Revolving Loan Fund Selection Committee,

The time is almost here to select another round of projects for the Revolving Loan Fund. For this upcoming selection we have approximately $1,000,000 to allocate. However, due to a timing issue I am appealing to the committee to decide on a Retro-Commissioning project in advance of the formal selection meeting. The reason for requesting Retro-Commissioning at Memorial Stadium early is due to a deadline associated with the availability of DCEO grant dollars. If expenditures and savings are realized prior to May 31, 2017, DIA could receive $100,000 in grant money from DCEO. Our meeting for project selection is targeted for the first week of May 2017 which does not give us enough time to qualify for the grant.

Below is project specific information that would normally be presented at the project selection meeting. We don’t necessarily need to score this project, all we need is a majority decision (yes or no) to approve this project. If accepted, the committee would be considering $800,000 for allocation at the targeted May selection meeting.

Project Name: Memorial Stadium Retro-Commissioning

Project type: Retro-Commissioning

Buildings: Memorial Stadium

Energy Cost Savings: $300,000 /year

Funding Request: $200,000

Project Cost: $500,000 (DIA will contribute $200,000 and DCEO grant contribution will be $100,000)

Payback Period: Approximately 2 Years

General Description of Work:

Provide temperature control upgrades & retro-commissioning services for the west and north portions of the stadium. During preliminary work, many noteworthy items have been identified. Several HVAC equipment scheduling improvements have been made already.

Project Owners: Brett Stillwell (Athletics) / Karl Helmink (F&S)

Project Execution Contact: Brett Stillwell (Athletics) / Karl Helmink (F&S)

Criteria:

1-      Payback Period: The payback period is approximately 2 years.

2-      Reduction of Greenhouse Gas: Greenhouse gases will be reduced by 3,491,227 lbs due to conservation of electricity, chilled water, and steam.

3-      Fund Size Impact: While grant dollars are available for this particular submission, the grant will not be used to increase the Revolving Loan Fund balance.

4-      Visibility: Memorial Stadium is an iconic building for Athletics on campus.  The energy savings could be indirectly visible in that it could pay for other items that Athletics desires. There is a large amount of diversity in the usage of the space.

5-      Project Coordination: Coordination items need to be considered as the south end zone & east grandstand project approaches. There are temporary plans to be considered prior to the arrival of this particular project.

Other Pertinent Information:

It is proposed that Athletics provide $200k for this project. Eileen Westervelt, via DCEO funding, has provided a building energy study which has identified large energy savings in this building of over $300,000 per year. It is suggested that to secure the $100K DCEO grant, $150K needs to be spent by May 31, 2017 and evidence will need to be presented that the indicated energy is being saved.

The campus has realized a significant amount of utility savings due to the efforts made by the Retro-Commissioning teams and the expectation would be no different at Memorial Stadium. The data the Retro-Commissioning group has provided for this application predicts a very positive outcome which is consistent with most of their projects throughout campus.

The reason for the expedited decision is to take advantage of the possible DCEO funds that will likely not be available in the future. Thanks again for your participation in this selection process and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

I ask that you please reply with your individual yes or no votes before February 10, 2017.

Thanks again,

Josh Whitson

You have the power to help reduce the environmental impact of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) is proud to present the Certified Green Office Program, its first initiative to engage the University community in a campus-wide commitment to sustainability.

We invite you and your office to make a pledge to reduce your use of resources and improve overall sustainability in the day-to-day practices of your office. Small actions make a big difference when many take those small actions. With your help, we can reduce the environmental impacts of this campus and strengthen its position as a national leader in sustainability.

What does it mean to be a Certified Green Office?

For the purposes of this program, any group – not just those labeled “office” – that occupies space in a campus building or is affiliated with the University may enroll to become a Certified Green Office. Some examples of those who may apply: administrative offices within departments; teams of researchers and graduate students; institutes; entire departments; or colleges.

Offices can enroll in the Certified Green Office Program and begin taking action to reduce their environmental footprints. During Earth Week in April 2015, iSEE will hold an awards ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of our outstanding Certified Green Offices. These offices will also receive special attention on the iSEE website and social media outlets.

Becoming an iSEE Certified Green Office requires only five basic commitments:

• Appoint a team member to be your Sustainability Ambassador. This person will act as a liaison with the iSEE program team – and will lead implementation of the Certified Green Office Program for your group, track your progress toward program goals, and promote sustainable awareness throughout the office.

• Adopt an office policy to request the use of the University of Illinois Car Pool office’s Sustainable Options and or smallest vehicle/s when office employees make car reservations for travel.

• Adopt an office policy requiring a minimum of 30% recycled-content and FSC certified printer paper.

• Identify, label and communicate the location of recycling stations (paper, bottles and cans) around the office/building and if needed request new bins by contacting Facilities & Services. Also, label bins with a printout of the acceptable materials list to ensure all recyclables make it into the appropriate containers.

• Adopt an office policy of turning off/unplugging all unnecessary equipment – lights, computers, printers, etc. – when not in use.

For more on enrollment, click here.

If you have any further questions, please contact Nishant Makhijani, iSEE's Sustainability Engagement Specialist.

F&S Director of Sustainability, Morgan Johnston, asked the ALUFS SWATeam for their input regarding the forthcoming "Low Mow Zone" sign updates.  She said, "I would like to talk with you about the “No Mow Zones” on campus and our efforts to better name them as “Low Mow Zones.”  Brent and Ryan Welch are working on updating the locations in a map form and our F&S communicators (primarily Steve Breitwieser) are developing a message about the updated words and locations. 

As part of this effort, we are also going to be updating the signs, and I am hoping to get your help with taking a look at the specific sign locations (once we have the updated map).  We need a volunteer to visit each Low Mow Zone and note the

• How many signs do we have in the existing locations?
• Do any of them need to be moved for better visibility?
• Do any of them need to have taller sign posts?
• Where should signs be placed in the new zones?"

The SWATeam chair, Brent Lewis, indicated she would be included in the first spring semester meeting.