year is almost here… Campus Sustainability Month! Below is a highlight of major events and programs happening this October, though check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for the full list. This is the perfect time to take action and show your support for environmental consciousness (and the Illinois Climate Action Plan!). I look forward to seeing you across campus!

     

    • Plastic Reduction Challenge: Are you up to the challenge? From October 3–30, we provide the resources and point system to help you track your plastic use each week and find sustainable alternatives. The point system and fillable grid are attached, and additional information will be sent out prior to the start of the challenge. Take part with this fun and interactive community, and earn the chance to win a sustainability prize pack. It is easy to make a positive impact! Sign up here for the challenge.
       
    • Clothing Swap: This is the perfect opportunity to donate your clothing items and update your wardrobe! Join iSEE, SECS, and SSLC for this reduce/reuse event at the Channing Murray Foundation on Tuesday, October 11. Drop off clothes at Channing Murray the day before, or during the event itself from 10AM – 3PM.  All are welcome to drop off and/or participate (it’s free!).
       
    • Green Quad Day: Come check out the variety of student, staff, faculty, and community-led environmental groups on Thursday, October 13 from 11AM – 3PM at the Anniversary Plaza (cement area between the Quad and Union). This is a great opportunity to talk with and learn about the many sustainability efforts on campus. The rain date is October 17. If you are interested in representing your organization at a table, sign up here.
       
    • Water Taste Test: It’s 2022 – why are we still drinking from plastic bottles? Let’s put our tap water to the test and see, blindly, which water we prefer. Check out the iSEE table at Green Quad Day (above) and see if you can taste a difference between bottled water and tap! In the meantime, take our drinking water behavior survey (and win a chance for a $50 gift card).
       
    • Illini Lights Out: Join us to shut off lights in buildings around campus to save energy and reduce the environmental impact of our massive university! Meet at 5:30PM in the lobby of the Foreign Language Building on Friday, October 14 to receive brief instructions before heading out to turn off lights in assigned buildings. Come back to FLB (roughly 6:30) when you are done to turn in your clipboard, get a snack, and pat yourself on the back for helping to save so much energy! Register here, and come by yourself or bring a friend!
       
    • Campus Sustainability Celebration: All are welcome to attend this annual event on Monday, October 17 from 3-6PM at NCSA (auditorium and lobby), 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. The first two hours will be spent in the Auditorium, where we will hear from campus sustainability leaders and from the iCAP Teams. Following the presentations (5-6 PM), each iCAP Team will have a table in the lobby/atrium area for roundtable discussion, suggestions, and a Q&A. Student environmental groups will have tables set up and together, we will enjoy conversation, light refreshments, and cake!
       
    • Trash Cleanup: Help keep our campus beautiful! On Wednesday, October 19, meet at Alma Mater at 4PM and join us to collect trash and recycling around campus until 5:30PM.
       
    • TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series: Tune in to this edition of iSEE’s ongoing Zoom series on Wednesday, October 26 from 7 – 8PM. Our host this month is Lucy Nifong, a senior in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, iSEE Communications Intern, and Vice Chair Internal of the Student Sustainability Committee. Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk, followed by a guided discussion and roundtable on Campus Sustainability Month! Sign up here.
       
    • Sustainability BINGO: Fill out the iSEE board (attached) for a chance to win prizes! The board (PDF) includes sustainability-related activities and initiatives you can do across campus during Sustainability Month (Oct. 1-31). Make sure you document and let us know which actions you completed using the Google Form to be eligible for the prize drawing.
       
    • Have you gotten your office, event, or Greek chapter certified as Green yet? It’s easy to be sustainable! Get certified and be recognized!

  19. Information on moving bees around for commercial agriculture

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA

    Information about how commercial bee keeping functions and its impact to overall bee populations was inquired about by Brent Lewis, Landscape Architect. Below is the response from Adam Donzel, an Assistant Professor in Entomology. 

    'Hi Brent,

     

    Yeah, there is work on that.  Here are links to couple studies about it:

     

    https://www.nature.com/articles/srep32023

    https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/22/1/17/6523145

     

    Basically, yes, there are some stresses involved with migratory beekeeping but sedentary colonies can also have similar issues. In some scenarios, migratory colonies could be healthier as they are moved to areas with good nutritional resources all the time, while those left in place have to deal with times of low food availability. In reality, though, migratory colonies do undergo a lot of stress as they are used to pollinate crops and a lot goes into that - the stress of confinement, heat, exposure to agrochemicals, etc. From a beekeeping perspective, this is calculated into the fees charged for pollination (to some extent at least). Right now, beekeepers charge about $200/hive to pollinate almonds for example (the most lucrative pollination event). Big beekeepers manage 20,000-50,000 hives!  "Small" commercial beekeepers usually have 2-5000.

     

    Migratory beekeeping uses about 85% of the managed colonies in the USA (incredible!). One big issue with this is that, if a new pest or pathogen is introduced, it will be spread throughout the country very fast. And in big pollination events, like almonds, hives are concentrated at very high densities, which does present a lot of opportunities for spreading diseases. They do mitigate this to some extent, however, as there are health checks required to move bees across state lines, and almond growers usually require checks of colonies to make sure they are healthy.

     

    Hope this helps - always happy to answer questions when I can!"

     

     

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