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  1. Information Regarding Grind2Energy Funding for LAR

    The following message was sent to Morgan White to share with Carbon Credit Fund Administrators by Thurman Etchison, the Assistant Director of Dining - Facilities and Equipment, on November 18, 2021. The email & attachments contain important information regarding the potential installation of a Grind2Energy system at LAR:

    Carbon Credit Fund Administrators,

     

    Housing Dining Services is seeking funds to add a Grind 2 Energy system to our Lincoln Avenue Dining Hall. Grind 2 Energy is a system that allows us to put our food waste into a pumpable slurry so that it may be taken to an anerobic digester at the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District. These systems replace the aerobic digesters we previously had in our dining units. The aerobic digesters had issues with the effluent not meeting EPA standards.

     

    This system would be our fifth and likely final system as we would have one at every residential dining location. These are operational at Ikenberry, PAR, FAR and ISR. Currently, University Housing does not have resources to fund this project due to the impact of COVID on our budget. We would reach out to the Student Sustainability Committee for funding but for us to do the infrastructure work and have the unit installed prior to the next school year, we need to start before the next round of submissions.

     

    The use of Grind 2 Energy has been a very successful program for us. It meets our needs, keeps us in compliance with regulatory bodies, is comparable in costs to other methods of disposal. It is very sustainable in terms of the environment. To date, we have diverted 289 tons of food waste even though there was limited use until this school year.

     

    The amount we are requesting is $133,538.00. A simple breakdown of our expected costs is below. As our tradespeople have installed the 4 previous units, we believe this number to be very accurate. Our last unit came in within $1000 of our estimate.

     

    LAR Grind 2 Energy – Preliminary Budget Cost

    • LAR Grind 2 Energy System (equipment and labor)…..................................................................... $86,000
      • (Rigging fees)........................................................................................................................... $4,650
    • Concrete Slab Work (existing planter modifications site work & new concrete slab)….................... $23,100
    • New Wall at Table (Demolition, floor work, ceiling work, MEP & new wall)…................................... $19,788
    • TOTAL:                                                                                                                                              $133,538

     

    I would like to add that these units are highly visible on campus and it is our intention to start highlighting the metrics in our dining units via electronic messaging. This may include digital displays, The Housing Insider and social media platforms. There is also great deal of interest in biogas impact from these units. I have met with 2 groups of students from the CEE 190 class about these units in the past month.

     

    In short, this program reduces carbon emissions, produces fertilizer and creates energy. The systems are highly reliable and have had almost no issues to date. Please see the attachments for additional info.

     

    Thank you for your consideration, 

     

    THURMAN ETCHISON


    Assistant Director of Dining - Facilities and Equipment

     

  2. Information about the occupancy schedule and Air properties of the ATMS Building

    According to F&S, Management Engineer, Mike Halm:

    1. Currently, this unit is in occupied mode on weekdays, 6AM to midnight.  Normally the occupancy schedule will more closely follow the hours the building is open, but runtimes were extended across campus as a precaution during the pandemic.

    2. When the building was originally designed, there likely wasn’t a set amount of air changes per hour applied to every classroom.  Typically for classrooms the heating and cooling airflows are determined based on the specific loads in each room, rather than applying a flat rate based on the volume of the room.  If it would help, we could share the original ventilation drawings from 1989.  Regarding the ASHRAE standards, any new construction or renovation work on campus should have mechanical ventilation provided in accordance with ASHRAE 62.1.  However, there were different codes and standards in place when this building was constructed 30 years ago.  The current version of ASHRAE 62.1 may have slightly different requirements than the codes in place when the building was built.

  3. Key Steps Supporting Vision Zero in 2021-2022

    During the falls semester Stacy Gloss met with campus and community stakeholders to discuss Vision Zero in our community. The attached report provides recommendations for campus to update and modify Transportation policies, support and advocate for community traffic safety efforts, provide leadership and support to local transportation departments, expand and create new student engagement and project opportunities, and develop a relationship with the Vision Zero network.

  4. Weekly Update: Winter is coming; Kids' bikes donations

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, Slowing down a little now that it’s getting legit colder. Visitor numbers held a little longer than expected—maybe hinting at a tectonic shift in our community’s biking habits? I hope so!

    Last week I got a count on all the Kids’ Bikes we have at both spaces and started my staff (and volunteers) in on rehabbing the ones we have here at CBC. Once we’re done with those, I’ll move what’s at Urbana over here. We already have around 40 bikes and we haven’t done an honest push for donations yet. I’ll meet with Campus Rec marketing this week to work up a plan for how best to publicize the event.

    We’ve got a couple staffers moving on at the end of this week but have 3 new staffers in the hiring process. Coupled with less demand, we’ll be able to train up and onboard our new hires nicely. Winter is always my preferred season for onboarding.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 31
    Sales: $845.50
    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $600
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 4 for $22


    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  5. iSEE Helps Bring in $34.7M in Grants

    In Fall 2021, the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) announced that it has successfully acquired or facilitated $34.7 million in external grants from various agencies during the past several months. Some highlights:

    This $10 million, four-year project, funded through the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Sustainable Agriculture Systems program with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as the lead institution, will study agrivoltaics in a variety of land types and climate scenarios in Illinois, Colorado, and Arizona. The goal is to maintain or increase crop yield, improve the combined energy and food productivity of the land, and diversify and increase farmers’ profits with row crops, forage, and specialty crops across a range of environments

    • iSEE has helped facilitate funding to enable geospatial data-driven scientific discovery at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the resulting research will lead to better understanding of the risks and impacts of climate change and disasters

    The $15 million Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE) will receive the funding over five years as part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Harnessing the Data Revolution, which establishes five institutes across the United States to explore questions at the frontiers of science and engineering. Shaowen Wang, Professor and Head of Geography and Geographic Information Science and Founding Director of the CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital and Spatial Studies, will lead the institute. Collaborating scientists and institutions will work with the CyberGIS Center in partnership with iSEE and the U of I’s Discovery Partners Institute.

    • $2.1M in additional five-year funding from the Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation for U of I researchers, led by Evan DeLucia (Emeritus Professor of Plant Biology), Carl Bernacchi (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service), and new co-PI Lisa Ainsworth (USDA ARS) to extend the campus’s enhanced weathering experiments using basalt rock on farm fields.
    • $2M+ from NSF’s Smart & Connected Communities program for a team led by Crop Sciences Assistant Professor Andrew Margenot to build a “Nutrient Management Community (NuMC)” to help farmers adopt effective and trusted tools that will help address critical water quality issues.
    • A $1.7M USDA NIFA subaward for Margenot and Crop Sciences Professor Emily Heaton to help identify ways to diversify the corn belt ecosystem and increase rural prosperity.
    • A $1M, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to bolster an iSEE 2020 seed-funded project to turn ash into energy. The Rapid AI-based Dissection of Ashes using Raman and XRF Spectroscopy (RADAR-X) Project is led by Civil & Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Nishant Garg.
    • Several other awards of $1M or less.

    See the attached file for the iQ Fall 2021 to read this article in its original form.

    Attached Files: 
  6. iSEE Seeks Interdisciplinary, Campus as a Living Lab Research Proposals

    iSEE has issued a call for proposals to support interdisciplinary research projects related to sustainability, energy, and environment, as well as for its Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) program for projects related to Illinois Climate Action Plan goals.

    The iSEE seed funds are available to promote research collaborations among faculty and scientists across campus that will improve their potential for attracting external support. Research teams working in any of the five thematic areas of interest to iSEE can use the funding to collect preliminary data or other information and to develop a strong proposal that can be submitted for external funding through the Institute in 2022-23.

    A successful proposal will involve applicants from at least two different disciplines and two different departments and is limited to a maximum of $30,000 for a year. The deadline is Nov. 9, 2021.

    See the attached file for the iQ Fall 2021 to read this article in its original form.

    Attached Files: 
  7. Illinois EPA and UIUC @ "Introduce Online Curriculum Focusing on Energy"

    Attached is the link to the UIUC's participation and the Illinois e-News Release. 

    https://pathways.mste.illinois.edu/curriculum/energy

     

    Illinois e-News Release

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    November 9, 2021                                Contact: Kim Biggs
                                                                  217-558-1536
                                                                  Kim.Biggs@illinois.gov

    Illinois EPA and University of Illinois at Introduce Online Curriculum Focusing on Energy

    Annual Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest to Follow Unit

    SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE) have again partnered to create a new online science curriculum unit for fifth and sixth grade educators: How does a bulb light? The unit helps students explore energy, electricity use, and power sources and how they relate to climate change. The Illinois EPA’s Annual Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest theme “Get Energized About Slowing Down Climate Change!” will follow the new curriculum.

    Educators, parents, and caregivers are asked to introduce these topics using the newly developed free, online curriculum. The unit is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Following the unit, students are asked to create posters or written works for the Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest related to the theme’s focus. Entries must be submitted to the Illinois EPA by February 1, 2022. Additional information on the Contest can be found at: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/education/contest/Pages/default.aspx.

    “Educators and students have faced numerous challenges as they have adapted to hybrid, remote, and in-classroom learning. It is our hope these virtual opportunities allow students to continue to grow their knowledge of the environment and the importance of protecting it,” said Illinois EPA Director John Kim. “This year’s unit is especially relevant to current events related to climate change, and we are excited to see it translated to pieces of art and written work for the upcoming Contest.”

    How does a bulb light? will help students investigate the everyday phenomenon of an electric light turning on. Students will observe two strings of LED lights turn on, one being powered by battery and the other by plugging into a wall outlet. Students will record their observations and “wonderings,” which will drive the flow of the unit as students plan and carry out their own investigations to answer their questions. This will include investigating electricity production and delivery, when and how to conserve, and recent and future changes in the energy system, including changes in transportation energy demands. The curriculum is available online to teachers and parents at https://pathways.mste.illinois.edu/curriculum/energy

    Illinois EPA is proud to again partner with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Office of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education to expand the Environmental Pathways curriculum. Earlier units developed through this partnership include “Where does my food go?” and “Why is the pond green?,” which can be found at: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/education/Pages/pathways.aspx.

    Information about all of Illinois EPA’s environmental education programs can be found at: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/education/Pages/default.aspx, or by contacting Kristi Morris, Environmental Education Coordinator for the Illinois EPA by email at Kristi.Morris@illinois.gov.

    Attachments

     

  8. Zero Waste iCAP Team Meeting

    The Zero Waste iCAP Team met on Thursday, November 11 to review some data related to vending machine quantities and pouring operations, analyze the initiatives of some other universities, and begin discussing our campaign strategy. As some initial steps, the team devised some questions for a campuswide survey on drinking water behavior and discussed a recommendation to begin tracking drinking water filter stations on campus. Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 
  9. STARS award finalists

    The University of Illinois has two submittals that are recognized as finalists for the 2021 Sustainability Awards:

    More information can be found at https://www.aashe.org/news/meet-the-2021-sustainability-award-finalists/. 

  10. Sustainability Sub-Council Meeting 11/10/21

    The Sustainability Sub-Council met on November 10, 2021 in preparation of the Sustainability Council meeting. The primary agenda items included: 

    • iCAP 2020 process reminder
    • Energy007 Comprehensive Energy Planning Document 
    • LW002 and Rainwater Funding Issues
    • Sustainability priorities and next steps

    The slide deck is attached with meeting minutes to follow.

  11. Dhruv and Ali provided the following answers to Sterling with SafeTraces

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

    This is an example of what the format used below.

    Q#: What is the answer to this question?

    A#: This is the answer to that question.

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

     

    Dhruv and Ali provided the following answers to Sterling with SafeTraces:

     

     

    Q1: Please provide PDFs of the full floor plan layout drawings for the entire building. Be sure to include 
    square footage for each room and common areas. It is also very important to identify operable windows, if any? 

    A1: Floor plans with room areas attached. 
    Following files are attached for floor plans 
    B0300-01-11X17 Astronomy Building-(1st floor plan)-2021 
    B0300-02-11X17 Astronomy Building-(2nd Floor plan)-2021 
    (current/anticipated occupancy assumptions would be helpful) 

     

    Q2: What are the Astronomy Building's normal hours of operation?

    A2: Monday to Friday (0800 hrs-1700 hrs.). Saturday and Sunday the building is locked. 

     

    Q3: What is the air filtration rating for the spaces?

    A3: MERV :: HEPA Filters at AHU, currently MERV-13. 

     

    Q4: What is the Make/Model, age, specs and replacement/upgrade history of the existing HVAC system?

    A4: Original AHU from 1990, Trane Model 41A, Serial K89H24684. Original AHU equipment schedule attached. AHU controls originally pneumatic, upgraded to DDC (Siemens) in 2016 to allow occupancy schedules to be implemented. Zone level (VAVs) are still pneumatic.  I believe the fume hoods are only energized when in use.  Heating in the building is hot water radiators and hot water VAV reheat (no heating coil at AHU) fed from hot water boilers. 30% glycol cooling coil in AHU, fed from air cooled chiller on site. 

     

    Q5: What is the Make/Model and full specifications of the portable air purifiers expected to be used or are being used in the building? 

    A5: I don’t believe any portable air purifiers are currently in use. 

     

    Q6: Please identify all HVAC zones in the drawings. (Note: This is a command, not a question)

    A6: See zone map drawings Paul sent previously. Please review the attached file 
    CC-0300_09_V-700_RCX-Astronomy Building-Zones plan-AHU-EFU-2017 

     

    Q7: How many air-changes per hour is the HVAC system currently providing?

    A7: Will vary from room to room based on VAV damper position, ceiling height, etc. Based on a peak airflow of AHU (21,200 CFM), overall building area, and typical ceiling height (9’-0”), we’d have about 11.3 air changes per hour at peak load. 

     

    Q8: What are the basic assumptions for outside air intake to aid in dilution/ventilation for all interior spaces? 

    A8: AHU has a minimum OA position, and runs based on an occupancy schedule. We’ve temporarily changed our AHUs to run in occupied mode from 6AM to midnight for most of our units due to COVID-19 precautions. Unit is also sized for economizer when OA conditions allow. 

     

    Q9: What are the weather assumptions for heating and cooling the interior spaces along with outdoor temperature and humidity estimates?

    A9: I’m not positive what conditions the original designers used in 1990, but see page 2 of the “HVAC Systems” attachment from our facilities standards for our typical OA design conditions. 

  12. Engagement iCAP Team Meeting

    The Engagement iCAP Team met on Tuesday, November 9 to ideate recommendations on each of the team's four themes: awareness & purpose, technology & visibility, culture & practicality,  and inclusivity & relationships. The committee broke out into groups to generate lists of recommendations the team intends to pursue. Meeting minutes attached.

    Attached Files: 

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