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Project name changed from "HVAC and Air Quality Assessment Pilot Project" to "Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control".
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Project name changed from "HVAC and Air Quality Assessment Pilot Project" to "Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control".
Following is Pete Varney's response to the question from Morgan, "In addition to the Ford Lightning EVs, could we potentially get EV versions of the turtle-top 15-person vans? Also, is there any discussion about getting Hybrid buses for UI Ride?"
When discussing EV we have to look at manufacturer availability and operational needs. Car Pool vehicles, 15-pass vans, need to be able to operate both locally and on extended trips ruling out EV due to range restrictions.
We won’t be looking to replace the first UI Ride bus until FY24/25. We can explore hybrid, but this class of vehicle is different from MTD hybrid buses. Electric may be an option. When the time comes, we’ll discuss with the System office as they put the $$ into UI Ride.
Thank you,
Pete
Jen asked Brent on March 1 about the status of LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed and ALUFS006 Increased Agroforestry. Brent responded on March 1 with the following message:
Hi Jennifer,
On this one, Morgan has our response. We want to do the work with F&S Grounds, but would like to have the SSC pay for seeds. I think I have a cost of $2200, which would allow for us to seed a fairly large amount of the low mow spaces on campus. F&S wouldn’t charge for our time as we would be broadcasting, which isn’t difficult. The benefit of having us do the seeding is that we would know where it was. We would also focus on the higher visibility areas to greatest impact.
If we can get funding soon, we can get the seeds ordered for this year.
Thanks!
All, Another abbreviated week for me, but the staff held down the fort. We’re working up bikes and our staff is peer-to-peer training during slow times to get the new folks up to speed.
This week I’ll schedule some off-hours staff trainings and a staff meeting to help bring folks along. We’re close to being able to open back up M – F, still have a few more things to iron out. I even found the same open hours poster we used to have for our M-F hours, so we don’t have to order a new sign. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
The numbers:
Visitors: 17
Sales: $299.30
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $160
Memberships: 1 for $30
Tires/tubes: 3 for $45
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Coordinator
Greetings, Colleagues,
I hope the start of 2023 is going well. I’m reaching out today to send you iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022 from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.
For more up-to-date news from iSEE, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.
IN RESEARCH
IN EDUCATION & OUTREACH
IN CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY
Thanks for reading, and best wishes for the remainder of the spring semester!
Best,
Madhu Khanna
Madhu Khanna
Pronouns: she, her
Alvin H. Baum Family Chair & Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment
ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics
Co-Director, Center for Economics of Sustainability
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
1301, W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801
All, Abbreviated week for me as I took a half day on Thursday and all of Friday off. Staff handled things admirably and I’ll check in with them today for a full shift report.
Got a couple Build-a-Bikes completed and a bike sold last week. We’ve got a dozen or so bikes on the floor and working to bump that number. I’ll likely grab a few more bikes from the warehouse, too.
The numbers:
Visitors: 29
Sales: $429.25
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $90
Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $100
Memberships: 1 for $30
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Coordinator
From: Scrogum, Joy Joann <jscrogum@illinois.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 5:02 PM
To: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Patterson, Shawn L <spttrsn@illinois.edu>; Samaras, Zach <zsamaras@illinois.edu>; Feher, Savannah <sfeher@illinois.edu>
Subject: RE: Thank you:)
Hannah, thanks again for your conviction to make positive change and for preparing such a clear, well-considered presentation for today’s meeting!
I wanted to follow up by sending you a link to the Prescott Lab: https://mpp.fshn.illinois.edu/. They do a lot of work related to household food waste and food waste reduction interventions in K-12 schools (e.g. share tables). Dr. Prescott and colleagues also published a paper back in 2021 on how changing the size and shape of plates in dining halls can reduce food waste—see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105293.
You can visit https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/programs/zero-waste/ to learn more about the zero waste efforts of ISTC’s Technical Assistance Program, and see https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/ for descriptions of past collaborative efforts with the UIUC campus. As I said, we’ll definitely reach out to you about volunteering at a waste sort if we end up working on campus building waste audits later in the year!
One thing we didn’t talk about on today’s call were Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) that you might be interested in. Check out VermiCUlture, https://www.vermiculture.eco/ and Grow2Give, https://www.grow2givecu.com/. Sydney Curts is involved in both organizations, and she might be a good connection for you to speak with; note that she’s graduating in May. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneyncurts/, or email her at scurts2@illinois.edu.
I know Daphne and Shawn will connect you with additional groups, resources, and opportunities on campus. I wanted to share links to two statewide organizations we mentioned earlier. The Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition, https://illinoiscomposts.org/, might be something you’re interested in learning more about. If you don’t want to opt for membership, you can connect with IFSCC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or via our LinkedIn Group. Also, check out the Wasted Food Action Alliance, https://wastedfoodaction.org/. If your class schedule permits, the WFAA hosts a monthly meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month, and those are open to any interested party.
I hope all this helps and wish you luck in your efforts to improve waste management. Don’t hesitate to contact me, Zach, or Savannah if you have additional questions. When you work on waste reduction and management, it’s always such a delight to encounter students who not only understand the issues involved, but genuinely care and want to become involved. Thanks for brightening our day!
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 61820
217.333.8948 | jscrogum@illinois.edu
www.istc.illinois.edu | www.prairie.illinois.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyscrogum/
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.
From: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 3:32 PM
To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Patterson, Shawn L <spttrsn@illinois.edu>; Scrogum, Joy Joann <jscrogum@illinois.edu>; Samaras, Zach <zsamaras@illinois.edu>; Feher, Savannah <sfeher@illinois.edu>
Subject: Thank you:)
Hello,
I just wanted to sincerely thank you all for taking the time to listen to my thoughts and providing me with all the insights that I will take them to heart. As a student I appreciate talking to experts that are actively working on the field I am interested in and passionate about. Your comments allowed me to get a sense of where we are in terms of waste treatment and what I should be doing. I know my steps won't be big, but I will for sure make a change. Although it is quite sad that Illinois has poor infrastructure, there are still ways to improve such as students' perceptions and behaviors. With your advice, I think I will start from there. I will be reaching out for more advice and guidance in the near future:)
If it wasn't for you, I would have left this idea in the back of my head. Thank you so much for the encouragement and reassurance that there are ways to be involved. Words can't explain how much I appreciate it. I hope there will be a chance for us to talk again and have a wonderful rest of your day!
Sincerely,
Hannah Kim
Ethan and Sarthak met via zoom to discuss Ethan’s progress in reviewing relevant documents toward the former 2014 Bicycle Plan and for the future 2024 Bicycle Plan. Ethan has finished reading the 2019 and 2023 progress reports on the bicycle plan and reviewed which projects have been finished and are yet to be finished. Ethan’s main goal is to develop a presentation for a meeting with Morgan and Stacy to discuss the work he and Sarthak have been doing. Also, they must present their plan for the semester in regard to developing the planning process for the next year, in reference to the 2024 Bicycle Plan. Ethan and Sarthak also discussed highlighting the bicycle audit expected to be done in the Fall.
Below is a newsletter regarding ECE's zero energy certification.
Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Green Event and Green Chapter certification programs!
Green Chapter: Kappa Delta, Gold, Recertified February 2023
Green Event:
-Krannert Art Museum SPEAK Cafe: Rest and Rejuvention, Certified February 2023
-F&S, iSEE, DIA, Coca-Cola partnered event Zero Waste Basketball Game, Certified February 2023
-University of Illinois Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Holonyak Memorial, Certified February 2023
-Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Filler Scholar Dinner, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events University of Pretoria Dinner, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events Strategic Planning Summit, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Rutgers Men's Basketball Game, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Minnesota Men's Basketball Game, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Northwestern Men's Basketball, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Michigan Men's Basketball, Certified February 2023
-Chancellor's Office for Special Events University-wide Commencement Ceremony, Certified February 2023
Keep up the great work!
From: Scrogum, Joy Joann <jscrogum@illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2023 2:11 PM
To: Kim, Hannah <hannahk9@illinois.edu>
Cc: Jacobson, Debra F <djacobso@illinois.edu>; Feher, Savannah <sfeher@illinois.edu>; Samaras, Zach <zsamaras@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Patterson, Shawn L <spttrsn@illinois.edu>
Subject: Food waste on UIUC campus
Hello, Hannah. I’m a member of the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). You recently contacted our director, Kevin OBrien, about a project you’re planning related to separating food waste from the rest of the waste stream to see if this might improve capture and quality of recyclable materials at the Waste Transfer Station. Kevin suggested in his reply that TAP may be able to help you because of our work on zero waste projects and interest in food waste reduction in particular, and he copied Debra Jacobson, who leads TAP, on his reply. She in turn discussed your inquiry with our zero waste team—Zach Samaras, Savannah Feher, and myself—and we reached out to Daphne Hulse, our campus zero waste coordinator at UI Facilities & Services (F&S) to discuss this further. TAP has worked with F&S on multiple waste management projects over the years, and have been discussing potential campus waste audits that are tentatively planned for the fall.
Daphne recalled that you were recently part of a tour of the Waste Transfer Station and that you had spoken briefly about this with her and Shawn Patterson, who oversees operations at the transfer station. All of us—ISTC TAP and F&S staff—are interested in learning more about your ideas and supporting you however we can. We’re all passionate about improving waste management on campus and love to see students showing interest and initiative!
Note that of our TAP crew, I’m the only one based here in Champaign, but we’ve all worked with this and other universities on waste management projects. TAP staff won’t be able to directly advise you if you require a faculty advisor for your project, but we’re happy to work with F&S to help you think through logistics, potential challenges, and how best to take your next steps. If we’re not able to serve as official advisors, we’ll do whatever we can to help you identify campus contacts who can.
For the sake of efficiency, we’d like to try to schedule a conversation with you, TAP’s zero waste team, Daphne, and Shawn so we all hear about your ideas directly from you and can better collaborate. Before I send out a poll to select a time for a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting, I want to be respectful of your class schedule. Please let me know if there are particular days/times M-F between 8 AM and 5 PM that you’re regularly free from school or work obligations. From there, I’ll create and send out a poll so we can schedule a virtual meeting that works for everyone’s schedules.
We look forward to learning more about your ideas. Best wishes,
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 61820
217.333.8948 | jscrogum@illinois.edu
www.istc.illinois.edu | www.prairie.illinois.edu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyscrogum/
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.
1/25 Meeting Recap:
2/1 Meeting Recap
On February 8, Housing and F&S met to discuss Dump & Run plans. See the attached meeting minutes. A recording can be found here.
Sarthak and Ethan met in person to discuss Ethan’s updates on his readings on the former 2014 Bicycle Plan. He has completed his review of the 2014 Plan and will delve into the progress reports and updates reports published in 2019, 2022, and 2023 for next week to see which projects have been completed, changed, or left unfinished indefinitely. He will also review the feedback from the League of American Bicyclists based on the University’s Bronze Bicycle Friendly Status awarded in 2019. The goal is to receive Gold Status this August, if not in 2027 because the review is done every 4 years. A main aspect of the 2024 Bicycle Plan will be to achieve Platinum Status by 2031. Sarthak also assured Ethan that many of the projects of the 2014 plan have since been completed which will be seen in the update/progress reports. Ethan’s to do list is to finish his readings relevant to the 2024 Bicycle Plan, such as the update reports. Also, he must begin preparing to consolidate the work he and Sarthak have done. This will then be presented to Sarthak’s bosses which will focus on the plan for this semester and the next two semesters.
As of February 7, Champaign County Forest Preserve, Champaign County Master Naturalists, and the Rotary Club of Champaign have expressed support for the initiative and will advertise the volunteer opportunity to their respective communities come April/May.
On February 7, Daphne Hulse met with Nate Himes (Director of Counseling Ministries) at Merci's Refuge and Tom King (Director of Logistics) + Wally Proenza (VP Retail Operations) at Goodwill Land of Lincoln to discuss donation logistics. On February 13, Daphne will meet with Lisa Sheltra (Director of Community Engagement) + Mike Jenkins (Director of Retail Operations) at Salt & Light.
All, Steady week. Had a few new staffers start, held a staff meeting—some good ideas batted around!—and got a couple bikes safety inspected and ready for the sales floor. Still about a dozen bikes that are student-level “finished”.
This week is another round of interviews as we bolster our team for expanding hours and programming this spring/summer. I’ll also move a few forgotten steeds over here from the land of the abandoned bikes.
The numbers:
Visitors: 24
Sales: $151
Memberships: 1 for $30
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Coordinator
As of February 6, Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Merci's Refuge, Salt & Light, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore have all expressed interest in exploring a donation partnership for Dump & Run.
Good morning BTAF,
Hope everyone’s year is off to a good start!
At the last BTAF Waste Affinity group meeting in October, the group members shared many exciting initiatives and programs related to recycling and waste diversion. Over the past few months, a working group has developed a comprehensive benchmarking survey to facilitate knowledge sharing and to organize program information. So, now we need your participation in the Waste Survey [redacted].
At the suggestion of Nicole Berg, a google spreadsheet format was chosen for ease of use, as well as the ability to update the survey each year. In the link, you’ll find two tabs on the survey:
Three schools have already filled out the survey, so our hope is that it’s intuitive to follow along and to input your school’s information. If you have any clarifying questions, feel free to shoot me an email. We ask that each school completes the survey by Friday, February 13th.
Once the data is collected, an intern will compile the data, and we will share the results in another BTAF Waste Affinity Group meeting at a date TBD—probably in March.
Shout out to the team, including Tony Gillund (Purdue), Patrick Brown (Purdue), Daphne Hulse (Illinois), Dominika Szal (Illinois-intern), Nicole Berg (Michigan), and Alison Richardson (Michigan).
Mary
Mary Leciejewski
Zero Waste Manager
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Facilities Operations and Development, Sustainability & Strategic Services
1130 Service Building Annex | 2578 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210
(O) 614.292.3637
fod.osu.edu/sustainability