iCAP Resilience Team Meeting 12-1-23
The iCAP Resilience Team meet on 12/1 to discuss project updates and analyzed stakeholder engagement performance.
The iCAP Resilience Team meet on 12/1 to discuss project updates and analyzed stakeholder engagement performance.
The Zero Waste iCAP Team met on 12/4/2024 to discuss updates with our membership in the Green Sports Alliance, the Coca-Cola Buy-Back program, and current hydration station standards. Daphne Hulse provided data from our former Green Tailgate events to show successes and challenges with waste diversion at football games. The Zero Waste Team will be collaborating with the Engagement iCAP Team to discuss how we can better our volunteer outreach.
RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the November 2023 Buyer's Share amounts by the hour, totaling 2,202.9 Megawatt hours.
The November 2023 Buyer's Share Report is attached below.
RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the October 2023 Buyer's Share amounts by the hour, totaling 1,906.1 Megawatt hours.
The October 2023 Buyer's Share Report is attached below.
The Land & Water iCAP team met on Teams from 1-2 PM on Friday, December 1st. The team discussed the meadow at Orchard Downs, revising the iCAP Land & Water objectives, and the development of an IPM plan for non-F&S areas. Meeting minutes are attached.
WCIA 3 interviewed Steve Breitwieser regarding the recent Bicycle Friendly University award to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. This news item aired on November 30, 2023.
Please see the news item here: https://www.wcia.com/news/u-of-i-upholds-distinction-as-a-bicycle-friend...
November 2023 photos of the Florida Orchard Prairie have been added to the box folder.
BPAC met on November 21, 2023. Sarthak Prasad also presented the Sustainable Transportation Updates from UIUC. See attached the agenda and supporting documents.
All, Hope everyone had a good holiday break! Mine extended into Monday, so this is a day late.
We got a few more kids bike donations come in the Friday before we closed for the break, so we are full steam ahead in soliciting donations and fixing them up. With the nippy weather we should have plenty of time to work on the donations we have so far and tackle some cleaning/organizing that always gets pushed to the slower and colder months. We’ll also continue to make progress on the barn bikes.
The numbers:
Visitors: 24
Sales: $476.50
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
Memberships: 4 for $120
Tires/tubes: 6 for $61
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center
The Sustainability Sub-Council met on November 27, 2023 in preparation of the Sustainability Council meeting. The primary agenda items included:
The slide deck and meeting minutes are attached.
Dear Friend of the Reimagine our Future sustainability competition,
Thank you for your fantastic support for the 2023 Reimagine our Future competition as a participant, specialist advisor, judge, sponsor, media representative, or interested person. This year we had a record number of 243 participants and 44 submissions from 10 higher education institutions.
The roughly 100 initial judges have reviewed the submissions, provided comments which will be sent to the teams, and selected 12 finalists. (The list of finalists is available below this message.) These teams or individuals will briefly present their projects during an award ceremony on Saturday Dec. 2, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (US Central Time). The winners of nine awards totaling US$7,000 will be announced after the presentations.
Professor Kelvin Droegemeier will be the guest speaker at this event. UIUC’s Student Sustainability Committee will conduct the ceremonies.
You are cordially invited to join us in-person if you are in the vicinity of the UIUC. The ceremony will take place in Room 4031 of UIUC’s Campus Instructional Facility. We will serve refreshments from 10:45 a.m. and a light lunch after the ceremony.
If you cannot join us in-person, you are invited to join the award ceremony via Zoom:
Please be so kind to respond to this invitation by completing the following poll before Thursday Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. (US Central Time).
Thank you again for your support. We look forward to thanking you on Dec. 2 and are confident that you will be impressed by the students’ outstanding projects.
Yours sincerely,
Leon Liebenberg (Teaching Professor, Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, UIUC)
Warren Lavey (Adjunct Professor, College of Law, School of Earth, Society & Environment, and College of Medicine, UIUC)
Robert McKim (Emeritus Professor, Department of Religion, UIUC)
Codie Sterner (Coordinator, Student Sustainability Committee, UIUC)
(Reimagine Our Future co-founders and coordinating committee)
FINALISTS IN THE 2023 REIMAGINE OUR FUTURE COMPETITION
(In alphabetical order of the team leaders’ last names)
Arshia Ajmera, Keerthana Nallamotu (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Accessible screening for preeclampsia
Muskaan Alimchandani (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Vrddhi Sthan – A brighter future for Dharavi
Brandon Baron, Whitney Fowler, Shito Ito, Ada Moy, Gwynne McGrady (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Parking lot permaculture
Karmyn Flesch, Nadia Wilson, Emily Rhodes, Gabriella Sanchez (University of Illinois, Springfield) – Zero food waste
Amy Jurkowski, Matthew Nowlan, Liesl Schrag, Aiden Sup (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Renewable energy-supported housing and opportunities for immigrants
Iryna Maistrenko (International Humanitarian University, Ukraine) – Organization of organic farming during the war in Ukraine
Margot O'Malley, Tom George, Jasper Nord (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Grounds for nutrition
Manan Sanghavi (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Optimizing resource efficiency by digitizing receipt processes
Jamie Scimeca, Xiang Fei Heah (University of Birmingham) – Light-water small modular reactor
Advay Sudarshan, Patrick Harsono, Jesse Wei, Hugo Ji (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) – Polyester upcycling and fiber composite furniture
Hlib Vakumenko (Vienna University of Economics and Business) – Transform food waste into improved dietary nutrition
Charles Wheeler, Lucas Baronello, Saharra Murphy, Caila Riggs, Michelle Check (University of Illinois, Springfield) – Farm to School: a shared investment for a healthier future
Parking has limited funding, so during the first May iWG meeting, the recommendation was sent back to the Land & Water team. The committee advised to add in capture rate and return on investment data before resubmitting for another meeting.
See submitted recommendation LW006 Permeable Asphalt Maintenance at Lot C9
The following email was sent by Marty Kaufman on Oct 26, 2023:
Hey Jennifer,
I reached out to Tim Knox, and DIA did try to become a member of the Green Sports Alliance in June, but the organization said that the University was already a member so there was no need to submit payment. I see no reason to pay more money if the organization already says we are members. I understand that Athletics isn’t mentioned independently as a member, but since we are part of the University as a whole and the Alliance doesn’t feel we need to have a separate membership, it doesn’t seem fiscally responsible to pay a second membership fee.
Maybe we look at sharing the cost for next fiscal year or at bumping it up to the $2,500 level next year if that provides more benefits? Please see the correspondence from Tim attached.
I welcome your thoughts.
Thank you,
Marty
Jen Fraterrigo responded on Oct 26, 2023:
Hi Marty,
Thanks for looking into this matter. I reached out to Betsy Ligett and she confirmed that F&S paid the membership fee for the Nov. 1st, 2022 - Nov. 30th, 2023 time period. I agree with you about not needing a second membership. However, it would be great for DIA take over the membership starting December 1st, 2023 and pay the membership fees going forward at the level you prefer.
For now, I suggest identifying a new point person at DIA. I would then be happy to facilitate a meeting with Betsy and the DIA POC to get him/her up to speed.
Best,
Jen
Marty Kaufman responded on Nov 21, 2023:
Hi Jen,
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
Yes, DIA will pay for the renewal. Tim has been in touch with the Green Alliance and we will coordinate the payment for next year.
Happy to help.
Thanks,
Marty
Read the article online at: https://dailyillini.com/news-stories/campus-life/2023/11/14/ui-partnersh.... This article was published on November 14. 2023.
UI updates partnership with Veo Cosmo trial By Mary Piacente, Staff Writer • November 14, 2023 Anh-Khoi Pham Veo bikes sit in front of Wohlers Hall on Nov. 10.
After the positive feedback surrounding Veo’s campus pilot program introduced in May, the University will continue its partnership with the transportation service and promote e-bike safety on campus.
The University began its partnership with Veo Micromobility, a bike-share company promoting the availability of clean transportation, in 2019. The partnership allowed students to pay to use bikes and scooters through the Veo app.
Over the summer, stemming from community demand, Veo launched a campus pilot project to introduce motorized class 2 e-bikes. Also known as Cosmo models, these bikes were meant to expand upon the University’s existing rideshare program.
According to an article posted by the bike company Aventon, class 2 e-bikes differ from the previously offered bikes and scooters by providing “assistance when pedaling” and having “a maximum speed of 20 mph with a throttle.”
Sarthak Prasad, sustainable transportation assistant at Facilities & Services, said that the partnership has improved transportation accessibility both on and off campus.
“Veo is providing a service to campus for our students, whether it’s for general use, recreational use or fun,” Prasad said. “For the community outside the University, they have added a value for lower-income families.”
However, Aidan Joyce, sophomore in LAS, said that the pricing of Veo rentals prevents him from using the service more.
“I think that if (Veo) actually lowered the prices, then more people would use the new bikes,” Joyce said.
Since the introduction of the Cosmo e-bikes, Prasad said that minimal safety and vandalism issues have been noticed by the University administration. Despite this, certain questions about e-bike safety for pedestrians on campus have arisen.
“There have been a few minor safety concerns, and we’re working with Veo on those things,” Prasad said. “It’s not just Veo — it’s with the increase in the number of e-bikes and e-scooters that we see on campus.”
Prasad emphasized that the University is currently working on educational campaigns that promote bicycle, e-bike and e-scooter safety, including how to safely ride your bicycle while being aware of your surroundings.
Another issue that has arisen from the introduction of the Cosmo bikes has been the protection of public spaces for non-Veo cyclists.
Geofencing, the GPS technology Veo uses to ensure bikes do not enter specific “no-ride zones,” has also failed to prevent certain inconveniences for typical bikers on campus.
“There are a couple of issues that we have seen with the geofencing restrictions,” Prasad said. “If Cosmo e-bikes are taking up all or a lot of the spaces, then there’s not enough room for people with personal bicycles to park in that area.”
However, despite these minor issues resulting from the introduction of class 2 e-bikes, Prasad said that the response surrounding the campus pilot program was overall favorable.
“There was a community feedback request back at the end of summer, and the response was very positive from the community towards this program,” Prasad said.
Please see announcement online here: https://fs.illinois.edu/News/campus-renews-its-bicycle-friendly-universi...
Campus Renews Its Bicycle Friendly University Certification
Nov 16, 2023 | 11:54 am
The Urbana Campus Extends Its Bicycle Friendly University Status Through 2027
For over a decade, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) for its unwavering devotion to promoting and providing a bike-friendly environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Recently, the LAB renewed the university’s designation through 2027, based on continued efforts and achievements in advancing and enabling safe, accessible, and transformative bicycling opportunities on campus. The Urbana campus is among a select group of 221 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia that are taking action to address the health and environmental challenges facing the nation by creating campuses more welcoming to people who bike.
Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Facilities & Services Ehab Kamarah said, “We want to encourage even more individuals to regularly ride their bikes on our campus as a primary means of transportation. Being a Bike Friendly University exemplifies our commitment to making that possible by enhancing safety for active transportation modes, modernizing infrastructure, and supporting programs that make it easy, affordable, fun for everybody to bike.”
Highlights of the university’s significant accomplishments include the following:
Engineering
Education
Encouragement
Equity
Education & Planning
The university’s bike efforts and outreach are chronicled at https://bike.illinois.edu. More information about the BFU program is available at https://bikeleague.org/university. For questions, contact Sarthak Prasad sprasad9@illinois.edu, 217-300-9575.
Here is a list of tasks I have worked on and continue to work on:
Tasks completed
Current tasks
Members of the ISC, and Sarthak Prasad attended a tour of MTD Facilities. This tour included a QnA session, and a walking tour of the facilities. Participants were shown the MTD hydrogen processing as well as a tour of one of the two hydrogen buses MTD currently operates. This tour facilitated many conversations that the student and staff attendees initiated. Please see the attached images of the hydrogen energy processing facility.
All, Busy week on the sales floor as the weather warmed up and we sold a few bikes. Also, got a half dozen or so kids bikes repaired for the KBG event in December.
Over the weekend the Bike Project held their Cranksgiving bike food drive. Riders were able to collect ~400 lbs of donations to Faith UMC Food Pantry!
The numbers:
Visitors: 43
Sales: $1,173.75
Bikes (refurb): 3 for $530
Memberships: 7 for $210
Tires/tubes: 26 for $229
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center