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  2. Post-TED Talk Resources

    Associated Project(s): 
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]
    Build a Culture of Sustainability

    Nan Holda, one of the participants in the latest TED Talk: Eco-Edition event provided some great resources to follow up from the conversation on 4/29.  

    • Joan Gregerson's book “Climate Action Challenge.” Here’s a link to her book and workbook: https://www.climateactionchallenge.net/book.
    • Link to where people can sign up for her free, quick start online training: https://www.climateactionchallenge.net/challenge.  2021 International Climate Action Challenge
    • Joan’s weekly Green Team Academy Podcast: https://greenteamacademy.com/podcast/.
    • Climate Crisis Policy/Earth Bill Network is an umbrella organization wrangling in all other US environmental orgs to create one comprehensive Earth Bill to present to President Biden (http://www.climatecrisispolicy.org/). IMO their approach to passing federal policy is more inclusive, unified, and broader than Citizens’ Climate Lobby (which is another big lobbying org). The Earth Bill Network would love to have some college student volunteers working to create a college/university student network for the Earth Bill. If anyone is interested, they should check out the website and register at https://climatecrisispolicy.org/registration/, noting how they would like to volunteer.

  3. Pollinator Planting happening soon for Solar Farm 2.0

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas

    The Solar Farm 2.0 developer will be planting the Solar Farm 2.0 site next week.  On May 7, 2021, they will spray an herbicide mixture to prepare the site.Here are the details they provided:

    Glyphosate 41 herbicide and/or Ranger Pro.  They are both generic glyphosate-based herbicides. Ranger Pro includes a water-based surfactant in their formulation.    We will be adding a methylated seed oil for a surfactant.  We will not be using a spray dye in the mix to avoid residue on the panels.

  4. Herbicide plans

    Associated Project(s): 
    Meadow at Orchard Downs

    Hello Brent and Morgan,

    I hope this email finds you both well. I recently discussed with Michael Ward, an NRES professor on campus, concerning the application of herbicide on the Orchard Downs plot. We believe the best plan of action is to apply herbicide to the entire plot as soon as possible, then again later in the fall. The goal is to have crop sciences/arboretum apply the herbicide on the plot. If you would like to discuss this further over zoom, let me know! 

    The semester-end is nearing, and I want to add that I will be on campus for most of the summer, so I will be able to work on the plot as we move forward. 

    Thank you, 

    Izabelle

  5. Weekly Update: bike sales, Quad Fix-it day, Bucket Brigade

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Had some nice warm weather last week. Sold a few more bikes. It’s almost as if there’s some kind of correlation between warmer weather and bike riding?
    Elsewhere: we had two participants for our Friday Ride. We had our first Quad Fix It Day but that was a bust: cool and rainy weather don’t make for a good bike time. We’ll do another one this Thursday but it’s forecasting for rain and cool weather again. Spring is fickle.
    Pending approval from Channing Murray, I’ll do a delivery run for the Bucket Brigade this week and see if it’s viable/feasible as a recurring event that we can promote.

    Our donations are picking up but mostly it’s been scrap-worthy parts, including maybe the worst salt/water damaged frame I’ve ever seen. Fun times!
    The numbers:

    Visitors: 30 (I card only)
    Sales: 1,241.60
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Bikes (refurb): 5 for $820
    Tires/tubes: 7 for $40

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Manager, Campus Bike Center

  6. Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    Climate researcher James Hansen, known for raising alarms about climate change in the 1980s, will address failures in energy policy & suggest changes moving forward. While the public is coming to grips with climate change, scientists & engineers failed to shape policies to avert its worst consequences, says Hansen, Director of Columbia University’s Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program.

    May 5, 12–1:30 pm • Zoom | Password 591223

     

    Julie Wurth Asmussen • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

  7. archived info - previous project description

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

    When built, the University of Illinois Campus Instructional Facility (CIF) will be a four-story building dedicated to academic and classroom use. CIF will serve 31,000 students daily and will leverage sustainable design to decrease its carbon emissions. The ground source heat exchange system will consist of approximately 60 wells arrayed under the John Bardeen Quad. It will be designed to be expandable, with the ability to be connected to other buildings, allowing for multiple phases. This SSC grant covers approximately 13% of the cost of the geothermal system, and this building project is the first public-private partnership on campus. As the campus works towards being carbon neutral by 2050, this project will not only reduce UIUC’s reliance on fossil fuels, but pave the way for new construction projects to use geothermal systems on campus. 

  8. Engagement SWATeam Meeting

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

    The Engagement SWATeam met for their final meeting for the semester on April 30. The team contributed their ideas for definitions of sustainability and engagement to be used by the team and iSEE as a whole. These definitions will be refined over the summer. Also, the team plans to work over the summer with iWG to discuss the Engagement Mind Map to make a clear start for next semester. Meeting minutes attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  10. Wildflower Display at Lincoln Ave Residence

    Associated Project(s): 
    LAR Native Plants

    The following is a message from John Marlin. In this message, Marlin includes information about the wildflower display at Lincoln Avenue Residence (LAR), as well as photographs of the location:

    Hello,

     

    At the moment and for the next several weeks woodland wildflowers will be blooming at LAR, specifically to the north of the front steps, continuing past the edge of the building, and alongside the north east side of the building.  There are about 20 woodland species in the mix.  This is a fairly good example of the type of plants that could be placed in small beds around campus to help pollinators and provide visual relief.  The spring plants are especially nice to have around as students face the stress of finals and leaving their friends for the summer. I believe you would find a visit worthwhile. I would be glad to join at any convenient time.

     

    The project was initiated in 2016 by the LAR Living Learning Community.  In addition to the woodland plantings there are prairie and related plantings starting at the south side of the steps and continuing around the south side of the building to the loading dock.  An additional planting is in the courtyard by the dining room.  Various prairie species will bloom in sequence beginning now and through the fall.  These plantings compliment the nearby Red Oak Rain Garden.

     

    Over 50 students and community members planted the area.  A part-time intern helped maintain it for the first year and a half.  A $5,000 grant paid for the most of the plants and intern.  There has been very limited maintenance due to the virus and lack of funds for the intern.  The main problems are some weeds and aggressive spread of some of the native plants.  Insects and birds use the plantings and several classes have visited.

     

    There is a growing consensus in favor of locating pollinator pockets and other native planting around campus.  Once in the ground they require minimal maintenance.  A few seasonal student interns with some supervision could manage quite a few.  I hope there can be some action along these lines over the next few years.

    John C. Marlin, PhD

    Research Affiliate, ISTC, PRI

    marlin@illinois.edu

    217-649-4591

     

    Photo 1: Volunteers planting at LAR in September 2016

    Photo 2: Up-close photo of LAR flowers in April 2021

    Photo 3: Up-close photo of LAR plants, including flowers, in April 2021

    Photo 4: Photo of LAR plants and flowers underneath a tree in April 2021

    Photo 5: Photo of LAR plants and flowers in April 2021

     

  11. Bicycle Census spring 2021

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Counts

    Bicycle Census was organized on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 10-11 am. There were some technical difficulties and light drizzle during the event, due to which we were not able to cover everything on main campus. There were a total of 18 volunteers and we covered 21 map blocks. The remaining blocks will be covered by Sarthak Prasad and others in the next few days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students transitioned to online classes, and the majority of faculty and staff established alternative work during the spring semester. This census data will provide a unique look at ridership levels during this period and offer important details about the traveling behavior of those remaining on campus.

    The volunteers collected information on the number of off-and-on-rack bicycles along with specific bike rack information, including the type, capacity, and how the structures are installed.

    Davis McGregor and Sgt. James Carter won the raffle and they will receive Illinois Coffee mugs.

    The information collected in this bicycle census will be updated to the F&S database once the new GIS support is hired.

  13. Weekly Update: Moved bikes, Quad Fix-it Day, Bike Census

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Not much news from last week. We still aren’t busy-busy. I picked up bikes from the warehouse to scrap. I moved six kids bikes to Urbana on the big bike trailer and got lots of surprised looks, quizzical glances, and a couple thumbs up. Considering the amount of attention that trailer gets, we should look into getting some signage for it.

    There’s been some nascent interest in volunteering from a few visitors. That’s been welcome. We also rearranged the workspace, moving the second repair stand next to the first one by the tool wall. They’re still safely separated but not totally annexed to the other side of the shop.
    This week is our Friday Ride—last week was a no-show again—and our Quad Fix It Day on Thursday. I’ll be helping with the Bike Census on Wednesday as well.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 15
    Sales: $627.24
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Bikes (refurb): 1 for $140

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Manager, Campus Bike Center

  14. Bike Census volunteer opportunity (4/28) and TED Talk discussion (4/29)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach
    Bicycle Counts
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign

    Happy Friday! I hope you are having a great Earth Week/Earth Month and have been able to attend a few (of the many!) activities this April. The Bike Census Spring 2021 is next Wednesday, April 28, from 10 – 11 AM. Bike Census is a collaborative, community-wide effort between Facilities & Services (F&S) and Champaign County Bikes that began in 2013 as part of ongoing improvement efforts to support the campus’ Bicycle Friendly University status.

     

    If you are available to volunteer next Wednesday morning, please sign up here. There will be a virtual training session beforehand at 9 AM. Two Illinois coffee mugs will be raffled off for student volunteers. I hope you are able to participate and in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Sarthak Prasad (sprasad9@illinois.edu).

     

    On another note, in celebration of Earth Month, the next iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition event will focus on environmental activism and individual versus corporate responsibility for climate change. On Thursday, April 29 at 7 PM, participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk presented in July 2020 by Xiye Bastida: "If you adults won't save the world, we will." Afterward, all are invited to participate in a guided discussion hosted by iSEE Communications Intern and ESES student, Maria Maring. Sign up here.

     

    As always, be sure to check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for upcoming events and programs and help spread the word. Have a great weekend!

     

  15. Sustainability Message from Illinois Leadership!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Earth Month
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    To wrap up Earth Week, President Killeen, Chancellor Jones, and leadership teams sent out the following message:

    "The University of Illinois System welcomes President Biden’s publicly announced commitment to action on climate change, a serious and essential statement of the country’s resolve to lead in building a better, more sustainable future.

    President Biden’s new plan to, among other things, cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030 also represents a call to the country’s centers of research and innovation for the bold ideas needed to make these goals reality.

    The University of Illinois System and its three universities stand ready to help."

    Go Illini!

    https://massmail.illinois.edu/massmailArchive 

  17. 4/23 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Build a Culture of Sustainability

    Attached are the minutes to the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting which took place on April 23, 2021. The meeting agenda was as follows:

    • Elimination of thermal paper receipts.
    • Education on Waste Management.
    • Reduction of water bottle purchases in vending machines.

    Potential initiatives which resulted from this conversation:

    • Pursue sustainable receipt options to divert receipts from University waste stream.
    • RA Training on waste management, with intent to educate students in university housing about sustainability.
    • Creating a sustainability training video for buyers through the Purchasing office.
    • Recommendation to create F&S standard to modify water fountain installations.
    • Recommendation to do a behavioral assessment on water bottle purchasers.
    • Recommendation to launch an education campaign for campus members on tap water quality.
    Attached Files: 

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