Dear SWATeam members,  We are so happy to welcome you to the FY20 SWATeams, including Energy, Land and Water, Zero Waste, Transportation, Education, and the new Resilience Working Advisory Team (RWAT).  SWATeams are an important part of our overall Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) efforts, and we truly appreciate your assistance and support! 

In 2014, iSEE worked with the Office of the Chancellor to develop the formal sustainability procedures to support the Carbon Commitment.  These procedures established the SWATeams, the iCAP Working Group (iWG), and the Sustainability Council.  In 2018 Chancellor Jones and the Mayors of Urbana and Champaign signed a Resilience Proclamation, so RWAT is the newest part of our SWATeam process.  We are currently working on an update to the iCAP procedures document. We’re also updating the 2015 iCAP plan to the new 2020 iCAP, and FY20 SWATeams will contribute to such an important milestone of iCAP!

For both returning and new SWATeam members, here are a few things to expect in the coming weeks:

• iSEE Director Evan DeLucia will be sending a formal charge letter for each team.
• iSEE Sustainable Programs Coordinator Meredith Moore is training the new SWATeam clerks and graduate assistant, Regina Cassidy.  Then the SWATeam clerks will contact you to schedule three full team meetings this semester, one in September, October, and November.
• The SWATeam pages on iSEE have been updated, and we will be updating the iCAP Portal pages.
• We will send you a schedule for the 2020 iCAP development, with specific timelines for the SWATeams to draft specific, measurable objectives for the 2020 iCAP.
• You will receive an invitation to the SWATeam kick-off event, hosted by iSEE in September.

As mentioned above, this year will be highly focused on drafting the 2020 Illinois Climate Action Plan iCAP.  Each of the SWATeams will be asked to recommend specific, measurable objectives for the 2020 iCAP.  To help facilitate this effort, the two of us, as co-chairs of iWG, will both be attending each full SWATeam meeting in September, October, and November.  The actual iCAP chapters will be written by members of the iWG and iSEE staff, based on the input received from SWATeams and campus, for review by the iWG.  In Spring 2020, there will be campus and community review of the draft chapters, and the SWATeams will be included as key stakeholders in that review process. Ultimately, the 2020 iCAP with a chapter for each SWATeam, and additional related chapters will be formally submitted to the Sustainability Council for campus approval.

The University is committed to being carbon neutral as soon as possible, and no later than 2050, and to bolstering our community’s resilience to the impacts of climate change. SWATeams play a key role to achieve those goals. We thank you for your willingness to assist in the efforts that will make us a model of sustainability for the nation. Thank you for your time, your enthusiasm and your continuous efforts!

Sincerely,

Ximing Cai and Morgan White

iCAP Working Group, co-chairs

The Transportation SWATeam made the following recommendation: 

"The Transportation SWATeam kindly requests the creation of a survey which would question faculty and staff who travel out of town for conferences or other university-sponsored activities on their decided mode of transportation. This survey would be voluntary and facilitated by the Transportation SWATeam. An example of a question would be something like: 'In the past year, what has been the main reason for the travel you selected?'"

See attached the SWATeam recommendation Trans010 Mode Share Survey with comments from Transportation SWATeam members.

The Transportation SWATeam submitted a recommendation, to the iWG, stating, "The chair of the Transportation SWATeam will serve as a voting member of the Parking Advisory Committee."

See attached the SWATeam recommendation, Trans009 PAC, complete with comments from all the Transportation SWATeam members.