Finished the grant modification docs for 09-466012 DCEO Large Customer ARRA grant.

Sent additional paperwork for the ICECF lighting retrofit grant to ICECF.

Received anticipation account CFOP for FY12 EEPs DCEO grant, and allocated funding to the Lighting Retrofit project.

The SSC awarded funding for Solar at the ECE North Campus Parking Deck project and the Conceptualization phase for Solar at KCPA.

We participated in meeting with representatives from Columbia, Missouri about their transit goals.  Articles were written about the visit: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/mar/13/gold-standard/, http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/03/13/final-bus-trip/, and http://wjf.im/xkmY5f.

We also provided information to Arizona State University about our bike registration system and intentions.

Tim Hoss was approved as a Recycling Assistant academic hourly position to oversee the implementation of the Food Waste Composting Facility and assist with other iCAP waste management projects.

Staff answered questions from DCEO about the FSCRAP grant, in cooperation with University Grants and Contracts.  Additionally, staff provided detailed responses to inquiries from students about the status of the project.

Continued contract renewal work for the University and MTD three-year contract form FY13-FY15.  The students approved recommended transportation fees which will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees this spring. 

Staff held weekly conference calls with Zipcar about promoting car-sharing on campus, and provided input to the University of Iowa and Eastern Illinois University regarding their car sharing plans.

On February 16, CCNet hosted Angela Adams, the Recycling Coordinator at the City of Champaign, to explain the proposed bag ban in the city; Pattsi Petrie, a Champaign County Board Member, to discuss local foods; Mike Monson, the Urbana Chief of Staff, to explain the Electrical Aggregation proposal; and Marya Ryan, from the Urbana Sustainability Advisory Commission to review the City of Urbana’s Climate Action Plan.

Staff facilitated meetings with students and staff about potential letters of support for the City of Champaign Single Use Disposable Paper and Plastic Bags study item.

In an effort to standardize emissions calculations throughout the community and county, staff met with transportation planners from the Regional Planning Commission to share information about calculating transportation emissions.

F&S worked with the College of Business’ Director of Information Management to provide detailed solar data from the Business Instructional Facility to a graduate student in ECE.

A team of MBA students in Madhu Viswanathan’s course worked with the Campus Bike Project to make recommendations about how the Campus Bike Project could become financially self-supporting.

Scholarship of Sustainability 10-part series began.

The Engineering 315, Learning in the Community UI Bikes (UIB) section submitted their project proposal for what the class will be working on this semester.  The UIB class has divided into three groups which will tackle three different bicycle-related projects this semester: 1.) the continuation of the bike sharing market analysis started last semester, including a campus-wide survey and several targeted focus groups; 2) the development of an online, interactive campus bicycle parking map using Google Maps; and 3) testing out various marketing tactics to encourage bike riders to park their bikes legally at designated bike parking, rather than on trees, signs, ramps, or fences.

Abbott Power Plant was granted an IEPA permit to co-fire biomass with coal until June 30, 2013.  F&S intends to do some test burns this spring with wood chips.  Wood chips have a good track record in stoker boilers, and we are fairly confident we can demonstrate a successful trial.  In addition, wood chips appear to be one of the most cost effective sources of biomass available at this time.