You are here

Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects

Search

Search tips:

  • This form will search for words in the title OR the description. If you would like to search for the same term(s) across both the title and description, enter the same search term(s) in both fields.
  • This form will search for any of the words you enter in a field, not the exact phrase you enter. If you would like to search for an exact phrase, put double quotes (") around the phrase. For example, if you search for Bike Path you will get results containing either the word Bike OR the word Path, but if you search for "Bike Path" you will get results containing the exact phrase Bike Path.
  1. Archived web info - CSE Prairie Project

    Faculty Resources

    FacultyResources.jpgThe Office of Sustainability has collected information from a variety of sources that are useful to faculty who are considering adding sustainability to courses.  The OS has co-sponsored the Prairie Project in 2010 and 2011 with surprising results.  Combined statistics indicate participation by more than 30 faculty, instructors, lecturers from nearly every college.  This translates into teaching some facet of sustainability to 6,500 students per year!  The suggested readings are primarily those recommended to participants of the curriculum workshop.  The courses and syllabi page provides examples from our campus as well as from external sources.  The last section on design and assessment includes valuable resources shared by the Center for Teaching Excellence.

     

  2. Archived web info - ECI Energy Dashboard

    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.

  3. Request for scope/schedule change to SSC

    Associated Project(s): 

    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

  4. Allerton pursuing a bike sharing system

    Associated Project(s): 

    The attached Manual was developed with students and Amelia Neptune over the last few years.  The most helpful part of this document is the liability Q&A that Tina helped create.  I cleaned the file up a bit this morning to fix broken links and check for any glaring errors. 

    To bring you and those copied here up to speed, I’ll share a few points that are happening with bike sharing now. 

    • The successfully implemented bike sharing on campus is at Kinesiology and Community Health.  They have six bikes for employee use, and wrote a research report about the usage (attached).  They simply have the keys at a desk with a sign-out list, and they send the bikes for maintenance once a year.  The contact person is Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko at Kinesiology.
    • This summer, the MTD is planning to start working with campus and the cities to investigate a public bike sharing system, and that conversation is just beginning.  The contact person is Rebecca Nathanson at MTD.
    • AITS is planning to set up a departmental bike sharing program, in cooperation with the Campus Bike Center and iSEE.  The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is planning to contribute funds towards administrative support for maintaining the bikes.  It is likely that 10-20 bikes will be purchased from “On Bikes,” which comes with a locking and tracking system. 
    • Grace Kyung has had numerous conversations with Zagster, which was formed by former staff at Zipcar.  Their system is an all-inclusive turn-key approach, where you pay a set-up fee, then pay a recurring monthly fee for maintenance and oversight.  The set up fee is around $2000 per bike and the monthly fee is about $100 per bike.  The bikes then continue to belong to Zagster.  I did not support the Zagster model for campus employee use, but it may be reasonable for Allerton’s intended use.  If you are interested, their CEO is visiting town on Thursday. 

    Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with to get this set up.

    Thanks,

    Morgan


    On May 23, 2014, at 4:07 PM, "McEllin, Tina D" wrote:

    Hi Derek,

    To start I’m going to refer you to Morgan Johnston, Assoc. Director of Sustainability.    I believe Morgan has a draft manual for depts. to use when setting up programs for employees.   I don’t know if it will address offering this service to the public so you may have to add language to that effect.     

    Since you will have the public liability issue I would like to review your draft manual to make sure exposure to the University is controlled as much as possible.  Please feel free to call me with any questions. 

    Thank you.

    Tina McEllin,  Assoc. Dir.

    University Office of Risk Management

    247 Henry Admin. Bldg.   M-C 337

    506 S. Wright St., Urbana IL 61801

    PH 217-333-3113

    FX 217-239-6744

    Check out our website!   www.uirisk.uillinois.edu

    Please note: Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), any written communication to or from University employees regarding University business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

    From: Peterson, Derek Eli
    Sent: Friday, May 23, 2014 3:51 PM
    To: Kale, PJ; McEllin, Tina D
    Cc: Kevin Donovan
    Subject: Allerton Park and Retreat Center

    Good Afternoon PJ and Tina-

    Joe Vitosky said the two of you might be a good start for me, I need some advice. Allerton Park is going to start a Bike Rental, or Bike Share program. I am interested to know if any other units, or if there is any standard documentation that might assist me through this process. We have researched other local entities that do bike share and rental and so we have some standard language, but we will be offering this to the public, so we need to make sure the University if legally covered. As I type I feel underprepared to ask this question, but I thought you might have some advice for me to help get me started.

    Thank you for your time-

    -- 

    Derek Peterson

    Associate Director

    Allerton Park & Retreat Center

    University of Illinois

    515 Old Timber Road

    Monticello, IL  61856

    O 217.333.3287, ext. 203

    M 217-778-9111

    www.allerton.illinois.edu

  5. funding from RLF

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Green revolving loan fund is committed to provide $32,000 of funding for the TBH project.  Please add a supplemental account on to the work order to fund up to $32,000 of the bill for the lighting retrofit.  The revolving loan account is MY862-Revolving Loan Fund (1-303630-862004-862013.) 

  6. SSC funds available

    Associated Project(s): 

    Congratulations,

    You now have access to the SSC funding that was granted to you for your Recycling on the Quad project. Attached is a copy of the SSC funding agreement that you signed along with other parties. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

    Best Wishes,

    Marques Burris

    SSC Program Advisor

  7. status update on real-time meter installations

    Associated Project(s): 

    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. 

  8. The Sustainability of the Photovoltaic Solar Panels on the Roof of Business Instructional Facility

    The photovoltaic panels on LEED Platinum certified Business Instructional Facility (BIF) rooftop harvests solar radiation as a clean renewable energy source for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign facility. The solar system has a combined maximum output of 40 kilowatt per hour (kWh), and has an annual production of 60,000 kWh. The system is expected to produce approximately eight percent of the building’s total electricity demand. However, solar panels require unobstructed access to solar radiation for most or all of the day to be effective

    Attached Files: 
  9. Sustainability Assessment of small-scale Outdoor Wood Burning Appliances

    In this case study, an Outdoor Wood Burning appliance was installed in central Illinois as a biomass substitute for existing natural gas heating.  The location is owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is operated under the name Allerton Park.  Allerton Park is a 1,500 acre estate with numerous woodland, riparian, and prairie areas.   This location was selected by the University’s Student Sustainability Committee which disperses student fees allocated for sustainability improvements.  The visitor center and several workshops at Allerton Park used a 1960 boiler/heating unit that was expensive to run and produced excessive CO2 emissions.

  10. Sustainability Analysis of the Campus Bike Center

    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.

     

     

  11. GreenLink Project Assessment

    The University of Illinois is an educational institution that strives for excellence in sustainability. Under this new goal, many projects have been funded such as the green roof over the Link Gallery. The Link Gallery is a space used to exhibit student work and is wedged between the Art and Design Building and the Krannert Art Museum. The project, titled GreenLink, was proposed by Nan Goggins, the Director of the School of Art and Design, and David Akins, the Director of Art and Design Facilities in 2008[1]. The goal of this project was to make visible the concerns and interests of Fine and Applied Arts students and faculty in working collaboratively on “greening the art campus”. They also had the goals of lowering the heating and cooling costs for the Link space, as well as collecting and storing rainwater to water the gardens on either side of the Link Gallery.



    [1] The original GreenLink Proposal can be found via the iCAP portal.

     

    Attached Files: 
  12. KCPA LED Lobby Lighting

    In the words of Valerie Oliveiro, Assistant to the Senior Associate Director of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, KCPA is “dedicated to the advancement of the education, research, and public engagement mission of the University of Illinois through the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the performing arts.”[1] These words exemplify the importance of KCPA to the campus community. A hub of social interaction and innovation, Krannert has a unique role as a leader and innovator in sustainability initiatives at the University of Illinois. This unique importance is what drove KCPA to the idea of implementing LED lighting in its lobby. After more than two years of research and experimentation, consideration to the developing goals of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) and joint funding from the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, KCPA finally decided to pull the trigger on The University’s largest LED lighting project.



    [1] Oliveiro, Valerie. ICECF Funding Proposal for the KCPA LED Lobby Lighting Retrofit Project. Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, September 17th, 2009

     

  13. Examining the Solar Thermal Panels at the Activities and Recreation Center

    from student paper: "For the Spring 2014 semester, I am enrolled in NRES 285 – a field course entitled Performance Metrics and Assessment Techniques for Sustainability Projects. This course utilizes experiential learning in order to gain hands-on experience with sustainability projects on the UIUC campus. In order to assess these initiatives it is necessary to evaluate effectiveness of the project, means of improvement, methods of communicating results, and suggestions for the future. In particular, a project I found particularly appealing is the solar thermal system at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) used to heat the indoor and outdoor pools...."

    Attached Files: 
  14. Sustainable Student Farm Vermicomposting Project (I-Compost) Evaluation

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

    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: 
  16. Revised scope to fit budget

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: Sweeney, Eva Maria
    Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2014 3:41 PM
    To: Chasco, David; Hall, Gaines B; Johnston, Morgan B; Tousignant, Teresa Marie Giardina
    Cc: Rubin, Joshua
    Subject: RE: Temple Buell - lighting controls upgrade

    Dir. Chasco,

    Thanks for your reply.  I’ll notify the project coordinator to proceed without the dimming controls.

    Regards,

    -Eva

     

    From: Chasco, David
    Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2014 2:05 PM
    To: Hall, Gaines B; Sweeney, Eva Maria; Johnston, Morgan B; Tousignant, Teresa Marie Giardina
    Cc: Rubin, Joshua
    Subject: RE: Temple Buell - lighting controls upgrade

     

    See below.

     

    From: Hall, Gaines B
    Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 12:27 PM
    To: Sweeney, Eva Maria; Johnston, Morgan B; Tousignant, Teresa Marie Giardina; Chasco, David
    Cc: Rubin, Joshua
    Subject: RE: Temple Buell - lighting controls upgrade

     

    I will defer to Director Chasco for this answer.

     

    Gaines

     

    From: Sweeney, Eva Maria
    Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 11:24 AM
    To: Johnston, Morgan B; Tousignant, Teresa Marie Giardina; Hall, Gaines B; Chasco, David
    Cc: Rubin, Joshua
    Subject: FW: Temple Buell - lighting controls upgrade

     

    All,

     

    Please see below.  Per our discussions at the 95% review, I added in continuous dimming

    to the 2nd and 3rd floor studios daylighting controls.  I had hoped we could afford this within the

    project budget, but the bid has come in too high.

     

    Would it be acceptable to the department to remove the dimming function, and have the

    daylighting operate in on/off mode only?  This will save a huge amount and put us back on budget. Yes, that is ok if it helps the budget.

     

    Please let me know your thoughts ASAP so I can have the contractor revise their bid.

    David

    Thanks,

    -Eva

     

    From: Rubin, Joshua
    Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2014 4:44 PM
    To: Sweeney, Eva Maria
    Subject: Temple Buell

     

    Eva

     

    As discussed, the fixed cost JOC scope of work for the TBH Lighting upgrades is ~$119,580.  This does not include any F&S system integrity support (this would be time and material support for things like smoke outage support, electrical outage support, ballast disposal) which would be minor on this project.

     

    The emergency exit light replacement cost is approx. $9,500.00

     

    Removal of the dimming requirement for the studio/lab areas would save somewhere in the range of $33,300 - $50,000

     

    Please let me know if you and the customer (Gaines Hall?) would like a more exact proposal for any of the options above and how you would like to proceed with this project.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Josh Rubin

    JOC Project Specialist

    Facilities & Services

    University of Illinois

    1501 S Oak St.

    Champaign, IL 61820

    Office:   (217) 300-2469

    Cell:        (217) 377-5493

  17. Bike Funding Needs

    Associated Project(s): 

    In 2011, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was recognized as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) by the League of American Bicyclists. This was in large part a result of efforts by Facilities & Services in cooperation with community partners, including the Bicycle Friendly Cities of Urbana and Champaign and Champaign County Bikes, which is dedicated to making Champaign County the most bicycle friendly county in the Midwest.  The Student Sustainability Committee, Illinois Student Senate, and Dean of Students have added funding.

    The BFU Bronze status expires in 2015, and campus needs to address several bicycle-related items in order to maintain Bronze status or achieve the Silver designation.  Key points, status, timing, and approximate long-term funding needs are below.

    Task

    Status

    Timing

     Long-term Funding Needs

    Approve Campus Bike Plan

    final edits underway, then routing for approval from F&S and Campus

    30-Jun-14

    use existing staff time

    Improve bikeway network

    integrating some of these with street and capital projects, seeking grants

    five to ten years

    approximately $4 Million

    Upgrade bike parking

    over 150 parking locations are not up to acceptable standards

    three to five years

    approximately $400K

    Adopt Campus Bike Code and  bike registration system

    final edits underway, then routing for approval; costs include tracking citations, and handling registration

    approve by June 30, 2014

    $5-$20k/year recurring

    Campus Bicycle Coordinator over programs such as bike sharing and ambassadors

    no funding available, currently managed part-time by a team of F&S

    needed

    $45k/year recurring

    Bicycle Education maps, materials and classes

    currently offered by the Campus Bike Center and Champaign County Bikes

    ongoing

    $5-$10k/year recurring

    Campus Bike Center advocacy, education, and encouragement

    recurring events, in collaboration with Champaign County Bikes and student advocacy groups

    needed

    $50k/year recurring

    With increasing ridership over the last decade and an average of 5,000 bikes on campus during a typical hour, it is clear that bicycle-related needs should not be ignored.  Bikeway improvements, parking upgrades, and a new bike code are in progress now; however, to keep the Bicycle Friendly status, campus should allocate $50,000 in FY15 for the Campus Bike Center (a collaboration between campus and The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign).

    The Bike Center distributes UI registration stickers; maintains Bike Fix-it Stations; provides a central base for the bicycling community on campus; encourages mode-shift through various events and classes throughout the year; distributes educational resources regarding bicycling; educates students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors about basic bicycle maintenance; and collaborates with campus and community partners in bicycle-related programs.  By keeping the Bike Center open, campus can spread awareness about the many improvements, increase safety, sustainability, and health on campus, and continue to offer education and encouragement events this coming year.

    Attached Files: 

Pages