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Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects
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Land & Water iCAP Meeting 12/13/2022
Associated Project(s):On December 13th, the Land & Water iCAP team met to discuss a new approach to crafting recommendations for next semester; including the creation of a land subcommittee and a water subcommittee.
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:ISSA Sustainability Committee Kickoff meeting 1
Associated Project(s):Attached Files:Weekly Update: Slow week
Associated Project(s):All, Slow week again. A few more kids’ bikes trickled in, which was good. Our giveaway is this coming Saturday and we’re accepting bikes until Friday evening. A notice went out in E-week and the like so hopefully that’ll bump up our count. I haven’t taken inventory at Urbana for our total count but I’m guessing around 40 between both spaces.
Tony, former Bike Project staffer and integral member in the creation of the original bike center in 2010 was back in town last week. He came and volunteered a full 4 hours and helped train up some staff, too.
Our sales last week are at a record low. We had a few people in each day but looks like adjustments only, used innertubes, and no purchases. I’ll dig into the numbers this week to confirm it genuinely is that low and not an error.The numbers:
Visitors: 18
Sales: $5.50Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorISTC sends a draft proposal to F&S
Associated Project(s):From: Scrogum, Joy Joann <jscrogum@illinois.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 8, 2022 5:10 PM
To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Cc: Samaras, Zach <zsamaras@illinois.edu>; Feher, Savannah <sfeher@illinois.edu>; Vogel, Kealie Diann <kdvogel2@illinois.edu>
Subject: UIUC 2023 waste audit proposalHello, Daphne it was nice to speak with you earlier on the zero waste iCAP call. I’m glad our committee was able to submit the recommendation on expanding food recovery through Project4 Less to the iCAP Working Group and look forward to their response. Based on today’s discussion, I’m excited to tackle further priorities next semester, and I look forward to hearing more about the progression of the student project you shared.
Attached is ISTC’s proposal for the waste characterization study we’ve discussed, including two options (Tier I and Tier II) for your consideration. I hope this accurately reflects your goals and expectations for the project. Please let me know if you have questions or would like to discuss further customization or adjustments to better match your needs. And of course, please let me know if you’re leaning toward pursuit of Tier I or Tier II based on estimated costs.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Joy
Joy Scrogum
Assistant Scientist, Sustainability
LEED Green Associate | Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Prairie Research Institute
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC)
Champaign, IL 61820Attached Files:Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) fall 2022
Associated Project(s):Please see attached the final presentation for the CTAC fall 2022. Watch the meeting recording here: https://uofi.box.com/s/6fp2xuq2qnwv4vgm34itku4pbdy2bioy
Attached Files:Weekly Update (week of November 28): Kids bike give away, for-sale bikes
Associated Project(s):All, [Ed. note: Apologies for getting this in late.] We’ve finalized our Kid’s Bike Giveaway date/time with the Bike Project and have been working through our supply of donated bikes. Serendipitously we got nearly a half dozen kids bikes donated last week, even before we put the word out on the giveaway event.
This week we kept working through that supply. I was out on Tuesday/Wednesday but visits have been lower since the cooler weather hit.
While we’re working on the kids bikes we’ve also been able to fix up a few for-sale bikes, sitting at about 6 done and ready to go. Still have a large supply at the warehouse, which I’ll have more time to tackle after the 17th (date of the Kids Bike Event).
Next week I’ll move over the finished kids bike to Urbana as we’re running out of space for them here.
The numbers:
Visitors: 25
Sales: $185.50
Memberships: 2 for $60
Misc. parts: 19 for $95.50Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorPollinator Signage Final Report
Associated Project(s):Several students apart of the Sustainability Living-Learning Community attended the 2017 AASHE Student Summit and participated in a Bee Campus USA workshop. These students decided that the University should obtain Bee Campus USA Certification for UIUC. Displaying signage focused on pollinator conservation was one of the requirements for this certification. Four signs were installed, and since their installment UIUC is a part of Bee Campus USA.
Attached is the full report.
Attached Files:Transportation iCAP Team Meeting 12/2/22
Associated Project(s):The transportation iCAP team met on Friday, December 2nd at 3:00 P.M. CST to discuss electric vehicle charging, and updates on bike shelter procurement for the university. Due to a software error, the meeting minutes were not recorded.
Link to meeting recording: https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_u3g573fb
New iSEE Green Certifications
Associated Project(s):Congratulations to the Office of the Chancellor for Special Events, OVCRI, Pi Phi, and the Office of Academic Programs (College of ACES) for their recent green certifications!
Green Event:
Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Il v. Monmouth Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Office of the Chancellor for Special Events IL v. Lindenwood Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Office of the Chancellor for Special Events IL v. Syracuse Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Penn State Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v Alabama L&M Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Bethane-Cookman, Certified November 2022
OVCRI Research Development Day 2022, Certified December 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. WIsconsin Men's basketball game, Certified December 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. vs. Michigan State Men's Basketball, Certified December 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. vs. Indiana Men's Basketball, Certified December 2022
Green Chapter: Pi Beta Phi, Silver, Recertified November 2022
Green Office: Office of Academic Programs (College of ACES), Silver, Certified November 2022
Keep up the great work!
F&S and ISTC meet to discuss the logistics of collecting and sorting waste
Associated Project(s):The Waste Transfer Station was chosen as the site where waste would be sorted.
Week 6 - Next steps
Associated Project(s):The next steps for the project progress would be to review the past BFU applications from 2011 - 2019 to understand the stage we as a university are at currently and would help to identify, compare and contrast the work across these timelines to improve the status and make recommendations after reviewing the feedback.
Week 5 - Check in meeting
Associated Project(s):In the past weeks, Aparna reviewed the BFU Application to understand the scope of work, did research/literature review work, and familiarized herself with the current initiatives taken by the university at present to combat bike thefts. Moreover, she also had a conversation with a transportation staff from UCLA and ASU who had recently reached out to me on their ideas/approach on this topic for a qualitative aspect of this project. The same was also discussed with her capstone advisor, Prof. Lindsay Braun to go over the progress and find better clarity.
RLF Projects and Dollars
Associated Project(s):The following is an email conversation between Morgan White and Anthony Spurlock.
Anthony sent the following on Nov 17, 2022:
Morgan,
Per your request, 27 RLF projects have been completed totaling $6 million. 41 total projects have been approved totaling $8.6 million.
Regards,
Tony
----------------
Morgan sent the following response:
Thanks! Is the 27 included as part of the 41 approved project, or were there 68 total projects approved? ~Morgan
---------
Anthony clarified:
27 is part of the 41.
Regards,
Tony
Weekly Updates for the week of 11/7 and 11/14
Associated Project(s):[11.7.22] All, Last week we completed the bike donation event with Working Bikes. Thanks to some Bike Project volunteers we were able to pack their truck full of bikes in about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, they were unable to take all of the abandoned bikes as there are about 50 left. I’ll work with TBP to deal with the remaining junk bikes as well as the ~200 we’ll keep for refurbishment.
Last Thursday we were donated another pull-behind trailer, upping our count to 3 of them now. I will discuss with TBP ideas to make better use of these, as they take up a lot of space and we have zero demand for them.
This week we will reinstate the First Visit Free policy as the cooler weather sets in.
The numbers:
Visitors: 47
Sales: $508
Bike (refurbished): 1 for $225
Memberships: 1 for $30
Tires/tubes: 12 for $61[11.14.22]
All, I was out sick for a portion of the non-open hours, but we were still able to get a few bikes on the sales floor and strip some bikes. This week I’ll grab some more of the good bikes from the barn and we’ll get to fixing those. We reinstated First Visit Free and were able to help folks get rolling.
I had an interview last Friday with a potential new hire and we’ll be having a staff meeting this week to get some of our new staff up to speed as well as provide a refresher for the returning staffers.
Next week we will be closed for Thanksgiving break. We’ll reopen Monday, 11/28/22.
The numbers:
Visitors: 45
Sales: $434
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $100
Memberships: 4 for $120
Tires/tubes: 8 for $103Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorNew iSEE Greener Campus Programs Certifications
Associated Project(s):Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Greener Campus Programs!
Green Chapter:
Phi Delta Theta, Silver, Certified November 2022
Green Office:
iSEE, Gold, Recertified October 2022
F&S Capital Programs, Gold, Recertified November 2022
International Student & Scholar Services, Gold, Recertified November 2022
Green Event:
Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement Illinois v. Eastern Illinois Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Office of the Chancellor for Special Events and Commencement Illinois vs. Kansas City Men's Basketball, Certified November 2022
Chancellor's Office for Special Events Il. v. Purdue Men's Football, Certified November 2022
Keep up the great work!
Feasibility study for an anerobic digester on campus with Marcello Pbiri - Meeting 1
Associated Project(s):Attendance: Tyler Swanson, Daphne Hulse, Meredith Moore, Sarthak Prasad, Shawn Maurer, Joy Scrogum, Justin Holding, Paul Foote, Shreya Mahajan, Brent Lewis, Jason Ensign, Tim Mies, Colleen Ruhter, Jonathon Mosley, Marcello, Thurman Etchison, Morgan White, Damon McFall, Robert Roman
- UIC would like to do a screening analysis scenario for a small or micro-scale digester on campus
- UIUC farms investigated this in the past with ACES
- Marcello’s introduction: 200lbs of waste per day in a small-scale digester (in the shape of the container), frequent bottom-line thinking, it’s more about sustainability and the creation of green jobs, involving students, because the economics may be tight for money savings. But there are a few companies that are manufacturing small scale digesters. UIC had a speaker during their TEACH AD webinar who was a student from San Diego California. Installed one of these on their campus, student was the operator of the digester. Interested to see if this is something to be replicated at UIUC?
- Morgan’s introduction: high-level feasibility analysis (not the most robust because of funding limitations). Hear from the college of ACES about a study of 10 years ago.
- Marcello thinks the outcomes weren’t very favorable for this time? This is another possible scenario too. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is doing something similar. They are partnering with a farm which installed a small-scale digester in the farm for food waste and manure. The university owns the digester and the farmer owns the farmer, so it is a partnership. Maybe we could replicate this. These projects seem to become more and more feasible.
- Marcello’s question for the group: what are the main motivations for UIUC to look into anaerobic digesters?
- Reducing waste, looking at clean energy, protecting the planet
- Do not have an environmentally beneficial or neutral solution for organic waste at the large scale for our campus. Dining is able to do the digester at the sanitary district, but we have animal waste and food waste at more than just the dining halls
- Looking at how to get to carbon neutral energy. Anaerobic digestion was identified in 2010. Dean of Animal Science was ready to push for it, but then he was promoted and then retired
- ACES has agreed with current dean to include the analysis of a large scale digester when they build a new dairy facility, but this is very far down the road
- Swine modernization facility; needs to deal with waste that is there. animals will be added to this space in the future. looking into options for that particular facility.
- Operational + research perspective, a micro-digester looks nice. Oshkosh does tours, internships, etc so it is like a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology
- Sanitary district is paid to receive the waste, and they get the benefit of seeing the methane capture
- It would be good to see the benefits stay in house
- Hypothetically you could create a new position for this, or you could do it through student intern. What happens to the residual material from the digester? can be used as fertilizer, grow food, use the food and food waste goes back to the digester “circular economy”
Marcello’s second question: Takeaway for the old feasibility study?
- It should be at the future dairy facility (conversations were had, maybe not in the study)
- $10M capital cost, so it probably costs more now
- Shared the energy output we would expect if we took all food waste from dining
- Could use as compressed natural gas (CNG) for fleet vehicles
- Combined heat and power (Abbott) which primarily uses natural gas, but could use biogas from an anaerobic digester, there is an opportunity here
CHP, CNG or renewable natural gas are what Marcello is familiar with
Next steps: Marcello will work on an updated feasibility study.
Began work on a spreadsheet to organize the information from each institution
Associated Project(s):Attached Files:iCAP Design Thinking and Indoor Air Quality workshop
Associated Project(s):SafeTraces, Integrating Green Technologies, and Facilities & Services invited guests from across Illinois and throughout campus to discuss indoor air quality for Illinois buildings.
Attached Files:Land & Water iCAP Meeting 11/7/2022
Associated Project(s):On November 7th, the Land and Water iCAP team met to review the results of the Milkweed survey, make final edits to the Monarch Butterfly recommendation, and discuss new recommendations inspired by the Campus Landscape Master Plan.
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files: