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Project Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects

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  1. Communication with Sterling

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

    Hi everyone,

     

    Getting these meetings scheduled for the next semester.

     

    Sterling, does this time at 1:30-2 work for you? I will alter the time slot if needed.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Quinn M. Connolly

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

    Hi Quinn,

     

    Yes, 1:30-2:00pm works fine for me.

     

    Also, now that you're added our Google Drive please feel free to take a look at the content folders and comment. If you prefer to email me your questions privately, you can do that as well.

     

    Over the holiday I plan to set up a similar Google Drive for us as iCAP Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control as well.

     

    Hi Sarthak + Morgan,

     

    Leon Liebenberg is on the top of my list to answer his questions regarding engineering student participation and SSC.

     

    Thank you for being patient with us up until now and rest assured that it will all be worth the journey!

     

    Have a happy and safe holiday!

     

    Thanks, Sterling

  2. Illinois General Assembly SB1769

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)

    Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB1769 (ilga.gov)

    This will be fun.

     

    Confirming my intention to be retired by 12/31/2029

     

    Thank you,

    Pete

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

    Sarthak, please read the link and provide a short summary for me and Stacey.

    Thanks, Morgan

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

    Hi Morgan and Stacey,

    It just says that by Jan 1, 2030, all new passenger vehicles that a state agency purchases or leases has to be zero emission.

     

    Sarthak

  3. Green Research Budget

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Research Committee

    Steph and I have been sending ideas on this back and forth for a few days. Wanted to share it as a starting point for our discussion this afternoon.

     

     

    Training software - $1000

    Swag - $2000

    Professional development travel: $4500

    Student help: $20,000

    Salary: $65,000-$75,000

    Food, shirts, recognition: $5,000

    Computer, telecom, supplies, PPE, transportation: $1,500

    Web presence (link to iCAP portal): $15,000

    Total ~$114,000-$124,000

     

    Additional considerations

    • If soft money, will need to fund fully burdened salary.
    • Contingency, escalation and inflation.
    • How will materials for initiatives be funded? Initial initiatives include shut the sash stickers, GRP branded equipment timers (swag item, departmental/lab purchase), and reduce/reuse/recycle equipment (shelves, etc.).
    • What about new initiatives/pilot programs? Will GRC need to perform costs-benefit analysis and secure funding through other means (e.g., SSC) or include a budget line. For a 5 year pilot this may be irrelevant

     -----------------------

    Dear Jeremy and Stephanie,

     

    Attached please find a draft budget, per our conversation yesterday.  Please let me know if I need to edit anything and please share the draft with Morgan for her input. 

     

    Thanks,

     

    Sharee

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

     

    Sharee,

    Thanks for putting this together! I think it looks good to me.

    Jeremy- do you want to share with Morgan?

    Steph

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

     

    I checked with IT on computer costs. We are no longer charged for phone access. That went away with Skype. Here’s what I received for hardware costs:

     

    For the laptop it's a 2880 dollar buy in with 60 dollars a month fees after meaning in 48 months it will pay for the next one. For desktop the structure is the same and is a 1680 dollar buy in with 35 dollar monthly fees. The monitors and dock are included in this cost in both cases (although of course there's no dock on a desktop)

     

    I know I missed adding computer(s) for the students. Students are usually provided desktops. I’m guessing we have some in the building that share but in general each student has their own because schedules usually overlap somewhere. If there’s no objections I can add the initial purchase of 2 desktops to FY24 and increase the other years by $70ish to account for the monthly fees.

     

    I also think we can probably lower the web presence costs in years 2-5. Maybe $5k in 2-5 for maintenance and minor customizations?

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

     

    Jeremy,

     

    Thank you for checking into the technology costs.  Your edits work for me. 

     

    Sharee

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

    Morgan provided comments on the revised budget asking that professional development for FY24 be removed and the full $5,000 for events/recognition in FY24 be included. Those changes along with the charges for computers have been addressed in the attached.

     

    Thanks

    Jeremy

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

     

    Jeremy and Stephanie,

     

    I hope you had a great holiday and weekend.  Thank you for providing the revised draft budget.  I don’t have any additional recommendations. I am meeting with Susan Martinis on Wednesday and will confirm the next steps with her.  I’m copying Patty Jones so that she has an opportunity to review the draft budget as well.

     

    I’ll follow up with you both after I meet with Susan.

     

    Thanks again,

     

    Sharee

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

     

    Dear Jeremy, Stephanie and Patty,

     

    I met with Susan this afternoon and she supports moving forward with the draft budget.  Perhaps the four of us can meet to discuss the next steps with regards to pursuing contributions for the pilot. I’m not familiar with the SSC process.  Susan indicated that these funds should be pursued and that perhaps other units would be willing to contribute to the Pilot.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Sharee

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

     

    I think we should include Morgan White in the discussion. Assuming funding is secured the program will fall under her and she is familiar with the SSC process and other potential funding sources.

     

    Thanks

    Jeremy

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

     

    Thank you, Jeremy,

     

    I am copying Jamie Willard to request her assistance in scheduling a 30-minute zoom call with the three of us and Morgan White to discuss the Green Research proposal.

     

    Sharee

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

    Good morning, All,

     

    I have taken a look at calendars to schedule this 30-minute zoom meeting to discuss the next steps with regards to pursuing contributions for the pilot and the SSC process. There is not a clear time that everyone can get together so I am asking for you to fill out the doodle below and see if there is any flexibility to be able to schedule this before winter break.

     

    Attendees:

    Sharee Robinson

    Patty Jones

    Jeremy Neighbors

    Stephanie Hess

    Morgan White

     

     

    Thank you for your time in this matter.

     

    Best,

    Jamie

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

    Good afternoon,

     

    My apologies on the delay of scheduling this meeting. I have talked to Sharee Robinson and she has confirmed that with the challenging calendars, this meeting can wait until after the winter break. I would like to schedule this zoom meeting for Monday, January 8th 10:30-11:00am.

     

    Please let me know if this will not work for you at your earliest convenience. I will be sending an electronic invite with zoom link shortly.

     

    Best,

    Jamie

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

    That works for me. Thanks for coordinating everything Jamie.

    Jeremy Neighbors

    Attached Files: 

  4. Weekly Update: Kids bike giveaway, Staff, Winter break

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, We’re down to a skeleton crew here as a lot of staff have departed for the semester. We’ll be fielding/repairing donations for the Kids Bike Giveaway this week, as a few last-minute folks have been reaching out thanks to mentions in E-week and the like. We’ll close after hours on Friday for the semester and reopen Tues, January 16th.

    Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 23

    Sales: $264
    Memberships: 4 for $120
    Tires/tubes: 7 for $40

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center

  5. geothermal and UIC soil borings

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    One of our key research partners for the Illinois Geothermal Coalition is Andy Stumpf (copied here).  He has asked if there are soil borings info for the Chicago campus.  Can you connect him with the right person?

     

    “Hi Morgan, Do you have a contact at UIC who would have access to their geotech and soil boring records.. person similar to Beth. I have been asked to help out with the Solar Decathlon project because they are interested in adding geothermal to the design. They plan to design an educational design and innovation center that is on the UIC campus and would occupy the two parking lots at 1198 W Vernon Park PI Parking, Chicago, IL 60607. Soil boring/geotech information for nearby buildings could help the design. I am also mapping Cook County, so this information would also be useful for that project. Would also be interested to know if there are any major water lines in along Harrison Street or I-290. Maybe an opportunity to include wastewater heat recovery.”

     

    Thanks!

    Morgan

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

    Hi Morgan,

     

    Thanks for the introduction. Nice to meet you Fernando. I am going to find out from the students who they are working with at UIC.

     

    Best,

    Andy

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

     

    Thanks, it may be Fernando (He is out of the office).

    I can pull files related to the 2009 Geothermal wells, but it might help to have a specific question to circulate. IS this accurate: Does UIC have any records of Soil boring/geotech information from past geothermal well drilling?

    Regarding water lines – best to assume every where on campus has some utilities under it.  There is likely water on Harrison and Racine,

     

    Andy Mitchell 

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

    Hi Andy,

     

    Thanks for getting back to me. Actually, it would be possible to get access to or copies of the soil borings for all projects on UIC campus, not just the geothermal projects. The Illinois State Geological Survey maintains a database of geological, engineering geology, and geophysical information for the entire state. Here is snapshot for part of the UIC campus with engineering test hole delineated by the red dots and labeled by the total depth of the drilling. The data can be accessed through the ISGS’ ILWATER map service https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. Currently, only the owner, location, and soil boring logs are available for most of the engineering borings, but we plan in the near future to provide access to the engineering geology data entered from the reports and if allowed by the owner/client a pdf of the scanned documents. The boring locations were digitized from the maps included in the reports or coordinates surveyed and provided with the logs. As Morgan knows, I am working with Facilities & Services here to digitize all the soil borings on our campus and provide them through the ILWATER map service. This effort is being funded as a student project that received a grant from the UIUC Student Sustainability Committee. If you are interested in having the UIC data served in a similar manner, let’s talk some more about how this is being done at UIUC. For much of the data the ISGS on the UIC campus came from research survey geologists or UIUC CEE faculty were involved with on the campus and from consultants involved in the project. Beyond the Illinois Solar Decathlon design project, this data is being compiled for the ISGS project to map the surface and subsurface geology of Cook and DuPage counties. This mapping is being done to update work that was done in the 1940s or early. The data is used to develop the maps and models of the geology which we make available to the public. Below is one of the cross sections we made this year for west to east cross section along Roosevelt Road. We plan by 2028 to have a 3D model of the geology available for Cook County. The mapping project is being funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

     

    Best.

    Andy

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

     

    Andy – this is exciting stuff and I’m confident we can share the records, once we locate them.

    I’m out of the office most of next week, and Fernando is just back and will playing catch up.

    When do you need this info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

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

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    Getting back to you about the geotech soil borings. I have shared with you the Box folder with the logs found so far. The logs in the files starting with “x” have been plotted and the information is available through the ISGS borings database https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. The logs in the files starting with “g” have not been entered yet.

     

    Best,

    Andy

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

     

    Thanks for the nudge Andy.

    I’ll connect with our manager Dave Taeyaerts about the best way to go about getting this.

    When do you need the info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

  7. New Greener Campus Certifications - Fall 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Event Program
    Certified Green Chapter Program

    14 campus events have been recognized by iSEE's Certified Green Events program this fall, and two fraternities were recertified Gold under the Certified Green Chapter program — Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and the Triangle Alpha Chapter. The events included: August — New Student Convocation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker Visit, Illinois Promise Lunch, Exchange & International Student Welcome Event, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Visit, Dennis H. May Diversity Conference on Mental Health and Higher Education, ABA TechShow; September — CCFD Kick-off, Illinois News Broadcasters Association Reception, Men's Football Games (Suite and Pregame Events), 2023 Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Meeting; October — Illini Lights Out; November — weSTEM Conference, P&T Bookplate Reception.  

  8. Revolving Loan Fund Research

    Associated Project(s): 
    Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I created a spreadsheet of all of the participants of the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. This spreadsheet includes the population size and loan amount. I thought it would be easier to sort through the information with this. I will try to find data about current energy savings to add to this sheet. But almost all of the institutions have very little information about what they have done with the loan amount. And if they do have information, it is minimum 3-5 years old.

     

    I attached that document and my current word document. Still need to add a few more universities, but I wanted to see the numbers clearly before I picked a random one to look into.

     

    According to this data we have the 9th largest loan fund. Ill focus on the rest of the universities above us in the list.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Quinn M. Connolly

    Attached Files: 

  10. EPA funding opportunity?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Addressing Community Health Disparities from Hazardous Waste
    Install Appropriate Waste Collection Infrastructure

    Hi Susan,

     

    I hope this message finds you well after the holiday weekend. I wanted to reach out regarding the recent EPA notice of funding opportunity for the Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grant Program, which you may have already heard about. I attached the full notice of funding opportunity document to this email. The due date for applications is November 21, 2024. Community-based non-profits can partner with institutions of higher education on a collaborative project.

     

    Track 1 applications, community-driven investments for change, covers a broad area of community conditions that could be assessed. One of the specific objectives covered is “reduce local pollution to improve public health.” I understand that building a HHW facility for the county would address pollutants that may otherwise end up improperly disposed of.

     

    I just wanted to reach out and call your attention to this opportunity in case you hadn’t already heard about it. Do you think this could be useful for funding the HHW facility? If so, I’d certainly be interested in being involved!

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

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

    Hi Daphne, 

     

    This is definitely the best email I've received recently!!!  OMG. CCES is potentially so very interested. 

    I'll be reviewing this and will touch base with you ASAP.  

     

    Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. 

     

    Susan Monte

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

    Hi Jen, Morgan, & Pete,

     

    Exciting news – big EPA notice of funding opportunity just released from the IRA for $2B, applications due a year from now. Community-based non-profits can partner with institutions of higher education on an environment justice project. The Champaign County Environmental Stewards have been wanting to tackle our lack of household hazardous waste facility here in Champaign County for some time. This would be a huge win for campus waste, too. Depending on what we scour in the notice of funding opportunity document (i.e. assuming we are eligible), this would be something I’d like to explore pursuing with CCES.

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

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

     

    Hi Daphne,

     

    I skimmed the RFP (here) and noticed a strong emphasis on environmental justice. The program objective is “redressing environmental and climate injustices for communities facing legacy pollution, climate change, and persistent disinvestment.”

     

    I think iSEE /the Resilience team can help with a proposal. It would be a good idea for us to discuss how best to do this.

     

    One immediate thought I had was whether we could combine a hazardous waste facility with a facility for waste-to-energy conversion and build in job/economic opportunities in the community much like the Green Era Campus in Chicago. It doesn’t need to be an anaerobic digestor (although we certainly have enough organic waste generated regionally to support one).

                                                                 

    Let me know what you think.

     

    Jen

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

     

    Hi Jen,


    Good catch on the environmental justice piece. I like your line of thinking on how we can incorporate additional features into a HHW facility. I think it would be great to chat about this with the CCES and determine a shared direction. I’m waiting to hear back from Susan and would be happy to schedule this.

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

  12. Weekly Update: Thanksgiving break, Kids bike donation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Hope everyone had a good holiday break! Mine extended into Monday, so this is a day late.

    We got a few more kids bike donations come in the Friday before we closed for the break, so we are full steam ahead in soliciting donations and fixing them up. With the nippy weather we should have plenty of time to work on the donations we have so far and tackle some cleaning/organizing that always gets pushed to the slower and colder months. We’ll also continue to make progress on the barn bikes.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 24

    Sales: $476.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
    Memberships: 4 for $120
    Tires/tubes: 6 for $61

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center

  15. East Central Illinois Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community

     

    All,

     

    I had to change the date on our next COAD Meeting.  We will be having our East Central Illinois Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) meeting on December 7th at 2:30 pm at the ILEAS Training Center, 1701 E. Main St, in Urbana.  I have attached the agenda for your review.  Feel free to forward the invite to others that may want to be part of our group.

     

    I hope to see you all on the 7th.  Thank you.

     

    Sincerely,

    John

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

    Attached Files: 

  16. Weekly Update: Kids bike giveaway, Cranksgiving

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Busy week on the sales floor as the weather warmed up and we sold a few bikes. Also, got a half dozen or so kids bikes repaired for the KBG event in December.

    Over the weekend the Bike Project held their Cranksgiving bike food drive. Riders were able to collect ~400 lbs of donations to Faith UMC Food Pantry!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $1,173.75
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $530
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 26 for $229

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center

  17. iCAP Resilience Team Meeting 11-10-23

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Urban Biodiversity Master Plan
    Utilize Carbon Credits
    Vision Zero
    Air Quality Monitoring Station

    The iCAP Resilience Team Meeting met on November 10th, 2023 to discuss current project statuses, review the 2016 resilience commitment, and further discuss the mission and goals of the team.

    Meeting minutes, a supplemental slideshow, and recording is attached.

    Meeting recording: https://uofi.box.com/s/7xow5bqoe8zz0xk3qxyctdxi1duvg0mf

    Powerpoint: https://uofi.box.com/s/7ysynolap0ykpcaoxboxojaieispjn8a

    Attached Files: 

  18. Illinois EPA Announces $27 Million NOFO for Public Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations

    Today, through its Driving a Cleaner Illinois program, the Illinois EPA announced the Driving a Cleaner Illinois – Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) EV Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) light-duty electric vehicle charging stations at publicly accessible locations. This $27 million opportunity is being made available through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for electric vehicle projects authorized under CEJA. The NOFO and related documents have been posted to the Illinois EPA website. Applications must be submitted to EPA.EVCharging@Illinois.gov by 5:00 pm CT on December 22, 2023.

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

    Hi Scott,

     

    I was just talking with Morgan, and we wondered if you know of any businesses in Urbana that would be interested in this program to fund the purchase and installation of fast chargers? If so, please let us know.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

  20. RECs for small solar rooftop arrays

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rooftop Solar Potential
    Solar Power on Campus
    ECE Net-Zero Energy Building
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs

    Hi Rob and Tony,

     

    Tim Mies asked me who “owns” the RECs from small scale solar arrays at individual buildings.  I said I’d have to check into it.

     

    At first I thought all RECs are owned by central campus (UES), but then I questioned myself.  For a rooftop solar array, we don’t include it in the M-RETS program, and at ECE, we only “sold” them the solar farm 2.0 RECs.  We let them count their rooftop solar directly and they have the DOR accordingly. 

     

    So is it appropriate to tell him that the RECs associated with the 14.7 kW array he is planning to install at the Energy Farm (not the SCAPES project) will be considered “used” at the Energy Farm?

     

    I would caution that we do not want individual departments to get into selling RECs, without a much broader discussion.  So perhaps we should say that he can use/retire them at his site, but he cannot sell them without further discussion?

     

    What do you recommend?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

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

    Good questions. I think that if the department “owns” the REC, then they should also be able to sell the REC. I am interested in others views on the topic, and agree that it would lend to a much broader discussion.

    Rob Roman

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

    I agree that a broader discussion would be helpful.

     

    Best,

     

    Tony

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