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  6. Sustainable Design Opportunity: Upcycling Clothing with Project Phoenix!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support Youth Sustainability
    Independent Student Projects

    Project Phoenix is an Illinois student initiative to give high school students a platform to highlight their fashion design interests and create their own upcycled clothing brands! The group offers one- to two-hour weekend workshops to teach Champaign-Urbana high school students applicable fashion and graphic design skills and provide opportunities in business and enterpreneurship. U of I students can sign up now to be a Project Fellow! The deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

     

    For more details about the Project Fellow position, read Phoenix's Fall 2021 project description document.

  7. iSEE's Environmental Writing Contest for the Janelle Joseph Prize

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW) [ARCHIVED]
    Sustainability Competitions

    Are you an eco-warrior with a passion for prose? Each summer, University of Illinois undergraduates are invited to submit their best environmental writing for a chance to be published in Q Magazine and win a cash prize! The Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing was created in 2020 through the generosity of donor Janelle Joseph. Our inaugural contest winners covered topics ranging from the degradation of the coal industry and life in a “burn zone” to sustainable fashion and the future of lawns. Read more about the 2020 winning entries!

    Submit in one of these five categories:

    • Feature — In-depth, research-based piece on a topic of your choice (Example: “Burn Zone” by Andy Sima; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Grand Prizewinner) 
    • Memoir — Write about an experience that YOU had with nature, and what it meant to you (Example: “Solastalgia” by Maria Maring; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
    • Op-Ed — Your research-backed take on a current environmental “hot topic” (Example: “End to Greenwashing?” by Jennifer Coronel; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
    • Q&A — Interview an environmental researcher or activist
    • “@ Illinois” — Submit a piece in any of the above genres spotlighting innovative environmental research, activism, or stewardship at the University of Illinois. 

    iSEE's Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing is open to Illinois undergrads and includes a $1,000 grand prize as well as $500 prizes in five categories: Feature; Memoir; Op-Ed; Q&A; and "At Illinois." Entries can be 1,000 to 2,000 words and must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2021. 

     

    Visit Q Magazine's website for more details.

     

    And, make sure to email submissions or questions to qmagazineillinois@gmail.com!

  8. Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS): Biennial Report 2021 Summary

    Associated Project(s): 
    Reduce Nitrates from Agricultural Stormwater

    The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy guides state efforts to improve water quality at home and downstream by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in our lakes, streams, and rivers. The strategy lays out a comprehensive suite of best management practices for reducing nutrient loads from wastewater treatment plants and urban and agricultural runoff.

    The Illinois NLRS 2021 Biennial Report is the third report to provide the public with updates on the implementation of the Illinois NLRS, including a 2019-20 overview of the efforts and investments made in reducing nutrient loss to Illinois waterways from source sectors: agriculture, point sources, and urban stormwater.

    See the attached file to read the Biennial Report 2021 Executive Summary. 

    Or, visit the Illinois EPA website to read the full report!

    Attached Files: 

  9. Community Solar Status Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community

    Community Solar

    "What is the status of the city of Urbana’s community solar array at the old city landfill known as Solar Star Urbana Landfill LLC affiliated with Nexamp? Will the subscription to the community solar project begin this year?"

    The project, which will generate approximately 5.2 MW of clean energy for the Ameren grid, is scheduled to be completed around the middle of next month, said Keith Hevenor, communications manager for Nexamp, a firm that has developed community solar energy projects in Illinois, Maine, New York, Maryland, Georgia and Massachusetts.

    "At that point, the final landscaping, which includes a native pollinator seed mix for vegetation, will be applied," said Hevenor. "As soon as final testing and utility interconnection are completed, subscribers will begin seeing the credits on their Ameren bills, likely before the end of the year.

    "The Solar Star Urbana Landfill project is part of the Illinois Solar for All program, so participation in the program is reserved for qualified low and moderate income (LMI) residents. In the program, there are no enrollment fees, no credit checks and no cancellation fees. We still have space available for the project and individuals can visit https://ilsfa.nexamp.com/ameren to learn more and see if they qualify."

  10. Commencement of the 2021 Sustainability Competition for Undergraduates

    Associated Project(s): 
    ReImagine Our Future

    "... Fifty-one (51) teams have entered the competition. There are a total of 126 students working in teams ranging from one to five members per team.

    The first deliverable is due by Oct. 15, as explained on the competition webpage: Reimagine Our Future Undergraduate Sustainability Competition
    For this first deliverable you must complete the questionnaire available on the competition website to tell us more about your project’s specialist advisor and what advice you got from her or him. You can connect with a specialist indicated on the competition webpage or you may select someone else whom you deem to be a specialist for your chosen sustainability topic.

    You will find many helpful Resources on the competition webpage.
    For instance, you will benefit by attending the three ideation workshops that will be held at the Siebel Center for Design. The first ideation workshop is on Thursday 23 Sept from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Although registration for this first workshop has already closed, you could still enter by completing this registration form...

    Kind regards

    Leon Liebenberg
    on behalf of the Competition Organizing Team, with fellow team members: Prof. Robert McKim, Prof. Warren Lavey, Prof. Michelle Wander, Mr. Peter Davis, and Mr. Shreyas Venkatarathinam"

    -Leon Liebenberg (09/21/2021)

    Teaching Associate Professor
    Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    1206 W. Green Street
    Urbana, IL 61801

  11. Trash Cleanup 10/15/21

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Boneyard Creek Management
    Facilitate campus-wide sustainability events

    October is Campus Sustainability Month and there are many events to get involved and make a positive difference toward our campus sustainability efforts. On Friday, October 15, we are hosting our second trash cleanup event. We will meet at the pavilion on Engineering Quad at 3:30 p.m. and disperse from there to pick up trash across campus. Resources will be provided. Stay for as long as you are able, and bring a friend. Everyone is welcome! It will be fun!

    Check out more events during Campus Sustainability Month on the iSEE website: https://sustainability.illinois.edu/outreach/calendar/ 

  12. Digital Sign for Recognition of SSC $375k Contribution

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Part of the $25K fund 1‐304398, “602 SSC‐CIF Geothermal” for the CIF account is recognizing SSC’s $375K contribution to Geothermal in digital signage for a year at CIF.

     

    The final draft of the digital signage is attached below.

     

    Attached Files: 

  13. General Meeting 9/20

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

    For September's General Meeting, we had everyone introduce themselves and what organization they were from. We also discussed plans for Student Sustainability Summit and how they can become involved. Promoted our development of a general Google calendar that contains general meeting times for all RSOs in the SSLC, as well as any events they are hosting. Lastly, we went through updates on all projects that RSOs are working on.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Weekly Update: Bike to Work Day; Light the Night; Grand Re-opening

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Light the Night
    C-U Bike to Work Day

    All, Heck of a week we just had. Tuesday was Bike To Work Day and Light The Night; both events went well. CBC as a LTN location was not as popular as the other two spots but we are still only in our second year of offering this location; the other two spots have been there for over 10 years and have a lot more passers-by. I do appreciate the convenience of not having to go anywhere for the event, though!

    BTWD was a decent turn out. We had around 30 people stop by to pick up their shirts. iSEE shot some footage for a promo video. I also talked with a few profs/pro staff folks who said this was their first bike commute, which was great. Hopefully they’ll stick with it! It also reminded me I need to brush up on my beginning commuter tips…

    Our Grand Opening event was a success. We got to show off our space to quite a few people who’d never been by before and a handful of regulars that were duly impressed with the upgrade from our old space.

    This week I’ve got a new student worker starting, so that will be a welcomed addition to the team. I’ll also pick up some bikes from TBP for rebuild as we’re flush out of decent Shop Builds. Demand has waned a bit or word is spreading that we’re out of bikes so fewer folks are coming by—either way, we’ll get a few more fixed up this week.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: TBD
    Sales: $513.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $180
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tire/tubes: 6 for $19.50

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  17. Request for New Project Tabs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Diversion of Non-Recyclable Plastic using Pyrolysis Process to Produce Fuels for Campus
    Preventing window-strike bird fatalities with energy efficient window decals
    Monitor Soil Health

    Assistant Director of Student Sustainability, Samuel Yoo reached out to Sarthak Prasad for guidance with iCAP Portal projects. Specifically, Yoo was unable to find existing projects for the following:

    - Diversion of Non-Recyclable Plastic using Pyrolysis Process to Produce Fuels for Campus

    - Preventing Window-strike Bird Fatalities with Energy Efficient Window Decals 

    - Valorized Archived Soils and Long-Term Carbon Budgets

    Sarthak replied explaining that new project tabs will be created for the first two projects and the last project fits under the "Monitor Soil Health" project.

     

  18. Green Office Gold Certification

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

    Congratulations to Kara Hagen and the rest of the Conservation Unit at the Preservation Services Department of Oak Street Library Facility for becoming a Green Office! They are gold certified as of September 4, 2021. They used a watt meter to monitor energy use of their devices and appliances and eliminated use of disposable cups. They notably created a new waste reduction strategy by saving the scraps from their long-fibered papers and bringing those to Fresh Press on campus, where they are used to create hand-made paper. Keep up the great work!

  19. First Weekly Check-In for Resilience Work

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community
    Resilience iCAP Team

    9/17/2021, 2:15 PM

    Attendees: Morgan White, Meredith Moore, Stacy Gloss

    Summary:

    Stacy, Meredith and Morgan met for the first time together since Stacy was appointed and started work on 9/16/2021. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the information and resources needed for Stacy to start working on resilience activities in the scope work. We reviewed Stacy’s job description regarding activities for the next 6 months and related deliverables. See attached job description.

    Agreements:  

    • Stacy will take the meeting notes from each of these Resilience Work Check-In meetings and put them on the portal for project tracking.
    • Stacy will provide updates at the Resilience iCAP team meetings.
    • We set up a recurring meeting time for Thursdays from  2 pm – 3 pm.

    To-Do’s:

    Stacy will re-read the objective in iCAP 2020 PDF about all resilience objectives. Review the resilience theme, scan the project list, and look at project history for specific objectives.

    8.1 Check in when needed w/ Lisa Merrifield

    8.2 Start with campus contacts. Email Betsy Liggett,  Brent Lewis, & Morgan White and set up a call with Betsy. Betsy is liaison to community green infrastructure.  The objectives are to find out who it is to talk to in Champaign-Urbana-Savoy for off-campus infrastructure locations. Eventually, ask resilience team what information should be included on the iCAP portal map. Note: There’s an Oct 20 conference about the Champaign County storm water partnership.  With this objective, we will ultimately work towards planning a coordinated rainwater mgmt. plan, and what it might look like.

    8.3. Review documentation that Kimmy provided as a report on the portal. 

    8.4.  Request a call with Ximing to explain the concept behind 8.4 and report back. Further steps may be taken to include whole iSEE management team in a conversation.

    8.5.  Review 8.5 Discuss at meeting 2 weeks from now.

    8.6.  Morgan will connect Stacy with Sarthak Prasad. Review Vision zero website soon and request a meeting with Sarthak.

    8.7.  Review 8.7 Discuss at meeting 2 weeks from now.  Review Current State of the Market, and review files in the box folder that students created about local off sets.

    Attached Files: 

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