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  1. F&S staff met with WEF Design Team leaders

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Environment Federation (WEF)
    Green Infrastructure

    Xinyu Teng and Ryan Moeller met with F&S sustainable water experts to discuss potential projects for the WEF design challenge this coming spring.  

     

     

    Colleen Ruhter, P.E. provided the following resources following the meeting. 

     

    Thanks everyone for chatting today.

    Here are some great resources for you to look at to get some ideas for stormwater retrofits.

     

    https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/streetscape_elements_san_francisco.pdf

    https://artfulrainwaterdesign.psu.edu/about

    https://cvc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Grey-to-Green-ROW-Road-Right-Of-Way.pdf

    https://www.flowstobay.org/documents/municipalities/sustainable%20streets/San%20Mateo%20Guidebook.pdf

     

    The MD. Dept of the Env. (MDE) has some really good resources for calculating pollution removal based off of their standard design criteria.  If you guys decide you want to look into pollutant removal rates, I can help with that (as much as I can remember from the 7+ years ago that I worked in MD, anyway).

     

    If you’re looking for more straightforward quantification (such as volume treated), that should be easier to calculate. 

     

    Please let me know how I can help any further. 

     

    Thanks,

    ~Colleen

     

    COLLEEN RUHTER, P.E.
    Coordinator, Special Programs

  4. eweek announcement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Educate Future Leaders

    Instructors Get Course Development Funding to Incorporate Sustainability

    The 2021 Levenick Teaching Sustainability Fellowship offers funding for U of I instructors to integrate sustainability components into an existing course ($1,000) or develop a new course with a sustainability focus ($2,000). To maximize student reach, iSEE especially encourages applications from instructors of 100- and 200-level courses. Read more and apply at go.illinois.edu/LevTeachingFellows

    Tony Mancuso • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

  6. Levenick Fellows Behavior Change project

    Associated Project(s): 
    Changing Usage of Individuals
    Energy Conservation Efforts

    In Fall 2017, University of Illinois Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACE) Erica Myers and ACE Ph.D. Candidate Mateus Souza conducted a study to gauge whether detailed energy reports would influence student energy-saving behaviors. The project received funding through the Levenick iSEE Fellows Program, and ultimately determined that although similar experiments had proven effective in standard residential settings, the impact was negligible in residence halls where students do not directly pay for energy. On the other hand, simple nudges sent prior to winter break were effective in promoting the reduction of thermostat setpoints and energy consumption. Results from the study were later published at the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

  8. 12/4 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Food Literacy Project
    Increase Recycling through the WTS
    Vermicompost
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting

    Attached are the meeting minutes and chat log of the Zero Waste SWATeam on 12/4/2020. 

    The following were discussed:

    • SSC Letter of Support for Illini Union Shadowbox Recycling project
    • Vermicomposting
    • Composting
    • NASEM Circular Economy Conference
    • Food Literacy Project
    Attached Files: 

  10. 12/2 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Encourage Telecommuting
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Attached are the meeting minutes for the 12/2 Transportation SWATeam Meetings, as well as the Zoom chat file.

    Discussed were the following:

    • Telecommuting/Teleconferencing Policy and Commputer Program Intern 
    • EV Parking Department Dashboard Data
    • EV Task Force
    Attached Files: 

  12. Solar Farm construction update for November 2020

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0

    F&S Management Engineer, Sushanth Girini, provided an update on the Solar Farm 2.0 construction progress.  One key point is that 65% of the panel installation is complete as of 11/23.

     

    Points regarding the progress: 

    • Currently the project is working on installing all the panels on the posts. As of Nov. 23, 2020, Sol Systems completed 258 out of 399 rows of panels, so approximately 65% of panel installation is complete.
    • The pads have been poured and all major equipment placed (inverters and transformers), currently working on wiring the whole network. The mechanical in service (construction complete without inspection & commissioning) date is Dec 16th 2020 as per current schedule.
    • Received all panels on site, racking equipment and all major equipment such as inverters and transformers, awaiting the switchgear delivery, which is due on 11/30.
    • Working with U of I's F&S Waste Management team to achieve a zero waste goal for this project by recycling all the boxes and other materials.
    • Every employee who works on site is checked for temperatures before entering the site as a safety precaution against covid-19.

    Thank you,

    Sushanth Girini

  13. Weekly Update: Slowest week financially, Closing appointment system, New working hours

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Maybe the slowest week on record, financially-speaking, as we grossed $8. Hopefully not a preview of the rest of the semester…
    Before the break we did have a repeat visitor express interest in volunteering so there is some latent interest in our offerings.
    This week we will be closing down our appointment system in favor of our regular open hours offerings. Visits have not been frequent enough to warrant the extra trouble of an appointment system. We’ll be open M/W/F for the rest of the semester, barring any further mitigation efforts.
    We’ve got a few bikes from the warehouse to work on and they’ve already proven to be  good teaching candidates for my staff on things like the irreparable damage kickstands can so easily inflict. No one likes leaning their bike against a wall just-so but it beats having to replace it entirely
    Thanks!

    The numbers:
    Visitors:
    Sales: $8!

     

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  14. Andrew Li will be getting an update for the small scale solar projects

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Power on Campus

    Andrew Li, Halie Collins, and Morgan White met today to launch a student-led project to get an update for all the small scale solar projects on campus.  Andrew will be reaching out to the project contacts over the next few months to get a status update and associated photos, links, etc. for each project.  He will then update the iCAP Portal accordingly.

  15. Weekly Update: Daily Illini interview, CTAC, post-Thanksgiving programming

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week I was interviewed for the Daily Illini  about the importance of bikes during a pandemic for health, safety, and exercise. No word on if they’re publishing the story.

     

    Last week, I was also present for the Active Transportation Advisory Committee on campus to discuss infrastructure and developments for bus riding, biking, and walking. Great to see and meet—virtually—so many University people involved in implementing and promoting safer and healthier ways to get around campus and the community.

    This week is business as usual: picking up bikes from the warehouse, staff meetings, and prepping for our post-Thanksgiving programming.

    Thanks!


    The numbers:


    Visitors: 10
    Sales: $99.50
    Memberships: 1 for $30

    Tire/tube: 4 for $30
    Misc: $34.50

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  16. Engagement SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach
    Engagement iCAP Team

    The Engagement SWATeam members met on November 20 with Eric Green (Education SWATeam) to discuss first-year sustainability education recommendations. Topics discussed included working recommendations for a sustainability module in college 100-level courses, a mandatory sustainability training, and a sustainability general education requirement, all of which are currently being investigated by the Education SWATeam. Additionally, discussion of successful sustainability engagement principles led to a forming of two sub-teams to work towards recommendations within our committee:

    1) Led by co-chair Ann Witmer: Creating a roadmap of current sustainability-focused projects that are going on and connections we can utilize to make future recommendations more effective 

    2) Led by co-chair Robert McKim: Creating a sustainability 100 for individual colleges or one-size fits all model 

    Meeting minutes are also attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  17. 11/18 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
    Encourage Telecommuting

    Attached are the meeting minutes and chat from the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting on 11/18.

    Discussed were the following topics:

    • Establishing a telecommuting/teleconferencing policy.
    • Discussing working with an interdisciplinary health intern in IHR to tackle research/application of teleconferencing/telecommuting policy and commuter program.
    • Establishing an EV Task Force through the Parking Department to re-assess campus EV needs.
    Attached Files: 

  18. Energy SWATeam Meeting Minutes from 11-17-20

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team
    Anaerobic Digester at Beef and Sheep Study
    Building-Level Energy Usage Report

    On November 17th, the Energy iCAP Team met to discuss student, staff, and chair priorities for forming new recommendations. The team decided on starting to develop three different recommendations in the future:

    (1) Requiring campus buildings to comply with state Energy Code Compliance;

    (2) Encouraging labs on campus to save energy;

    (3) Educating students in residence halls about reducing energy consumption.

    Agenda, meeting minutes, and chat log are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Revolving Loan Fund: Special Project Vote for State Farm Center

    Associated Project(s): 
    Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

    The following email was sent on November 16, 2020 to the RLF Selection Committee:

    Revolving Loan Fund Selection Committee,

    I want to thank everybody again for your participation in the previous selection process. With the completion of that vote, the RLF fund source still has approximately $300,000+ available and a time sensitive submission from DIA has been received recently. The project being submitted is for a Retro-Commissioning (RCx) effort at the State Farm Center. RCx efforts see great results under normal operating conditions, but with the pandemic, significant savings could be realized now that many events are being cancelled and the facility is not being utilized at its full capacity. The request is for $250K and could see a payback of less than 2 years. Please see the attached document for more information.

    We don’t necessarily need to score this project, all we need is a majority decision (yes or no) to approve.

    I ask that you please reply with your individual yes (in support of funding) or no (decline funding approval) votes before November 26, 2020 (10 days away).

    ... Thank you again for your continued support of the RLF program.

     

     

    See the attached file to read details about the Retro-Commissioning (RCx) for the State Farm Center.

    Attached Files: 

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