On December 14, the ECBS SWATeam discussed the semester's final tally results of the Illini Lights Out program. In total, over 20,000 light bulbs were turned off. The team also discussed updates from the recent iCAP working group meeting. The funding from SSC has been secured for the Freezer Challenge. The Green Labs Coordinator position recommendation has been drafted and reviewed by the team. Suggestions were also provided to Yun for his graduate course on campus buildings. 

The PWR SWATeam reviewed the progress made over the course of the semester on various projects and discussed next steps for each. These projects included battery recycling, the rearrangement of outdoor trash and recycling bins, guidelines for the optimal arrangement of indoor bins, expanding SmartWay, and encouraging the use of EPEAT certified products.

The PWR SWATeam discussed the history and future opportunities and mechanisms for battery recycling on campus. They also talked about updates in the rearrangement of outdoor and indoor bins.

The Transportation SWATeam met to discuss a proprosal for the creation and dissemination of a new campus-wide modeshare survey as well as potential options for moving forward with the provision of winter bike storage on campus. 

The Transportation SWATeam discussed the opportunities, challenges, and feasibility of campus fleet car-sharing to reduce emissions from the campus fleet. They also discussed air travel offsets

The Transportation SWATeam held their second meeting of the semester. They discussed how the a potential DIA Climate Action Plan could help achieve transportation iCAP goals. They also gave input on the student transportation survey that Professor Cidell is developing.

Fall 2017 Semesterly Report Submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

Fall 2017 Semesterly Report Submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

Jeff Holt met with Morgan White today to discuss the rooftop solar project on the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building.  We discussed solar installer certifications (NABCEP), in-house construction options, and coordination with the Capital project being managed by Kevin Price.  We also discussed the options for requesting additional funding from the Student Sustainability Committee, to be able to install more of the solar.

Fall 2017 Semesterly Report Submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

Attached is the ILO Final Tally for Fall 2017. This semester had 4 ILO events in total. Information such as number of volunteers, number of lights turned off, etc., can be found in the tally. 

School of Art & Design students will organize an art exhibition that explores how artists define sustainability. They will collaborate with Fresh Press, Students for Environmental Concern, and Professor Madhu Khanna’s ENVS 301 course. The artists will be from the university as well as the Champaign-Urbana community. Ultimately, this project aspires to show the UIUC community how sustainability impacts daily life from an artistic perspective. The students organizing the show will gain invaluable experience in gallery management and the artists will have an opportunity to expand their portfolios. The Student Sustainability Committee funding will contribute to materials, venue rental, and marketing. 

Bevier Hall currently has a number of spaces served by obsolete thermostat controls. While efforts to improve scheduling for heating and cooling have made improvements to energy consumption, the installation of occupancy sensors would improve the efficiency of the HVAC system, reducing energy use without sacrificing user comfort. This funding provides resources to install new occupancy sensors in 25 lab, classroom, and office spaces in Bevier Hall. When completed, the heating and cooling system will be able to work more efficiently, eliminating the need to constantly provide conditioning for unoccupied spaces. Individual spaces will have better temperature control, therefore improving occupant comfort and increasing productivity. This is a Student Sustainability Committee supported project.

The SSC awarded $29,500 to upgrade general assignment classroom lighting campus-wide.  While Facilities & Services covers the cost to replace lamps that are part of the general illumination, any lights that are used for chalkboards/marker boards, supplemental lighting during slide shows, etc. are excluded.  The existing lamps in these fixtures are typically incandescent, which burnout quickly and are energy inefficient. When completed, this project provides new fixture-compatible LED lamps in all general assignment classrooms across campus, reducing electricity costs, improving board visibility, and improving student learning environments.