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  1. ALUFS004 South Farm Management Plan recommendation - Assessment with all comments

    See attached the Assessment form for the ALUFS004 South Farm Management Plan recommendation complete with comments from all iWG members.

    See iWG assessment started for ALUFS004 South Farm Management Plan here.

    See SWATeam recommendation ALUFS004 South Farm Management Plan here.

  2. Recycled Glove Quantities Reported by Kimberly-Clark

    Associated Project(s): 

    Kimberly-Clark reported the following waste diversion statistics related to the glove recycling program:

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Illinois Sustainable Technology  Center: 3,000 lbs

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Illinois Chemistry Department: 440 lbs

     

    The time frame was not included in the report. Additional information will be sought.

  3. iWG meeting minutes April 9th, 2018

  4. Weekly Updates for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Last week was a quiet week with regard to zero-waste activities. I managed to reach Jonathan McClintock at Kimberly- Clark and forwarded the following information to Morgan: 

    • Jonathan spoke with Serenity Desmond on April 4. She can handle gloves from Noyes only. The gloves are going directly from Noyes to K-C. Noyes is not currently paying for the pickups but that may change, although K-C would give them rebates for free gloves if they pay. 
    • People typically purchase gloves by the case. An average weight for a case is 20 lbs. 
    • The program is really intended to be used at stocking centers. Jonathan has been in touch with store rooms on campus but has not gotten any of them on board yet. He will send me the contact names so Morgan and I can discuss how we might approach them. 
    • Jonathan will send me the most recent statistics on how quantities of gloves collected from UIUC. The statistics will include what has been collected from Noyes. 

    I have not yet received the contact names or statistics from Jonathan but will keep an eye out for them this week. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  5. End of semester update - Enrollment by major

    Associated Project(s): 

    On April 3, 2018, Evan Delucia thanked the Steering Committee for the Sustainability Minor for their guidance and support. He gave them the end of semester update and shared the demographics for the Sustainability minor (see the attached pie chart).

    As shown in the graph, currently there are 85 students enrolled in the program. The first cohort finished their capstone research projects this past semester.

  6. Daily Illini article: Future of sustainability on campus appears positive

    Daily Illini published an article: Future of sustainability on campus appears positive, on April 3rd, 2018.

    Attached is the article as a .pdf file. Here is a link to the article: https://dailyillini.com/features/2018/04/03/future-of-sustainability-on-...

     

  7. Freezer Challenge reminder email

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hello everyone, The International Freezer Challenge is in full swing thru April 30th. Help the University of Illinois compete while receiving recognition, and a certificate of leadership in Environmental Stewardship.
    Registering to participate in the Freezer Challenge is a fun way to stay up-to-date with the latest in sample management, receive recognition for your efforts, and have fun while helping the University of Illinois maintain our world-class standing.
    Take 20 sec's Register today!
    All lab practices since May 2017 are eligible for points and can be added to your score card.

    Benefits Webinars, Best Practices and Resources

    • Reducing energy consumption, costs, and environmental impact of the lab
    • Learning and applying proper cold storage maintenance techniques to help avoid future failures
    • Removing unneeded or unviable samples from cold storage units, allowing space to be consolidated or eliminated.
    • Reducing costs associated with maintaining extraneous cold storage units.
    • Improving researcher access to and security for viable samples.
    • Developing ongoing cold storage management practices that support efficiency and maximize lab space utility.
    • Awards & National recognition at the I2SL conference for the winning labs in each category

    Increasing grant eligibility is another benefit according to How going green can raise cash for your lab a Nature International Journal of Science article, this quote shares an interesting perspective; Ramirez-Aguilar argues that implementing energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable lab practices can be a smart way for researchers to make their grants stand out. It might seem a small detail, but having such procedures in place could make all the difference to the success of your application. “If it makes your proposal look better,” she says, “you’re more likely to get funding.”

    For more information contact Paul Foote @ gfoote2@illinois.edu F&S Energy Services

  8. Archived Description from the Support Pollinators (Bee Campus USA) project

    Associated Project(s): 

    The campus recognizes that we need to support the pollinator population on campus.  Potential solutions include creating "Pollinator Pockets" in strategic locations throughout the campus grounds, and encouraging the use of native plants in appropriate landscape locations.

    The F&S Landscape Architect is working with campus stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop sustainable landscape solutions that support pollinator populations.

  9. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All! Happy snow in April! (Not.)

    This past week Working Bikes came down and we cleared out the last of the warehouse as well as donated 28 3-speed bikes to the Urbana shop. Thanks to student staffers Evan, Dennis, Leah, and all-around very awesome ATC Lily for helping load the bikes! It went so much faster thanks to them.

    The shop was slow most of the time and moderately busy some of the time this week.  We’ve got some really nice fliers in the works for the Maintenance Class at the ARC (4/16 and 4/24 in room MP6 @ 7-8pm!). Those should go up/be distributed soon. Student staffer Dennis has expressed some interest in helping out with one of the classes, which would be cool.

    This week I will meet with Neutral Cycle about their involvement with the Bike Rodeo, build bikes,  organize/clean, and recruit/advertise for student-staff help for the summer months.

    Numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $668.35
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $310
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $135
    Memberships: 2 for $60

    Thanks!

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager
  10. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Here’s the past week’s zero-waste activity: 

    • Jeremiah Yokley from Purchasing sent a revised glove purchasing report showing purchases from the Urbana campus only. I forwarded it to Morgan.
    • I tried calling Jonathan McClintock from Kimberly-Clark with the questions I emailed him about the glove recycling program (Noyes as a second pick-up location and the weight of a box of gloves). I left voice mail for him and have not heard back. I will keep trying but at this point will consult with Morgan on whether we have another contact at K-C, since I have made several attempts to reach him with no luck.
    • I completed an illustrated set of instructions for opening and closing the glove recycling trailer at PPSB. I sent it to Morgan and Anna for their review.

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  11. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Spring Break was slow—as expected. Not many visitors. Made some good progress on builds, but also sold a bike, as well. I cleaned up the back end of the shop and am still working through a surplus of junk parts. The shelves are working well to keep the floor clean of debris and tripping hazards. By last count we have 42 bikes that are For Sale/ B-a-Bs and 36 as unclaimed stock.

    This week I will be prepping at the warehouse for the last of the bikes to be moved out of there. Working Bikes is coming on Friday. They are bringing 25 3-speeds for us, as well, which I will campaign to be dropped off at the Urbana shop before they head to the warehouse. Consequently, I may have reduced hours on Friday. I’ll know more after I make a final tally of the bikes at the warehouse.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 39
    Sales: $389.80
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $190
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tire/tube: 7 for $31

    Thanks!

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager
  12. SSC Funding Agreement - Hives for Beekeeping Club

    As a new student organization on campus, the Beekeeping Club will install and maintain two new bee hives located at the Sustainable Student Farm (SSF). Any honey produced will get sold at the SSF weekly stand on campus. Students will learn beekeeping skills as well as an appreciation for honey production. In addition, having the bees located at SSF will increase crop output, bettering local food production. The allocated funding will go towards the bee hive installation as well as the bees.

    This proposal directly funds:

    1. Fencing
    2. Bees
    3. Beekeeping personal safety equipment
    4. Beekeeping supplies
  13. SSC Funding Agreement - Pollinator Signage

    This student-led project provides awareness about pollinators around the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus. Students will design and install signage inside and outside of campus buildings, giving facts about native plants and pollinators. This signage will be approved by the University Board as well as Facilities & Services. This project contributes to the campus goal of becoming Bee Campus USA certified and meets Illinois Climate Action Plan objectives. Students will learn more about pollinators and pollinator efforts on campus. The allocated funding will go towards the signage costs.

    This proposal directly funds:

    1. Signage
  14. SSC Funding Agreement - Off Grid Solar Kiln

    This student-driven project provides an alternative drying source for slabbed and dimensional lumber as opposed to industrial kiln drying. The goal is to recycle an air and water tight shipping container to create a de-humidifying kiln powered by passive solar energy. In a joint venture between the School of Architecture and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, students will develop a knowledge of drying characteristics of various wood species. Students will learn about the moisture peaks in the drying process as well as how wood may become compromised structurally under pressure. The allocated funding will purchase the retired shipping container, solar panels, as well as other kiln materials.

    This proposal directly funds:

    1. Shipping container
    2. Solar panels
    3. Kiln materials

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