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  1. ECIP awards for 2022

    Hello Jen and Morgan,

    I have attached a draft of the award letter to be sent to the deans and dept heads, and am reaching out to iSEE in regards to supporting this program.

     

    I believe in the past ISEE co-presented these awards with F&S and more recently the awards were presented at the Sustainability Celebration which works well to promote more exposure for all sustainability items on campus.

    Unfortunately, the BTAF Mechanical Engineering conference and I2SL conferences are during the same week so we were not available to join this past year.

     

    We are now looking at 5 separate presentations at each location to present this years awards and wondering what support or involvement ISEE would be interested in?

     

    Thank you 

    Paul Foote

    ----------------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    Jen and I spoke about this, and iSEE is interested in continuing to participate in the presentation of the ECIP awards.  We would like to suggest that this be a single award presentation, rather than the five separate events.  It can occur during Earth Month, and perhaps it could be held at the ACES Library, which is a nice venue and it was the ECIP winner with the highest energy savings.

     

    Please let us know if this is an acceptable plan, and we can arrange a call to talk about the details.

     

    Also, I asked Ehab about the Henry Admin Building leadership, and he suggests Paul Ellinger be the point of contact for the award letter.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    --------------------------

    Hello Everyone,

    This is a terrific plan, Rob gave the go-ahead to plan the venue, date & time etc.

     

    When works best for all?

     

    Thank you

    Paul

    ----------------------

    Hello All,

    I am bumping this to the top of the email list for scheduling the venue and timing for this event.

    Let me know when we can discuss/finalize the details?

     

    Best

    Paul Foote

    ----------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    Is there anything that you were anticipating including in this event agenda, other than the ECIP announcements and plaque distribution?  If not, it might be better to include both years’ winners in the fall 2023 campus sustainability celebration. 

     

    I realize this is a shift from what we were thinking of, but it would be a shame to put together an event that is only 15 minutes long…  It would also be difficult to get a broad audience.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -----------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    We were thinking this timeframe might fit better than the fall venue with multiple conferences etc…

    Pending the date, we should have information regarding the next round of funding and were planning to gather the facilities managers at this event to share examples and promote future project applications.

     

    Thoughts everyone?

    Best

    Paul

    ------------------

    Hi Morgan and all,

    I crossed the revolving loan fund and ECIP, the ECIP awards can be discussed at our next monthly meeting.

     

    Thank you

    Paul Foote

    -------------------

     

    Hi Paul, What monthly meeting?

    thanks, Morgan

    ------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    UES has a monthly meeting for ECIP, RLF, rapid back and other funding items as needed.

     

    Best

    Paul

     

  2. Student Sustainability Committee applications - due 3/24

    Hello XMT,

     

    If you or your staff are planning to submit an application for Student Sustainability Committee funding this spring, please copy me and Lisa Peacock, so we can advocate and support the F&S applications during the committee review periods.

     

    The step 1 applications are due this Friday, March 24, and the info is online here: https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/funding/.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -----------------------

    Morgan,

     

    Is there a funding limit for SSC?

     

    Thanks

    David Hardin

    --------------------

    Hi Dave,

     

    They don’t really have a funding limit, but they are more likely to fund something under $250k, especially if they are contributing to a project with other funding too.  A lot of student-led projects are only $50-10k.  They probably have about $750k available this spring and they will have more in the future, as they just got approval to raise the fee.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -------------------

    Morgan,

     

    I asked Dylan to submit an application for Wohler’s Hall. The ReCx team identified some deferred maintenance/energy conservation work at a total cost of $450K. I spoke with Brad, and he believes there is $150K available from deferred maintenance funds, and UES can provide $150K, hopefully another $150K from SSC, which would allow us to move forward. The energy reduction would result in a 5-year payback.

     

    Thanks

    David Hardin

  3. iSEE New Green Office and Event Certifications

    I hope everyone had a restful spring break, welcome back and congrats to our newest recipients of the Green Office and Green Event Certification Programs!

    -Green Office: University of Illinois Police Department, Gold (35 sustainable actions pledged!), Recertified March 2023

    -Green Events: 

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events University Scholars Reception, Certified March 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events SSCIL Gies Groundbreaking Ceremony, Certified March 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Chancellor's Staff Excellence Awards, Certified March 2023

    Keep up the great work!

     

  4. 2023 Season Announcement

    Associated Project(s): 

    Dear Friend of the Reimagine our Future competition

    We are writing to thank you again for the role you are playing in Reimagine our Future, the undergraduate student sustainability competition whose home is at the University of Illinois.

    As you know, entrants in the competition are required to address a particular sustainability problem or challenge. This could be at a local, regional, national, or international level. Entrants are required to explain how the initiative they propose will promote one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. You probably have seen the list of 2022 finalists.

    Having a list of experts who are available to advise on student projects and who evaluate a few student submissions is a major contribution to this project. Our list includes specialists from various universities, companies, and institutions and from many backgrounds, fields, and disciplines. This broad-ranging list encourages submissions from students in many areas. We are counting on your continued willingness to bring your unique background, skills, professional history and professional contacts to this project.

    We want to mention a couple of current developments and some aspects of our planning. In 2022 we tested the waters for the competition to become more international. Students from ZJU-UIUC Institute in Haining, China and the University of Pretoria were invited to participate and we received 39 international entries. This year we are planning to add universities in Austria, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia and we are having additional exploratory discussions with universities in a number of other countries. Dr. Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, our Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategies is helping us to form partnerships with a number of international universities with which Illinois already has a strategic relationship.

    President Tim Killeen has expressed an interest in the competition being made available to students at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Illinois Springfield. We are also working on forming partnerships with some community colleges.

    The competition materials include this wording:

    Your plan or solution could be a program for a government or private entity, proposal, product or service, system, business plan, event, social media platform, app, game, law, organization, educational initiative, or something else.

    We want to encourage students in all fields to come up with brilliant ideas for initiatives that will help to address our major sustainability problems. This, once again, is a reminder of the value of having a diverse list of specialists associated with the competition.

    If you have advice or suggestions about how to go about taking the planned steps or about any aspect of this project, we would welcome them. Our email addresses are below.

    We are grateful for your ongoing involvement and help with this sustainability competition, and we will be especially grateful if you will continue to work with us in 2023 and beyond.

     

    Yours sincerely,

    Leon Liebenberg (Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, UIUC) 

    Warren Lavey (Adjunct Professor, College of Law, School of Earth, Society & Environment, and College of Medicine, UIUC) l

    Robert McKim (Emeritus Professor, Department of Religion, UIUC) 

  5. Considerations for clean thermal energy

    There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:

    • the solar thermal panels on the Activities Rec Center, heating the three swimming pools
    • the biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, heating the two story greenhouse on south Race Street
    • geothermal installations providing heating and cooling at the Fruit Farm Admin Building, the RIPE greenhouse, the Campus Instructional Facility, a few buildings at Allerton Park, the solar decathlon Gable Home at the Energy Farm, and a few rooms in the Hydrosystems Building
    • a wood-fired stove heating some maintenance buildings at Allerton Park

    We could expand these types of energy systems...

    • Additional geothermal installations are being planned for various places around campus, including a geothermal battery system at the Energy Farm.  The other geothermal locations in planning discussions now include the South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning, a future greenhouse for CABBI, and the Doris Christopher Kelley Illinois Extension Building in the Arboretum.
    • The biomass boiler at the Energy Farm was designed with the anticipation of future expansion.
    • Solar thermal is a great option for our area of the planet, but it is not easy to integrate it in our existing energy enterprise.

    Another option for clean thermal energy is biogas, which UIUC contributes to locally through the Grind2Energy system, which takes food waste from the dining halls to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD).  UCSD puts it through their anaerobic digester which captures the methane (a very strong greenhouse gas).  Currently, that captured methane is used to run an electrical generator, which provides power to the UCSD facility.  An alternative would be to upgrade the methane to pipeline quality and use the biogas a Abbott Power Plant on campus.  This is an expensive option that would require a lot of coordination and funding.

    Another strong option is a micronuclear reactor, which is being studies by the Grainger College of Engineering faculty and researchers.  This system could be integrated with the existing steam distribution system and provide ghg-free energy to campus.

     

  6. Weekly Update: Closed for Spring Break

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Bike Center is closed this week for Spring Break and I’ll be working an abbreviated week myself. We’ve got a dozen plus bikes for sale and I’ll safety check a few more before I bow out for the week.

    On Friday, we got maybe the oddest donation yet: an iPod mini, complete with charging cord…

    We reorganized and moved one of our storage racks from the backside of the space up front to the lobby so we can hold more bikes for sale up there. In the storage area, we’re pulling pedals/turning handlebars and so can fit more bikes without the rack.

    In more sobering news, a patron who’d finished a Build-a-Bike a couple weeks ago was hit while riding the bike he’d fixed here and ended up in the ER needing stitches. He is fine, otherwise, and told me the news in person, so he is ok. The number of people I know who’ve been hit by a car is quickly approaching double digits.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 37

    Sales: $1,234.50

    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $825
    Membership: 2 for $60
    Tires/tubes: 7 for $115

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  7. Weekly Update: Open M-F, Closed for Spring Break

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Notable item of the week was running out entirely of used 700c tires—popular size, I guess! I was able to run over to the warehouse and grab enough wheels off junk bikes that we’re able to live another week. I used the long bike trailer on Wednesday morning and yet another person called out “nice bike!” as I pedaled by. I always get looks or comments when piloting that thing around.

    This week we’ll be opening back up to 5 days a week, M – F 2 to 6p. We’ll see how our Tues/Thurs numbers look but I doubt we’ll be swamped yet as folks adjust to our new hours.

    We’ll be closed next week for Spring Break and reopen Monday, March 20th.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 18

    Sales: $174.50
    Memberships: 1 for $30
    Tires/tubes: 6 for $43

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  8. March Meeting Reminder

    Below is an email regarding the next SSLC Meeting from Jack Reicherts.

     

    From: sslc-request@lists.illinois.edu <sslc-request@lists.illinois.edu> On Behalf Of Jack Reicherts
    Sent: Sunday, March 05, 2023 5:12 PM
    To: sslc@lists.illinois.edu
    Subject: [sslc] SSLC Meeting TOMORROW! Mosey on by! 🤠

     

    Howdy partners!

    This here's yer friendly neighborhood cowboy, remindin' y'all about the next SSLC meeting comin' up quick. We'll be meetin' on Monday, March 6th at 6 pm in the Illini Union Student Org Complex.

    We kindly ask that all y'all organizations send a representative to the meeting, 'ceptin' in case of a group-wide conflict. If there's a conflict, please send us a quick update on what yer group's been up to and any plugs y'all want us to make during the meetin’.

    At the meeting, we'll be discussin' some mighty fine opportunities, includin' the Citizens Utility Board Letter Writin' Event, a lunch meeting with Prairie Rivers Network, sign-ups for Green Quad Day/Earth Day Festival durin’ Earth Month, and the newly named Green Globes awards ceremony (used to be called the Sustainability Grammy's and briefly "Growies"). We'll also be talkin' 'bout an upcomin’ meetin' with the administration at the Sustainability Council.

    And, of course, we'll be providin' updates from all of our member organizations, so don't miss out on this chance to stay in the loop!

    So, saddle up and mosey on down to the Illini Union Student Org Complex on Monday, March 6th at 6 pm. We're lookin' forward to seein' y'all there!

    See ya down the trail,
    Jack Reicherts, Co-Sherrif of the SSLC.

    Yeehaw!

  9. Update on drilling

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J 
    Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 7:37 PM
    To: Rubin, Joshua ; Mies, Tim ; Lamb, Jeremy ; Klein, Bradley Dean 
    Cc: Lin, Yu-Feng ; Weckle, Amy Lorraine; White, Morgan 
    Subject: UTB at the Energy Farm

     

    Hi folks,

     

    Here is an update. Dom and Todd worked to get half of the hole grouted today and now wait until tomorrow morning to see if the battery floats, or not. Theoretically it should not, but we will see. They will start up again at 8 am if anyone is over that way. Xiaobing and Tony have gone back to Tennessee.

     

    Best,

    Andy

  10. Clean vehicle tax credits

    Following is Pete Varney's response to the question from Morgan, "In addition to the Ford Lightning EVs, could we potentially get EV versions of the turtle-top 15-person vans?  Also, is there any discussion about getting Hybrid buses for UI Ride?"

    When discussing EV we have to look at manufacturer availability and operational needs. Car Pool vehicles, 15-pass vans, need to be able to operate both locally and on extended trips ruling out EV due to range restrictions.

    We won’t be looking to replace the first UI Ride bus until FY24/25. We can explore hybrid, but this class of vehicle is different from MTD hybrid buses. Electric may be an option. When the time comes, we’ll discuss with the System office as they put the $$ into UI Ride.

    Thank you,

    Pete

  11. Weekly Update: Close to M-F hours

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Another abbreviated week for me, but the staff held down the fort. We’re working up bikes and our staff is peer-to-peer training during slow times to get the new folks up to speed.

    This week I’ll schedule some off-hours staff trainings and a staff meeting to help bring folks along. We’re close to being able to open back up M – F, still have a few more things to iron out. I even found the same open hours poster we used to have for our M-F hours, so we don’t have to order a new sign. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 17
    Sales: $299.30
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $160
    Memberships: 1 for $30
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $45

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  12. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  13. Invitation to collaborate on a presentation

    Associated Project(s): 

     

    I was contact by some colleagues withy Future Earth – Taipei (https://futureearth.org/about/who-we-are/international-offices/taipei-global-hub/) for a potential webinar series.  I suggested them to think about campus sustainability actions as a living laboratory and they are very intrigued by this idea.  They asked me to suggest speakers and I am thinking about Jack, Morgan and Andy.  So, I would like to ask if you are interested.  Some of their previous talk can be found at https://www.facebook.com/futureearth.org/.  All the communications and activities will be between 6pm-11pm CST due to time difference.  I am happy to have more discussion if you are interested.

     

    Presenters:

     

    Ms. Morgan White, https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2021/10/14/white-named-acting-director-of-the-f-s-capital-programs-division

    Mr. Jack Reicherts, https://studentengagement.illinois.edu/student-sustainability/ssc/team/reicherts/

    Dr. Andrew Stumpf, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=astumpf@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

    Dr. Ping-Yu Change, https://scholars.ncu.edu.tw/en/persons/ping-yu-chang

    Dr. Jui-Pin (Rubin) Tsai, https://www.bse.ntu.edu.tw/member?teacher_id=48&page=1

    Dr. Yu-Feng Forrrest Lin, https://directory.illinois.edu/detail?userId=yflin@illinois.edu&widgetId=15

     

    Cheers,

     

    Yu-Feng F. Lin

    Director

        Illinois Water Resources Center

    Principal Research Hydrogeologist

        Illinois State Geological Survey

    Clinical Professor

        Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Research Professor

        Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  14. iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022

    Greetings, Colleagues,

     

    I hope the start of 2023 is going well. I’m reaching out today to send you iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022 from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.

     

    For more up-to-date news from iSEE, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.

     

    IN RESEARCH

     

     IN EDUCATION & OUTREACH

    • Registration is open for iSEE Congress 2023 — “Addressing Crises of a Planetary Scale: Lessons from Pandemics and Climate Change.”
    • The Fall 2023 Critical Conversation is expected to bring together stakeholders to discuss climate-smart commodities.
    • iSEE’s Environmental Leadership Program for Spring 2023 is already more than past the midway point; check out our student blog for some perspective on the immersive learning experience.
    • Read a Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW) success story in former Q author and CEW recipient Zack Fishman.

     

    IN CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY

    • Our Grind2Energy video explored how dining hall food waste produces energy and fertilizer; its release spurred coverage by The News-Gazette and WCIA-TV.
    • iSEE’s new, more comprehensive Student Action webpage offers listings for iSEE jobs, volunteering, and student organizations to join.
    • Illini Lights Out fall semester featured RECORD totals: more than 640 volunteers turned off 20,303 bulbs, saving the campus as much as 35,000 kWH, $3,090, and nearly 25 tons of GHG. Spring dates: Jan. 27 (130+ volunteers, 5,043 bulbs, 8,700 kWH, $760, 6.2 tons of GHG), Feb. 10 and 24, March 24, and April 21.
    • At the November Zero Waste basketball game (see video) more than 280 pounds of beverage containers and other recyclables were diverted from the landfill. The next Zero Waste basketball game March 2 seeks 100 volunteers. iSEE partnering with F&S, Housing, Athletics, and Union for a #don’twasteWednesdays twitter campaign all spring. FALL PLAN: a ZW football tailgate.
    • A new Waste Transfer Station video shows the great work by Facilities & Services — but also the need for all campus community members to pre-sort their recyclables to prevent them from becoming landfill waste.
    • Greener Campus certifications in the new year: One new office (Visit Champaign County!), one new chapter (Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority), and nine new events (including Illini Lights Out) certified in January.
    • Read our article about the sustainable features of Campus Recreation and our feature about the new beekeeping club on campus.

     

    Thanks for reading, and best wishes for the remainder of the spring semester!

     

    Best,

    Madhu Khanna

     

     

    Madhu Khanna

    Pronouns: she, her

    Alvin H. Baum Family Chair & Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment

    ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics

    Co-Director, Center for Economics of Sustainability

    University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

    1301, W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

     

     

     

  15. Project Announcement for UTB Installation

    Associated Project(s): 

    Below is a message from Andrew Stumpf regarding the installation of the underground thermal battery at the UIUC Energy Farm:

    Dear colleagues,

     

    It is with great excitement that I can announce the project to install Underground Thermal Battery (UTB) system developed by Dr. Xiaobing Liu’s team at Oakridge National Laboratory at UIUC Energy Farm will begin next week. This will be a several weeks project that includes installing the UTB, associated geothermal boreholes, geothermal heat pump, HVAC upgrades and control center. On Monday the UTB will be placed in the ground. Skinner Drilling will be installing the UTB with assistance from Durbin Geothermal. All the other work will follow over the coming weeks. I expect drilling will start between 8:00 and 8:30 and take about 1 hour, and then the battery will be lowered into the ground and be done before noon.

     

    You're most welcome to visit.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

  16. Res005 Sustainability Economic Analysis recommendation - Submittal

    The Resilience iCAP Team submitted the attached Res005 Sustainability Economic Analysis recommendation to the iWG on 2/20/2023. The recommendation states:

    Provide undergraduate research support for reporting on sustainability concepts including cost-benefit analysis, lifecycle costs, and finance considerations for Sustainability-related projects of interest to the local urbanized areas of Urbana, Champaign, and Savoy.

    Topic examples include Green Infrastructure or Energy Conservation / Renewable Energy projects that municipalities are interested in undertaking. This research should help identify useful case studies and provide reporting on the economics of “green” capital projects of interest. Information showing that Green Infrastructure projects and/or Renewable Energy projects are fiscally sound, financially viable, and can demonstrate a return on investment have a greater chance for adoption over the easier “status quo” or lowest-bidder projects.

    iSEE will provide some oversight and work to identify potential resources to partner with communities to answer sustainability questions with regard to “green” and “sustainable” community investments – where cost-benefit analysis and life cycle analysis reporting would be beneficial.  ISEE recommended that Eric Green’s ENVS 492 undergraduate course is an appropriate class to partner with.

    This recommendation also seeks assistance from iSEE to help identify future funding for the development, implementation, and outreach of this plan.

    Additionally, the Education iCAP Team will assist in identifying online and on-campus degree programs with capstone courses that may align with the project scope. The Resilience iCAP Team leaders will continue to work with community partners to identify areas of prioritized need to be shared with a growing network of faculty and programs who in turn, are interested in providing real-world research-based opportunities to their students.

    Through ENVS 492 and potential online and on-campus capstone programs, students will work with communities to conduct research and outreach, and to disseminate applicable reports and findings.

    Suggested unit/department to address implementation: ISEE

  17. Weekly Update: Build-a-bikes completed, increasing number of bikes on the floor

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Abbreviated week for me as I took a half day on Thursday and all of Friday off. Staff handled things admirably and I’ll check in with them today for a full shift report.

    Got a couple Build-a-Bikes completed and a bike sold last week. We’ve got a dozen or so bikes on the floor and working to bump that number. I’ll likely grab a few more bikes from the warehouse, too.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 29
    Sales: $429.25
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $90

    Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $100
    Memberships: 1 for $30

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

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