Funding request submitted to SSC for FY12
In Fall 2010, The Bike Project requested $7,500 in funding from SSC for 50% of a half-time shop manager. The SSC approved this request.
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In Fall 2010, The Bike Project requested $7,500 in funding from SSC for 50% of a half-time shop manager. The SSC approved this request.
A Site Selection committee was formed to evaluate potential locations for the Solar Farm.
This proposal looks to continue to develop a student run farm at the Horticultural Pomology Farm on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Windsor. As a partnership between the campus horticulture program and students, the farm will significantly contribute to campus food needs by supplying produce to University food service operations. This will allow the campus to move toward a more sustainable agricultural model and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food transportation. Student volunteers and Crop Sciences employees will harvest, process and deliver fresh crops to University Dining Services, which will pay the prevailing market rate for the produce. This model should allow the project to bring in adequate funding in the near future, and the requested funds will be used to propel the farm to achieve self-sustaining operations in 2011. Further, a sign will inform the community of the farm’s presence and open houses will be held to introduce students and staff to this sustainable agriculture operation. This continued and expanded project will provide tangible evidence of campus commitment to responsible sustainable behavior. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the fully requested amount of $25,000.
This proposal seeks to provide funding for student education centered around the University of Illinois’s participation in the 2011 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Competition. Each student team participating in this prestigious, international competition is required to build an entirely solar-powered 800 sq. foot house with innovative design features. This grant will provide funds for the development of new courses and enhancement of existing courses, provisioning of course materials and software, and the sponsorship of guest lecturers and consultants ($25,000), the employment of graduate students in coordinating roles for education and volunteer engagement activities ($15,000), and student travel associated with the competition ($10,000). The last UI entry in the Solar Decathlon competition engaged hundreds of students and was the highest-placed US finisher in the Competition; furthermore this participation will require the team to raise $700,000 at a time of severe campus budget constraints. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding this proposal in the amount of $50,000.
UI Legal Counsel Steve Veazie and Morgan Johnston worked with representatives of The Bike Project to create a Facility Use Agreement for the new Campus Bike Project.
The 2010 iCAP included goals to increase renewable energy on campus. Regarding solar energy, the 2010 iCAP said, "A full study for solar electric or thermal energies has not yet been conducted. Estimates of the built campus area of ~5 square kilometers can likely accommodate 5 percent solar photovoltaic (PV) array coverage as rooftop solar—or about 250,000 square meters, with peak generation capacity of 25 MW, and generating 45 million kWh of electricity. This has the potential to displace 10 percent of current campus electricity usage. Potential for larger tracking arrays on the South Farms also exists." It also included the strategy, "Increase the amount of solar photovoltaic and thermal projects."
The Campus Bike Project, located at 608 East Pennsylvania Ave. in Champaign, will hold an open house on Friday, April 23, from noon to 5 p.m. in conjunction with Earth Day. Tours will be available every hour, on the hour, at 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.
The Campus Bike Project (later named the Campus Bicycle Shop) opened in March of 2010 during Naturally Illinois and began serving the campus for 16 hours per week (open Monday mornings, Friday afternoons, and Sunday and Tuesday evenings).
A press release was sent out and is attached here.
The Student Sustainable Farm began using high tunnels, which allow for year-round production. The farm will begin with salad greens, leaf lettuce, and braising greens.
In November 2009, funding was requested from the SSC to support the start up costs of the campus location. Unfortunately, this funding was denied.
This afternoon, I verified with Jack Dempsey that he is still willing to fund a 900-HR extra-help employee for the first year of the new Campus Bike Project. The employee will be paid $12.00 per hour for 900 hours, so the full cost is $10,800. - Morgan Johnston
In April 2009, The Bike Project (TBP) representatives submitted an application for funding to the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC). In June 2009, the SSC awarded $30,000 for the shop construction.
In spring of 2009, discussions began between the University of Illinois and The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, regarding an on-campus bicycle shop. Fred Davidson, Joel Gillespie, and Tony Cherolis were key representatives of The Bike Project. Morgan Johnston, Steve Veazie, and Jeff Courson were key representatives of the UI. The files attached here represent some of the effort that initiated this program.
The original shop was called the Campus Bike Project.
The goal of this project would to be to plant a tallgrass prairie garden that mimics the natural prairie growth of Illinois. The garden would go in two locations front of the Basic Sciences Building and be about 10200 sq ft. The garden would consist of 40-50 different plants and consist of around 10000 seedlings. This project will create an area of native habitat on our campus, help educate and engage students about the prairie landscape, integrate with educational opportunities and serve as a pilot for future initiatives of this kind. Therefore, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the project for $21,700.
The goal of this project is to start a student-operated farm that produces significant quantities of fruits and vegetables for use in the University food service operations. The operation of such a farm will be of significant educational value, reduce carbon emissions associated with food production and transportation as well as be of value to Extension programs. Additionally, this project furthers the university’s role as a land grant institution. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the full requested amount of $50,000.
This proposal seeks to provide funding for student education centered around the University of Illinois’s participation in the 2011 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Competition. Each student team participating in this prestigious, international competition is required to build an entirely solar-powered 800 sq. foot house with innovative design features. This grant will provide funds for the development of new courses and enhancement of existing courses, provisioning of course materials and software, and the sponsorship of guest lecturers and consultants ($25,000), the employment of graduate students in coordinating roles for education and volunteer engagement activities ($15,000), and student travel associated with the competition ($10,000). The last UI entry in the Solar Decathlon competition engaged hundreds of students and was the highest-placed US finisher in the Competition; furthermore this participation will require the team to raise $700,000 at a time of severe campus budget constraints. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding this proposal in the amount of $50,000.
The goal of this project is to conduct a feasibility study regarding installing an open geothermal loop underneath the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. The open geothermal loop would take water from one of the many nearby aquifers and only introduce heat into the system. The project will increase awareness of geothermal systems, determine the physical and chemical attributes of the aquifer, and study integrating the geothermal system with the current HVAC system. The ISTC hopes to decrease their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 25%-50%. The ISTC would test the procedure on this building, but hopes to extend it to other campus buildings. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the full requested amount of $27,000.
The goal of this project is to help inform the campus and community of sustainability related programs, facilities and organizations in the Champaign-Urbana area. This grant will pay for a student RA and GPS equipment to support a class project to map the above, thus adding an educational component to this proposal. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the full requested amount of $3,200.
The kickoff meeting for the ISTC geothermal study was led by Todd Rusk at ISTC on March 9, 2009. The agenda was 1) to discuss the overall project objectives, tasks, and requirements and 2) to begin preparations for drilling the test wells.
Participants included: Tom Abram, Eliana Brown, Kenneth Hlinka, Thomas Holm, Michael Jeffords, David Larson, Tim Lindsey, Kent Reifsteck, Bill Shilts, Douglas Walker, and Angela Wisehart.
In late January 2009, students wrote a letter to the Governor, Pat Quinn, requesting him for support and assistance in the campus wind farm project. This letter addressed the need of wind generation capacity on campus and requesting the governor to persuade the Chancellor to bring the wind power to the campus.