Staff meets with UI Electric Vehicle Club
Associated Project(s):
Staff met with a representative from the UI Electric Vehicle Club. We discussed potential implementation strategies for an electric vehicle charging station on campus.
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.
Academic hourly position available
Associated Project(s):Academic Hourly position for Composting will start June 1.
Recycling e-waste, containers, and bikes on campus
Associated Project(s):IGBA held an e-waste recycling event on campus and in the research park.
F&S provided recycling containers for the Illinois Marathon.
Sustainability Staff helped the Campus Bike Project (CBP) to prep 350 old, abandoned bicycles from last year’s campus-wide cleanup in order to donate them to an organization, Working Bikes, which will refurbish the bicycles and ship them to Uganda to be donated to those in need of affordable transportation. Staff and CBP volunteers worked for over 12 hours to prep the bikes and over 4 hours to load them onto a truck to be taken to Working Bikes’ Chicago location. The Parking Department was also involved, as the timing of the donation was critical in order to clear out Parking’s warehouse to make room for this year’s campus-wide cleanup of abandoned bicycles.
SSC supported “Weatherization” project coming to conclusion
Associated Project(s):The SSC supported “Weatherization” project is coming to its conclusion. The six RSO teams that participated in this program have submitted their reports to the Weatherization intern, and the F&S Maintenance Division has identified the costs of the recommended improvements. These will be summarized and implemented after the Spring 2012 semester.
Abbott Power Plant biomass permit in review
Associated Project(s):F&S Energy Services met to review the biomass permit for Abbott Power Plant. This allows Abbott Power Plant to do test burns with various biomass fuels as a mixture with the coal in the existing coal stoker boilers. The first tests will be using wood chips, and they may happen in May or they may wait until the cold weather months when the coal assets are brought back online for winter.
Metering in Residence Halls
Associated Project(s):Bryan Johnson, from University Housing's Sustainability Council, has reported that residence halls PAR and FAR have individual metering setup, but Blaisdell Hall's metering is connected to the mechancial room and dining hall. LAR and Allen have individual metering, but the dining hall feeds into both dining halls. Information about metering in Busey-Evans is still needed.
Ikenberry Commons Suggestion
Associated Project(s):The projects committee in the US Green Building Council student chapter is working on a "Green Your Dorm" project encouraging dorms to save energy and water. The SSC has approved funding to put individual metering in dorms. The USGBC chapter made the suggestion that Ikenberry Commons resdence halls be the first to receive meter upgrades.
Franklin Ground Squirrels may be on site
Associated Project(s):Keith Shank at IDNR responded to the EcoCAT request, with the following note. "Well, it’s hard to escape those Franklin Ground Squirrels. In 2010, Ameren observed two FGS near the intersection of Curtis Road and Rt. 45, and ten years ago we had a road-killed FGS at Windsor Road and Rt. 45. Ameren opined they could be all up and down the RR corridor, which the western end of your project area happens to lie against.
It may be possible the FGS are in the area around the farm buildings, but they would be unlikely to be out in the experimental plots, at the moment. However, depending on the type of solar energy facility being proposed, they might be able to colonize the solar farm. While that would be good for the FGS, it could complicate subsequent operations and maintenance of the facility. Remember that they love any kind of soil stockpile, so be careful where you stack any dirt and how long you might leave it there."
Twelve Solar Farm proposals received and distributed to Evaluation Committee
Associated Project(s):There are officially 12 proposals submitted, and 11 are responsive per Purchasing’s requirements. The Evaluation Team is: Kent Reifsteck, chair; Mike Marquissee, Keith Erickson, Morgan Johnston, Teresa Temples, Larry Altenbaumer, and Kim Porter.
President Hogan contributes to Revolving Loan Fund
Associated Project(s):President Hogan agreed to contribute $750,000 to the Revolving Loan Fund.
Attached Files:Undergrads and Graduates work on Sustainability Projects
Associated Project(s):Working with James Scholar in Barbara Minsker’s engineering class to make recommendations related to sustainability for the Grainger crosswalk on Springfield.
Staff hosted interviews with about a dozen Rhet 105 students about various sustainability topics.
Urban Planning masters student Marcus Ricci is doing a GIS project about bike parking capacity in relationship to the buildings they serve.
The LINC U of I Bikes section sent out a bike sharing survey and had a great response rate, a summary will be available by the end of the spring semester.
SCC Awards Funding for Solar Projects
Associated Project(s):The SSC awarded funding for Solar at the ECE North Campus Parking Deck project and the Conceptualization phase for Solar at KCPA.
Pre-proposal meeting and site visit for the Solar Farm
Associated Project(s):Held pre-proposal meeting and site visit for the Solar Farm RFP. Also, submitted the EcoCAT review request regarding that space. Responded to over 30 questions from potential proposers for the Solar Farm RFP.
Anaerobic Digester Study progress
Associated Project(s):Feasibility Study for an Anaerobic Digester at the Beef and Sheep facility on South Farms has funding approved and will move forward with A/E selection.
Recycling Assistant to assist and oversee
Associated Project(s):Tim Hoss was approved as a Recycling Assistant academic hourly position to oversee the implementation of the Food Waste Composting Facility and assist with other iCAP waste management projects.
Biogasification power plant talk
Associated Project(s):F&S met with representatives from the Center for Neighborhood Sustainability to continue discussion of potentially building a biogasification power plant off campus for production of biogas as an alternative fuel for power generation for campus.
EcoCAT documentation initiated
Associated Project(s):IDNR staff will review the project because the Franklin's Ground Squirrel may reside there. They state they will require thirty days of review. The Franklin’s Ground Squirrel resides in culverts and areas with low shrubs and prairie grasses and not in cultivated farm areas. Most of the Solar Farm area has been farmed for years.
RFP released and notices sent to community
Associated Project(s):From: Jack Dempsey Subject: Solar Farm letter ready to go In the interest of keeping an open dialogue with our neighbors, I would like to inform you that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pursuing the development of a 28.5-acre solar farm on the campus’s South Farms. The attached fact sheet describes the details of the project, including specifics of the proposal, expected timeline, and frequently asked questions about solar farms. This information will be sent to the residents on First Street near the proposed site, with the attached letter. I’m also including the full RFP here in case you are interested. This is expected to go live tomorrow. If you have any questions or suggestions as we move forward with this project, please contact Morgan Johnston, our Sustainability Coordinator copied here. Thanks, Jack RFP and subsequent amendments are online at http://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?Uni=UIUC&PN=1KSP....
Battery Recycling Program Preparing to Launch
Associated Project(s):Battery Recycling program containers were ordered in late February. The official launch of this program will be mid-spring.
Grants Cleared Up for Food Waste Composting Project
Associated Project(s):Staff answered questions from DCEO about the FSCRAP grant, in cooperation with University Grants and Contracts. Additionally, staff provided detailed responses to inquiries from students about the status of the project.
