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  2. Green Office Opportunities!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    Many university employees want to set an example for students by taking environmental action at work, but they aren’t sure where to start. The Certified Green Office Program is designed to identify simple, inexpensive actions you can take in your workspace.

    In its first four years, more than 50 offices and over 1,000 staff and faculty joined the Certified Green Office Program. In the program’s fifth year, we invite you and your office to make a pledge to reduce your use of resources and improve the overall sustainability of your office’s day-to-day practices.

    Small actions make a big difference when many take those small actions. The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) outlines campus plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and we believe everyone can play a part in achieving that goal through their day-to-day actions. With your help, we can reduce the environmental impact of this campus and strengthen its position as a national leader in sustainability.

    Click here for more information about the Certified Green Office Program.

  3. history note from F&S

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase use of EVs and other Alternative Service Vehicles

    F&S has used both GEM (8?) and e-Ride (2) electric service vehicles as well as 8 other small, gas powered Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), 2 each from 4 different manufacturers totaling 8 LSVs. I’ve attached an email that has a link to a story posted on Cars.com about our use. While a variety of vehicles were used they were pretty much all gone in 5-8 years for many reasons including capability, reliability, parts supplies, vendors going out of business and personnel concerns. None in service currently.

     

    From July 2008, by Pete Varney:

    The University did in fact purchase 8 vehicles, we are calling them "mini-trucks."  Chery is one of the OEMs.  We purchased two each of Tiger, Mag Intl, Vantage and Cushman (no longer selling in the US).  The desire is to test their effectiveness as a service vehicle on campus.  We have a large fleet of service vehicles (250+) and the majority of them never travel more that a couple of miles each day and never exceed the campus speed limit, 25 mph.

     

    This has been a long and at sometimes, difficult, project to get rolling, but now includes electric vehicles (E-ride) as well.  All part of the University's goal of conserving energy and increasing sustainability.

    https://www.cars.com/articles/chinese-part-of-mini-truck-mania-1420663272884/

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  6. Sustainability Webinar: Large Summer Festival Going Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    ISTC Sustainability Seminars
    Achieve Zero Waste

    James Carter - programming & operations manager with Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) - will discuss how they implemented a dramatic waste management transformation, created educational opportunities, and presented community-collaborative art programming. The operational goal? To become a zero waste event with 90% landfill diversion over three years.

    April 9, 12–1 PM Elizabeth Meschewski • Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

    Sustainability Webinar: Large Summer Festival Going Zero Waste

     

  7. Everyday Environment Webinar Series

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build a Culture of Sustainability

    University of Illinois Extension's Energy & Environmental Stewardship Team presents the "Everyday Environment Webinar Series." Learn about natural resources and how to make small changes in your lifestyle to positively impact your environment. From lawn care and native plants to understanding coyote behavior and more, there is always something new to learn about your everyday environment. 

    April 9–June 25, 1–2 PM • Every Thursday Erin Garrett • Cooperative Extension Service

    Everyday Environment Webinar Series

     

    Join us for weekly sessions on environmental topics presented by University of Illinois Extension's Energy & Environmental Stewardship Team! These webinars will both provide new information on natural resources and help you learn how to make small changes in your lifestyle to have a positive impact on the environment. From lawn care, native plants, and managing home waste to understanding coyote behavior and atmospheric optics, there is never a shortage of new things to learn about your everyday environment. See flyer for more details. 

    The schedule of webinars is below and registration is free! Please register for each individual webinar you are interested in attending at their respective registration link.

    Sky Spectacles

    April 9, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Join us and learn why we see a blue sky; why twilight is longer near the poles; and what sun dogs, halos, mirages, and other atmospheric optics are. Presenter: Duane Friend. 

    Coyotes

    April 16, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Coyotes have to be one of the most misunderstood species in Illinois. Cunning, social, resilient, opportunistic, faithful, adaptive, shy, successful, hated, inspirational: those words have all been used to describe coyotes. They conjure up mixed feelings of fear, anger, and for some, wild beauty. Coyotes are often blamed for many things they do and do not do. Nonetheless, they might be worthy the title of best survivalist despite the human population. Presenter: Peggy Doty.

    Planting for the Pollinators

    April 23, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    How can you support pollinators in your yard? Learn what types of pollinators you can attract to your yard and discover the right native plants attract butterflies, native bees, moths, and more. Presenter: Erin Garrett.

    Natural Lawn Care Part 1: Assessment

    April 30, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Assess the health and prepare for environmentally-friendly lawns. Participants will learn tools and techniques to better assess lawn so as they make an informed natural lawn care plan. Presenters: Abigail Garofalo, Gemini Bhalsod, and Allison Neubauer.

    Natural Lawn Care Part 2: Strategies

    May 7, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Learn strategies to understand your lawn, as well as learn tools to create a natural lawn care action plan. Presenters: Abigail Garofalo, Gemini Bhalsod, and Allison Neubauer.

    Managing Waste in the Home

    May 14, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Have you ever thought about how much trash your household generates? Learn about the management of municipal solid waste in the US, materials that can be recycled or composted, locating recycling and composting facilities near you, and strategies for decreasing household waste. Presenter: Ashley Belle.

    Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Biennial Report

    May 21, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    How is water quality in Illinois? The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy guides the state's efforts to improve water quality at home and downstream by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in our lakes, streams, and rivers. The strategy lays out a comprehensive suite of best management practices for reducing nutrient loads from wastewater treatment plants and urban and agricultural runoff. Learn how the strategy has progressed. Presenters: Eliana Brown, Kate Gardiner, Haley Haverback, Jennifer Woodyard.

    All About Clouds

    June 25, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    See various types of clouds, including unique clouds only seen in a few locations and what weather is expected with each variety. Presenter: Duane Friend. 

  12. info about green labs from Paul Foote

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Lab Program

    See this article in Lab Manager, the author works with My Green Labs and lightly covers every aspect of what sustainable labs actions are and how they help. 

    She also used to work for Thermo Fisher Scientific and was in the team that developed cardboard coolers for shipping supplies instead of Styrofoam. 

    https://www.labmanager.com/business-management/making-sustainable-labs-a-reality-22090?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_LM_Issue-Preview_2016&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=85607339&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-81JOWdawR7cYhBcDz3EASMjNPx800pm39ilZOqUs4WiSZyOt-d2zSrWdpY8Ewp4zPmuGx4z6p4kupxIMH9XnWrII83QA&_hsmi=85613067

    making-sustainable-labs-a-reality-m.jpg

    Making Sustainable Labs a Reality

    How to reduce the environmental impact of research

    www.labmanager.com

     

    Have a great day!

  14. Car Culture and Climate Change: A Student Op-Ed

    Associated Project(s): 
    Reduce Driving on Campus

     

    ui-parking.png

    Student Op-Ed: Car Culture and Climate Change

    In this opinion piece, undergraduate Shelby Job uses the U of I as a case study to examine the impact of efforts to limit automobile use and enourage biking, walking and public transit on America's "car culture" — especially in lower- and middle-class communities. 

    "Although the campus’ lack of accessibility by automobile might feel like a constraint on individual freedom, using infrastructure to encourage active modes of transportation may be the way forward as we search for solutions to the climate crisis," Job writes.

    But higher parking rates and the scarcity of parking overall raise the question of whether manipulating road systems will lead to a car culture that is only accessible to socioeconomic elites, she writes. "If municipalities begin to restrict auto travel by cutting down on the amount of affordable parking, then the face of an area's car culture is likely to change in a way that excludes those of lower socioeconomic standing."

    The op-ed was originally written for a course in iSEE's Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW

  17. Legal opinion on authority to enter into virtual PPAs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA

    VIRTUAL POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT RULED LEGAL
    F&S and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment hired attorney Paul Durbin to evaluate the legality for the campus to enter into a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) to meet the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) goals for purchasing renewable energy. The analysis concluded that the Board of Trustees has the legal authority to enter into a VPPA, if it is financially reasonable; said agreement would be performed by Prairieland Energy, Inc. (PEI), a subsidiary wholly-owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

  18. Bee Campus USA in F&S quarterly report

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA

    BEE CAMPUS USA
    F&S collaborated with students in the Bee Campus committee to complete the renewal of our Bee Campus USA designation in February; Illinois originally earned recognition in 2018 becoming the first B1G school to do so. This process includes using integrated pest management, installation of native plantings, student living lab projects, and outreach.

  19. SOLAR FARM LANDSCAPE BUFFER

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Bee Campus USA
    Sustainable Landscapes Plan

    SOLAR FARM LANDSCAPE BUFFER
    F&S representatives shared detailed designs for the pollinator supportive landscape buffer along the future Solar Farm 2.0 site to the Village of Savoy. Village leaders were pleased with the design plans and thanked us for being responsive to their neighborly request. When completed, this site will serve as a demonstration for pollinator-friendly solar arrays, following the requirements of the Pollinator Friendly Solar Site Act (Illinois Pub. Act 100-1022). Solar Farm 2.0 will produce approximately 20,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually, and will generate the equivalent electricity use of more than 2,000 average American homes.

  20. Transportation SWATeam Meeting: 30 March 2020

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Incorporate Sustainability Principles into Campus Master Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Support Zipcar in Champaign-Urbana
    Encourage Telecommuting

    Attached are the meeting minutes from the Transportation SWATeam meeting on 30 March 2020. 

    The Agenda is as follows:

    Recommendations Review

    • (M. Hubbard) Support CMP by increasing pedestrian safety by reevaluating current pedestrian routes and conducting traffic studies.
    • (S. Prasad) Zip-cars continuity: continue to serve at popular locations and set up a system to maintain Zip-car presence (two options are to set up a fund to pay for Zip-car parking spaces or ask Parking not to charge the department). 
    • (J. Cidell) UI Ride Survey
    • (J. Cidell) Teleconferencing assessment
    • (Y. Ouyang) Faculty/Staff Vanpool Survey

    April Agenda

    • iCAP 2020 Transportation Chapter Review
    Attached Files: 

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