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  1. Clinton, IL landfill (owned by Green For Life)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Landfills with Methane-capture Technology [ARCHIVED]

    From: David Bryant <david.bryant@gflenv.com>
    Sent: Friday, October 14, 2022 12:21 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Clinton Landfill Methane

     

    Daphne,

     

    Clinton Landfill currently has a 3rd party electrical generation plant at the facility that produces 3000 kw of power from landfill gas. It has been in operations for approximately 15 years. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

     

    Thanks

     

     


    David Bryant | Landfill General Manager I

    GFL Environmental

    24501 McMullen Rd, Hopedale, IL 61747
    | david.bryant@gflenv.com | www.gflenv.com

    Confidentiality Notice:  This email message (including attachments, if any) is intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, proprietary, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and erase this email message immediately.

  2. Information on moving bees around for commercial agriculture

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA

    Information about how commercial bee keeping functions and its impact to overall bee populations was inquired about by Brent Lewis, Landscape Architect. Below is the response from Adam Donzel, an Assistant Professor in Entomology. 

    'Hi Brent,

     

    Yeah, there is work on that.  Here are links to couple studies about it:

     

    https://www.nature.com/articles/srep32023

    https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/22/1/17/6523145

     

    Basically, yes, there are some stresses involved with migratory beekeeping but sedentary colonies can also have similar issues. In some scenarios, migratory colonies could be healthier as they are moved to areas with good nutritional resources all the time, while those left in place have to deal with times of low food availability. In reality, though, migratory colonies do undergo a lot of stress as they are used to pollinate crops and a lot goes into that - the stress of confinement, heat, exposure to agrochemicals, etc. From a beekeeping perspective, this is calculated into the fees charged for pollination (to some extent at least). Right now, beekeepers charge about $200/hive to pollinate almonds for example (the most lucrative pollination event). Big beekeepers manage 20,000-50,000 hives!  "Small" commercial beekeepers usually have 2-5000.

     

    Migratory beekeeping uses about 85% of the managed colonies in the USA (incredible!). One big issue with this is that, if a new pest or pathogen is introduced, it will be spread throughout the country very fast. And in big pollination events, like almonds, hives are concentrated at very high densities, which does present a lot of opportunities for spreading diseases. They do mitigate this to some extent, however, as there are health checks required to move bees across state lines, and almond growers usually require checks of colonies to make sure they are healthy.

     

    Hope this helps - always happy to answer questions when I can!"

     

     

  4. Week 2 update: Objectives for capstone

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Friendly University Status
    Reduce Bicycle Theft on Campus
    Independent Student Projects

    Questions and doubts regarding the literature review done in the past week were discussed including a capstone report outline highlighting the main topics of research. More research work to follow in the coming week to help familiarize with the project's background. Aparna got contact information from the transportation department of UCLA and Arizona State University to discuss the project with their transportation team as the 2 universities have achieved the Gold BFU status and hoping to get a sense of direction or any leads on this. She is also in touch with Prof. Lindsay Braun who is her capstone advisor, and Briana Barr, Thomas Valencia, and Lily Wilcock from the City of Urbana who are working on similar projects.

    The idea was to bring more concepts and recommendations for a bike-friendly university to the table. We might also try to involve the Student Sustainability Committee, which uses a comprehensive evaluative process to fund a project that incorporates student involvement and an ability to spark change on campus. Aparna would help identify a cause as a part of the bike-friendly project which would also serve as a student-led project to apply for the SSC funding. An excel sheet that charts out the current status of the project were shared by Sarthak for better clarity, which also includes feedback from BFU to help plan for the future and achieve the desired goal.

    Three main objectives of the proposal would be -

    1. To get the BFU application drafted and ready to submit by the month of May
    2. Ideas for SSC funding for the Bike Friendly University Project
    3. Educate students and create a plan for bike thefts so that incoming students are aware of how to protect their bikes and encourage them to use this mode of transportation.

    An overall capstone proposal that outlines the said objectives and a work plan will be shared in the upcoming week. Access to the iCAP portal will be granted soon to chart out real-time updates and minutes of meetings.

  6. Resilience iCAP Team October 2022 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Urban Biodiversity Master Plan

    The Resilience iCAP Team had its second monthly online meeting on Monday, October 10th from 11:00 - 12:00 PM. The team worked on the Campus Sustainability Celebration slides, got updates on Urban Biodiversity Master Plan, talked about sustainability and resilience challenges at Urbana and Savoy areas, and shared announcements on upcoming sustainability events! Meeting minutes are attached. 

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  11. Transportation iCAP Meeting 10/10/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Fleet Replacement Plans
    Reduce Emissions from Transportation

    The Transportation iCAP team met on October 20th 2022 to discuss the team's presentation for the upcoming sustainability celebration, review the list of priorities assigned to the team for the year, and discuss progress on fleet replacement plans and the potential for university-wide clean vehicle purchasing policies.

    Link to meeting recording: https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_ufyde47b

    Attached Files: 

  12. Energy iCAP Team Meeting 10/7/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team
    Clean Energy Plan
    Use Clean Power
    Explore Options for 100 Percent Clean Campus Energy

    The energy iCAP team met on Friday, October 7th 2022 to review the team's presentation for the campus sustainability celebration, review the team's priorities for the year, and discuss options for advancing the proposed clean energy plan and increasing procurement of renewable energy through power purchasing agreements.

    Link to meeting recording: https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_5bh3gs4r

    Attached Files: 

  13. Weekly Update: Strong Towns, Bike Summit, Working Bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    All, Big week of events! On Tuesday, Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns is speaking at the Illinois Terminal and I’ll attend to see how our work as bike advocates and a non-profit can help bolster a strong and vibrant community. And Wednesday is the Illinois Bike Summit at the I-hotel. I’ll be there all day and reducing hours at the Bike Center to account for that. Accordingly, we’ll be open 4 – 6p on that day. I never fail to learn something at this yearly event and am happy to see it back here on campus.

    I’ll be counting/organizing bikes for donation as well this week. Hope to have the Donation Day set by end of the week and so we can begin rallying for some support/help. WB has already agreed to pay for Manolo’s!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 51

    Sales: $1,214.50

    Memberships: 17 for $510
    Tire/tubes: 8 for $94

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  14. iSEE Green Event Certifications

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

    Happy campus sustainability month! We wanted to highlight some recent iSEE Green Event Certifications for the month of October.

     

    iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series, Certified October 2022

    iSEE Campus Sustainability Month Trash Clean Up, Certified October 2022

    iSEE Water Taste Test, Certified October 2022

     

    We are excited to see everyone at our sustainability events this month!

  15. MASSMAIL Inaugural Campus Landscape Master Plan 10/6/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)

    The follow is a MassMail sent by Dr. Ehab Kamarah.

    MASSMAIL - Inaugural Campus Landscape Master Plan
    October 6, 2022 2:59 PM

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landscape contributes powerfully to the character of the campus and its excellence as a land grant institution with global impact. Through thoughtful planning and design guidance, the first-ever Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP) ensures our treasured landscape will thrive for many years.

    The CLMP will shape the vision of a future outdoor environment that will protect natural heritage, strengthen ecosystems, enhance shared experiences and learning opportunities, and provide a welcoming experience for students, faculty, staff, alums, community members, and guests.

    An executive summary of the CLMP and a video of the plan's concepts and designs are available on the Facilities & Services website. We strongly encourage you to share these items with others to help them know about this inaugural effort. The plan builds on concepts developed in the Campus Master Plan and Resilient Landscape Strategy and implements sustainability objectives established in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) to meet the Climate Leadership Commitments, including being carbon neutral as soon as possible and building resilience to climate change in our community.

    Thank you to all contributors who helped develop the CLMP: core committee members, unit stakeholders, and the many individuals who guided us and provided feedback during the various input sessions and public forum. We also want to thank the plan consultants, Design Workshop and their project team, for their hard work and dedication throughout the process.

    As you read the CLMP and view the district recommendations, please remember the plan will be a living document that immediately serves as a foundation to help guide the projects and initiatives that will shape the future of our campus. Ongoing collaborations and partnerships are critical to preserving, maintaining, and improving our campus landscape moving forward. If you have suggestions or questions, please contact University Landscape Architect Brent Lewis bcl@illinois.edu.

    We are excited to begin incorporating the CLMP strategies into ongoing work and turn these ideas into reality.

    Sincerely,


    Dr. Ehab Kamarah
    Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director, Facilities & Services

  16. Green Cleaning Program Update 10-2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Cleaning Products and Practices

    According to Dominika Szal, F&S Waste Management Intern, "We have found green alternatives for most of the floor cleaning products as well as some multi-surface/glass cleaning products. We are continuing our search for green alternatives for other types of products such as carpet cleaners, bleach, etc.."

    Here is a link to the WELL Building Standard. 

     

     

     

  17. Land and Water iCAP Meeting 10/4/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)
    Cover Crops on South Farms
    Let It Flow
    Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment

    On October 4th, the Land and Water iCAP team met to make final edits on the Campus Sustainability Celebration slides, review the Campus Landscape Master Plan, and discuss regenerative agriculture research on the South Farms.

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Ohio State University includes the waste survey as part of the agenda for the upcoming BTAF meeting, to solicit a better survey response rate

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

    From: Leciejewski, Mary leciejewski.8@osu.edu
    Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2022 12:19 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren dlhulse2@illinois.edu
    Cc: Szal, Dominika Patrycja dszal2@illinois.edu
    Subject: RE: Scheduling a Waste Management Survey

     

    Hi Daphne,

     

    Pleasure speaking with you last week. I was going to send out an agenda for the Big 10 and Friends meeting on Thursday. Are you still interested in introducing yourself and your project to try to solicit a better response rate? If so, I can put you on the agenda.

     

    Thanks! Mary

  20. Urban Biodiversity Master Plan Student Support

    Associated Project(s): 
    Urban Biodiversity Master Plan
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy iCAP Team

    Biodiversity Plan intern Gabriel Harper-Hagen is looking for students and student groups to help him develop two iNaturalist surveys for the project. Here is the detailed explanation from Gabe:

    The survey will act as a pilot for future surveying around campus and the broader community. We will have two surveys: one focused on animals and one focused on plants. This is because of the different methods of surveying each. The surveys will benefit from as many students that would be interested in this for either one (Or both). The survey will attempt to efficiently gather data about the diversity of plant and animal species found on campus to create a baseline for what is present and to help identify gaps on the campus where diversity may be lacking. If successful, I hope to expand the model to other parts of the community including the park districts to have larger community based BioBlitz seasonally to keep track of the diversity in the area and measure success of the biodiversity plan. 

     

    As far as students can help, we need enough people to survey the area efficiently in a reasonable amount of time. The student groups and individual students would be helping in an initial survey that focuses only on the campus. My thought is that a date will be set for each of the two surveys where the participants can join to go over brief instructions on identifying plants with iNaturalist, adding them to the project, and explaining the purpose of surveying. iNaturalist allows for specific project data to be collected within a region which is then peer reviewed. Ideally, there will be some experts (students or professors if appropriate) that join for each survey to help with logistics and identification. I hope this will not only be a useful database for our campus to utilize, but also a fun learning experience. 

     

    All iCAP students and environmental student groups are encouraged to participate. If interested, please email Gabe (harperh2@illinois.edu) and Resilience iCAP Team clerk Asli Topuzlu (aslit2@illinois.edu). 

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