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  2. Solar Farm Funding Award and Acceptance Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm will increase the generation of renewable energy on campus and help meet goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The Solar Farm will produce an estimated 7.86 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) the first year or approximately 2% of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus based upon usage projections for fiscal year 2015.

    Attached Files: 

  3. Sustainable Agricultural Food System_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Agricultural Food System
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Attached Files: 

  4. TBH Lighting Controls_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    TBH Lighting Project
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    $62,900 was awarded to instill occupancy sensors and lighting timers in various locations within Temple Buell Hall. This was intended to encourage awareness of energy use among design students and faculty, and to reduce lighting and cooling energy use in the building.

    Attached Files: 

  5. Perennial Polyculture Production_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Attached Files: 

  6. Bridge to China Allerton Project_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Allerton Climate Action Plan (apCAP)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Allerton Park, located in Monticello, Ill., was previously the private estate of Robert Henry Allerton. In 1946 Allerton Park was given as a gift to the University of Illinois by Robert Allerton as “an educational and research center, as a forest and wildlife and plant-life reserve, as an example of landscape architecture, and as a public park”. Today, the park is used for various purposes, such as business meetings, hiking, and weddings.

    Allerton Park is 4.7 miles away from downtown Monticello and has three entrances to it. One of these entrances is a North Entrance that leads from Old Timber Road. Allerton Park wishes to construct a pedestrian pathway which runs alongside Old Timber Road, connecting the Visitor Centre of the park to County Farm Road, which is connected to downtown Monticello. However, a quarter mile north from the visitors center the path is obstructed by a creek, which is difficult to cross. Allerton Park needs a solution that would help connect the two ends of this path over the creek. They wish to construct a bike path that would connect all three entrances of the Park and be a form of transportation within the park. Allerton Park wishes to draw visitors towards the park via a safe and sustainable transportation method and to promote a positive relationship between users and the natural environment. Also, this bridge project will assist the student organization, Bridge to China, to build sustainable bridges in future bridge projects in China.

    Attached Files: 

  8. scope change approved for purchased plants

    Associated Project(s): 
    Orchard Downs Multifunctional Landscape (ODMFL)

    The project team has plants that will need to be planted, but the location at Orchard Downs is not yet approved.  The team asked for approval to plant these plants elsewhere on campus, possibly the Arboretum or the Sustainable Student Farm.

    • Current Student Members: Marika, Katie, Olivia, Nishant, Sean, Suharsh, Wei, Rachna, Maria, Marlon, Jessica 
    • Quorum (60% of student members plus 2 faculty/staff): 7 students required, 2 faculty/staff
    • Nine of the current student members voted "In Favor" and 4 faculty/staff members participated via email
    • Quorum was met and the motion to approve the scope change passed

  9. Updated Video

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site

    Our spring field day that took place at the end of May was a huge success! Many great collaborations have already evolved out of the conversations that took place among the many visitors that came out.

    Check out the video below that summarizes the field day, participants, and the general outreach focus of the WPP Research Site. You can also view our Media page for photos from the field day as well as our other recent activities.

    If you missed the spring field day, please join us for one of our summer field days on Friday August 23rd or Saturday August 24th!

    CAN'T SEE THE VIDEO? CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT.

  10. Planning meeting to implement project

    Associated Project(s): 
    TBH Lighting Project

    Teresa Tousignant, Paul Foote, Morgan Johnston, and Eva Sweeney met to discuss the implementation steps for this project.  Eva will obtain the CFOP from Gaines or Mckenzie.  Morgan will submit an engineering work order for the daylighting and occ sensors.  Teresa will set up a kickoff meeting for about three weeks from now.  Eva will initiate engineering design.  Later, a work order for inhouse implementation of the daylighting will come from the SSC account and a work order for occ sensors will come from the RLF account.

    overview of discussion:

    Gaines Hall received the award letter, and Teresa is going to oversee the implementation as the "customer."  Teresa will get the CFOP, then Morgan will submit the work order for Engineering Design.  Eva and Teresa discussed holding a kickoff meeting.  It will include Gaines, David Chasko, Teresa, Eva, Robert, the facility manager, Paul, and any anyone else needed.

    Eva needs a copy of all the documents, and Teresa will set up a meeting for about three weeks from now.

    Perhaps the SSC will want to include a representative.   Eva mentioned that in some cases the SSC rep can add tangential conversations, and Teresa said that she believes the rep would most likely be an observer, getting trained.

    One work order now for engineering.  Later, do work orders for occ sensors and daylighting implementation later.  The budget was reviewed.  It included Eva's rough estimates for the cost of the project, engineering costs, and contingencies for unknowns.   The potential for connecting the HVAC occ sensors as well needs to be explored, so Eva will touch base with Karl Helmink.  The RLF funding could cover the HVAC connection, if that is the best use of the RLF funds.

    The proposal includes "publicity plaques" engraved and mounted on the wall in studio spaces near the light switches.  These were signed off on by Gaines with the acceptance of the funding.  Teresa can get the school or a class to do a design competition for the plaques.  This could be anything that fits the design standards for the campus, and has Dr. Chasko's approval.  The sign shop can most likely produce and install these signs, based on a second phase for the construction work order with the daylighting.

    Eva anticipates a single review submittal for this project.  We would like to get the design done during the summer and the construction done during the fall.  The funding is only available until next summer.  A lot of this work can probably be done while school is in session, as long as they work around the classroom and event schedules. 

     

     

  11. IMEC Tracking Presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Waste Stream Characterization Study Phase 1

    Morgan Johnston met with Seth Rients and Luis Rodriguez to hear a presentation about the IMEC waste tracking system.  The system could be installed on campus dumpsters, along with corresponding scales on the garbage and recycling trucks.  This would be an automated data collection method for tracking the waste stream inputs at a macro level.

  12. update from Joyce Mast

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Solar PVs on NCPD

    From: Mast, Joyce C
    Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 9:32 AM
    To: Beverage, McKenzie; Johnston, Morgan B
    Subject: RE: ECE Solar Installation Status Update

    McKenzie,

    Thank you for checking with me about the status of the Solar Installation on the North Parking Garage. I expect that no funds will be spent on the SSC account before the end of the fiscal year. We need results from the feasibility study for placing the panels on the North Parking Garage roof before we will be spending money on the panels or installation.  The study is to be officially completed by September 6, 2013, but we expect to  have drawings and plans by July. This will give us enough information to seek more matching funds so that the panels may be installed in time for the July 2014 completion date for the new building.  

    Best regards,

    Joyce Mast

  13. Meeting about waste stream audits

    Associated Project(s): 
    Waste Stream Characterization Study Phase 1

    Seth Rients and Morgan Johnston met to review the scope of the work requested by F&S.  Seth noted that it would be great to have scales in trucks and a system for tracking where the waste materials are generated.  They also discussed the methodology details.  Where could the waste be sorted and weighed for each building?  Can each dumpster be collected individually during the week or two of the audit for that location and driven to the sorting site?  What level of sorting do we need to meet our plans?

  15. First Harvest!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site

    The first flush of both red currants and raspberries ripened up this past week, and we were able to harvest our first calories from the WPP Research Site. Once yield and nutrition data are collected, all crops from the site, including the berries harvested this spring, are sold to University Dining Services for use in both catered campus events as well as the student dining halls. When sufficient quantitates are available, WPP crops will also be sold at the Sustainable Student Farm market stand on the quad side of the Illini Union (Thursdays, 11am-5pm).

    There are still plenty more raspberries to come this summer, as well as a solid crop of black currants and grapes!

  16. bike parking review meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    FY12 SSC Bike Parking Upgrades

    Stacey DeLorenzo, Amelia Neptune, Morgan Johnston, and Noel Grove met to review the bike parking estimates for this project.  There are a few locations where the pavement is in terrible condition, so we discussed options for handling those locations.  The racks could be installed on rails, or the pavement could be replaced.  There were also a few locations where there are conflicting major projects occuring in the near future.  Stacey will talk to the project managers for those sites to work through the solutions for the bike parking installation.

    Additionally, this project includes the installation of one bike fix-it station at Allen Hall.  Amelia began this work and Stacey will take it over now.  Stacey and Amelia will meet with Sean Sullivan in the SSC to provide him with an update.  Noel Grove will provide cost break downs with the pavement work separate from the bike rack installation work.  He will also contact the Iron Workers to discuss options for racks on rails built in-house.

  17. Building removal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0

    There are three buildings on the site of the future Solar Farm.  The SSC requested that the Timber Frame barn be salvaged, rather than demolished.  The company that is the preferred vendor for this work provided this detail:

    It would be our intention to reuse 100% of the wood components.  We would re-erect the building as it stands with only modifications being to the interior layout spacing.    We will recycle the steel roofing.  We would handle the concrete in non-landfill manner; planned use is as a fencing fill for the new owner.  Battens and doors and any exterior wood treatments would be reused in the re-newed structure.  Although the nails will not be reused in the re-erection of the building, they have been allocated to go to a local BFA candidate.

  18. Housing Sustainability Report 2011

    Associated Project(s): 
    Issue Press Releases and Sustainability Reports

    University Housing’s 2010 Strategic Plan identified stewardship of resources as critical to our long-term success. According to the plan, stewardship of resources means “University Housing will demonstrate intentional and transparent stewardship of the financial, physical, and human resources of our entire organization. We will seek to use and conserve our resources in an effective manner that meets the needs of our residents and customers seeking and expecting excellent value.”

    While University Housing had already initiated a number of sustainability efforts, the University developed the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) in May 2010, identifying new sustainability mandates with which Housing will need to comply. Additionally, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) was asking for support on multiple initiatives.

    As a result, University Housing identified the need to pool our sustainability resources through a single point of contact and formed the Housing Sustainability Council.

    Attached Files: 

  20. 2009 Classroom Occupancy Sensor Installation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Occupancy and Daylight Sensors

    In 2009, the Student Sustainability Committee awarded $50,000 to Facilities & Services for installation of occupancy sensors to control lights in ten campus buildings: Animal Sciences Laboratory, Architecture Building, Bevier Hall, Chemistry Annex, Huff Hall, Materials Science and Engineering Building, Mumford Hall, Music Building, Noyes Laboratory and Transportation Building. The funds were used to install a total of 230 occupancy sensors in 223 rooms in these ten buildings.

    Attached Files: 

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