Zero waste

Recyclemania kicks off Feb. 26

A friendly recycling competition will take place during the Illinois-Nebraska basketball game Feb. 26 at State Farm Center. Fans can compete against other schools around the country by recycling with the goal of a “zero waste basketball game.”

During the game, the university will compete in Recyclemania, a friendly competition and assessment tool used to promote waste reduction activities in college communities. Recycling and landfill materials from the game will be weighed to calculate the event’s diversion rate; the more waste diverted from landfill, the better. The weights will then be entered into Recyclemania’s national database for future benchmarking and comparison. 

The university’s entrance into this national competition is a collaborative effort among the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; Facilities and Services; State Farm Center; the Student Sustainability Committee; and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.  Volunteers from Students for Environmental Concerns and Teryl Brewster’s psychology class of “Social Justice Educators” will help direct the efforts at recycling locations during the event. 

Winning schools receive national recognition and an award made out of recyclable materials. Goals of the event include motivating the campus community to minimize waste and increase recycling efforts.

For more information and updates on the event, see https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/recyclemania or email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

--The above was quoted from Inside Illinois, Brief Notes.

Attached are the specifics from our parking lot E-15.  We were reusing 27’ poles on approx. 90’ staggered spacing. The BetaLED occupancy sensors are operating right at their max distance, but seem to give good coverage for both cars and pedestrians.  We were targeting a low footcandle level, only about 1.0fc average.

Another LED fixture we have used with success is the Lithonia DSX2.  Due to taller poles (37’) on that project we did not use the occupancy sensors.  Lithonia has since indicated that their sensor may be able to adequately cover motion at that height, but we have not tried it.

University of Illinois is now considering bi-level LED lighting for almost all of our new outdoor installations, particularly parking lots that don’t get a lot of traffic late at night.  Between the energy savings and reduced maintenance, it’s working out very well so far.

The primary objective of this project-based learning course is to develop critical thinking and engineering problem solving skills by identifying and proposing solutions to current civil and/or environmental engineering problems facing the University of Illinois campus community. The class also includes several site visits to local engineering infrastructure facilities and multiple discussion driven case studies, which expose and deepen students understanding of current engineering facility operations and challenges. Additionally, students will understand more intimately what civil and environmental engineers do as well as the various fields of specialization and prepare them for opportunities for summer internships. Through working on a team project, reviewing other team projects, and receiving feedback from the course instructors, students will also develop necessary professional skills such as communication (written and oral) and project management. The course is primarily for sophomores and junior transfer students with a focus of engaging them into the broad spectra of challenges and contemporary issues in civil and environmental engineering, especially with regard to sustainability, design, and multi-disciplinary teamwork.

Revolving Loan Fund Selection Committee,

Thank you to all who participated in the special vote. We received a majority vote of four “yes” responses, so the project is accepted. Our Business Office will get the MOU written and we will move forward with the work very soon. The terms of the loan will be outlined in the MOU and will be in accordance with the signed agreement dated 12/03/2015.

Again, thank you to all who participated and we’ll be in contact with you very soon regarding the next selection meeting.

Josh Whitson

The draft Bike Code was sent to the Campus Administrative Manual (CAM) review committee for approval.  Additionally, the start date of the Bike Code was postponed to summer/fall 2014, from MArch 22, 2014.  This is so the data tracking system can be correctly set up.

Robby Bauer and Morgan Johnston reviewed the status of the real-time energy meter installations, funded by the SSC and campus.  The original plan was to install real-time electric, steam, and chiled water meters in the Housing facilities in support of the Campus Conservation Nationals.  The electric meters are all installed, but we are recommending that the steam and chilled water meters be put on hold indefinitely in favor of installing electric meters in additional buildings.

In Fall of 2013, the follow classes were offered at the Campus Bicycle Shop.

All classes are open to students, staff, faculty and the general public. Unless otherwise noted, classes are at 7pm on the date indicated, at the Campus Bicycle Shop, 608 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign.

Bicycles, parts, and tools will be provided for the duration of each class, and no previous experience is needed. 

Tires, Tubes, and Rim Strips

• October 9, 2013, 7pm $10.
• Repairing a flat tire can range from an easy 5 minute job to an hour of hard labor. In this class we will go over each part of what makes up a rolling tire, and how to fix it.
   

Smooth Shifting

• October 16, 2013, 7pm $20.
• This will be a 2-hour class on shifters and derailleurs. We will cover the types of shifters, the derailleurs they actuate, and how to adjust them.

Choosing the Right Bike

• Friday, October 25, 2013, 10-11am, ARC Multi-purpose Room 7. FREE.
• As part of Sustainability Week 2013, the Campus Bicycle Shop is offering a free class on choosing the right bike. This class will cover bike styles, sizing, the difference tire sizes make, and will touch on how frame geometry affects ride quality. The class will help new and existing cyclists understand what bike to purchase, how to go about selecting the right bike, and when to ask for help. **NOTE DATE & LOCATION HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR THIS CLASS.

Brake Check

• October 30, 2013, 7pm $10.
• In this class we will cover basic brake maintenance and how to adjust commonly used brakes.
   

Winterize your Bike

• November 13, 2013, 7pm $10.
• This class will show students how to prepare their bike for winter, both for safe riding in winter weather and how to protect your bike from the elements while it's stored outside.
   

Put a Bow on it

• December 11, 2013, 7pm $10.
• This class will cover the ins-and-outs of packaging a bike for shipment by postal carrier.

Morgan,

I was telling Nishant about plans to return $5,000.00 to the SSC. He said wait, you should consider putting signs by the fountains reading something to the effect of "this bottle filler was funded by the student sustainability committee". I know this is something David really wanted before. What do you think about that? Would it fit into the budget, comply with codes for putting up signs, etc.

Amy Liu

After Amelia Neptune took the excellent job at the League of American Bicyclists, the Campus Bicycle Coordinator position became vacant.  The funding for this position is not available for FY15, so a funding request was submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee.