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Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects
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Bike at Illinois video: How to Lock Your Bicycle to U-Loop and Ladder Racks
Associated Project(s):Bike at Illinois has produced a video on how to lock your bicycle properly to U-loop and ladder racks. Credit: Joanna Raimo (Campus Recreation)
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cENTu-nKes
Weekly Update: Shop reopening this week
Associated Project(s):All, Last week we were open by appointment only. We logged 6 appointments and sold 1 bike.
This week we will reopen to our usual M/W/F hours. Staff are eager to get back to work. We’ll have to run some refreshers for folks as I’m sure they’ve forgotten some stuff. We’ll do some inventory and build some bikes while we’re at it. We’ve got a couple other events coming up that we’ll have to prep for this week as well.
The numbers:
- Visitors: 6
- Sale: $231.50
- Bike: 1 for $200
- Misc: $31.50
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorFall 2021 Semester Summary
Associated Project(s):The SSLC underwent many changes under the new leadership of co-presidents Owen Jennings, Maiah Caise, Jack Reicherts, and Maria Maring. The board experimented with the mission and niche of the SSLC, ultimately establishing that the organization shall act as a medium of communication between student groups and the administration. The organization will also be the primary host of the annual Student Sustainability Summit in October, touting – among other interdisciplinary events – Green Quad Day, Sustainable Student Research Symposium, and Tuesday Talks at Bevier Cafe.
This Summit was the Council’s most noteworthy accomplishment this semester. The SSLC collaborated with: Red Bison, Outdoor Adventure Club, the Department of Agriculture and Biological Engineering, the Sustainable Student Farm, the Pilot Processing Plant, Grand Prairie Friends, the F&S Solar House, Stop Line 3 CU, Students for Environmental Concerns, Prairie Rivers Network, and the Student Sustainability Committee. This myriad of events had varying levels of attendance. The SSLC leadership learned two primary lessons from the inaugural Student Sustainability Summit: first, quality over quantity in terms of events; and second, planning well ahead of time is absolutely essential in order to adequately advertise each event. If you attended or co-hosted any Summit event, and you would like to let the SSLC board know your feedback, please fill out this form. The current SSLC leadership looks forward to how future leadership will expand upon the Summit.
Another noteworthy accomplishment of the SSLC this semester was action following the publication of the Campus Admin Manual’s Expressive Activity Policy draft. Students were largely emotional about the policy’s stringent punishment for demonstrations on campus, so the SSLC – in conjunction with SECs and the SSC – wrote a letter to Chancellor Jones demanding that the policy more closely align with the student body’s needs. As of January 2022, the SSLC has received no reply from the Office of the Chancellor.
Co-presidents Maria Maring and Owen Jennings spoke at the Campus Sustainability Celebration and Sustainability Council meeting, respectively, on the topic of divestment. Though SSLC leadership was merely prompted to give basic updates at these meetings, they utilized the face-to-face opportunity with campus administrators to voice student concerns about completing iCAP Objective 9.1: Fully divest from fossil fuel companies by FY25.
In a first, the SSLC and general members participated in the Homecoming Parade. Roughly a dozen students marched with divestment-related signs. The SSLC hopes to expand Homecoming attendance next year.
The SSLC revived its dormant Facebook account (@sslcuiuc) and newly established an Instagram account (@uiuc_sslc). On the latter, the SSLC made 40 posts and gained 227 followers. The Facebook account has 93 followers; engagement on this platform is much less. The SSLC also made a linktree and a Google calendar to which other RSOs can sync. That way, all events from all different orgs are all conveniently on one calendar. This joint calendar is still undergoing troubleshooting, and it is not yet available for public viewing.
Amidst these new endeavors, the SSLC held full membership meetings roughly once a month, as did the previous leadership. One recurring issue was lack of attendance and engagement. Leadership held many conversations with both general members and staff advisors about how to increase the efficacy of the Council, but no good solution was found. The SSLC will continue to hold these monthly meetings and brainstorm about how to increase engagement throughout the upcoming spring semester.
The SSLC board met weekly. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Council at sslc-chair@mx-illinois.edu.
SSC Final Report
Associated Project(s):Attached is John Zhao's final report of the SSC Project:
Attached Files:SSC Semesterly Report: Diversion of Non-Recycable Plastics Using Pyrolysis Process Fuels for Campus
Associated Project(s):SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for Diversion of Non-Recycable Plastics Using Pyrolysis Process Fuels for Campus on 12/29/21. Please see attached.
SSC Semesterly (21SP) & Final Report for LED Classroom Upgrade
Associated Project(s):In the SSC-funded project, "Classroom LED Upgrades", incandescent lighting was replaced with LED lighting in 74 General Assignment classrooms in 27 buildings across campus.
The final report for this project was submitted on June 11, 2021, along with supplementary documents of a Semesterly Report (21SP) and a Cost Calculations Spreadsheet.
See the attached files to view these documents.
Southern Arboretum Woodland Plantings 2021 (Summary)
Associated Project(s):Iris Lee prepared the attached report on Southern Arboretum Woodland (SAW) plantings for the 2021 Tree Care Plan.
Attached Files:BeeSpotter Project Page Proposal
Associated Project(s):From: White, Morgan
To: Moore, Meredith Kaye
Hi Meredith,
Where on the portal do you think BeeSpotter belongs? I'm thinking it should be in the Resilience theme, but I'm not sure whether it should be under one of the other projects or just under the main one.
Morgan
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From: Moore, Meredith Kaye
To: White, Morgan
Hi Morgan,
That’s a good question. In my opinion, it doesn’t seem to fit well with any of the other projects under the resilience theme page. So unless we want to create a new project “support local pollinator projects” (or something of the sort) with the intention of adding additional pollinator projects, I vote for now let’s make it a project under the main theme. Does that make sense?
Thanks,
Meredith
Link to proposal:https://uillinoisedu-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/fandsamaloto2_ad_u...
Link to BeeSpotter:
SSC Semesterly Report: vermiCUlture
Associated Project(s):SSC received a semesterly report for Fall 2021 for the vermiCUlture project on 12/12/2021. Please see attached.
Attached Files:SSC Semesterly Report: Eco Illini Supermileage
Associated Project(s):SSC received a semesterly report for Fall 2021 for the Eco Illini Supermileage project on 12/16/2021. Please see attached.
Attached Files:SSC Semesterly Report: Joint Pollinator Garden and Composting Systems to Offset Environmental Impact and Reinforce Responsible Stewardship in Research
Associated Project(s):SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for Joint Pollinator Garden and Composting Systems to Offset Environmental Impact and Reinforce Responsible Stewardship in Research on 12/17/2021. Please see attached.
Geothermal @ CIF Inquiry
Associated Project(s):John Zhao, PhD. Candidate, reached out to Dr. Stumpf with a question regarding the CIF's geothermal capacity. Specifically, the question was, "The description of this project https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/geothermal-campus-instructional-facility-cif says:'The optimized geothermal exchange system will supply the CIF building with approximately 135 tons of heating and cooling capacity, equivalent to almost 65% of the total building energy demand.' I am checking if the GSHP only covers the 65% of the building space conditioning, or the heating/cooling account for 65% of the total electricity consumption (considering lighting, and etc.)?"
Dr Stumpf replied explaining that the 135 tons is 65% of the building's energy demand and the GSHPS (ground source heat pump) covers this portion. The GSHPS is primarily used to offset energy for making chilled water since the building is cooling dominated. The other 35% is for electricity (making hot water, running HVAC system, geothermal and water pumps, etc.)
Zhao met with Eric Vetter (in charge of the CIF) and got the following heat pump capacity information:
Manufacturer: ClimaCool Corporation
Cooling Capacity: 141 Ton / 1,692 MBH
Heating Capacity: 2,222 MBH
Electricity Input: At full capacity rated 100.4 - 144.3 kW.
LA537 Final Presentation
Associated Project(s):From: Hu, Jie
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2021 11:27 AM
To: Hays, David Lyle; Ruggles, D Fairchild; Sullivan, William C; White, Morgan; McGuire, Mary Patricia
Subject: LA537 final presentation materials
Dear All,
Thanks for Dede, Bill and Morgan to be juries and participant to LA 537 final presentation, and thanks for all of you comments and suggestions!
After the presentation, students has revised their final submission materials. I have put all of their final works here in the box. I hope you can give more comments, suggestions and ideas to help me further improve my studio teaching.
Thank you for all of your support and help!
Enjoy your winter break! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
JieInvitation to work in LA537-Fall, 2021 Final Presentation" folder on Box
Associated Project(s):From: Jie Hu <noreply@box.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2021 11:12 AM
To: White, Morgan
Subject: Jie Hu has invited you to work together in "LA537-Fall, 2021 Final Presentation" folder on Box
Jie Hu wants to work with you on LA537-Fall, 2021 Final Presentation
"I'd like to share my files with you on Box."Attached Files:New iSEE Green Chapter Certification
Associated Project(s):Congratulations to our newest Green Chapter Certification! Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity received gold certification status as of December 2021. They committed to twenty-one actions that further their sustainability initiatives. They notably had forty-nine chapter members commit to using reusable water bottles instead of drinking bottled water. Twenty-four members also pledged to use active transportation for local travel.
Keep up the great work!
Weekly Update: Kids' Bike Giveaway event; Outdoor bike pump; CBC closing for winter break
Associated Project(s):All, The Kid’s Bike Giveaway event was held on Saturday afternoon. We gave away 60 bikes and still have 20 left. Ideally, we would’ve given them all away, but no one left disappointed, which is very much worth the extra time and effort of moving 20 bikes back into the shop. We had 7 people volunteering, so it was quick work. We’ll put the word out this week that anyone who didn’t get a bike is welcome to stop by the Urbana Bike Project during open hours (Wed/Thurs 6:30 – 9; Sat/Sun by appointment) to pick out a bike from our leftovers. Depending on volunteer availability off-hours pick-ups might be doable, too.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the event and helped spread the word! We were able to give away 15 more bikes than we did last year.
Last week I was finally able to fully rebuild the outdoor bike pump with new and heavier duty parts that should last the winter. So far no one’s tried to drive their car up to the pump and air their car tires like they did when the station was by the curb on Pennsylvania.
This week I’ll turn our attentions to refurbishing. We should have a half dozen bikes on the sales floor by Friday. We’ve worked through the easy fixes and are left with the fun stuff: dusty, old 3 speeds, 10 speed Schwinns and the like. Now we can start in earnest building up our stock for the spring rush—although, with the unseasonably warm temps this week, we may be too busy to make much headway. A good problem to have.
We’re closing for Winter Break after Friday. Reopening date is TBD.
The numbers:
Visitors:
Sales: $71*
Memberships: 1 for $30
Tires/tubes: 3 for $13*We’ve reinstated the First Visit Free policy which deflates our sales numbers compared to our mandated memberships for the summer/fall.
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorAcknowledgement and Confirmation
Associated Project(s):Anthony Spurlock wants to discuss the buyout options after 7 or 10 years, the determination of fair market value, and the ongoing maintenance requirements for Solar Farm 1.0 by the end of the year with Rockwell Finance.
Allen Wilson from Rockwell Finance sent an Acknowledgement and Confirmation with respect to Solar Farm 1.0 for the University's Board of Trustees' review and signature. The original financial partner (MB Bank) was acquired by Fifth Third Bank. The asset is being discussed with Fifth Third and being moved to Fifth Third's solar financing program and Wilmington Trust is being incorporated as a trustee for the project.
Weekly Update: Kids' Bike Giveaway update
Associated Project(s):All, Finished last week strong as the relative warmth of Friday resulted in a busy afternoon for early December.
We’re in the home stretch for the KBG. That’ll be this upcoming Saturday. At last count we’ve got ~60 bikes between both CBC and Urbana TBP so we’re on pace to do better than last year, assuming we get as many folks showing up.
We’re also in the home stretch of the semester with only two weeks to go.
The numbers:
Visitors: 26
Sales: $285.80
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
Memberships: 2 for $60Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center CoordinatorFY21 Green Power Partnership Renewed
Associated Project(s):F&S completed the renewal of our recognition as a Green Power Partner through the US Environmental Protection Agency. Green Power Partners of our scale now have to use renewable power for seven percent of their annual consumption. Fortunately, the FY21 green power supply for FY21 was 9%, which is a +1.72% increase from the FY19 supply of 7.28%. See attached file.
Overview submitted:
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is proud of its sustainability initiatives and success in achieving Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) goals (https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/). The iCAP is the university’s strategic plan to meet the Climate Leadership Commitments, including being carbon neutral as soon as possible and building resilience to climate change in the local community.
The Urbana campus on-site renewable energy portfolio meets more than 12 percent of annual electricity needs (https://fs.illinois.edu/services/utilities-energy/production/renewable-e...). UIUC’s Solar Farm 2.0 was energized in January 2021, producing 20,000 MWh/year. Combined with Solar Farm 1.0 and other rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations, the Urbana campus generates more than 27,000 MWh/year, ranking UIUC third amongst U.S. universities in on-site clean power production. Incorporating renewable energy continues to be a focus of new facility construction and major renovation projects. Most notably, the innovative Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building features 970 rooftop panels. Since production started in April 2019, 11 percent of all power supplied to the ECE Building has been from the array, while additional output is reserved for research and educational activities. In September 2016, the university also signed a ten-year wind power purchase agreement for 25 million kWh/year and the rights to the environmental attributes.
Attached Files: