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  1. Weekly capstone meetings: Meeting from 2/8

    Associated Project(s): 
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Independent Student Projects

    Sarthak and Ethan met in person to discuss Ethan’s updates on his readings on the former 2014 Bicycle Plan. He has completed his review of the 2014 Plan and will delve into the progress reports and updates reports published in 2019, 2022, and 2023 for next week to see which projects have been completed, changed, or left unfinished indefinitely. He will also review the feedback from the League of American Bicyclists based on the University’s Bronze Bicycle Friendly Status awarded in 2019. The goal is to receive Gold Status this August, if not in 2027 because the review is done every 4 years. A main aspect of the 2024 Bicycle Plan will be to achieve Platinum Status by 2031. Sarthak also assured Ethan that many of the projects of the 2014 plan have since been completed which will be seen in the update/progress reports. Ethan’s to do list is to finish his readings relevant to the 2024 Bicycle Plan, such as the update reports. Also, he must begin preparing to consolidate the work he and Sarthak have done. This will then be presented to Sarthak’s bosses which will focus on the plan for this semester and the next two semesters.

    Attached Files: 

  2. SSLC Executive Board Applications

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)

    Below is an email from Jack Reicherts regarding SSLC Executive Board Applications.

     

    Ahoy mateys!

    I hope this message finds ye well after our SSLC meeting on Monday. I wanted to take a moment to thank all those who were able to attend and make the meeting a success. We had a jolly good time discussing some important and exciting updates for the SSLC.

    For those who missed the meeting, we discussed the upcoming Sustainability Career Panel on February 15th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Campus Instructional Facility in Room 2035. We also talked about an opportunity to view a screening of the documentary "The Magic Stump" on 2/19, put on by Grand Prairie Friends and several other community groups  (We will arrange carpool (shippool?) next week, RSVP here: https://www.grandprairiefriends.org/events/the-magic-stump-bird-documentary-screening-conservation-reception). Additionally, we discussed a letter writing event on March 9th in collaboration with the Citizens Utility Board.

    We also went over the process for applying to be a co-president of the SSLC, which includes a short application and an interview. Here's a short blurb if you want to promote this opportunity to your members, which I encourage you to do!

    "Apply to be considered as a Co-President of the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) and make a difference on campus! The SSLC is a student-led organization that brings together the leaders of campus sustainability and environmentalist student groups to collaborate and drive positive change. Exec board responsibilities include overseeing sustainability programming, planning meetings with member organizations, and serving as a liaison between the student body and the campus administration. The time commitment is estimated at 2-3 hours per week on average.

    To apply, fill out this form (https://forms.gle/uGhFA3SYpHFTF4Nt5).  We collect your basic information, a short statement of purpose, and an endorsement from the leader of your respective sustainability organization. After submitting your application before the February 25th deadline, you will be contacted for a short interview. Any questions, comments, or concerns may be directed to sslc-chair@mx.uillinois.edu"

    Lastly, we talked about our plans for Earth Month, including Green Quad Day on 4/21, a Tuesday Talk by Citizens Utility Board on April 25th with free meals for the first five attendees, and the Sustainability "Greenies" (Awaiting official approval on this name lol).

    I also want to give a hearty shout out to all of our member organizations for providing us with some great updates. And remember, anyone is encouraged to use our listserv and Discord to promote any upcoming opportunities from their groups.

    Thank ye again for yer attendance and contributions to the meeting. I look forward to seeing ye at our next gathering. Hit me up if you have questions, comments, concerns, or a treasure map.

    Fair winds,
    Jack Reicherts, Pirate Co-Captain of the SSLC.

    Arrrr! 

  3. Town and gown volunteer partners

    Associated Project(s): 
    Dump and Run

    As of February 7, Champaign County Forest Preserve, Champaign County Master Naturalists, and the Rotary Club of Champaign have expressed support for the initiative and will advertise the volunteer opportunity to their respective communities come April/May.

  4. Meetings with Merci's Refuge + Goodwill Land of Lincoln + Salt & Light

    Associated Project(s): 
    Dump and Run

    On February 7, Daphne Hulse met with Nate Himes (Director of Counseling Ministries) at Merci's Refuge and Tom King (Director of Logistics) + Wally Proenza (VP Retail Operations) at Goodwill Land of Lincoln to discuss donation logistics. On February 13, Daphne will meet with Lisa Sheltra (Director of Community Engagement) + Mike Jenkins (Director of Retail Operations) at Salt & Light.

  5. Weekly Update: steady week

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Steady week. Had a few new staffers start, held a staff meeting—some good ideas batted around!—and got a couple bikes safety inspected and ready for the sales floor. Still about a dozen bikes that are student-level “finished”.

    This week is another round of interviews as we bolster our team for expanding hours and programming this spring/summer. I’ll also move a few forgotten steeds over here from the land of the abandoned bikes.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 24
    Sales: $151
    Memberships: 1 for $30

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. Donation partners

    Associated Project(s): 
    Dump and Run

    As of February 6, Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Merci's Refuge, Salt & Light, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore have all expressed interest in exploring a donation partnership for Dump & Run.

  8. Illini Oak-Hickory Teaching Arboretum StoryMap

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education

    Jay Hayek, Extension Forestry Specialist, compiled all the information and effort for the 1.5-acre oak-hickory teaching arboretum. The story map below contains information on the two phases of planting and great pictures of the volunteers that contributed. In addition to the story map, there is an attached Excel spreadsheet detailing the exact species in their respective plots. 

     

    ArcGIS StoryMap: https://go.illinois.edu/oak-hickory-arboretum

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  11. BTAF Waste Affinity Group asks schools to input their answers into a spreadsheet

    Associated Project(s): 
    Big Ten & Friends Sustainability
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Good morning BTAF,

     Hope everyone’s year is off to a good start!

    At the last BTAF Waste Affinity group meeting in October, the group members shared many exciting initiatives and programs related to recycling and waste diversion. Over the past few months, a working group has developed a comprehensive benchmarking survey to facilitate knowledge sharing and to organize program information. So, now we need your participation in the Waste Survey [redacted].

     At the suggestion of Nicole Berg, a google spreadsheet format was chosen for ease of use, as well as the ability to update the survey each year. In the link, you’ll find two tabs on the survey:

    1. Waste Survey: Broad swath of questions related to Zero Waste and Recycling, including strategic planning, outreach, waste management operational processes, waste metric tracking, procurement, athletics, organics, medicine/research labs, and surplus. This an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to enable comparative analysis.  
    2. Diversion Rate Methodology: One question that continues to bubble up from time to time is, “What do you include in your diversion rate?” This survey tab requests that you mark a “x” next to each category that is included as diversion in your annual diversion rate report.   

     Three schools have already filled out the survey, so our hope is that it’s intuitive to follow along and to input your school’s information. If you have any clarifying questions, feel free to shoot me an email. We ask that each school completes the survey by Friday, February 13th.

     Once the data is collected, an intern will compile the data, and we will share the results in another BTAF Waste Affinity Group meeting at a date TBD—probably in March.

     Shout out to the team, including Tony Gillund (Purdue), Patrick Brown (Purdue), Daphne Hulse (Illinois), Dominika Szal (Illinois-intern), Nicole Berg (Michigan), and Alison Richardson (Michigan).

    Mary

     

    Mary Leciejewski
    Zero Waste Manager

    Pronouns: She/Her/Hers 

    Facilities Operations and Development, Sustainability & Strategic Services
    1130 Service Building Annex | 2578 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210
    (O) 614.292.3637
    fod.osu.edu/sustainability

  13. Energy iCAP Meeting 1/30/2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Clean Energy Plan
    Energy iCAP Team
    Building-Level Energy Efficiency
    Improve Space Utilization

    The Energy iCAP Team met on January 30th, 2023 to discuss recommendations on building energy efficiency and revitalizing the energy scholars council at UIUC.

    Link to meeting recording https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_2dwlpz7l

    Attached Files: 

  14. Weekly Update: Sales numbers, new hires

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week we had some ominous weather that didn’t turn out to be much. Our visits were down but only barely—I expected a bit of a nosedive that didn’t materialize. Champaign Cycle donated some kids bikes and box store bikes, which is always appreciated. We had another person start a B-a-B.

    This week I’ve got another interview, some new hires starting, and a staff meeting on Thursday night. I’ll also draft a B-a-B/Membership flyer to better explain those programs as there’s been some consistent misunderstanding/miscommunication on that front.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 34
    Sales: $933.50
    Bike (refurb): 2 for $375
    Memberships: 6 for $180
    Tires/tubes: 5 for $50

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  16. New iSEE Green Event Certification

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Event Program

    Congratulations to the newest recipient of our Green Event Certification Program! iSEE Illini Lights Out was certified as a Green Event series in January 2023. The events take place Jan. 27, Feb. 10, Feb. 24, March 24, and April 21 this semester. Students volunteer for an hour and a half on Friday nights by turning off lights in university buildings to save energy and money over the weekend. Keep up the great work! 

  18. SSLC First Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)

    Below is an email from Jack Reicherts regarding SSLC's first meeting of the semester.

     

    Ahoy there ye lily-livered landlubbers!

     

    (If any pirate speak is unclear, please email me for clarification). This be yer friendly neighborhood pirate, writing to remind ye that the first meeting of the Spring semester for the Student Sustainability Leadership Council be approaching fast. We'll be meeting on the 6th day of February, at the strike of 6 bells in the evening (2/6 at 6 pm!), in the Student Org Complex.

    Now, if ye be new to these parts, ye should know that the Student Org Complex be located on the southwest stairwell in the Illini Union. Ye can't miss it, just keep yer eyes peeled for the skull and crossbones.

    And remember, every meeting requires a representative from each member organization to be present, otherwise ye'll be walking the plank. But if ye have a recurring conflict, ye can always reach out to me, yer friendly neighborhood pirate.

    But there's more to this meeting than just the usual business. We're electing a new exec board for SSLC, and we'll be holding a simple application and interview process. So, I'd like to invite all interested members of your respective organizations to attend, so they can see a normal general meeting.

    So, mark yer calendars and don't be late, or ye'll be feeding the sharks. And don't forget, to bring interested members with you to join SSLC exec board.

    Yours in service,
    Jack "The Scalawag" Reicherts, Pirate Co-Captain of the SSLC

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