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Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects

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  1. Rooftop Solar work to start this summer

    Associated Project(s): 
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs

    The 235,000 GSF facility for the Electrical and Computer Engineering department will integrate instruction and research. This project is to reinforce structural steel members in the building for the future placement of a rooftop solar array. There are 970 modules to install with a total DC power rating of 272 kW.

  3. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Zero-waste activities this week were 

    • An update to the glove recycling page to post a PDF with instructions for participants to drop off gloves at the trailer at PPSB
    • Brief communication with Joe Pickowitz regarding the styrofoam densifier (he is waiting for parts for it so that he can collect performance data on it) 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  5. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week picked up a little. We had a couple days there of pretty steady busyness. Summer weather’ll do that!

    I’ve hired two new student workers for the summer, which is a start, but will need to hire a few more in time for the Fall semester once Evan, Dennis, and Lucas move on.

     

    I dropped off a stack of quarter sheet flyers at Champaign Cycle over the weekend, much to their delight, so we’ll have a little more exposure in the wider off-campus community.

     

    This week I’ll continue processing the bikes donated from Champaign Cycle’s Community Bike Sale. I’ll do final safety inspections on the half dozen or so bikes that are almost ready for sale. Additionally, I’ll begin training the new student staffers.

    Numbers:

    Visitors: 87
    Sales: $598.20
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $110
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 9 for $49

     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  6. Freezer Challenge update and encouraged to register

    Associated Project(s): 
    Freezer Challenge
     
    Click here to see this online
     
     
     
     


    Hello everyone and Thank You to the many labs already registered!

    The International Freezer Challenge is in full swing with an EXTENDED deadline thru JUNE 15th. 
    Approximately 25 labs have registered to participate in the Freezer Challenge. Reaching our goal of 50 labs participating will put the university in contention for first place in the academic organization category. Regardless, participation represents your commitment to environmental stewardship and supports the University of Illinois in reflecting our world-class standing.

       All actions taken during the past school year are eligible for points and can be added to your score card

    The Eco-Olympics student group is supporting the University of Illinois’ participation in the International Freezer Challenge and is pleased to provide the following awards.

    The top (4) four Labs scoring the highest points during the competition will WIN $50 gift certificates to Silvercreek, Nando Milano’s or Biaggi’s restaurants.

    Random drawings will be held giving away:
                4- $25 Gift certificates to Silvercreek
            4- $20 gift certificates to Courier Café
            25-Coupons for free drinks at Espresso Royale
            10-Coupons for free shake drinks at Courier Café

    A HUGE Thank You to everyone for making these awards possible!
                You can reach the Eco-Olympics team via email: ecoolympics@gmail.com

    The main take away is that by utilizing best practices in sample management and storage, our labs increase their efficiency and sustainability.

    For more information contact Paul Foote @ gfoote2@illinois.edu
    or visit: https://www.freezerchallenge.org/ or Freezer Challenge on the iCAP Portal
    		 
     
     
     
     
     

  7. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Last week’s zero waste activities were 

    • A call with Morgan to move the glove recycling materials along. I followed up with revisions to some of the graphics we are using.
    • Morgan and I also discussed a write-up I am working on for the Architecture Review Committee regarding the replacement of the outdoor concrete trash bins with dual trash-and-recycling bins. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  13. dockless bike sharing article

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bike Sharing
    Bike Share with Veo

    http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-05-07/ui-officials-working-incentives-keep-shared-bikes-populated-areas.html

    UI officials working on incentives to keep shared bikes in populated areas

     

    Mon, 05/07/2018 - 5:37pm | Tim Ditman  

    CHAMPAIGN — As a dockless-bike-sharing program inches closer to reality in Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois officials are working on an incentive program to ensure more bikes rented on campus stay in populated areas.

    The concept, in general, allows people to rent bikes anywhere in town rather than at a fixed location. The two cities and the UI are working on an intergovernmental agreement to have mostly the same rules.

    Lily Wilcock, active transportation coordinator for the UI, said the campus's rules will require the bikes to be returned to a rack so as not to block sidewalks or entrances to buildings, and the UI is working with bike-share companies to make that easier.

    "One of the concerns we had as the University of Illinois was, what do you do if someone just rides it to their house and then they leave it there?" Wilcock said. "Some of the companies have responded to that, in that they've been using in other cities an incentive program. They've been allowing someone to ride the bus out to an area to get the bicycle, and then they get a free ride back to leave it in a more populated area. ... And then they get incentives like a certain amount of ride credit."

    Wilcock said a dockless-bike-sharing system could launch on campus in the fall.

  16. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    C-U Bike to Work Day
    Encourage Active Transportation

    All, last Tuesday was BIKE TO WORK DAY! It was great! Great weather, great turnout, great conversation, great blindingly bright Vision Zero t shirts. I even sold some tubes and lights here at the Bike Center during the event and helped with some minor tune-ups. Peak times—no surprise—was 8:30 – 9am. After that a few stragglers hung around until  l0.

     

    On Saturday we had the Bike Rodeo at the ARC parking lot. While we didn’t have the huge turnout we were hoping for, the event ran really smoothly and we were able to educate and teach a lot about bike safety and bike-handling skills. Nothing beats showing a kid who’s barely taller than a bike pump how to air up their tires. Needless to say, that was a team effort.


    This week will be a major shop clean and purge as we’ve received another 8 or so bikes from Champaign Cycle that are on-the-whole quality bikes that need somewhere to be stored. And last week with the doors open a lot of leaves and debris got blown into the shop, so that’ll all need cleaning up as well.

     

    Numbers:

    Visitors: 70
    Sales: $828.60
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $160
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tire/tube: 16 for $89

     

    Thanks!

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  19. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Zero-waste activity this past week was as follows: 

    • I emailed the BER volunteers who had contacted Morgan over the winter to let them know that we can use their help with promoting the glove recycling program to nonparticipating departments. In March, I obtained a report from Jeremiah Yokley at OBFS listing all the UIUC departments that have purchased nitrile gloves. Morgan and I want to enlist the student volunteers' help in looking up a contact person in each department in the report and then doing some outreach to those that are not yet participating. I emailed them Thursday to see if any of them will be available over the summer or whether the effort will have to wait until next fall. 
    • I posted a privately viewed update on the iCAP Portal Glove Recycling page with Jeremiah's name and email address and a description of the report he provided.
    • I added a graphic to the glove recycling participation web form for Morgan's review.
    • I added the Natural History Survey to the iCAP Portal as a glove recycling participation location. 
    • I updated and sent Morgan a spreadsheet with the numbers of outdoor bins that I mapped last summer and fall (with a substantial head start on the Quad area, thanks to Ryan and Brent!). I added the numbers of bins that Fangxing recommended be replaced.
    • I pulled cost information on bin replacement from an email from Ryan and set it up in a spreadsheet. I have an email out to Morgan for further information to plug in. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  20. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, it’s almost BIKE MONTH! Tomorrow is BTWD! Student staff and I will be running the event, which promises—at this point—to be fantastic weath er.

     

    Last week was slightly abridged since I took Monday off. Hours ran smoothly without me. The remaining days were a healthy amount of busy but skewed towards slow overall. This week looks to be warmer.

    I taught a class at ARC on Tuesday night. 10 people showed up, one of whom came to the Bike Center the next day and declared, “Your class inspired me to try to repair my own bike”. Couldn’t have hoped for a better result!

     

    On Friday I interviewed two new student workers that I will be hiring. They’re both freshman, which provides me with ample time to mold them into expert bicycle helpers--and they were willing to stick it out through some tough, frustrating hub repairs I had them do. Elsewhere on the staffing front, Leah will be leaving us for the greener pastures of Cunningham Children’s Home in the next week or two. Shean will follow sometime after graduation, I believe. They’ve both been great employees; they’ll be missed around here.

     

    Numbers:

    Sales: $296.50
    Memberships: 4 for $120
    Tire/tube: 6 for $50

    No B-a-B or refurbished sales

     

    Thanks!

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

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