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  1. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 

    The 2015 iCAP chapter 8, objective 2 is, "By the end of FY17, develop an administrative mechanism to enable campus units to voluntarily purchase carbon offsets." During FY17, iSEE is executing a campuswide purchase of offsets. A starting inventory of carbon offsets will be put into a Virtual Storeroom, for internal purchases by campus units.  Through this website, units can directly engage in emission reductions, with the benefit of the initial bulk purchase.

    The Carbon Credit sales funding has been approved by Director of iSEE Evan DeLucia and Interim Executive Director of F&S Helen Coleman for buying 10,000 additional carbon offsets, to provide the initial inventory for a new Virtual Storeroom for carbon offsets.

    Background

    If your department is interested in reducing your carbon footprint from air travel (or other things), you can go online to the Virtual Storeroom and purchase (using a CFOP) offsets from iSEE.  iSEE will collect the funds from these sales to replenish the Carbon Offset storeroom inventory when it gets low.

    Some campus units (or individual faculty or staff) may wish to voluntarily offset their carbon emissions, for example, from air travel to scholarly meetings. iSEE could work with the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) to develop an administrative mechanism that would allow such units to “buy in” to periodic campuswide purchases of verified offsets.

    By the end of FY 17, iSEE helps develop the virtual storeroom which stocks the carbon offsets instead of tangible goods. The carbon offsets will be stored in a virtual storeroom, where units can buy offsets to reduce their carbon emissions for any reason. For example, you can buy them to reduce the carbon emissions of steam, electricity, even university cars, and air travel, which is the main carbon emission source that needs offsets rather than reduction, according to the iCAP. The money what we spend in the virtual storeroom will be collected in a fund that will be used for the purchase of more carbon offsets, when the inventory is low.

  2. Team Meetings

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall Sustainability Living Learning Community Intern, Rachel Daughtridge, called a team meeting with various stakeholders to discuss the process for becoming an official Bee Campus USA.

  3. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, last week was pleasantly busy. Visitor numbers were at 55 for the week. A few warm days in there certainly helped.

    This past week I went to the warehouse and picked up bikes and in preparation for that consolidated the bikes we have at Campus. I picked up about 10 from the warehouse. Almost all are really durable, dependable 90s mountain bikes that make really great commuters. A few of them even already had fenders installed.

    The organization and shelving situation is coming along. I hope to have that completed this week. I had volunteers sort and dissemble bad wheels, which should help free up some space so random wheels aren’t floating around as much here.

    We currently have 19 bikes for sale, if anyone asks. But we did sell one last week (yay!).

    Numbers:

    Sales: $734.90
    Memberships: 4 for $155 (3 reg; 1 family)
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $155
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $138

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager
  4. IWG Meeting Minutes November 30, 2017

  5. continuing work

    Associated Project(s): 

    Red Bison currently works in this area about twice a month when weather permits. A small amount of honeysuckle remains from the beginning of restoration, and herbicide is applied to stumps after cutting. Nearby, along Lincoln Avenue, much of the persimmon has been removed.

  6. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Morgan and I spent a chunk of time together this afternoon so she could catch me up on our latest efforts with the baler feasibility study, styrofoam recycling, glass recycling, and glove recycling. Activity from the past week is as follows: 

    • Morgan showed me some web tool resources that will enable me to finish out the glove recycling section of the iCAP portal.
    • I reached out to the Sustainable Student Farm and another local farmer to see if they can use the coffee grounds that the campus Starbuck’s is making available. Morgan and I speculated on whether some of the other coffee shop vendors might be interested in a similar setup. If we have some success with Starbuck’s I will follow up with Illini Union Vending. 
    • I talked to Carly Rizor at UIC about their experience with the Big Belly bins—and the costs. I shared information verbally with Morgan today. She had a few more questions for me to follow up on, so I will write up notes once I get the additional information. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  7. PWR SWATeam Meeting - 11/30/17

    The PWR SWATeam reviewed the progress made over the course of the semester on various projects and discussed next steps for each. These projects included battery recycling, the rearrangement of outdoor trash and recycling bins, guidelines for the optimal arrangement of indoor bins, expanding SmartWay, and encouraging the use of EPEAT certified products.

    Attached Files: 
  8. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, with the semester under way now things picked up a little at the Campus Bike Center last week. I called in student worker Leah to help on Friday. It proved to be the correct call as we were busy and her help was greatly appreciated.

    This week I have a meeting with Lily and people from Housing to discuss Winter bike storage. I will finish the big shelving unit and start framing out some better support for the tool wall. A Bike Project member was kind enough to loan some tools to help with that. Thanks, Flora! The tail end of the week is supposed to be nice weather and I think a good time to clear out the bike warehouse. I will coordinate with The Bike Project and Parking about that.

    Visitors:  31
    Sales: $301.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $165
    Memberships: 0 L
    Tire/Tubes: 3 for $21

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager
  9. Freezer Challenge, 2018 International- Launch email

    Associated Project(s): 
     
     

    U of I Campus Labs Encouraged to Join
    2018 International Freezer Challenge


    Members of iSEE’s Energy Conservation & Building Standards Sustainability Working Advisory Team (ECBS SWATeam) invite U of I labs of all shapes and sizes to register for the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, which uses friendly competition to optimize sustainability of freezer management in laboratories.

    Any type of laboratory is eligible to participate by working at its own pace to implement optimal cold storage management practices that save energy. Participating labs from the Illinois campus will receive certificates of Leadership and Environmental Stewardship in Sustainable Laboratory Practices along with special recognition from iSEE at the annual Sustainability Week Celebration and find themselves one-step ahead toward Green Lab certification, a proposed program being discussed on campus and at iSEE. The competition awards include individual lab awards, organization awards and a picture in Nature!

    Results from last year’s winners:

    The organizational winners of the Freezer Challenge were:

    • University of California San Diego
    • Eli Lilly and Company
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
      UC San Diego saved an estimated 500,000 kWh/year, Lilly saved an estimated 130,400 kWh/year, the CDC saved an estimated 367,400 kWh/year, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center saved an estimated 25,000 kWh/year.


    The individual laboratory winners were: 

    • The Hoekstra Lab from Harvard University
    • The Baker Lab from Eli Lilly and Company
    • The Elemental Analysis Laboratory from the CDCP
      The Hoekstra Lab saved an estimated 13,000 kWh/year, the Baker Lab saved an estimated 34,000 kWh/year, and the Elemental Analysis Laboratory saved an estimated 64,500 kWh/year.

    Visit the iCAP Portal for more information on last year’s event
    Registration is ongoing through April 30th 2018 More details can be found on the competition website >>>

    Registration is quick and you participate anytime throughout the semester!

    Partial promotional support provided by the UIUC Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Questions can be sent to
    Paul Foote, email: fandsgfoote2@mx.uillinois.edu
    U of I, Freezer Challenge Site Coordinator
    University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
    Facilities and Services, Utilities and Energy Services
    Energy Conservation and Retro-commissioning

     
     
     
     
     
     

     

  10. EGen007 Solar Farm 2.0 recommendation - Assessment with all comments

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on October 27th, 2017, to discuss and start the assessment of the SWATeam recommendation EGen007 Solar Farm 2.0. The iWG's final recommendation was:

    "The iWG agrees that this is the most cost-effective method for meeting the iCAP objective of 25,000 MWh/year of on-campus solar generation by FY25.  To meet that goal, the Solar Farm 2.0 project needs to begin soon, under F&S direction."

    See attached the iWG assessment complete with official comments from all the iWG members.

    See SWATeam recommendation EGen007 Solar Farm 2.0 here.

  11. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Here are the zero-waste highlights of the past week: 

    • I submitted the UIUC response to the CURC survey
    • I exchanged emails with Rebecca Seymour at the campus Starbuck’s and with Morgan regarding a local farmer’s request for us to pay him to transport coffee grounds. We’ll have to tell him we don’t have funding for it.

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  12. Jeff Holt assigned to coordinate installation

    Associated Project(s): 

    Jeff Holt met with Morgan White today to discuss the rooftop solar project on the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building.  We discussed solar installer certifications (NABCEP), in-house construction options, and coordination with the Capital project being managed by Kevin Price.  We also discussed the options for requesting additional funding from the Student Sustainability Committee, to be able to install more of the solar.

  13. Funding Approval for Campus Tree Inventory

    Evan De Lucia and Helen Coleman approved $70,000 of funding from the Carbon Credit Sales Fund for Campus Tree Inventory.

     

    The emails of approval are attached below.

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