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  1. DOE award for Carbon Capture project

    Associated Project(s): 
    Carbon Capture

    The DOE has awarded $25M to a three-year project, led by Kevin O'Brien at the Prairie Research Institute, for the design of a next-generation power plant that "combines multiple techniques to both reduce emissions and capture and re-use carbon dioxide." -- from: https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/1950450895.html 

    OBrien and co-principal investigator Mohamed Attalla, director of U of I Facilities & Services, and ISTC project manager Les Gioja lead the project, providing combined expertise in power generation technologies, clean-energy generation, and large-scale construction. -- from: https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/7447/1913312422

  2. eweek announcement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Mapping Sustainability

    Map the System 2021 Social Innovation Challenge

    Call for individuals and teams to participate in Map the System 2021, a competition that challenges students to explore a social or environmental issue using systems thinking and to identify new levers for change. Gain insight for social ventures and pitch ideas for cash prizes and a chance to compete in Global Final. Sign up to receive updates about info sessions, workshops, and key deadlines.

    Valeri Werpetinski • Origin Ventures Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Gies Business

    baseline_wifi_black_18dp.png This opportunity is available online.

  4. Congratulations to two gold certified offices!

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

    Congratulations to the Department of Chemistry Administrative Office (September) and Department of Communications (October) for recently acheiving gold certification! These two offices were featured in the iSEE newsletter and at the October 2020 Campus Sustainability Celebration! 

    Department of Chemistry Administrative Office feature

    Department of Communications feature

  6. 11/13 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Vermicompost
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Food Literacy Project
    Develop Sustainable Purchasing Policies
    Grind2Energy

    Attached are the meeting minutes and chat from the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting on 11/13.

    Discussed were the following topics:

    • Update: Adopt-a-highway/Clean-up Program
    • Composting Partnership: Alex Poltorak of Urban Canopy
    • Student Project: Vermiculture Composting
    • Grind2Energy Additional Scope
    • Food Literacy Project
    • Update: Clean Plate Program
    • Purchasing Sustainability Update

  7. 11/13 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Food Literacy Project
    Develop Sustainable Purchasing Policies
    Grind2Energy

    Attached are the meeting minutes and chat from the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting on 11/13.

    Discussed were the following topics:

    • Update: Adopt-a-highway/Clean-up Program
    • Composting Partnership
    • Student Project: Vermicompost
    • Novel Scope Addition: Grind2Energy
    • Update: Food Literacy Project
    • Update: Clean Plate Program
    • Update: Sustainability within Purchasing (Website & Protocols)
    Attached Files: 

  8. Engagement Team Meeting 3

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

    The Engagement SWATeam met on Friday, November 6 to formulate and condense potential recommendations in addressing Chapter 7 Objectives. Below are a list of current proposed objectives and the associated meeting minutes:

    • New ways to support student environmental organizations
    • Using Sustainability Training (https://mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/1_poty17ok) as a way to get feedback from students, staff, and faculty about their views on sustainability on our campus and to promote engagement
    • Creating sustainability-focused GivePulse channel
    • Routine and regular (quarterly) Massmail by campus leaders at all levels in support of sustainability initiatives
    • Ensure all professionally focused degree programs provide students with an understanding of the consequences of climate change and the goal of living sustainably, as these matters pertain to the profession in question
    • Sustainability book of the month 
    Attached Files: 

  9. Weekly Update: Promote the Bike Center, bike pick up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Lovely summery weather last week!
    Main event for the week was a marketing meeting to discuss new and innovative ways to promote the Bike Center, which was fruitful and really put into perspective how much stuff we do here at CBC when explaining it, even in general terms. And things like build-a-bikes vs. refurbished vs. DIY repairs will always confuse the uninitiated.
    This week is business as usual. Bikes to be picked up from Parking, an Active Transportation Advisory Committee meeting, staff meetings to be scheduled, and so forth. Some suppliers seem to be restocked a bit on some much-needed bike parts but as we inch ever-closer to fall/winter, immediate demand for those parts will wane. But we’ll still stock up a bit.
    The numbers:


    Visitors: 12
    Sales: $226.50
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $200
    Misc: $26.50

    Thanks!

     

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  11. Research news about reducing GHG from Ag. practices

    Associated Project(s): 
    Assess and Reduce Agricultural GHG Emissions

    Evan DeLucia will present the AAAS Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture on November 19. The talk, Rethinking American Agriculture: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Food Production, will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Rattan Lal, the 2020 World Food Prize Laureate.

    The College of ACES recently announced a gift of aerial imagery, two multispectral agricultural data sets valued at $1.5M, from Aerial Agronomy, Inc. The gift will be "used in teaching and research, including efforts to estimate soil health and carbon flux from agricultural land in the Midwest."

    -- from https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/1514117041.html

  12. Fall 2020: iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    iSEE funding for Campus as a Living Lab (CALL)
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Freezer Challenge
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Sierra Club surveys
    Sustainability Best Practices Video
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Campus Sustainability Month

    The Fall 2020 iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ) was released with the following message from Madhu Khanna, the Interim Director of iSEE:

     

    Dear Colleagues,

    Attached, please find attached the Fall 2020 “iQ” – the quarterly update from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE).

    It has been two months since I became interim director of ISEE.  It has been exciting to see ISEE bring in multimillion-dollar research grants, launch a new research initiative in regenerative agriculture, and help coalesce sustainable agriculture research on our campus during this period.

    Our Certificate in Environmental Writing has engaged students in making insightful contributions to a new issue of Q Magazine. We have also expanded our opportunities for education and scholarly discourse with several online events, including those on nuclear energy and geothermal energy research.

    We formally launched the new Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP 2020) on Oct 20, 2020. This ambitious plan is the result of the hard work of campus sustainability folks who worked hand-in-hand with Facilities & Services and incorporated the vision of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members into a plan for the next five years and beyond — all the way to carbon neutrality no later than 2050!

    I am so grateful to Evan Delucia for his efforts over the first seven years as the first director of our Institute. He has left iSEE as a vibrant part of the Illinois community, and I am working with our outstanding ISEE staff to expand upon the work already begun — as evidenced in this six-page update.

    Please take a quick look at those updates and more in “iQ.” For more regular news, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.

    Wishing you a successful end to the fall semester,

    Madhu

    Attached Files: 

  14. 11/4 Resilience SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team

    The Resilience SWATeam met on Nov. 4th, 2020 and discussed an Urban Biodiversity Master Plan and an Environmental Justice Plan for the University and surrounding cities. Attached are the meeting minutes and chat log. 

    Summary of progress: 

    1.) Biodiversity Plan: A recommendation is being drafted to convene executive and advisory committees where university, local governments, and community members collaborate to gather research. The process could potentially be informed and organized by the Cities with Nature platform, which the city of Urbana is already using.

    2.) Environmental Justice Plan: iSEE is compiling a list of contacts to engage for starting an Environmental Justice Plan and conducting research on best practices for making such a plan. 

    Attached Files: 

  15. Weekly Update: Moving bikes from warehouse; Traffic safety

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Slow week again. Grabbed a few more bikes from the warehouse. I’ve been given clearance to remove all the remaining bikes, so I’ll be doing that in small doses for the rest of the semester. I’ll bring some of my staff along to help. Moving bikes around is a lot easier for college-aged kids anyway.

    I spoke with a UIPD officer last week about traffic safety after I had some close encounters with vehicles on campus. We’ve tentatively planned to do a meet and greet/talk next semester with my staff and UIPD to cover road safety on campus. It’ll be great to have the ear of enforcement on cycling issues and in the end, be better cycling advocates to the community.

    Numbers:

    Visitors: 6
    Sales: $228.00
    Memberships: 1 for $60
    Bike Sales (refurb): 1 for $160
    Misc parts: 2 for $8

    Thanks!

     

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  16. possible irrigation locations

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rainwater Capture Systems
    CEE Project Based Learning (PBL)

    For a class project, F&S reviewed the irrigation metering for the following buildings:

    • 303 Play Field Service Building
    • 374 Hartley Gardens
    • 1486 Grounds Garage
    • 100 President House
    • 1502 Softball Training Center
    • 1270 Eichelberger Locker Room

    Out of that list, buildings 374 and 100 are the only ones with irrigation meters. The water consumption for those irrigation meters is attached here.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Research news about organic agriculture

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Food Practices
    Sustainable Agricultural Practices

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative awarded a $2M grant to the University of Illinois and collaborators to "develop improved seed corn tailored to the needs of the rapidly growing organic industry." Martin Bohn will lead the project.

    -- From: https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/812995663.html

  19. F&S Executive Director Dr. Mohamed Attalla talks Solar Farm 2.0 on The Solar Podcast

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Sustainability Minor

    Dr. Mohamed Attalla, the Executive Director of Facilities and Services, recently spoke on the Solar Podcast about the progress made at the University of Illinois in regards to green energy with the addition of Solar Farm 2.0.  Dr. Mohamed Attalla was alongside Pedro De La Barra, the Project Manager for Sol Systems, as they discussed the working relationship between the University and those at Sol Systems. Solar Farm 2.0 is expected to be producing solar energy in early 2021. 

     

    Please see the link below to listen to this podcast!

    https://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2020/10/28/podcast-dr.-attalla-joins-the-solar-podcast

     

     

     

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