UIUC's Yu-Feng Lin was featured on a "wired" article. Andrew Stumpf explains, "The authors did a simulation for a residential district in Chicago. They don’t provide much detail about the geology and hydrogeology that is the basis for the geotechnical model. In Chicago, aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) has yet to be used because groundwater is pretty scarce in the shallow subsurface and one would need to tap aquifers deeper in the bedrock. In the northern and western suburbs, the subsurface conditions in the glacial deposits is much better and I believe Kane County is looking into using the aquifers for a geothermal resource."

The article can be found at: https://www.wired.com/story/the-massive-batteries-hidden-beneath-your-fe...

UIUC newsletter: https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/32/64507332.html 

The referenced article is attached.

April 5, 2023 Green Research Committee (Kick Off) Meeting 1

Present: Lisa Moore, Daphne Hulse, Stephanie Hess, Jeremy Neighbors, Jennifer Fraterrigo, Chad Stevens, Shari Effert-Fanta, Sabrina Summers, Morgan White, Mitchell Bryant, Timothy Mies, Maisie Kingren, Paul Foote, Patty Jones, Susan Martinis, Madhu Khanna

Absent: Ehab Kamarah

Charge:

• Look at what others do.
  
  • Makes it less onerous.
  • Check in with our peer institutions
• Check in with our iCAP.
• Structure what we come up with in short- and long-term goals. We have a tight timeline and a broad objective overall.

Discussion:

• Two graduate students joined, which is very valuable to us.
• Deadline to show ideas and progress and present to Ehab, Madhu, and Susan, by May. Jeremy & Stephanie will give this update and summarize what is discussed now and a general timeline going forward.
• Morgan’s been thinking about this for 7 or 8 years, and is excited to see it come to fruition. The core is that researchers are making huge changes and breakthroughs to address climate change but we’re still buying plastic and throwing it away, leaving fume hoods open, etc. How to integrate it into research without jeopardizing the research itself, is the question to explore.
• Messaging must be very cautious to balance safety with sustainability.
• Opportunity to review the iCAP 2020 or 2015 objectives to identify how it applies today.
• Green Research as opposed to Green Labs: allows us to be more broad in our approach.
• Paul Foote spent a year just doing a Green Labs Program so he has tremendous experience and background knowledge on the subject. Don’t reinvent the wheel. I2SL, My Green Lab are good resources to look at.
• Mitchell: Not a lot of knowledge about how to dispose of waste safely (information deficit), so he sees a lot of improper disposal as a student. A lot of opportunity for energy reduction in labs. Concerted effort across campus is necessary, but can we add the carrot (incentive) as well?
• Tim: ACES, South Farms, see inconsistency with how waste is disposed of. Some go through Waste Transfer, others go through Area Disposal. Researchers want to do the right thing, but most people are strapped on time “how do I do it versus how do I have time in the day?” Growth chamber: big refrigerator with a lot of light bulbs. Remove the heat from lamps. Some people don’t turn them off - maintenance or researchers just forgetting. Think of a way to incentivize this? Support the researchers as much as possible.
• Mitchell thinks is very much falls on the individual to ensure they are following the right instructors (don’t pour stains down the sink, etc.).
• On Stephanie’s mind is a culture change for safety. How can they improve the culture of safety on campus? There is simultaneously a sustainability culture we need to grow, too.

How to accomplish this:

• The charge letter had three different goals:
  
  • Break into three groups and each would tackle one of those before the next meeting.
    
    • On-site wet and dry research labs, off-site UIUC research labs, agriculture land and field sites
    • Develop a program whereby groups and departments can qualify for a Green Lab or Green Research certification. Contribute to the iCAP goals.
    • Outline a framework to recommend building-specific plans for safe energy conservation
• Sub-teams in Teams is how we will communicate among our teams.
• Cadence of meetings?
  
  • Big meeting once per month, small groups on the week between (each team has a delegate for scheduling meetings for their group)
  • October deliverables - so we have until the end of September to work
• Resources to carry this out
  
  • Anything that will require funding we will need to state, justify, estimate cost, expected impact from the investment.
• Consider reward packages for research groups.
  
  • Rewarding research groups will be key, according to Donald Stevens
• Paul will put together a sheet of how funding in the past has worked, for projects he’s been involved with. Give the group an idea of how we can tap into funds.
• Stephanie: think about connections you have, things you can tap into.
  
  • Ex: TV screens in lab settings for safety communication. Interest from researchers for this, especially if they can get it for free. A way to communicate without needing paper. Where can we ask for favors?
• Jen’s concern: how can we get voices from other researchers on campus and oversee labs: find opportunities and barriers?
  
  • Paul: successful programs have Green Ambassadors who can be a voice for the labs and can brainstorm together what will work for different labs.
  • Group agrees that more faculty PIs should be included in the conversation.
• Donald & Morgan discussion on zero growth space policy - Capital - comes from Deferred Maintenance than any sort of energy-related issue.
• Mitchell Bryant: attending a seminar tomorrow on this topic and will post his notes in Teams

Good afternoon! I’m Sinead Soltis, one of the sustainability interns at Facilities and Services. In representing my team at F&S, I am planning on getting a committee together to once again to advise our campus’ Bee Campus affiliation. Our campus has previously held this designation in 2018 & 2019, but the committee has since dissolved. As a committee, we will weigh in on all things pollinator related, in addition to having a space for students to share their volunteer efforts regarding bees with faculty/staff (& vice versa)! I can see this being a low-commitment group, as we will likely be sharing efforts already being made across the Champaign-Urbana area.

With that being said, I wanted to gauge interest for joining as a member. Meetings will likely be held monthly, or bi-monthly, as needed. I am aware that some of you have previously been members of this committee, or at a minimum, listed as a member. I would appreciate members who have previously sat to join us, at least for the first few meetings. Also, feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you would feel would benefit from sitting on this committee!

If you are interested in joining the committee, please respond to me when you can. A tentative meeting is planned for some time in April, although an exact date has not yet been chosen.

Bee Campus USA website, for more information: https://beecityusa.org/bee-campus-usa-commitments/

Thanks in advance,  

Sinead Soltis  

Hello XMT,

If you or your staff are planning to submit an application for Student Sustainability Committee funding this spring, please copy me and Lisa Peacock, so we can advocate and support the F&S applications during the committee review periods.

The step 1 applications are due this Friday, March 24, and the info is online here: https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/funding/.

Thanks,

Morgan

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Morgan,

Is there a funding limit for SSC?

Thanks

David Hardin

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Hi Dave,

They don’t really have a funding limit, but they are more likely to fund something under $250k, especially if they are contributing to a project with other funding too.  A lot of student-led projects are only $50-10k.  They probably have about $750k available this spring and they will have more in the future, as they just got approval to raise the fee.

Thanks,

Morgan

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Morgan,

I asked Dylan to submit an application for Wohler’s Hall. The ReCx team identified some deferred maintenance/energy conservation work at a total cost of $450K. I spoke with Brad, and he believes there is $150K available from deferred maintenance funds, and UES can provide $150K, hopefully another $150K from SSC, which would allow us to move forward. The energy reduction would result in a 5-year payback.

Thanks

David Hardin