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Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects

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  1. Weekly Update: Bike sales, Bike Fix-it day, Stripping junk bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Business as usual over here. We’ve almost fully occupied the front lobby space with for sale bikes—which will likely diminish a bit this week with the warm weather. Fingers crossed.

    This upcoming Saturday we have a partnering event with the Urbana Parks District to help with a bike fix-it day from 10  - 12p in Urbana at the Phillips Recreation Center. Will be nice to get off campus and help folks where they are—or maybe closer to where they are. The event was successful last year and will hopefully be so again this year. Although, offsite repairs always mean you can’t bring every tool for every possible repair, which is a strong impulse.

    We’ve hit a bit of a stride with some volunteers and staff stripping junk bikes. This, of course, has the added bonus of creating a surplus of used 26” tires. We’ll have no trouble working through those in due time. Accordingly, I’ll be grabbing a few more from the warehouse this week.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 44
    Sales: $529
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $240
    Memberships: 1 for $30
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $31

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  2. 4-7-23 Housing + F&S meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Dump and Run

    Agenda:

    1. Alterations to the proposed locations for 20’ containers

    1. Removing 1 container at IKE.

    2. Determining if planters can be moved at PAR/FAR.

    1. Considering the parking lot (F-17) for

    2. Quotes for 5 20-foot containers (includes delivery and pick up)

    1. MI-BOX: $1,795

    2. StowAway: $1,499

    3. Paid with a P-Card? Still determining

    3. Advertisements

    1. 200 paper-sized advertisements for residence hall bulletins

    2. Advertisements for Housing’s digital boards - who should this be sent to?

    4. Banner

    1. Rough draft statement - any suggestions?

    2. Keep it evergreen - no dates, no company names, so it can be reused for future years. QR code can change information easily.

    3. Include University Housing and F&S logos at the bottom

    4. QR codes links to basic description of Dump & Run’s purpose (zero iCAP objective connection), comprehensive list of accepted items, info on bike donation to Campus Bike Center.

    1. Hosted on F&S website.

    5. Gaylords

    1. How many pallet/gaylords fit in a 20’ container?

    2. Does F&S have gaylords to contribute?

    3. Goodwill can contribute gaylords (take full, bring empty to replace).

    6. LAR, Busey-Evans

    1. How many boxes will be needed in these lobbies?

    2. F&S takes full boxes to PPSB Truck Bay, Goodwill, Salt & Light pick up from there.

    7. Volunteers

    1. 2 volunteers per storage unit

    2. Advertised to:

    1. Junior League of Champaign-Urbana

    2. Champaign County Forest Preserve

    3. Champaign County Master Naturalists

    4. Rotary Club of Champaign

    8. Food Donations

    1. Wesley Food Pantry wanting to discuss logistics.

     

     

    2023-04-07 recording of the meeting here in google drive.

     

  3. LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed - Successful

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Land and Water Recommendations Summary
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas

    Morgan White, the Associate Director of F&S of Sustainability and Interim Director of Capital Programs at UIUC, responded to the LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed with the following message:

    Dear Land and Water iCAP Team and iWG,

    Thank you for your continued support and advocacy for the Illinois Climate Action Plan.  Last semester, we received the recommendation below for adding more milkweed around campus to support the monarch butterfly population, and we are happy to take action. 

    F&S has the personnel and expertise to coordinate this effort successfully. The Grounds team will plant milkweed at the low mow zone and prairie areas, prioritizing the locations shown on your map.  Additionally, once our Grounds Workers do the seeding, they will be more likely to know where it is growing in the future and be able to avoid accidental mowings. 

    To assist campus sustainability, F&S is amenable to doing the work without additional compensation.  We will also request $2,500 from the Illinois Green Fund for the purchase of enough seeds for roughly 64,000 SF of space, which can then be divided up into the multiple locations.  Some of the smaller locations suggested may not be planted, depending on future campus building plans.  For the low mow zones, plantings will be prioritized along road corridors where passers-by will be able to see the plants growing and ascertain the success rate. 

    Please let Brent Lewis (copied) know if you have any questions.  We look forward to assisting our pollinator population with this project.

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    For future updates related to the Monarchs Need Milkweed, see the Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas project here. 

    See the iWG assessment LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed and transmittal update here.

    See the original LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed recommendation here. 

  4. Geen Research Commitee 1st meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Research Committee
    Green Lab Program

    April 5, 2023 Green Research Committee (Kick Off) Meeting 1

    Present: Lisa Moore, Daphne Hulse, Stephanie Hess, Jeremy Neighbors, Jennifer Fraterrigo, Chad Stevens, Shari Effert-Fanta, Sabrina Summers, Morgan White, Mitchell Bryant, Timothy Mies, Maisie Kingren, Paul Foote, Patty Jones, Susan Martinis, Madhu Khanna

    Absent: Ehab Kamarah

    Charge:

    • Look at what others do.
      • Makes it less onerous.
      • Check in with our peer institutions
    • Check in with our iCAP.
    • Structure what we come up with in short- and long-term goals. We have a tight timeline and a broad objective overall.

    Discussion:

    • Two graduate students joined, which is very valuable to us.
    • Deadline to show ideas and progress and present to Ehab, Madhu, and Susan, by May. Jeremy & Stephanie will give this update and summarize what is discussed now and a general timeline going forward.
    • Morgan’s been thinking about this for 7 or 8 years, and is excited to see it come to fruition. The core is that researchers are making huge changes and breakthroughs to address climate change but we’re still buying plastic and throwing it away, leaving fume hoods open, etc. How to integrate it into research without jeopardizing the research itself, is the question to explore.
    • Messaging must be very cautious to balance safety with sustainability.
    • Opportunity to review the iCAP 2020 or 2015 objectives to identify how it applies today.
    • Green Research as opposed to Green Labs: allows us to be more broad in our approach.
    • Paul Foote spent a year just doing a Green Labs Program so he has tremendous experience and background knowledge on the subject. Don’t reinvent the wheel. I2SL, My Green Lab are good resources to look at.
    • Mitchell: Not a lot of knowledge about how to dispose of waste safely (information deficit), so he sees a lot of improper disposal as a student. A lot of opportunity for energy reduction in labs. Concerted effort across campus is necessary, but can we add the carrot (incentive) as well?
    • Tim: ACES, South Farms, see inconsistency with how waste is disposed of. Some go through Waste Transfer, others go through Area Disposal. Researchers want to do the right thing, but most people are strapped on time “how do I do it versus how do I have time in the day?” Growth chamber: big refrigerator with a lot of light bulbs. Remove the heat from lamps. Some people don’t turn them off - maintenance or researchers just forgetting. Think of a way to incentivize this? Support the researchers as much as possible.
    • Mitchell thinks is very much falls on the individual to ensure they are following the right instructors (don’t pour stains down the sink, etc.).
    • On Stephanie’s mind is a culture change for safety. How can they improve the culture of safety on campus? There is simultaneously a sustainability culture we need to grow, too.

    How to accomplish this:

    • The charge letter had three different goals:
      • Break into three groups and each would tackle one of those before the next meeting.
        • On-site wet and dry research labs, off-site UIUC research labs, agriculture land and field sites
        • Develop a program whereby groups and departments can qualify for a Green Lab or Green Research certification. Contribute to the iCAP goals.
        • Outline a framework to recommend building-specific plans for safe energy conservation
    • Sub-teams in Teams is how we will communicate among our teams.
    • Cadence of meetings?
      • Big meeting once per month, small groups on the week between (each team has a delegate for scheduling meetings for their group)
      • October deliverables - so we have until the end of September to work
    • Resources to carry this out
      • Anything that will require funding we will need to state, justify, estimate cost, expected impact from the investment.
    • Consider reward packages for research groups.
      • Rewarding research groups will be key, according to Donald Stevens
    • Paul will put together a sheet of how funding in the past has worked, for projects he’s been involved with. Give the group an idea of how we can tap into funds.
    • Stephanie: think about connections you have, things you can tap into.
      • Ex: TV screens in lab settings for safety communication. Interest from researchers for this, especially if they can get it for free. A way to communicate without needing paper. Where can we ask for favors?
    • Jen’s concern: how can we get voices from other researchers on campus and oversee labs: find opportunities and barriers?
      • Paul: successful programs have Green Ambassadors who can be a voice for the labs and can brainstorm together what will work for different labs.
      • Group agrees that more faculty PIs should be included in the conversation.
    • Donald & Morgan discussion on zero growth space policy - Capital - comes from Deferred Maintenance than any sort of energy-related issue.
    • Mitchell Bryant: attending a seminar tomorrow on this topic and will post his notes in Teams

  5. Weekly Update: Earth Month, Nice weather

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Happy Earth Month! Weather is picking up in the next week or two, so we’ll see how that impacts visit numbers. Still working our way through the warehouse bikes and our for sale bikes are hovering around 20. Other than that, business as usual.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 36

    Sales: $612.75
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $360
    Membership: 3 for $90

    Tires/tubes: 6 for $35.75

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. Symposium Registration: Health & Environmental Strategies for Climate Adaptation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control

    Thank you for your responses so far to attend this very important event to confront Health and Environmental Strategies for Climate Adaptation.

     

    For those who have not yet responded, there is still time. 

     

    Please register using the link below today.

     

    Cart Tutt

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

    FYI, I'll be speaking at this event this week (online). It is a free event, and we will highlight the indoor air quality project with Safe Traces and Integrating Green Technologies.  Thanks, Morgan 

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

    Morgan,

     

    Did we get a report on the Astronomy Building from the Safe Traces test they ran?

     

    Dave

  7. U21064 - transportation building envelope

    Associated Project(s): 
    Building Envelope Pilot Project

    Hi Dennis,

     

    What’s the latest status on the Transportation Building Envelope project?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

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

     

    Morgan –

     

    That was one of my spring break projects which I am in the process of reworking for the week following commencement.  I’m hoping to have the update proposal from Sykesmore by the beginning of next week,

     

    Dennis

  8. Data from CIF Geothermal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Hi Morgan and Andy, I hope all is well.  I am going to give a presentation to Professor Abelson’s ENG 571 class next week and was wondering if you have any data regarding the geothermal system at the campus instructional facility?  Maybe it is on a website and apologies if that is the case.  Professor Abelson said the students might like some data and I think I have some data from Chuck on one of the Marine Corps base sites but having some data for CIF would be great too.

     

    Thank you,

    frank

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

    Hi Robbie,

     

    I would like to introduce you to my colleague Frank Holcomb who is a Senior Researcher at CERL and a PhD candidate in CEE. He is giving a lecturer in Prof. Abelson’s class next week and asking if he could get access to data from the geoexchange system at CIF.

     

    Thanks,

    Andy

     

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

    David,

     

    Please work with Andrew Stumpf's group and allow access to DDC Data for CIF's geothermal system. See points descriptions below. 

     

    9k=

    • Please use the PPCL programs to determine the following values requested. I’m unable to get via Desigo so need DDC team assistance.
    • Temperature at inlet and outlet of the geothermal heat pumps
    • Flow rate in the geothermal loop
    • Heating or cooling load extracted from or ejected to the ground-side circulating liquid    


    Kate,

    Please work with Frank Holcomb in email below and allow access to all geothermal meters for Campus Instructional Facility. 

     

    CHW/HW production of the geothermal and HRC systems for #1545 below. 

    CHW/HW production of the geothermal and HRC systems

    1545-CHW3 CHW cooling added to HRC systems from GEO

    1545-HW2 HW heating added to HRC systems from GEO

     

     

    Thanks.

     

    Robbie Bauer

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

    Bob/Shane,

     

    Is it possible to provide read only access to Mr. Holcomb for CIF BAS even though he is at CERL? It looks like he also has a UofI email address.

     

    Thanks

    David Hardin

     

  9. Electric vehicle steering committee

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Electric Vehicle (EV) Task Force

    Dear Colleagues,

     

    Parking is in the process of forming a steering committee to develop university standards and policies regarding electric vehicle charging stations on the UIUC campus.  We will be partnering with Desman Consulting to develop the document and recommendations.  You are receiving this email because we would like you to serve on the steering committee.  We have worked with various divisions within F&S to identify individuals who have expressed interest, and who have in-depth knowledge of university infrastructure and systems.  Please let us know if you want to serve on this committee by next Friday, October 14, and we will set-up a time to meet in the next couple of weeks.

     

    Thank you,

     

    Marty

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

    Good morning,

     

    Thank you for agreeing to serve on the EV steering committee. You should have received an invitation to a folder in Box containing the parking study done by Desman. I have also attached it to this email. Please review this document and provide your feedback.

     

    Warmly,

     

    Maria S. McMullen

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

     

    Dear Maria,

     

    Thank you for sharing the report. I reviewed it and have several comments:

    1. Currently, there is limited public level 2 charging on campus and in the vicinity of campus. Yet we have many visitors to campus who are coming from out of town and may therefore need to charge their vehicle while here. If chargers are (only) added to parking permit facilities, visitors will not have access to them.
    2. Related to the point above, it is unclear if faculty, students, and staff who do not hold a permit for those facilities (but may hold a permit for other parking areas or may not hold a permit at all) will be able to use the chargers.
    3. I wonder if the analysis could take into account commuter driving distance when estimating demand. Many of us with EVs charge at home and rarely need to charge while on campus because the trip is within the range one can travel on a full charge. Consequently, the demand could be lower than expected.
    4. Finally, I think it is important to evaluate the spatial distribution of potential charging locations. We should aim to distribute these in an way the serves all of campus. It is possible that parking facilities are evenly distributed and thus chargers will be as well, but this is not clear from the parking study.

     

    Sincerely,

    Jennifer

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

    Dear Maria,

     

    I would appreciate an update as to when the review period will end and the EV steering committee will meet to discuss the comments and next steps.

     

    Thank you,

    Jennifer

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

    Jennifer,

     

    Thank you for your continued interest in serving on the EV committee. We plan to meet in the next couple of weeks.

     

    Stay tuned for more info!

     

    Maria

  10. RE: Solar Panels

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Solar PVs on NCPD

    Brent, Morgan,

    I am working with CSL on a small project for some solar panels near their satellite office in the North Campus Parking Garage. CSL mentioned that Canadian Solar is one of the approved suppliers to the campus.

     

    You probably know that Canadian Solar, in spite of its name, is mostly a Chinese supplier, although they have a more modest plant in Canada. The largest Chinese supplier is Jinko Solar, which in my experience is a bit better in quality.

     

    I am hoping we can spin up a higher-quality U.S. supplier, such as Sunpower, as an alternative to the various foreign providers.

     

    Philip T. Krein, Ph.D., P.E.

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

    Hi Sush and Brian,

     

    I am working on this research project at the North Campus Parking Deck to put solar panels on the canopy on the outside of the south side of the building.  They will be feeding them into a research space to power servers.  They actually want to have the panels directly power a battery and then power the servers from the battery.  I provided the cutsheets of the panels we used at the President’s Shed.  These fit the weight and size dimension requirements.  As we have used them before, they are therefore “pre-approved.”  One of the researchers, Philip, is asking about using something different in the email below.  Can you please assist in a response? 

     

    Also, as far as I knew, we hadn’t done any large battery systems on campus.  Possibly that is incorrect, but in asking recently I came up with nothing.  Please take a look at the cutsheet for the enphase and see if we would be ok with this one.  If not, please provide some additional direction.

     

    Thanks!

    Brent.

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

    Brent,

     

    I’m not aware that we have approved “vendors” for solar panels nor for inverters and such equipment.  Also, I not aware of where we would have a PV system using storage, the few I’m familiar with are grid tie systems.

     

    How big of a system are they looking at?

     

    Brian Curtis Finet, PE

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

    Brian,

     

    We will still tie this to the grid as a back up, back up power supply.  They would have 18 panels total along that canopy. I know we don’t have any officially “approved” vendors, but since we used the ones at the President’s House, we had approved them through construction.  Originally the researchers picked out what they wanted, but the manufacturer didn’t want to deal with us, so I threw out using the ones we’ve already installed here at least once. 

     

    I am not 100% certain if this is to power 3 new servers with 3 new batteries, or 3 new servers, with only one battery.  Based on the last email, it appeared we would only be looking at one battery for the backup.  I can put you in touch with the MEP if you would rather talk directly.

     

    Thanks,

    Brent.

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

    Brent,

     

    Apart from Brian’s comments, here some things I would consider if the owner has concerns and this is how I would plan on choosing a panel vendor.

    1. Panel Efficiency, Im talking about the amount of energy produced with respect to area. w/m2 (Also depends what type of panel polycrystalline or monocrystalline). Higher the panel efficiency higher is the energy produced per m2.
    2. Next is quality, Chinese panel have a reputation of being made of cheap material but Canadian solar has been good performing for its price. It can measured by knowing history of the panel performance.
    3. Warranty, I would compare at the 10 years manufacturer warranty and make sure there isn’t any expensive service contract involved. Also key to understand where so you have to send the panel incase you receive a faulty one.
    4. Panel specifications are another factor, compare characteristics like coefficient of temperature & power tolerance.
    5. Lastly, cost and aesthetics, since it is on the canopy I would think they want something pretty and cost, how much are they willing to shell.

     

    My final thoughts - Sunpower has a better rating, reliability and warranty compared to Canadian solar (last I checked its been a year or so) but it also comes at higher $$.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Sushanth Girini

  11. Monarch seeds or plugs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas

    Jen and Morgan asked Brent Lewis about the use of plugs instead of seeds. They also want to explore partnering with schools and community groups to collect seed from local sources and that The Urbana Free Library has a seed library, in which we could help encourage participation.  Also, Jen would like to engage University Primary School, which is adjacent to the prairie where students found a lot of milkweed. One of their lessons is about monarchs. Milkweed pods are easy to harvest in the fall.

    Brent responded with the following message:

    Hi Jennifer,

    If we are doing butterfly weed on the main part of campus, then I want to use plugs.  For this recommendation, we’ve shifted to enhancing the low mow areas.  In that case, we are talking about a huge amount of space.  Due to the easy nature of growing these from seed and the large impact we are looking for, having them broadcast seed through these zones is the most effective way of accomplishing this. 

    We will make sure to get some out at the school there too.  That’s a great suggestion.

    Thanks,

    Brent.

  12. SCILL SSC application

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

    All,

     

    Just my opinion, but the application tends to vilify Abbott Power Plant by stating that geothermal will “exceed” iCAP goals by “reducing dependance on the Abbott Power Plant”.

     

    Also stated in the application, “The project builds on a new paradigm established with the Campus Instructional Facility, expanding the network of deep green infrastructure and drastically reducing energy reliance on the Abbott Power Plant.”

     

    With the acceptance of Abbott Power Plant into the International Test Center Network for Carbon Capture (ITCN) early this morning in London, England, I think it is important to note that Abbott is involved in other carbon reduction technology development efforts.

     

    To continue to develop negative connotations regarding Abbott Power Plant with the campus community is counterproductive to the resilience of the Universities efforts and mission. I support the impact that geo-thermal can have to help us reach carbon neutrality, but I also support the fact that we still need Abbott to achieve the core mission of the University, and we need to continue to find ecological solutions that support our invested physical plant assets.

     

    Please continue to declare success regarding carbon reduction, but don’t make Abbott Power Plant the bad actor.

     

    Again, just my opinion.

     

    Respectfully,

    Rob

    Attached Files: 

  14. latest on geothermal at scill?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus

    Hi Jon,

     

    I heard they are maybe cancelling the geothermal at SCILL.  Is that accurate?

     

    Thx,

    Morgan

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

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I have not heard anything about cancelling geothermal. It’s been developed to 90% CD’s as the building’s main source for heating and cooling.  

     

    I would be shocked if it was removed.

     

    Thanks,

    Jon

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

    Hiya,

    A little birdy said you two thought the geothermal in the military axis might be cancelled… very unlikely. 

     

    :-)  Morgan

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

    That’s what I heard from Stacey.  If they build the geothermal field, they still have to connect to chilled water AND pay the full fees right?  That’s what I heard.  Curious how that works. 

  15. Weekly update: No First Visit Free policy, weekend and summer programming

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Pretty chill this last week. Weather was iffy but we were a little busier than expected considering that. I moved some bikes over from the warehouse as we have a volunteer who’s on a take-apart-a-bike-every-Friday schedule, so I’ll do my best to accommodate him going forward.

    We have been piloting our No First Visit Free policy without too much push back. We’ve had a few people turn and leave, but that’s fine.

    This week I’ll work on planning/R&D for some weekend programming and take stock of summer staffing.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 41
    Sales: $552
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tires/tubes:  4 for $36

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  16. Weekly capstone meetings: Meeting from 3/1, 3/10, and 3/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Independent Student Projects

    Meeting notes from 3/22:

    • LRTP 2045 review it
    • They are starting work on 2050
    • Subject line for email: Name of Person/Organization
    • Expect 5-7 meetings (Landscape Architects, SPO, Transportation iCAP team, SSC, maybe League of American Bicyclists, Champaign County Bikes, RPC)
    • The rest will be communicated with through emails and/or CTAC
    • April 27th, morning meeting with CTAC
    • Start document for 2024 Campus Master Bicycle Plan (start outlining sections i.e introductions, executive summary, etc.). Use the 2014 plan as a template. 
    • In April we will start filling some of the information on the 2024 plan (Introduction, Planning Process).
    • In April will present to Bumsoo Lee and DURP to show progress

    Meeting from 3/10:

    Sarthak and Ethan met via zoom to discuss plans for the rest of the semester. Ethan is to finalize the email template which they will begin sending out after Spring break (last two weeks of March). Ethan is also to finish readings mentioned by Stacey by the next meeting in two weeks. 

    Notes: 

    • Be ready for reach out process, email ready, finish readings, you will hear from us in coming months, there will be future stakeholder meetings, feel free to share some ideas over email now, attach 2014 bicycle plan and 3 reports (at least the 2019 and 2022 one) (link it in email itself). 
    • Start report for undergraduate project early April.

    Meeting from 3/1:

    Sarthak and Ethan met via zoom to reflect on their meeting with Stacey. Ethan and Sarthak made note of stakeholders that she suggested that we reach out to and other readings to review. Ethan is to draft an email for reaching out to stakeholders once we return from Spring Break. Ethan is also expected to review RPC Bike Plan, Campus Master Plan, Crash Data, and TDM Plan.

    Notes:

    • Readings to do:
      • RPC Bike Plan
      • Campus Master Plan
      • Crash Data
      • TDM
      • APBP and League of American Bicyclists we will reach out to
      • Look at TDM report for Bicycle Friendly University updates
      • TDM to be published this year
    • Starting introductory email template and we would greatly appreciate your input and guidance when developing plan
    • Give info on what the old plan was and progress
    • Suggestions on adding more 
    • Ethan: start draft of email 
    Attached Files: 

  17. Housing Sustainability Re-Cap

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Increase Recycling Rates

    Below is an email exchange regarding University Housing recycling:

    It was great talking with all of you about sustainability in University Housing. I hope my input didn’t scare you too much. Given our size, and the number off residents we house, we have to maintain some discipline in how we communicate to and interact with our residents. I’m sure we can find a viable method for reaching our residents to inform them of sustainability issues and event across campus. Below are a few talking points I jotted down during out meeting.

     

    • Below are four key communication methods for reaching our residents.
    1. 11x17 posters in the dining halls. You would need to produce 200 posters to reach all the halls. I can share any drafts you have with various people in Housing to get their feedback before they are printed.
    2. Digital Signs Link: https://housing.illinois.edu/resources/policies/digital-signs
    3. Dining hall napkin holders (I need to double check with Thurman Etchison on availability, or Meredith can ask him next time she talks with him)
    4. Housing Insider and Family and Graduate Housing Newsletter. The Housing insider a weekly newsletter we send to all undergraduate residents. The FGH Newsletter is sent to all graduate and apartment residents monthly. Notices in the Housing Insider are typically one and done. They don’t like to run the same notice for consecutive weeks at a time.
    • I attached our standard recycling container label. This is placed above all recycling containers in Housing and in the trash/recycling rooms in the residence halls.
    • Placement of a QR code on the residence hall room recycling containers, similar to what was displayed on the Don’t Waste It recycling containers. I suggest we wait until next summer when the students are not in the rooms to add this to the containers. It’s far less complicated if the residents are not in their rooms. Although, like Meredith suggested, we could explore providing the stickers at the residence hall front desks for the students to place on the containers themselves.
    • We discussed incorporating a short segment on sustainability in the RA training at the beginning of the academic year. I will bring this idea to the Residential Life leadership to get their thoughts.
    • We also discussed how we might be able to include components on sustainability in our programming to Housing residents. Nathan Sanden is responsible for implementing the Residential Curriculum, so I will share this idea with him for thoughts and input.

     

    I ended up closing the meeting invite without saving, which I was using to keep notes during the meeting. So please let me know if I missed any key takeaways.

     

     

    BRYAN JOHNSON

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

    Hi Bryan,

     

    Daphne Hulse and I have been developing plans for a campus-wide plastic waste reduction campaign. I think the communication methods you mention below could be valuable for messaging. If you agree, Daphne can incorporate these into the strategy.

     

    We remain interested in adding a sticker with a QR code to the residence hall room recycling containers to direct students to a website with more information about recycling and waste management. Can you provide an estimate of how many stickers we would need?

     

    I also want to follow up on your last two points about incorporating sustainability into RA training and programming to Housing residents. Our survey data indicate that first year students are more likely to purchase single-use plastic bottles, so we think targeting this group is important. Has Residential Life leadership and or Nathan Sanden responded to your inquiries concerning this issue?

     

    If you would like to discuss any of these items further, Daphne and I would be happy to join you on a call.

     

    Thank you,

    Jen

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

    Okay, I have some answers for you. Attached is our proposal to the SSC to fund the recycling containers. The original purchase was for 6,511 containers, but I would guess a few have disappeared by now. I was not able to find anyone within our Sustainability LLC to help mange this project or take on submitting another request to SSC to fund the stickers. If we move forward with this project, we will need to meet with Housing Facilities staff to iron out the logistical details. Our facilities staff will not be able to assist with placement of the stickers, so we will need to find a different avenue for getting them placed. I copied Matt Brown and Mark Kuehl from Housing Facilities on the email to keep them in the loop.

     

    Herb Jones, Director of Residential Life, said he is open to a conversation to talk through your thoughts on incorporating a sustainability component into our RA training. Jenny Bates, copied here, manages his calendar, if you would like to reach out to her and schedule a time to meet.

     

    Also, here is an updated link to Housing’s website for digital sign requests. We redesigned our webpage a couple months ago and the old link was inactive.  https://www.housing.illinois.edu/digital-signage

     

    Also, also, I am still trying to confirm if we rent out the space on the napkin holders in the dining halls. We have not done this in the past, but we have a new Director of Dining who might have a different direction for these.

     

    Thanks,

    BRYAN JOHNSON

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

     

    Bryan,

     

    Thank you for sharing this information. It is all very helpful!

     

    Daphne and I can look into developing an SSC proposal, perhaps with the assistance of our iCAP Engagement team. I think we can also find people to help with sticker placement if the project is funded.

     

    We are looking forward to discussing incorporating a sustainability component into RA training with you on April 7 at 3:00 pm.

     

    Best,

    Jen

  18. Application drafted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Project Revert to Earth

    From: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2023 8:23 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: SSC Application

     

    Daphne, 

    Yes, we liked the gift card idea, so we put down 5 gift cards of $100. 

    We have successfully submitted the application!! Again, appreciate all of your help and I am so excited for this project. Fingers crossed:) 

     

    Have a wonderful weekend, 

    Hannah Kim

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, March 24, 2023 10:59 AM
    To: Kim, Hannah <    hannahk9@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: SSC Application

     

    Hi Hannah,

     

    That make sense to me. Another option might be to purchase x number of gift cards for a raffle drawing (ex: all volunteers who sign up and show up are automatically entered into a raffle drawing for 3 $25 or $50 gift cards). That was an immediate thought that came to mind!

     

    From: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, March 24, 2023 10:56 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: SSC Application

     

    Hey, 

     

    Thank you for taking a look at it:) Yes, we are currently working on the budget as we talked to Professor Prescott, and she recommended us to have some payments for students to volunteer to gather the data as the scale of the study doesn't seem so feasible for two students. So, we have been thinking about that aspect. What do you think? 

     

    Hannah Kim 

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, March 24, 2023 9:40 AM
    To: Kim, Hannah <    hannahk9@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Vaya, Sakshi <    svaya2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: SSC Application

     

    Thank you very much for sharing, Hannah! This looks excellent. I’m hopeful that SSC will take to it and move you on to step 2.

     

    The only piece I noticed missing was the “Total amount requested from SSC” on page 2. Are you still working on finalizing the proposed budget before submitting?


    Thank you!

    Daphne

     

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

     

     

     

    From: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2023 11:29 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Vaya, Sakshi <svaya2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: SSC Application

     

    Dear Daphne, 

     

    Hello, I hope you have had a good week so far. Here is the finalized application for the research project. I am so excited to submit this and start this big journey!! 

     

    Best, 

    Hannah Kim

    Attached Files: 

  19. 3-24-23 Housing + F&S meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Dump and Run

    Attendance: Pete Varney, Shawn Patterson, Dan Hiser, Bryan Johnson, Mark Kuehl, Morgan White Daphne Hulse

    1. Squirrels. Housing was scouting areas outdoors and BSWs brought up the concern with squirrels.

    1. If we collect food, will the squirrels be an issue?

    2. We would only accepted closed, non-perishable foods, but this does not ensure students will follow the guidelines exactly.

    3. What do the squirrels do?

    1. E38 in front of Campus Rec/Scott Hall, squirrels have been seen eating the wiring. BSWs are concerned that squirrels would eat and break things stored in the storage units.

    2. PODS locations for LAR, Allen, & Busey. There are not many great spots outdoors.

    • Potentially: parking spots - in front of Allen, or over by McKinley.
    • Busey: place it on the grass between this area? Not a lot of space.
    • All of the other places suggested, it would work okay to put PODS outdoors.

    3. Staff to man the storage containers.

    1. If volunteer staff are outdoors to open and close the doors to the PODS, it can allow us to keep the PODS idea and also prevent squirrels from entering.

    2. Things don’t really get busy until Wednesday. Maybe do a couple hours of pickup during afternoon on Monday and Tuesday. Start full time on Wednesday. Saturday is the last day. No volunteers on Sunday.

    4. Dan & Transportation Co. can provide transportation to the places that can’t have a big pod in them.

    1. This would follow our original plan to put gaylords in the halls and have them taken to PPSB.

    5. Create certain hours for drop off (volunteers man during these hours). All other hours the PODS are closed.

    6. Suggested locations for PODS.

    1. 4 spots at IKE (one at each corner)

    2. 1 PAR

    3. 1 ISR

    4. 20 footers.

    5. Markup on exactly where those are at, LAR-Busey-Allen would go.

    6. Northside of Allen Hall/LAR check with transportation people - Morgan will check and copy Daphne.

    7. Daphne to reach out to the Main Library about their food pantry.

    1. Thurman in Dining may be able to assist with collection.

    2. Group agreed that keeping food collection separate from Dump & Run is best.

    8. Daphne’s quotes (for local PODS companies) was close to the estimate that Bryan and Mark found.

    1. One company was significantly more expensive, probably because they come from Normal, IL (not in town) and they have extra fuel surcharges, expensive pick up and drop off fees.

     

    2023-03-24 Meeting recording here on google drive.

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