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  1. Weekly Update: Kids Bike Giveaway, WCIA interview

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week was our first one with “regular” open hours again. I’d guess we had about the same number of people coming by as we did under our reservation system but it was certainly less leg work.
    Our main push for the next few weeks will be our Kids Bike Giveaway. The particulars:


    Date: Saturday, December 19th
    Time: 1 – 3p or until we run out of bikes
    Location: Urbana Bike Project (202 S Broadway Ave., Urbana)
    Details: first come, first served; one bike per kid and they must be present to pick out their bike.

     

    We are still in need of donations but just through emailing our membership we’ve heard from 3 – 4 people with bikes to donate.  WCIA is calling me later today to discuss, so hopefully we’ll get on the news. I’ve done lots of submitting to various media outlets. I’ll be focusing on getting the word out on the need for donations this week and focus on doing the bulk of the refurbishing next week. If successful TBP has expressed interest in making this an annual event. We’ll see!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 6
    Sales: $165.50

    Memberships: 2 for $60
    Tires/tubes: 4 for $12

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  2. Measuring geothermal energy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus

             Geothermal heat exchanger systems consist of two main components: (1) heat pumps, and (2) ground loop. The heat pump capacity is associated with the capability of a GHP system to extract heat from the ground. The size of geothermal heat pumps is measured in tons where 1 ton = 12,000 btu/h, and determined according to the profile of the heating and/or cooling demand of the facility. Meanwhile, the loop field and its size in terms of length and depth are based on the size of equipment, soil type, and average temperature, and climate conditions.  

    Furthermore, other metrics measure the system performance and its efficiency. Coefficient of Performance (COP) is the ratio of useable thermal energy to the thermal equivalent of the electricity used to operate the system. Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) represents the ratio between the cooling output (in Btu/h) and the energy (electricity) input (in Watt). Also, The SEER is a measure of central air conditioning efficiency over an entire season. Higher COP, EER, or SEER means higher heat pump efficiency.

             The ground source heat exchanger system can be implemented in conjunction with an existing heating system that depends on another type of energy such as liquid propane. To accurately calculate the reduction in energy usage after the installation of a ground source heat exchanger, the system has to be modeled as a hybrid system. Detailed information (system type, fuel, capacity, power consumption, time of usage) of this hybrid system is needed to assess the adequacy of a GHP system's performance in addressing the building’s heating and cooling needs. Assuming that the ground heat exchanger design data and the existing system are known, then the actual performance metrics of the system may be simulated using commercially available software such as eQuest or GLHEPro.

              Once the system is installed, a data collection system can measure, track, and report the actual performance of the ground heat exchanger system. First, determining the electricity consumption of a GHP system requires sub-metering of the GHP system. Second, is heat exchange performance data. This includes the measured entering/exiting water temperatures and circulation rates for the heat pump over time.  Modern GSHP units already incorporate sensors to monitor energy usage and the entering and exiting fluid temperatures.

  3. The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, in partnership with the U of I Campus Bike Center, is hosting a Kids’ Bike Giveaway this holiday season!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Encourage Bicycle Use

    The Bike Project is currently accepting donations of all kids’ and teen bikes, regardless of condition, and then refurbishing them to give back to young folks in the community!

     

    Donations can be made at the Urbana Bike Project (202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana) or at the Campus Bike Center (51 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign).

     

    Please call (217) 469-5126 or email contact@thebikeproject.org to arrange a donation.

     

    Kids' Bike Giveaway Event:

    Date: Saturday, December 19th, 2020
    Time: 1 pm – 3pm or until we run out of bikes
    Location: Urbana Bike Project (202 S. Broadway Ave., Urbana)

    Details: first come, first served; one bike per kid, and they must be present to pick out their bike.

     

    All health and safety guidelines will be followed.

  4. 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

  7. 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)

  9. 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.

  11. 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: 

  13. 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: 

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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.

  18. 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

  19. 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: 

  20. 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: 

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