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  2. WPP Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site

    New Update from the Woody Perennial Polyculture Research Site!

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    WPP?

    A Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) is an assemblage of plant species that aims to mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems to sustainably produce an agricultural yield while simultaneously restoring ecosystem services. Rather than perpetuating the separation of nature and humans, this system attempts to break down the dichotomy between ecological restoration and agriculture.

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    Recent News

    Real-World Implementation of WPP Systems
    First Research of the Year
    Year three is here!
    First Grape Harvest Processing
    Fall Wrap Up
    NEWS UPDATE

     

    Got Currants?

    Jun 29, 2014 04:56 pm

    This past week, the WPP Research Site had its first harvest of the year! As always, the red currants on the site started fruiting early and were the first to ripen up. All of the red currant plants on the site are a single uniform variety, leading to an amazingly synchronous ripening and the opportunity for us to harvest all the berries in just one morning with the help of our new student harvest crew. Despite the harvesting crew’s limited experience, the harvest went off without a hitch, resulting in about 200 pounds of red currants off of the diverse 2 acres in only the project’s third year!

    Most of the currants will be juiced and turned into a variety value added products.  These products range from sorbet and gelato to wine and jam. All products are intended to help determine what new ways currants can be used in the Midwest.

    The raspberries and the black currants are racing to see which fruit ripens next. The black currants only fruit once per year, while the multiple raspberries will be harvested several times throughout the growing season. Along with the summer- and fall- bearing varieties, the site also has ever bearing raspberries that will continue to fruit all year.

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    Research

    The long-term research initiated here will study the agricultural and ecological characteristics of a WPP system in relation to the conventional corn-soybean rotation (CSR). Read more about how we're addressing this great need on our Research page. 

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    Engage

    How do you want to get engaged?
    Visit? Read a related book? Volunteer? Start or convert your own farm? Donate?
    Visit our Engagement page to learn more about all of these things!
     

     

  5. Allerton Park Solar Array-Phase II

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Power on Campus
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Allerton Park already has a solar array located near its Visitors’ Center. The second phase of the Allerton Park Solar Array project involves working with a Learning In Community (LINC) class to construct a second ground-mounted solar recharge array. This second phase builds on the success of the existing array with the adjacent construction of an additional 60 panels. The design of the Phase 2 array utilizes an innovative floating foundation system that allows for portability of the array if necessary. The total array provides 14.7kW of peak power, which translates to a projected annual output of 14,653 kWh(about 15-20% of total apCAP solar goals). Power at the panel and array level can be monitored remotely and be publicly viewable via an online dashboard which displays the impact of the solar power contribution in terms of energy equivalents: gallons of gasoline, light bills, tons of coal, barrels of crude oil, and planted trees.

    Attached Files: 

  6. Campus community Garden Fostering Sustainable Food

    Associated Project(s): 
    Orchard Downs Community Gardens
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The Campus Community Garden (CCG) will be designed by students, built, and planted on the grounds of the University of Illinois Turf Farm. The CCG will look and feel like a typical allotment-style community garden, but the management of the garden will be focused on undergraduate learning opportunities. To this end, half of the individual garden plots (24 raised beds) will be made available to students for independent gardening activities and experimentation. The other 24 raised bed garden plots will be used for teaching, demonstration, and outreach on urban agriculture, and they will also serve as important examples of successful production methods for student gardeners.

    Attached Files: 

  7. New ECE Building Project Solar Panels

    Associated Project(s): 
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The new Electrical and Computer Engineering building (New ECE building) will be operational starting the fall semester of 2014, and will be a unique green building on the University of Illinois campus. It is designed to be the most energy efficient engineering building in the world and is targeting LEED platinum certification, the highest rating for efficiency. With the full planned solar energy complement, the building is projected to achieve net zero energy status. The facility will be one of the two largest net-zero energy buildings in the United States. It will be a facility that supports all its own energy needs – on average over each year – leaving no carbon or fossil consumption footprint. Although the ECE building design itself is intended to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the energy objectives go far beyond this rating to true energy sustainability.

    Attached Files: 

  8. Element House at the Energy Farm

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Solar Decathlon
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The 2007 Solar Decathlon house is coming home to Champaign Urbana to a permanent foundation at the University Energy Farm. Funds have been secured for its transportation, placement on a permanent foundation, utility hook ups, and inspection of current systems to ensure safe working order. Funding from the Student Sustainability Committee will defray the costs of upgrading the systems and bringing the house up to code. To meet these goals, the solar array will need to be redesigned and reconstructed; the electrical, lighting, and HVAC systems will need to be updated; and new monitoring equipment will need to be installed. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to have a fully functioning net negative energy residential model home. Student groups are assuming the responsibility for all design, construction, and monitoring tasks as they are able.

    Attached Files: 

  9. Farm and Fiber

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site
    Sustainable Student Farm
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Fresh Press, in collaboration with the Sustainable Student Farm (SSF) and the Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) site, are aiming to grow student opportunities through individual and collaborative research and public engagement efforts. The money requested in the Farm and Fiber grant will contribute to the acquisition of walk-in coolers, perennial crops, bee hives/equipment, additional paper dry box, a bailer/hay rake, and a bale shredder blower. This equipment will benefit each project at the SSF by increasing farm production and allowing for increased agricultural fiber yield, leading to a growth in paper production. This increased capacity will triple production capacity and allow greater opportunity for university paper commissions and student workshops in Fresh Press facilities at South Studios.

    Attached Files: 

  10. Field to Fuel-Biomass

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This project involves purchasing and installing a biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, in order to heat a research greenhouse using Miscanthus that is grown on the Energy Farm. The hope for the project is that a successful pilot will pave the way toward expanded use of biomass heating on our campus in order to reduce our campus greenhouse gas emissions.

    Attached Files: 

  11. SECS Re_home landscaping

    Associated Project(s): 
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)
    Illinois Solar Decathlon
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    In 2011, students at faculty from the University of Illinois develop the Re_Home for the Solar Decathlon Competition. As a result of a new landscaping and beautification plan, the Re_Home has found a permanent place on campus. In maintaining a “sustainability ideology”, the landscaping plans for this project are geared toward sustainability with the use of native, low maintenance plants as well as vegetables, edible herbs, and fruit trees. The Re_Home is an exemplary embodiment of sustainability and its permanent home will serve as a showcase in sustainability education.

    Attached Files: 

  13. Archived web info - ECI Energy Dashboard

    Associated Project(s): 
    Environmental Change Institute [ARCHIVED]
    Energy Dashboard Project

    Independent Projects

    Illini Energy Dashboard
    The Illini Energy Dashboard provides clearly visible understandable information data and information to students and staff of selected University buildings describing energy consumption rate (electrical, chilled water and steam) so that users can make educated choices about the way they can affect energy consumption and conservation.What is Displayed? The gauges on the each building page displays real-time energy use data by building for heating, cooling and electricity.

  15. Request for scope/schedule change to SSC

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    F&S requested that SSC funding from FY14 and FY13 for the Campus Bike Center be allowed to be used for the Campus Bike Center in FY15. 

    1. There is $2,224.50 remaining of the funding allocation for the “Campus Bike Project” from FY13.  I am requesting permission from the SSC to use these funds during FY15, for staff and student employee costs.  This is not a change in scope, just a schedule change to permit FY15 use of funds.
    2. The current funding allocation for the “Campus Bicycle Shop” in FY14 included specific items for the funding in support of the Bike Center.  I am requesting permission to use any remaining funds from this year’s allocation during FY15, for staff and student employee costs.

    ~Morgan Johnston

    Attached Files: 

  16. status update on real-time meter installations

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Dashboard Project

    Robby Bauer, Dave Green, and Morgan Johnston discussed the status of the real-time energy meeter installations, from the SSC funded project.  All of the Housing electrical meters have been installed, but the issue is about steam meters.  Robby talked with the Housing plumber about the steam load.  the water is a constant volume pump, and there is no control system available (other than opening and closing windows).  with a constant flow pump, and without controls in every room, there is no way for students to have control over it. 

    If we choose to not put funds into real time steam meters in those buildings, where the students cannot influence the energy demand, we can get real-time electricity meters on all the buildings in the original prioritized list from the SSC. 

  17. Sustainability Analysis of the Campus Bike Center

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    NRES 285: Sustainability Metrics and Evaluation Techniques

    The Campus Bike Center opened for business in May 2010, funded by The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, a grant from the Student Sustainability Committee, the Center for a Sustainable Environment, and supplementary funding from the Facilities and Services Department at UIUC[1]. The Center offers a hands-on, educational space in which students and community members can have access to knowledge and experience in maintaining and fixing bicycles, as well as all of the necessary tools and products to do so. The Center’s outlined mission is to teach bicycle maintenance, providing access to affordable equipment, support overall safety education, and participate in campus bicycle community outreach2. The Center also has described goals for sustainability; to contribute towards the ICAP goal to reduce transportation emissions by 50% in 2025, support those who use bicycles for transportation, to make bikes a more feasible alternative to motor vehicles on this campus, and to expand these efforts even more through increased outreach and publicity efforts, increased staff capacity, more events outside of the shop to reach new audiences, more refurbished bikes to sell to students, and more courses, workshops, and demonstrations to educate the campus about bikes2.



    [1] Neptune, Amelia. Bike Shop Student Sustainability Committee Application. UIUC ICAP Portal. http://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-updates/102. 11 Nov 2012. Accessed 8 May 2014.

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  18. Red Oak Rain Garden Project Assessment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Red Oak Rain Garden
    NRES 285: Sustainability Metrics and Evaluation Techniques

    The major goal of this report is to quantify and qualify the impacts of Campus Red Oak Rain Garden project from University of Illinois on various metrics, including environmental, economic and educational contexts and to make suggestions for plan implementations of future projects. However, due to limited quantitative information, suggested impacts analysis is primarily based on literature reviews.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Sustainable Student Farm Vermicomposting Project (I-Compost) Evaluation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Vermicompost
    NRES 285: Sustainability Metrics and Evaluation Techniques

    The Vermicomposting project (also known as I-Compost) in Sustainable Student Farm (SSF) began as part of the Transplant and Vermi-Composting Multiuse Greenhouse project. It is a pilot project to close the loop between the student farm and the university dining hall. The Transplant and Vermi-Composting Multiuse Greenhouse project received $65,222 grant from Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) on April 24, 2013. It also received $8,565 grant from the Office of Public Engagement on November 28, 2012 and $1,000 grant from Ernst & Young on March 21, 2012. The constructions of greenhouse and vermicomposting unit are completed on Fall 2013.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Sustainability of the Prairie Garden at The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine

    Associated Project(s): 
    Vet Med Prairies
    NRES 285: Sustainability Metrics and Evaluation Techniques

    In 1820, Illinois contained 22 million acres of prairie, but due to modern intensive agricultural practices, only a few thousand remain today. Of high quality, remnant prairie, there are only 2,300 acres which mostly persist along railroads, in cemeteries, and in ground that is not fit for farming (DNR, 2014). Prairies are part of the history and culture of Illinois. The rich soils that grow so much food for people all over the country were formed under prairie landscapes. These grassland habitats have a lot of potential to continue providing ecosystem services for the citizens of Illinois, but first we have to recognize those ecosystem services and realize the value of the sustainability of prairie landscapes. Faculty at the University of Illinois Veterinary School and at the Illinois Natural History Survey have aimed to do just that through a prairie restoration project on the Veterinary Medicine campus.

    Attached Files: 

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