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  1. Join the Student Sustainability Committee

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

    Student members are appointed by the Illinois Student Government each spring for the following academic year. Student members serve a one-year term. To apply, please complete an application at https://studentaffairs.illinois.edu/collaborations/campus-committees-and-boards.

    The Student Sustainability Committee is a group of 12 students dedicated to improving sustainability at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. With the help of 10 faculty and staff that serve as member-advisors, the committee meets to review and vote on what projects receive funding and check in on those projects that have already received funding. Using two student fees, the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee and the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee, SSC reviews submitted projects and distributes funding to projects that is deemed most beneficial to the University of Illinois. Both of these student fees bring in over $1.1 million annually, which is one of the largest sustainability fund of its kind in the United States.

  3. Final project reports for Fall 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    CEE Project Based Learning (PBL)
    Sustainability Minor
    Independent Student Projects
    Energy Dashboard Project
    Develop Local Foods Network
    Biomass use on Campus
    Smart Grid for Campus
    Retrocommissioning (RCx)
    Rain Gardens on Campus
    Solar Power on Campus
    Green Roofs on Campus
    Methane Capture on Campus
    Reduce Foodwaste

    The CEE 398 Project Based Learning and the Sustainability Minor's ENVS 492 Capstone students completed their nine fall 2017 reports.

    There were five projects completed for capstone partners:

    1. Energy Dashboards for Accenture
    2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Johnson Controls
    3. Food Hub Study for The Land Connection
    4. Sensors and Green Buildings for CERL
    5. Biomass Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for Chip Energy

    There were four other projects completed by CEE students:

    1. Rain Garden Design
    2. Solar and Green Roofs Analysis
    3. Food Waste to Energy
    4. ADA Sidewalk Repair Cost Analysis
    Attached Files: 

  4. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Inventory Sustainability Courses

    Assess existing courses to identify which courses meet specific requirements in the learning outcomes, and identify gaps for future curriculum development

    Course listings for undergraduate and graduate levels were examined to develop an inclusive list of courses related to sustainability.  An online survey of department heads was conducted in Fall 2010 which served to verify the list developed, sought feedback on perceived gaps and desired future offerings, and gained insight about the degree to which the learning outcomes are being addressed (58 departments responded out of 165). The inventory is designed to help students identify courses by several categories, including whether a course fulfills a general education requirement and whether the course is undergraduate and graduate level.  The inventory revealed more than 250 courses and can be found on the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment website. 

    The inventory conducted at the time did not distinguish between sustainability related and focused courses.  Sustainability related covers only one aspect of sustainability, i.e., economic, social, or environmental, whereas focused covers all three.

  5. PWR efforts - update from February 2018

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    Morgan White send an email to the PWR SWATeam on February 4, 2018 saying,

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

    Hello PWR SWATeam,

    I am sorry I will not be able to attend the meeting on Monday.  Here is a quick update on various efforts underway.

    1.    Leah Berti is starting to present the “Use the Bin” speech for various groups at F&S.  She is also helping us get an online tour request form for the Waste Transfer Station and then she will help actually give the tours this spring.
    2.    Becky Jonas is going to meet with the facilities contact, Tim Prunkard, for the Hydro building and the Newmark Civil Engineering Building.  She will be mapping recycling and waste bins in the building.  She is also creating an updated online survey for the building occupants that she will give them before making changes to the bin locations.  Then Tim, Becky, and I will meet with the BSW supervisor for those facilities, Ramona Burns, and discuss changes we want to make.  
    3.    Linhan Yang is working with Lance Schideman and several other interested people to form a broad solution for keeping food waste out of landfills.
    4.    The SSC is working on getting a visit to the Danville landfill (which is where we send most of our trash) this spring.
    5.    Marya and Anna are creating an online glove recycling sign-up form and a flyer explaining how the glove recycling storage container works.
    6.    Pete Varney and Shaun Patterson have updated the lights and heating at the Waste Transfer Station.  This makes it easier for the workers to pull recycling from the sort line – but remember the first step is for our students, employees, and visitors to use the recycling bins in the first place.  They also will help us with getting more of the new labels.
    7.    Ryan Welch, superintendent of grounds, is reviewing the map of dual bin locations for North of Green Street.  I got pricing info from the first installation of the new-style bin, and it was close to $3,000.  That would be about $165K for north of green new bins, and we need to account for removing the old bins as well.  And that’s just part of campus, so the price of this effort will be significant.  I believe it will be well worth it, if campus can find the funds.
    8.    The feasibility study for the new baler has made it through the approval process and will be starting in February.

    Thanks,
    Morgan
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  6. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Here’s what I have from this past week for zero-waste coordination activities: 

    • Drafted a glove recycling participant form and forwarded it to Morgan and Anna for comment
    • Drafted a glove recycling informational flyer and forwarded it to Morgan and Anna for comment, for information on permissions for using Google satellite images, and for information on F&S/UIUC templates to use for the final format
    • Updated the iCAP Portal map of glove recycling locations to include Krannert Art Museum; posted a project update on the site to document the addition
    • Continued communication with Rebecca Seymour at the campus Starbuck’s
    • Sent Morgan notes from my Jan. 24 call with Carly Rizor at UIC about their experience with Big Belly trash/recycling bins 
    • I replied to a request for a meeting with a student organization (Business in Environmental Responsibility) that would like to help with the glove recycling program. I told them I can have a phone call with them during the week or meet in person over the weekend. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  10. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Virtual Storeroom for Carbon Offsets

    The 2015 iCAP chapter 8, objective 2 is, "By the end of FY17, develop an administrative mechanism to enable campus units to voluntarily purchase carbon offsets." During FY17, iSEE is executing a campuswide purchase of offsets. A starting inventory of carbon offsets will be put into a Virtual Storeroom, for internal purchases by campus units.  Through this website, units can directly engage in emission reductions, with the benefit of the initial bulk purchase.

    The Carbon Credit sales funding has been approved by Director of iSEE Evan DeLucia and Interim Executive Director of F&S Helen Coleman for buying 10,000 additional carbon offsets, to provide the initial inventory for a new Virtual Storeroom for carbon offsets.

    Background

    If your department is interested in reducing your carbon footprint from air travel (or other things), you can go online to the Virtual Storeroom and purchase (using a CFOP) offsets from iSEE.  iSEE will collect the funds from these sales to replenish the Carbon Offset storeroom inventory when it gets low.

    Some campus units (or individual faculty or staff) may wish to voluntarily offset their carbon emissions, for example, from air travel to scholarly meetings. iSEE could work with the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) to develop an administrative mechanism that would allow such units to “buy in” to periodic campuswide purchases of verified offsets.

    By the end of FY 17, iSEE helps develop the virtual storeroom which stocks the carbon offsets instead of tangible goods. The carbon offsets will be stored in a virtual storeroom, where units can buy offsets to reduce their carbon emissions for any reason. For example, you can buy them to reduce the carbon emissions of steam, electricity, even university cars, and air travel, which is the main carbon emission source that needs offsets rather than reduction, according to the iCAP. The money what we spend in the virtual storeroom will be collected in a fund that will be used for the purchase of more carbon offsets, when the inventory is low.

  13. Team Meetings

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA

    The Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall Sustainability Living Learning Community Intern, Rachel Daughtridge, called a team meeting with various stakeholders to discuss the process for becoming an official Bee Campus USA.

  14. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was pleasantly busy. Visitor numbers were at 55 for the week. A few warm days in there certainly helped.

    This past week I went to the warehouse and picked up bikes and in preparation for that consolidated the bikes we have at Campus. I picked up about 10 from the warehouse. Almost all are really durable, dependable 90s mountain bikes that make really great commuters. A few of them even already had fenders installed.

    The organization and shelving situation is coming along. I hope to have that completed this week. I had volunteers sort and dissemble bad wheels, which should help free up some space so random wheels aren’t floating around as much here.

    We currently have 19 bikes for sale, if anyone asks. But we did sell one last week (yay!).

    Numbers:

    Sales: $734.90
    Memberships: 4 for $155 (3 reg; 1 family)
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $155
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $138

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  15. Update: January 30, 2018

    Morgan White, Anna Barnes, Paul Foote, Brad Klein, Brent Lewis, Sarthak Patel, Lily Wilcock, and Andy Robinson previewed Leah Berti's revised Use the Bin presentation. It was established that the phrase "Use the Bin" needed to be used more frequently throughout the presentation and that pauses are preferable to "filler words." Exact figures detailing the university's waste reduction progress have been found and will be included in the final presentation. 

  16. IWG Meeting Minutes November 30, 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    PPA for National Petascale Computing Facility
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Incorporate Sustainability Principles into Campus Master Plan
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Food Waste Reduction
    Green Lab Program
    Attached Files: 

  17. continuing work

    Associated Project(s): 
    Native Plants at Arboretum

    Red Bison currently works in this area about twice a month when weather permits. A small amount of honeysuckle remains from the beginning of restoration, and herbicide is applied to stumps after cutting. Nearby, along Lincoln Avenue, much of the persimmon has been removed.

  18. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

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

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Morgan and I spent a chunk of time together this afternoon so she could catch me up on our latest efforts with the baler feasibility study, styrofoam recycling, glass recycling, and glove recycling. Activity from the past week is as follows: 

    • Morgan showed me some web tool resources that will enable me to finish out the glove recycling section of the iCAP portal.
    • I reached out to the Sustainable Student Farm and another local farmer to see if they can use the coffee grounds that the campus Starbuck’s is making available. Morgan and I speculated on whether some of the other coffee shop vendors might be interested in a similar setup. If we have some success with Starbuck’s I will follow up with Illini Union Vending. 
    • I talked to Carly Rizor at UIC about their experience with the Big Belly bins—and the costs. I shared information verbally with Morgan today. She had a few more questions for me to follow up on, so I will write up notes once I get the additional information. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  20. ECBS SWATeam Meeting Minutes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam

    On December 14, the ECBS SWATeam discussed the semester's final tally results of the Illini Lights Out program. In total, over 20,000 light bulbs were turned off. The team also discussed updates from the recent iCAP working group meeting. The funding from SSC has been secured for the Freezer Challenge. The Green Labs Coordinator position recommendation has been drafted and reviewed by the team. Suggestions were also provided to Yun for his graduate course on campus buildings. 

    Attached Files: 

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