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  5. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) purchased for FY15

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Power
    • PEI bought 20,000,000 kwh for FY15. 
    • They are MISO Wind RECs. 
    • Without Petascale, this represents 5.28% of projected electricity demand. 
    • Including Petascale, this represents 4.25% of projected electricity demand.  
    • A half year of the solar farm would bring this up to 5%.
    • The REC cost was $ 1.25 / MWH for a total of $27,000.

  6. Land SSC Working Group

    Hi all,

    My name is Michael LaPelusa and I am the Land Chair of the Student Sustainability Committee.  If you are still interested in attending working group committees, fill out the doodle poll below.  They will start the week after next and be very informal.

    http://doodle.com/23pv92kn9ptkxstf

    Best regards,

    Michael LaPelusa

  7. USGBC Student Chapter Newsletter

    Associated Project(s): 
    USGBC Student Chapter

     

     
     

    USGBC HEADER *To view newsletter properly, please enable images.
     
     

    USGBC Students UIUC Newsletter
    for the week of September 14th - 20th

    Click here to like USGBC Students UIUC on Facebook!
    Click here to follow us on Twitter!
     

     

    A Look Inside This Week's Newsletter:

    • Green Apple Day Of Service
    • ECE Building Tour
    • Join Our Projects Committee!
    • LEED Study Sessions Fall 2014
    • Membership
    • Opportunities with Illinois Solar Decathlon
     

     

    Green Apple Day of Service

    1276696_587744154615420_250660579_o.102342.jpg
     

    For this year's Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS), we will be working with Stratton Elementary School to implement a sustainable project at their school. GADOS is a national event put on by USGBC to educate and serve the communities in a sustainable way.

    We will be going to Stratton on the afternoon of September 26. 
    SIGN UP HERE.

    Email AJ Unander at aunande2@illinois.edu with related questions!
     

     

    ECE Building Tour

    Sign up here to join us for a tour of the new ECE building on September 19th at 3 pm!
     

     

    Join Our Projects Committee!

    Are you interested in getting hands-on experience with green projects? Join the Projects Committee! Projects include planning the Second Annual Student Sustainability Initiatives Symposium, handling Campus Conservation Nationals, Lego LEED, and much more!

    Weekly Projects Committee meetings will be on Wednesdays at 4PM in Engineering Hall 112. All are welcome! Come by to learn more about the projects we're working on this year and to get started on a great semester!
     

     

    LEED Study Sessions, Fall 2014

    LEED.102857.png
     

    USGBC will be hosting a series of 9 study sessions this fall to prepare students to take the LEED Green Associate Exam. Sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm in Room 1311 Newmark, beginning on September 24th. A one-time fee of $25 for USGBC members and $35 for non-members will cover all classes and will grant access to study slides filled with details about the exam, the LEED rating system, how USGBC works, and many, many practice exam questions.

    If you are interested, please fill out your information here. 

    Please contact LEED Coordinator Dan Malsom at malsom1@illinois.edu with any questions. 
     

     

    Membership

    USGBC Students membership is $10 for the semester and $15 for the year. Only members can attend Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, run for Executive Board positions, apply for Intern and Chair Positions, and participate in non-meeting activities that require funding. Members also receive a $10 discount for LEED Study Sessions!

    As a new additional benefit, becoming a member will give you access to the official US Green Building Council internal "Facebook": National Field. This is an invaluable resource that will allow you to network with USGBC staff in Washington D.C., all state and regional chapters, and USGBC members across the nation.

    Contact Eva Zhao at bzhao11@illinois.edu to become a member!
     

     

    Opportunities with Illinois Solar Decathlon

    Illinois Solar Decathlon (ISD) is currently in need of a secretary and a sponsorship chair! Along with those positions, a Projects Team is being established to tackle two potential projects in preparation for Solar Decathlon 2017. The first of these projects is a potential 1000 sq. ft. net-zero renovation of an existing cottage at Allerton Park. The second is the Department of Energy Race to Zero design competition. In preparing a core team for Solar Decathlon 2017, ISD needs a combination of experienced students and young students.

    Applications close on the night of Wednesday, September 24th.
    Access applications by clicking the corresponding links below!

    Secretary Application
    Sponsorship Chair Application
    Projects Team Application
     
    		 
     
             
     

    U.S. Green Building Council Students
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    usgbcstudents.uiuc@gmail.com

    Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe

    		      
             
     
     

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  9. water savings and costs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Here is an example of unit costs for various replacements at the University of Connecticut late 2007. The estimates were by a plumbing firm. Says costs = material +labor

    Domestic Fixture Retrofits (ResLife)

    Measure

    Unit Cost

    Counts

    Total Cost

    Water Saved Per Unit (gal)

    3.5 Commercial Toilet Replacement

    $515.00

    1,026

    $528,390

    16,317,926

    1.6 Commercial Valve Retrofit

    $175.00

    337

    $58,975

    1,081,656

    1.0 Pressure Tank Toilet Upgrade

    $150.00

    251

    $37,650

    989,442

    Gravity Toilet Tank Upgrade

    $75.00

    528

    $39,600

    1,510,885

    Urinal Valve Retrofit

    $175.00

    133

    $23,275

    232,477

    Faucet Flow Control

    $14.00

    2,669

    $37,366

    4,157,618

    Showerhead Upgrade

    $20.00

    2,150

    $43,000

    7,884,000

    Showerhead Retrofit

    $50.00

    54

    $2,700

    5,835,474

     

     

  11. SITES system

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Dear Keith and Water Team:

    Here is a link to Sustainable Sites Initiative, now called SITES rating system. SITES has a long history, but the short story is that this is a robust and leading tool for advancing landscape performance. It not only a tool but also a certification program. It is/will be adopted by USGBC to inform the sites credits for LEED. In many ways, it was a response to LEED really not getting at the potential for site systems themselves. It could be added to iCAP's recommendations for renovations and new construction. 

    Just as with LEED, it went through some growing pains, particularly challenging was documenting pre-design conditions to demonstrate performance and sustainability improvement. After multiple years of pilot projects and testing, version 2 has just been released. It can be used with or without a building or other structure within the site, making it a great tool for our campus. 

    A colleague of mine at Conservation Design Forum in Elmhurst, IL has been a key participant in its development, and he would be a fantastic additional to our external consultant group. 

    http://www.sustainablesites.org

    Thanks, see you tomorrow,

    Mary Pat

     

    Mary Pat Mattson, RLA, ASLA

    Assistant Professor : Department of Landscape Architecture

    College of Fine and Applied Arts : UIUC

    611 Taft Drive, Champaign IL 61820

  12. F&S response to iWG assessment

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

    This letter is in response to the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) Working Group (iWG) recommendation #EG001, which Facilities & Services (F&S) received on August 28.  F&S agrees that the campus should investigate the feasibility of entering into a Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to increase the use of renewable energy for campus. 

    Regarding the EG001 general statements about campus energy use, data points, and assessments of anticipated financial impacts, F&S will need more time to compile a useful response.  Regarding the three specific EG001 recommendations, I have consulted with Al Stratman, Kent Reifsteck, and Mike Larson to provide the responses below. 

    1. Recommendation: “The campus should undertake a Power Purchase Agreement for wind energy. Based on currently available information, we recommend that the amount be at least 119 million kWh per year (25% of our total electrical usage), but we should aim to purchase as much as we possibly can, given any technical, financial, and contractual constraints.”

    From this recommendation, we understand that the iWG recommends entering into a Wind PPA for at least 25% of the FY15 electrical demand.  However, the campus cannot make an informed decision about whether or not to undertake a PPA until the financial impact is fully understood.  A key component of the financial impact is the fully burdened cost of the purchased wind power, which will not be known until after the successful completion of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.  Therefore, F&S does support pursuing a PPA so the feasibility can be evaluated, but we do not support making a final decision to undertake a PPA until completely evaluating the financial implications.

    1. Recommendation: “The effort to secure a PPA should be pursued as quickly as possible. The campus should inform PEI that this is a top priority, and that the review of RFI submittals and the issuance of the RFP should be expedited by all necessary means.”

    During this summer, F&S worked with PEI to define a schedule for issuing a Request for Information (RFI) and a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP).  This schedule shows a completion date of April 2015, so that the PPA could commence with delivery of power on July 1, 2015, at the start of FY16.  We have informed PEI that this is a top priority, along with safety and reliability of the overall campus energy system.

    1. Recommendation: “The iCAP Working Group should be kept informed and advised during the process of pursuing the RFI, RFP, and PPA, and given the opportunity to provide recommendations before key decisions are made about the PPA, to ensure that technical and financial considerations are appropriately balanced with our campus sustainability objectives.”

    F&S values the advice and input from sustainability advocates on campus.  Therefore, we suggest developing a set of interim checkpoints for keeping the iWG informed as the process unfolds.

    To meet our Climate Commitment and achieve carbon neutrality, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.  I look forward to working with the iWG and the SWATeams as this recommendation is pursued.

    Sincerely,

    Morgan B. Johnston

    Associate Director of Sustainability, F&S

  13. Water SWATeam using Google Drive

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Hello SWAT Water,

    It was nice to meet all of you this morning, I am excited to be part of this group! We have a lot of great ideas already that I am excited to see implemented. I have created a google drive folder which I will be placing all of our minutes and documents in. I have shared it with everyone, so please inform me if you haven't received the folder in your drive account (it should be labeled "SWAT Water Minutes and Documents").

    In the folder, I have uploaded our minutes from this morning and also included any supplemental documentation that we have received thus far for your convenience, including the charge letter and various templates that were emailed from Ben. I also uploaded the power point that I brought up during the meeting. I produced this power point last year when I was contracted by West Point to do some research on Low Impact Development implemented on campuses east of the Mississippi. Hopefully this can be an asset to flip through to see some things other campuses are doing in the east and midwest to reduce their impact on water supply and quality along with links to find more information on the individual projects.

    I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will see you all next Wednesday at noon!

    Cheers,

    Danielle Thayer

     

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1Drb3ANboRvUUtQSVRpM1ZXUVk

  14. video about Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Fellow waste warriors,

    UO does cool things when it comes to the material management system. They did one of the first campus waste audits back in the early 90s and have since grown into a power house in recycling and materials management. They have a new training video. Its 50mins long, and yes that is extremely excessive. But it is a great cheat sheet to evaluate our current state and where we could go.

    Shantanu Pai



    On Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:28:32 AM UTC-5, K2 wrote:

    Here is a training video that the students just finished here at the University of Oregon.  It’s close to an hour and will be shown to all new student employees with the UO Zero Waste Program.  It’s funny and poignant while being instructive.  Way to go students of the world…..working so hard for a better life…..it’s crazy to see how hard we all work saving resources.  This video is about you too…..and we say to all of you in zero waste land-THANKS for recycling!  Zero Waste is Higher Education….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQHQJJzldbA&feature=youtu.be&a

     

  15. FY14 air travel data

    Associated Project(s): 
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips
    Report on Progress

    From: Miller, Kristina Ruth
    Sent: Friday, September 12, 2014 8:43 AM
    To: Lage, Stephanie M
    Cc: Strater, Darren; Alexander, Franklin S
    Subject: RE: Air Travel dollars

    Hi Stephanie,

    Darren Strater asked me to provide you with the information you requested. 

    For FY14 Airfare for Chart 1 (UIUC) totaled $14,014,590.  This included extra charges for baggage fees, changed ticket fees and booking charges. 

    With JUST the price of the Airfare ticket, the total for Chart 1 (UIUS) totaled $13,671,434.

    If you need a formal breakdown, please let me know.

    Kristina R. Miller

    Analytics and Operations Support Coordinator

    University of Illinois

    OBFS University Payables

  16. Calculation of air travel emissions

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips

    Good morning all,

    To get air travel emissions, miles must be entered into the Clean Air-Cool Planet calculator. 

    Mileage data is not tracked for our campus. So, I request air travel dollar data from OBFS.  This number has become more reliable in recent years because of the T-card implementation.

     

    Air travel dollars are converted into miles using the passenger yield (fares per mile) data from Airlines for America. 

     

    In fy 2013, dollars spent on air travel was $9,283,105.82.  Passenger yield was $0.1514 (this is fy 12, apparently fy 13 was not yet available).

     

    Divide the two, and you get 61,477,522

    Best,

    Stephanie

  18. Transportation Emission files

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team

    Hello Transportation SWATeam,

    Per our discussion today, here are a couple of files and links.

    1. The most recent version of the Clean Air Cool Planet emissions calculator.
    2. Excerpts from the calculator as related to transportation emissions.  Note the tab called “data for average commute” explains the current math for the average commute distance. 
    3. 2007 mode-choice survey details: http://www.ihavemiplan.com/results/index.html
    4. 2011 mode-choice survey details: https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/mode-shift-update

    Both of the mode choice surveys were done in completely different ways and not exactly for the purpose we are using them.  It would probably be good to develop a survey specifically for this calculation purpose that can be administered by the UI in future years.

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    Attached Files: 

  19. ISTC's helpful resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Conservation

    Morgan, here’s the direct link to the resource I mentioned to you on the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) web site. The GLRPPR site is pretty extensive, with many “sector resources,” so I’ll save you the trouble of navigating through them.

    P2 Measurement & Calculators Sector Resource: http://www.glrppr.org/contacts/gltopichub.cfm?sectorid=143. 

    I don’t know if you were specifically interested in water-related calculators, or if you were using that as a hypothetical example. In any event, there are a few water-related calculators within the list at the above URL. US EPA’s WaterSense program provides a calculator for residential savings, if you replace existing fixtures with WaterSense labelled items. Seehttp://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/start_saving.html#tabs-3. This could be a resource to provide students or staff who ask you about such calculators, but be mindful (as you should with any “canned” calculator) of the assumptions made regarding things like utility costs, average number of gallons of water used per year, etc. (http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/how_works.html#assumptions). This particular tool wouldn’t be useful for campus buildings; the Alliance for Water Efficiency provides some guidelines for calculations on school and university campuses:http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/Schools_and_Universities.aspx. 

    Dan Marsch mentioned resources for pre-rinse spray nozzles, which could be of interest in dining halls. Probably the best resource on best practices in this arena is the Food Service Technology Center (http://fishnick.com/). Their site includes a spray valve water cost calculator (http://fishnick.com/savewater/tools/watercalculator/) and a water leak cost calculator (http://fishnick.com/savewater/tools/leakcalculator/).

    Kishore mentioned the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Their site is at http://www.aceee.org/. He also mentioned EERE, the US DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Their site is athttp://energy.gov/eere/office-energy-efficiency-renewable-energy.

    Hope this helps,

    Joy

    Joy Scrogum

    Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist

    Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC; www.istc.illinois.edu) 

    Co-coordinator, Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI; www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu)

    Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR; www.glrppr.org)

    ISTC is a Division of the Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    217-333-8948; 1 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, IL 61820; MC-676

     

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