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Projects Updates for place: National Soybean Research Center

  1. Funding Letter - Bike Maintenance Instructor

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    Since 2010, The Bike Project has been collaborating with the University of Illinois to provide an educational space on campus. Bicycle education taught through that space encourages the campus community to ride bicycles for transportation because the bicycles sold and worked on at the Campus Bike Center are reliable and safe. While some people are willing to volunteer to teach advanced level bicycle repair classes at the Bike Center, few are willing to teach very basic entry-level classes addressing such issues as adjusting brakes, lubricating chains, and fixing flat tires. This project funds two semesters of stipend for an instructor to teach classes at the Bike Center covering these topics. Combined class capacity over the two semesters would exceed 200 new cyclists. This proposal directly funds: 1) Two semesters of labor for a beginner-level bicycle class.

    Attached Files: 

  2. ECBS SWATeam meeting minutes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illini Lights Out
    Building-Level Energy Usage Report
    Green Lab Program
    Eco-Olympics
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam

    On the agenda at the ECBS SWATeam meeting:

    1) Status of our recommendations to iWG;

    2) Review of Illini Lights Out over the past year;

    3) Any final thoughts, recommendations for Eco-Olympics;

    4) Progress on building energy standards;

    5) Updates on the revolving loan fund (RLF) projects;

    6) Turning off computers.  Change in policy, at least at F&S.  Implications for Certified Green Office Program? 

    7) Building level energy consumption report summary;

    8) Good-byes and thanks to departing members.

    Attached Files: 

  3. program update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Styrecycle: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling program

    STYRECYCLE: During the spring 2017 semester, student volunteers collected more than 500 pounds of expanded polystyrene for recycling — bringing their total collected to nearly 900 pounds. In addition, this program is saying goodbye to a founding member and longtime leader. Thank you to Marco Tijoe for your two years of steering the ship!

  5. Sustainability staff discussed the outreach programs on the portal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Earth Week
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)

    Morgan Johnston, Catherine Yee, and Chenxi Jiang met today to discuss the outreach information listed on the iCAP Portal.  Catherine described the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) and the Certified Green Office Program (CGOP).  We also discussed the Earth Week efforts and the overall purpose of the SSLC as a networking opportunity for students in sustainability groups.

  7. Applications open for Sustainability Minor

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Minor

    Minor in Sustainability: Encourage undergrads to apply

    The Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Fellows Program (SEE FP) is an academic minor open to all undergraduates and a great opportunity to learn to navigate the web of consequences, trade-offs, feedbacks and barriers behind environmental challenges. Students also will develop teamwork skills, broad perspective and networking ability. Info session: 4:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, NSRC Room 240.

    Tony Mancuso . Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

  8. Campus invited to participate in Certified Green Office Program 3.0

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    iSEE has launched the latest edition of the Certified Green Office Program, an initiative to help implement sustainable practices into the campus workplace. Your actions can reduce your office's environmental footprint, and help the campus save money and meet Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) objectives. The newest program offers more elective actions - and certification in just five easy steps.

    Tony Mancuso . Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

  9. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    You have the power to help reduce the environmental impact of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) is proud to present the Certified Green Office Program, its first initiative to engage the University community in a campus-wide commitment to sustainability.

    We invite you and your office to make a pledge to reduce your use of resources and improve overall sustainability in the day-to-day practices of your office. Small actions make a big difference when many take those small actions. With your help, we can reduce the environmental impacts of this campus and strengthen its position as a national leader in sustainability.

    What does it mean to be a Certified Green Office?

    For the purposes of this program, any group – not just those labeled “office” – that occupies space in a campus building or is affiliated with the University may enroll to become a Certified Green Office. Some examples of those who may apply: administrative offices within departments; teams of researchers and graduate students; institutes; entire departments; or colleges.

    Offices can enroll in the Certified Green Office Program and begin taking action to reduce their environmental footprints. During Earth Week in April 2015, iSEE will hold an awards ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of our outstanding Certified Green Offices. These offices will also receive special attention on the iSEE website and social media outlets.

    Becoming an iSEE Certified Green Office requires only five basic commitments:

    • Appoint a team member to be your Sustainability Ambassador. This person will act as a liaison with the iSEE program team – and will lead implementation of the Certified Green Office Program for your group, track your progress toward program goals, and promote sustainable awareness throughout the office.

    • Adopt an office policy to request the use of the University of Illinois Car Pool office’s Sustainable Options and or smallest vehicle/s when office employees make car reservations for travel.

    • Adopt an office policy requiring a minimum of 30% recycled-content and FSC certified printer paper.

    • Identify, label and communicate the location of recycling stations (paper, bottles and cans) around the office/building and if needed request new bins by contacting Facilities & Services. Also, label bins with a printout of the acceptable materials list to ensure all recyclables make it into the appropriate containers.

    • Adopt an office policy of turning off/unplugging all unnecessary equipment – lights, computers, printers, etc. – when not in use.

    For more on enrollment, click here.

    If you have any further questions, please contact Nishant Makhijani, iSEE's Sustainability Engagement Specialist.

  10. ECBS SWATeam meeting minutes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Lab Program
    Illini Lights Out
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Eco-Olympics

    On the agenda at the ECBS SWATeam meeting:

    1) Associate Director for Campus Sustainability at iSEE replacement;

    2) Status of recommendation for Green Lab Coordinator;

    3) Discussion: How the SWATeam recommendation process working for us;

    4) FYI: Discussions are ongoing on campus about higher expectations for building standards;

    5) Illini Light Out” will transition to iSEE and dates for the rest of the year;

    6) Certified Green Office Program. How ECBS SWATeam can promote this;

    7) Status updates: 2017 Freezer Challenge and Eco-Olympics Planning.

     

    Attached Files: 

  11. Freezer Challenge launching January 15, 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Green Lab Program
    Freezer Challenge

    U of I Campus Labs Encouraged to Join Freezer Challenge

    Members of iSEE’s Energy Conservation & Building Standards Sustainability Working Advisory Team (ECBS SWATeam) invites U. of I. labs of all shapes and sizes laboratories on campus to register for the North American Laboratory Freezer Challenge, which uses friendly competition to optimize sustainability of freezer management in laboratories.

    Any type of laboratory is eligible to participate by working at its own pace to implement optimal cold storage management practices that save energy. Participating labs from the Illinois campus will receive special recognition from iSEE at the annual Sustainability Week Celebration and find themselves one step ahead toward Green Lab certification, a proposed program being discussed on campus and at iSEE. The competition has updated the awards to include individual lab awards, including a picture in Nature!

    Register by Jan. 15. More details can be found at the competition website >>>

     

  12. Final Report by Logan Ebling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Departmental Bike Sharing
    Sustainability Minor

    Logan’s final paper. Pretty fun.

     

    Highlights:

    • “[Bicycle fleets] promotes positive social interactions.”
    • “..I think most of these worries go away [about bike fleets]… one issue that  I saw coming up almost every time a discussion …was money. While totally understandable, it is also frustrating that there is a lack of desire to spend even a low amount of money to purchase one bicycle for employee use.”
    • “…If they [departments] truly don’t have the money to spend, then perhaps the University as a whole should be assigning a sustainability budget specifically to each department that they can spend at their discretion in the name of sustainability.”
    • “Bicycling on campus is the fastest mode of transportation; however, that would not be the case if the bikes are not located conveniently right outside your door or at least at a building next door. For bike sharing dock-style to match the convenience of a dedicated bicycle at the department’s building, the docks would have to be ubiquitous across campus, quite literally outside every building. Financially and logistically, I don’t think that is possible. To me, departmental bicycle fleets would be entirely more convenient for staff needing to get around campus quickly and efficiently.”

     

    And, lastly, “In my opinion, the benefits are so numerous [for bike fleets] that the University should be aggressively funding and initiating bicycle fleets on campus.”

    ~per Lily Wilcock

    Attached Files: 

  15. archived info - previous project intro

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Minor

    A key piece of the Institute’s mission is to prepare the next generation of leaders in sustainability. To that end, its first education initiative is the development of a campuswide undergraduate minor in sustainability.

    This minor, named the Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (SEE) Fellows Program, will promote systems-level thinking about issues of sustainability. Students will develop an integrative understanding of sustainability and understand the trade-offs, barriers, and implications for sustainable decision making. The minor will replace the existing Environmental Fellows Program and provide a broader opportunity for interdisciplinary education, internships, and capstone research projects in the area of sustainability.

  16. ECBS SWATeam meeting minutes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Green Lab Program
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (2015 iCAP) [ARCHIVED]

    At the ECBS SWATeam initial meeting Marian Huhman was elected as a new chair. Recruting more proposals for education of other students about energy conservation was discussed.  The "Illini Lights Out" Program pilot last semester was very successful and should be a year-long program. Engaging the whole campus for the "Green Labs" Program is needed. More funding for energy conservation was discussed. The completion of 2015 iCAP tasks poster templete is expected by September 23.

    Attached Files: 

  18. 2016 Game Day Recycling Challenge Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    RecycleMania
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Implemented in October 2014 at the Homecoming football game, the Game Day Recycling Challenge at UIUC brought together hundreds of volunteers from all over the Urbana-Champaign community to assist the thousands of spectators at the game in reducing waste – from the money spent sending materials to landfill to the volume of materials that impact our water, air, and soil. This event was part of a national competition divided up by conference and division, and at the end of the day a waste diversion rate of 60% was achieved.

    After a hiatus in 2015, the Game Day Recycling Challenge hopes to return to even greater success. In addition to reducing the waste products from a single football game, this project will work to change fans’ habits and permanently alter the waste stream of Division of Intercollegiate Athletics events from landfilling all waste to a more sustainable multi-stream system

    Attached Files: 

  19. Circular Economy Fall 2015 Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Student Farm
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The Sustainable Student Farm (SSF), has been growing sustainably produced vegetables for the U of I campus community since 2009. Since 2012, Fresh Press (FP) has been producing paper from agricultural waste like soybean stalks and prairie grass, including much of the waste from SSF.

    This project deepens the connection between SSF and Fresh Press while expanding their offerings to the community. In addition to expanding the current paper production, this project will also allow for the creation of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at the Sustainable Student Farm, increasing the farm’s ability to sustain itself financially. Through employing students while selling their products to the campus and the community, this proposal ultimately truly creates a circular and sustainable economy on campus while furthering campus sustainability goals.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Arboretum Site Clearing and Native Plantings (2016) Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Native Plants at Arboretum
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The former forest research area south of the main Arboretum grounds (near Lincoln Avenue and Windsor Road) has been neglected for over 20 years and has largely been overtaken by invasive plantings that have forced out the native flowering forbs and bushes that normally occur in healthy woodlands – leaving instead honeysuckle, which is unpalatable to almost all native insects and mammals.

    This project clears out the invasive species and begins the replanting efforts to restore native species to the area. Not only does this improve biodiversity around campus, but it also serves as an important educational opportunity for current students to witness the restoration process firsthand.

    Attached Files: 

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