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  4. Nov 10th Meeting Space + Logistics

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy-Efficient HVAC Infection Control

    Below is an email between Sarthak Prasad, Sterling Laylock, Morgan White, and Carl Tutt:

    Hi Sterling,

     

    Do you know where (which hotel) your guests would be staying for the November 10 all-day workshop? Also, how many people would you expect to attend and how many would require/like the shuttle option? Please let me know as soon as you can. Thank you,
    Sarthak

     

    Sarthak Prasad

    ------------------------

    Hi Sarthak,

     

    We are confirming the list of attendees and expect to have a count for you by mid-week. During that process we will verify if any attendees plan on arriving/departing by Amtrak.

     

    I'll be sure to update you asap!

     

    Thanks, Sterling

    -------------------------

    Hi Sarthak + Morgan

     

    As it turns out, there aren't any attendees opting in to arrive by Amtrak. So there does not appear to be a need for the shuttle. Unfortunate but true.

     

    So far, there is a very high-level of interest in this event among attendees. This recent segment that appeared earlier this week on NBC4 Los Angeles made a significant positive impact on everyone.

     

    How IGT2030 Creates Positive Impacts:

    Latest List of Attendees

    To date, we have 35+ confirmed attendees. There is a mix of subject matter experts and non-subject matter experts. They consist of HVAC professionals, engineers, architects, teachers, public officials (elected and non-elected), corporate energy-efficiency executives, industrial hygienists, state and county staff (IL EPA, Dept of Treasury, Cook County), climate investors, K-12 school officials, etc.

     

    Of course, Erik Malmstrom, CEO of SafeTraces will be attending and William P. Bahnfleth, Chair of ASHRAE Covid Epidemic Task Force will stream in via ZOOM to kickoff our Design-Thinking Session after lunch.

     

    On Campus Attendees

    Members for Paul Francisco's team at ICRT will be attending and sharing impactful human-centered health data. When you get an opportunity, please let me know who the potential on-campus attendees may be?

     

    It would be great if we could set up a call for this coming Monday as we continue to tie down any loose ends.

     

    I'd like to send the official invite on Tuesday, Nov 1st at the latest.

     

    Thanks, Sterling

    -------------------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I chatted with Sarthak now that he's gotten back home to India.

     

    We're hoping to get the exact location and address of our meeting space for next Thursday November 10th so we can send out the formal invitation.

     

    We have 35 plus attendees confirmed and need to get them proper logistics instructions.

     

    Please let us know as soon as you can. We look forward to seeing you on Tues/Wed Nov 8th/9th to see the space.

     

    If there's an actual floor plan we can see beforehand it would be greatly appreciated.

     

    Thank you, Sterling 

  5. Weekly Update: Reduced hours, Working Bikes this week

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

    All, While my jury duty service was still in effect, we had reduced hours as needed last week but were able to open fully Wed – Fri. It was the first week of noticeably fewer folks through the doors. As such, we got a few bikes on the sales floor and a dozen or so moved over from storage.

    Tomorrow we will host Working Bikes for our donation event. This is the first one since Nov 2019. We’ll have around 200 bikes to donate and hopefully will have a few folks available to help out and make it go quicker. They’ll be providing pizza for us, too. This event will halve the number of bikes left in storage. The Bike Project and I will sort through the remaining bikes in the coming weeks.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $475.50
    Build-a-Bikes: 2 for $100
    Memberships: 4 for $120

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  8. I2SL Winner Announcement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Freezer Challenge

    Below is the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories Winners for Sustainable Achievements. UIUC was awarded excellence for the following. 

    Excellence Winners in the Renovation/Retrofit Category

    • Excellence in Energy Efficiency: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Materials Research Laboratory Renovation
    • Excellence in Energy and Water Efficiency: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign-Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab Renovation

    I2SL

    I2SL Recognizes Winners for Sustainable Achievements

    This year, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) was excited to launch the new Sustainable Laboratory Awards Program to acknowledge leading people, projects, and programs in the sustainable lab community. As part of the new program, I2SL recognized eight buildings or projects for their achievements in new construction, renovation/retrofit, or adaptive reuse.

    Two projects, both submitted in the New Construction category, won Sustainable Laboratory Awards for demonstrating overall sustainability and efficiency:

    • The Universities at Shady Grove Biomedical Sciences & Engineering Education Facility, submitted by Cooper Carry, incorporated many impressive features, including sustainable building materials, waste diversion, air quality management, natural ventilation, and daylighting, resulting in a very low energy use intensity.
    • The new Merck Research Laboratory in South San Francisco, submitted by Jacobs, showcases an integrated design that focuses on indoor air quality and waste reduction, and they maintain building performance with a sustainability dashboard.

    We receive many great applications this year, so to recognize additional teams for their efforts, I2SL awarded a series of awards for buildings and projects that excelled in one particular area.

    Excellence Winners in the New Construction Category

    • Excellence in Decarbonization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Integrative Genomics Building
    • Excellence in Climate Resiliency: Webster University, Interdisciplinary Science Building
    • Excellence in Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Diversion: Wanhua Global Research Center

    Excellence Winners in the Renovation/Retrofit Category

    • Excellence in Energy Efficiency: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Materials Research Laboratory Renovation

    • Excellence in Energy and Water Efficiency: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign-Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Lab Renovation

    Excellence Winner in the Adaptive Reuse Category

    • Excellence in Adaptive Reuse: o2h co-work labs

    Winners were recognized on October 18 at the 2022 I2SL Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can find all the winners on our website and check out the Programs and Initiatives winners in an upcoming issue of the Sustainability Scoop. I2SL thanks all the winners for their commitment to sustainable, efficient, and safe laboratories around the world and congratulates them for their achievements!

    I2SL

  9. New iSEE Green Event Certifications

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

    Congratulations to the Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement for their recent Green Event Certifications! 

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement State of the University, Certified October 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement Chancellor's Medallion Presentation and Reception, Certified October 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement Strategic Planning Summit, Certified October 2022

    Chancellor's Office for Special Events and Commencement Illinois v. Quincy (Exh.) Men’s Basketball, Certified October 2022

    Keep up the great work!

  10. Week 4 - Check in meeting

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

    This week Aparna got in touch with the staff of transit services from Arizona State University to understand their approach to achieving the Gold BFU certification. 

    Sarthak and Aparna also had a quick overview of the materials shared and brainstormed ideas/recommendations to raise awareness in the campus community as well as keep bike thefts in mind. 

    The next steps would be to familiarize with the topic better, collect all the research materials and make notes/highlight the existing implementation, and make comments on these.

  11. Reasons for Recycling Rate Decrease

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase Recycling Rates

    The reasons for the putative decrease in recycling rate include the increase in plastic production, flat change in recycling capacity, and China no longer accepting our recyclables. A Time magazine article further suggests that the estimated 9% recycling rate from 2018 was inflated because most of the plastic we sent to China was landfilled or incinerated. Another interesting point: an estimated 30-36% of collected PET is wasted in the recycling process.

     

    The original report can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/US-plastics-recycling-rate . Table 2 provides estimates and sources.

  12. CIF Geothermal Exchange Borefield Information Resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)

    Below is an email from Andrew Stumpf regarding the CIF's Geothermal Exhange Borefield.

    From: Stumpf, Andrew J <astumpf at illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, October 24, 2022 9:39 AM
    Subject: Re: CEE190 Instructor meeting

     

    Hi Eric,

     

    Yes. The report is available on IDEALS https://hdl.handle.net/2142/111796, so publicly available. Correct, John has been doing further study on the CIF building. He has been working with me on the research… his PhD exam is next Monday, so pretty busy. I’ve only had a brief tour of the mechanicals when it was first built, so I can’t really comment about the system inside. Dr. Tugce Baser in CEE tbaser at illinois.edu I believe received a more detailed tour, so you might want to reach out to her. Here is some information about the mechanicals published for an ASHRAE award the building received.

     

    Best,

    Andy

     

    Attached Files: 

  13. Agri-Voltic PPA

    Associated Project(s): 
    Agrivoltaics: Crop Production and Solar Panels on the Same Land

    Below is an email from Tony Spurlock:

    Ben,

     

    Attached is a summary of UIUC’s response to Legal Concerns with PEI entering into the PPA related to the Agri-voltaics project.

     

    Mike,

     

    We do not see any hard cost savings from having PEI do the PPA as opposed to University Purchasing, but we would expect PEI to be able to get it done more efficiently its greater flexibility and expertise in procuring energy commodities.  The timing for this project is critical to be able to do the research as planned.

     

    Regards,

     

    Tony

    Attached Files: 

  16. Multiple schools (OSU, UMich, Purdue) begin involvement with the creation of the survey

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

    Thank you Mary and Daphne!  The way that Mary worded the question is great to me! 

     

    Daphne, if it is not too bold of me to ask, I was wondering if there might be opportunities to add more questions to the Survey?  I ask as I was recently emailing with the Michigan folks (copied) and both our institutions are interested in pulling together some waste related benchmarking data, specifically around their individual waste goals and how they measure it (hence the diversion rate calculation question).  I am hoping that there is a way we might be able to collaborate, whether that is collaborating through your current survey or perhaps supplementing the data.  That being said, I know very little about the survey, its timeline, the questions, etc.; thus, a collaboration may not be feasible. If you believe a collaboration might be feasible, I would be happy to coordinate a quick schedule where we could discuss how Purdue staff and/or students could assist.  I am interested to hear your thoughts!

     

    Thank you,

    Tony

     

    From: Leciejewski, Mary <leciejewski.8@osu.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 8:43 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Szal, Dominika Patrycja <dszal2@illinois.edu>; Anthony Gillund <agillund@purdue.edu>
    Subject: RE: Big Ten Waste Management Survey: Diversion Rate Calculation

     

    ---- External Email: Use caution with attachments, links, or sharing data ----

     

    Daphne,

     

    Apologies for the delay- I was out of the office last week and am still getting caught up.

     

    Thank you so much for including that question in your survey!

     

    One item might be to ask, “What information do you include in your diversion rate report?”

     

    Ohio State includes the following:

    Landfill tonnage data

    Commingled recycling

    Reused pallets

    Recycled pallets

    Scrap metal

    Landscape waste

    Composted food scraps, biodegradable materials, coffee grounds, and animal bedding from labs

    Biodigested food waste (ex. enviropure systems)

    Donations of furniture and other items

    Motor oil

    Tire Recycling

    Cooking oil recycling

    Donated food

    Mattresses

    Paper shredding

    Batteries

    Recycled toner cartridges

    Donated books

    Reprocessed medical devices

     

    We do not include construction waste or manure from farms. We also do not estimate avoided materials (ex. weights kept out of landfill through projects like implementing hand dryers or reusable containers). Instead, we just assume those numbers will be kept out of the landfill data.

     

    I’m looping in Tony to make sure I got to the hear of his question. Please let me know if you need anything else! 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

     

     

     

     

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 11:58 AM
    To: Leciejewski, Mary <leciejewski.8@osu.edu>
    Cc: Szal, Dominika Patrycja <dszal2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Big Ten Waste Management Survey: Diversion Rate Calculation

     

    Hi Mary, It was great to meet with you and the other Big Ten schools last week! Per the request to include the diversion rate calculation as a part of the comprehensive survey, could I inquire about OSU’s process? ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

     

    Hi Mary,

     

    It was great to meet with you and the other Big Ten schools last week! Per the request to include the diversion rate calculation as a part of the comprehensive survey, could I inquire about OSU’s process?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 |     dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
     

  18. Weekly Update: Strong Towns, Bike Summit, potentially postponing Working Bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week was a busy one. We had Strong Towns talk on Tuesday and the Illinois Bike Summit on Wednesday. Got in some good networking, heard some interesting talks/discussions, and got buzzed by two MTD buses on my bike commute there and then one car on my ride back to the Bike Center. Oh, the irony.

    The cooler weather has curtailed our visitors, but we’ve had a few volunteers, too—always nice.

    Grabbed some bikes from the warehouse last week and will continue to do so as I can this week. I have jury duty potentially all this week and next week, which majorly mucks up my plans for setting up with Working Bikes since I can’t plan past day-to-day. Likely will have to bump that to early November unless circumstances change.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 42
    Sales: $266
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $20

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  19. Campus Sustainability Celebration - 10/17/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    The 2022 Campus Sustainability Celebration was a huge success! Thank you to all who participated! The PowerPoint presentation is attached, and the agenda for the event was as follows:

    • 3-3:15 PM – Welcome
      • Jennifer Fraterrigo, on behalf of Director Madhu Khanna (iSEE)
      • Chancellor Jones
      • Vice Chancellor Susan Martinis (OVCRI)
    • 3:15 – 3:30 PM – Holistic initiatives
      • Plastic reduction (Jen)
      • Clean energy/Solar Farm 3 (Morgan)
      • Greener Campus Program (Meredith)
    • 3:30 – 4:40 PM – iCAP Team presentations
      • Energy
      • Transportation
      • Land and Water
      • Zero Waste
      • Education
      • Engagement
      • Resilience
    • 4:40 – 5 PM – Student groups (SSLC, SSC) – Jack Reicherts and Maiah Caise
      • Closing remarks by Jennifer Fraterrigo (on behalf of Madhu Khanna)
    • 5 – 6 PM – Celebration - refreshments, roundtable forum with each iCAP Team, student tabling session  
    Attached Files: 

  20. Campus Sustainability Month Activities - Oct 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Campus Sustainability Month - Waste Reduction Challenge
    Clean up campus
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)

    One of our favorite times of the year is almost here… Campus Sustainability Month! Below is a highlight of major events and programs happening this October, though check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for the full list. This is the perfect time to take action and show your support for environmental consciousness (and the Illinois Climate Action Plan!). I look forward to seeing you across campus!

     

    • Plastic Reduction Challenge: Are you up to the challenge? From October 3–30, we provide the resources and point system to help you track your plastic use each week and find sustainable alternatives. The point system and fillable grid are attached, and additional information will be sent out prior to the start of the challenge. Take part with this fun and interactive community, and earn the chance to win a sustainability prize pack. It is easy to make a positive impact! Sign up here for the challenge.
       
    • Clothing Swap: This is the perfect opportunity to donate your clothing items and update your wardrobe! Join iSEE, SECS, and SSLC for this reduce/reuse event at the Channing Murray Foundation on Tuesday, October 11. Drop off clothes at Channing Murray the day before, or during the event itself from 10AM – 3PM.  All are welcome to drop off and/or participate (it’s free!).
       
    • Green Quad Day: Come check out the variety of student, staff, faculty, and community-led environmental groups on Thursday, October 13 from 11AM – 3PM at the Anniversary Plaza (cement area between the Quad and Union). This is a great opportunity to talk with and learn about the many sustainability efforts on campus. The rain date is October 17. If you are interested in representing your organization at a table, sign up here.
       
    • Water Taste Test: It’s 2022 – why are we still drinking from plastic bottles? Let’s put our tap water to the test and see, blindly, which water we prefer. Check out the iSEE table at Green Quad Day (above) and see if you can taste a difference between bottled water and tap! In the meantime, take our drinking water behavior survey (and win a chance for a $50 gift card).
       
    • Illini Lights Out: Join us to shut off lights in buildings around campus to save energy and reduce the environmental impact of our massive university! Meet at 5:30PM in the lobby of the Foreign Language Building on Friday, October 14 to receive brief instructions before heading out to turn off lights in assigned buildings. Come back to FLB (roughly 6:30) when you are done to turn in your clipboard, get a snack, and pat yourself on the back for helping to save so much energy! Register here, and come by yourself or bring a friend!
       
    • Campus Sustainability Celebration: All are welcome to attend this annual event on Monday, October 17 from 3-6PM at NCSA (auditorium and lobby), 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. The first two hours will be spent in the Auditorium, where we will hear from campus sustainability leaders and from the iCAP Teams. Following the presentations (5-6 PM), each iCAP Team will have a table in the lobby/atrium area for roundtable discussion, suggestions, and a Q&A. Student environmental groups will have tables set up and together, we will enjoy conversation, light refreshments, and cake!
       
    • Trash Cleanup: Help keep our campus beautiful! On Wednesday, October 19, meet at Alma Mater at 4PM and join us to collect trash and recycling around campus until 5:30PM.
       
    • TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series: Tune in to this edition of iSEE’s ongoing Zoom series on Wednesday, October 26 from 7 – 8PM. Our host this month is Lucy Nifong, a senior in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, iSEE Communications Intern, and Vice Chair Internal of the Student Sustainability Committee. Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk, followed by a guided discussion and roundtable on Campus Sustainability Month! Sign up here.
       
    • Sustainability BINGO: Fill out the iSEE board (attached) for a chance to win prizes! The board (PDF) includes sustainability-related activities and initiatives you can do across campus during Sustainability Month (Oct. 1-31). Make sure you document and let us know which actions you completed using the Google Form to be eligible for the prize drawing.
       
    • Have you gotten your office, event, or Greek chapter certified as Green yet? It’s easy to be sustainable! Get certified and be recognized!

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