In the atrium of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB), there are two kiosks where people can sign various pledges related to decreasing energy use. Two solar-powered phone chargers will be raffled off to those who have signed the pledge during Campus Sustainability Month, October 2021.

Nearly 20% of energy is unnecessarily wasted each day; very simple steps exist to reduce that number, such as turning off the lights when you leave a room or unplugging devices and cords when we aren’t using them. Other examples include replacing inefficient appliances (like lightbulbs!), which can also save money! Signing the pledge to be more conscious of your energy is a great step toward leading a more sustainable life. Here are a few other ways to learn more and get involved with sustainability on campus:

• Subscribe to the iSEE (Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) Newsletter!
• Comprehensive Sustainability Calendar
• Check out the iCAP Portal where we list and track our projects and progress
• Read the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) to learn about the campus’ sustainability goals 
• iSEE offers a sustainability minor and certificate in environmental writing here: SEE Fellow Program.
• Collaborate with the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC), apply for project funding, and/or join a working group
• Help with sustainability research or project - reach out at sustainability@illinois.edu 
• Look into joining an iCAP Team. There are a limited number of student voting positions available; please reach out if you are interested because there may be an opportunity!
• Are you part of an office or Greek chapter, or do you host events? Certify as ‘green’ here: Certified Greener Campus Programs
• Sign the Use the Bin Pledge to always recycle and use the recycling bin!
• Talk to your friends and peers about sustainability to help incorporate a culture of sustainability at U of I’s campus. Lead by example!

If you have any questions about energy consumption or sustainability in general, feel free to reach out to campus sustainability staff at sustainability@illinois.edu. 

Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Green Office, Event and Chapter certifications! 

Green Chapter Gold Certification:

Zeta Psi-October 2021

Green Office Gold Certification:

iSEE (Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment)-October 2021

Event Certifications:

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers General Meetings-Certified September 2021

iSEE Campus Sustainability Trash Cleanup-Certified September 2021

iSEE Campus Sustainability Celebration-Certified September 2021

SECS (Students for Environmental Concerns) Divestment Teach-In-Certified September 2021

iSEE Illini Lights Out-Certified October 2021

Keep up the great work!

We have just hit 5,000 project updates on the iCAP Portal! Here is the link to the 5,000th: America Walks webinar: Walking and Walking Campaigns

Thank you all for the support!

America Walks sponsored a webinar in 2016 about Walking and Walking Campaigns. Here is the link to this webinar: https://vimeo.com/180652941

The 1st discussion was about a Walking Campaign from Seattle. Basically, they started a campaign called “Walktober”, which had a goal of recording 25,000 miles on foot during the month of October. That is nearly equivalent to cover the world, hence their slogan “Walk the World.”

The 2nd discussion was about Vision Zero from San Diego. What to look for when creating a VZ campaign, how to formulate it, and ideas for how to implement it.

Alec Van Patten met with Brent Lewis, Betsy Liggett, and Morgan White to discuss the SECS' idea to get a new green roof on campus.  F&S staff shared some lessons learned from other green roof installations, and suggested some potential locations.  These include:

• Newmark Civil Engineering Lab - first floor roof by the bridge
• Nick Holonyak Micro & NanoTechnology Lab - closed picnic balcony on the north side
• National Soybean Research Center - gravel roof by iSEE conference room
• Turner Hall - the north entryway and offices
• Future Arboretum Building - longer term and influential
• The SECS team should review Google Maps and look at roofs they are interested in, if they want to consider other options.

We also mentioned the ECE green wall, which needs help getting refurbished.  It most likely needs better watering and possibly needs a review of the soil quality.

For the funding, the SECS is likely going to request SSC funding in the spring semester.  Brent says they can request pricing info from LiveRoof.com to get an estimated budget.

Once a location is selected, Alec will email this group to move into the preliminary approval stage.

The Zero Waste iCAP Team met on Wednesday, October 6 to complete the iCAP Objectives Assessment and discuss our team's assessment of progress on our 10 objectives. Meeting minutes are attached.

ICAP Objective 8.4 Background Discussion between Stacy Gloss and Ximing Cai 9/28/2021

Related Tasks and Deliverables

• 8.4 [iSEE] Take leadership in addressing the most pressing sustainability challenges in our local communities through collaboration with local governments and related community groups, by forming an advisory panel for coordinating efforts across jurisdictional boundaries. By FY24, select at least three major local sustainability issues to address and identify lead agency and key stakeholders.
  • Coordinate an initial meeting with the new advisory panel to share current campus efforts and learn about local governmental efforts
    • Deliverable: meeting notes from advisory panel discussion posted on iCAP Portal, by 3/15/22

Meeting Notes

Planning for the objective (procedural):

1. Stacy should summarize identified major-issue topics and present to resilience committee 
2. The committee may discuss the topics and select 3 priorities aligned with objective 8.4.
3. In parallel, members of the committee should identify potential collaborators for the advisory panel on sustainability topics.  
4. The committee will write a recommendation for the iWG as part of committee work.  (Also note, is it possible for the panel to meet before the iCAP sustainability committee submits a recommendation to the iWG?)

Major Sustainability Topics in our conversaton were identified that bridge Campus, Champaign, Urbana, Savoy & County

Climate Change Adaptation

• Urban growth and development (city managers, county execs, economic development agency to be involved)
  • Smart growth / how do we grow questions: looking forward two – three decades – worsening climate change, coastal flooding likely means an influx of new residents into communities like C-U, especially if we are adding jobs along the lines of manufacturing, medtech, and agtech, not just part of the University and current large employers (like health care)
  • Addressing current environmental issues in communities: local neighborhood flooding, addressing existing pollution from past industries.
• More extreme heat days, heat waves, and heat risks (would need to include county emergency mgmt. agency & health department, social safety net programs like weatherization)
  • Cooling centers
  • Resources for low-income or under-resourced residents
  • Adapting to protect health
• Dealing with more and heavier rainfalls
  • Green infrastructure plans, water management, green roofs – shared resources & plans between campus and cities

 Renewable Energy & Resource Sustainability:

• Renewable Energy Development (climate change mitigation)
  • Develop case studies & share best practices:
    • Solar
    • Wind
    • Bioenergy (self note: set up a visit with the energy farm to learn more)
• Waste and Recycling:  reducing landfill waste, increasing recycling, saving energy and resources  (resource sustainability)
  • Industrial
    • E.g. hospitals, manufacturing plants
  • Commercial
    • Incorporate green office practices
  • Campus practices

Sustainable Agriculture (identify additional stakeholders, like Farm Bureau, Land Connection)

• Biodiversity
• Cover crops
• Addressing nutrient loss
• Water quality
• Bioenergy / perennial grasses like to renewable energy sources
• Food systems: from ag to production to distribution to consumption
• Ties to South Farms for best management practices related to ag, water, and air quality – as a lab
• Land use considerations (and regulations at federal, state, and local level

Green Infrastructure Initial Meeting 9/29/2021 9:00 am

Present: Brent Lewis, Betsy Liggett, Stacy Gloss

ABOUT

• 8.2 [F&S w/Extension] Coordinate rainwater management plans for the entire urbanized areas of Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and the university. Starting in FY21, share the total number of green infrastructure locations on the iCAP Portal on an annual basis.
  • Initiate discussions about development of rainwater plan
  • Compile green infrastructure locations in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy.
    • Deliverable: iCAP Portal map of known green infrastructure locations by 3/15/22
  • Propose a process and scope for developing the coordinated rainwater plan
    • Deliverable: white paper describing process and scope

NOTES

Introductions: Betsy works for F&S in safety and compliance, manages stormwater permit MS4. Brent is campus Landscape Architect

Topics discussed: Campus MS4 water permit, EPA compliance. Sustainability items are built into MS4 permit now.  Compliance & Sustainability are coinciding.   Regarding Campus Green Infrastructure – challenges to adopting green projects, especially when they are viewed in terms of costs but not benefits

Existing resources: 

• University has mapped watersheds;
• A Landscape Master Plan in progress, will contain some elements of green infrastructure, but is not a utilities plan for Stormwater;
• Champaign County Stormwater Partnership for MS4 permit (includes leaders from the County, Urbana, Savoy, Champaign, Champaign Township, EPA, Soil & Water Conservation District, Prairie Rivers sometimes)
• Extension has been involved in previous discussions about rainwater plans, Eliana Brown and Lisa Merrifield
• Urbana is working on a Stormwater Master Plan (Tim Cowan, public works director is the contact)

Green Infrastructure Maps on Portal currently:

• https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/green-roofs-campus
• https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/rain-gardens-campus
• https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/increase-pollinator-friendly-areas
• https://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/champaign-urbana-green-map

Next Steps

• Stacy attend Oct 20 green infrastructure & erosion control conference   
• Follow up with meeting Oct 25
• Garner support for Campus Stormwater Master Plan
• Contact Julie Cidell about GreenMap

iCAP 8.6 Vision Zero Meeting 9/29/2021 

Present: Sarthak Prasad, Stacey DeLorenzo, Stacy Gloss

Background: 8.6 [F&S] Support Vision Zero as a county-wide goal for safe and sustainable transportation.   Coordinate with Professor Benekohal, the City of Urbana Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC), and F&S Transportation Demand Management to identify actions needed to support Vision Zero  Deliverable: white paper identifying key steps needed by 11/15/21

Sarthak and Stacey shared details about Key existing organizations:  Urbana BPAC, CUUATS, Campus Transportation Demand Management, and CTAC.

Off campus staff would participate on a Vision Zero taskforce if it forms, would provide input ona Vision Zero Action Plan, continue to represent campus at BPAC and at CUUATS.

Community contacts were identified.

Potential next steps:

• Sarthak set up meeting with Dr. Benekoha and Stacy Gloss for updates
• Set a meeting to discuss white paper discussing tasks for supporting Vision Zero
• Reach out to Vision Zero to discuss a Vision Zero Campus Designation – Can this be made real?

10/5/2021

Present: Stacy Gloss and Eric Green

Background:

8.5 [iSEE] By FY23, collaborate with colleges and community groups to inventory existing certification opportunities for green jobs and identify gaps.

• • Review findings from student research about green job opportunities
  • Assist iSEE staff to complete this inventory
    • Deliverable: provide inventory content to iSEE communications team by 1/31/22
    • Deliverable: update iCAP Portal inventory page with link to iSEE page by 3/15/22

Meeting Notes:

Stacy and Eric discussed a wide range of topics related to green jobs including the background and tasks related to iSEE 8.5.  Connection was made that Objective 8.5 is linked by category of “green jobs” to:

iCAP Objective 6.4 - “Develop a sustainability internship program through partnering with businesses, nonprofits, local government, and cultural institutions in Central Illinois. The total number of internships awarded will be reported each year.” The responsible campus unit for championing this objective is iSEE. Progress is tracked in the iCAP Portal project page for the Sustainability Internship Program

iCAP Objective 6.5 ““Partner with The Career Center and potentially other career offices in FY22 to help students explore and discover career opportunities that are connected to professional interests and goals related to sustainability. Incorporate a sustainability component at a minimum of two events beginning in FY22.” The responsible campus unit for championing this objective is Career Center with the support of iSEE. Progress is tracked in the iCAP Portal project page for Sustainability at Career Fairs.”

In Spring 2021, Carissa Mysliwiec was as ENVS 491: Campus Sustainability Intern who worked with instructor Eric Green to focus on designing a sustainability internship program as part of Objective 6.4.

In our discussion we talked about high-level barriers to internship programs:

• Interns need significant guidance
• Pay is an issue, who will pay $3,000 - $4,000 for a summer intern?
• Businesses don’t always identify sustainability needs 

We also discussed the challenges of identifying green jobs for the purposes of a creating a green-jobs fair or a sustainable jobs fair. What identifies green jobs? This topic should be explored further.  Talk to SECS, perhaps? How are students defining green jobs today?

During the conversation Stacy pitched an entry-level paid program (post-graduation internship?) to be staffed for 1-2 years by recent graduates to help organizations build capacity, set targets and meet goals. This would be full-time work in lower-level/entry-level positions that serve as a spring board to sustainability careers.

Stacy presented a Green Certifications Excel document she started working on.  Next steps would be to ask for campus & community input to answer questions such as:  Are these certifications offered here @UIUC or locally?  Who from campus is involved, can be a contact, or serve as a resource? What kind of jobs do people get with the certifications? Who hires locally? How do we prevent locally trained folks from leaving, what incentives are there to stay once advanced certifications are achieved?

Eric will see if there are any students that might want to do some of the legwork involved in bolstering the green certifications list.

We'll stay in touch and set up a meeting for about a month from now.

See the attached October newsletter for Students for Environmental ConcernS. There next general meeting will be Wednesday, October 6th from 6:30-7:30 at the Channing Murray Building. That building can be found at 1207 W Oregon Street.