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  1. 2020 BeeBlitz

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA

    Sixth annual BeeBlitz

    Join us (virtually) on Saturday, June 27, 2020 for the sixth annual BeeBlitz!

    Get involved: Snap, Upload, Contribute!

    Nature lovers and concerned citizens in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio are invited to get outside and snap pictures of honey & bumble bees for BeeBlitz. Then, upload your findings to BeeSpotter, the citizen science project run in collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Entomology and the Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education.

    This event is a perfect candidate for social distancing, as you can go out on your own or in small groups; there's no need to gather in large crowds to go bee spotting!

    What is BeeBlitz?

    The name BeeBlitz is derived from a BioBlitz, an activity in which all of the biodiversity in a specific area is examined, to provide a snapshot in time of the flora and fauna present. During the BeeBlitz, we seek to know what species of honey & bumble bees are seen, and where they are, on this specific day.

    We encourage veteran and aspiring bee spotters alike to venture out on a nature walk and participate in the blitz.

    What can YOU do?

    All you have to do is go outside on June 27, take a few bee photos, and upload them to BeeSpotter. You don't need to upload them immediately; just be sure to select the correct date when uploading. They will automatically be counted as part of the BeeBlitz collection!

    Learn how to get started with BeeSpotter!

    We also encourage parks, schools, museums, and zoos to publicize the virtual BeeBlitz in their local communities. Helpful resources for publicity include the BeeBlitz flier and the list of Suggested BeeBlitz Gear.

    You can help us spread the word about the BeeBlitz by distributing these BeeBlitz announcement fliers to anyone you think might be interested!

    General BeeBlitz announcement flierDownload the general BeeBlitz announcement flier (for Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio)

  2. SSC Final Report: Bike Path Renovation: Armory Avenue Path South of Gregory Hall

    Associated Project(s): 
    ENG 177 GFX Global Sustainability Scholars
    2014 Campus Bike Plan
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The construction on the path began in summer 2020 and was completed by the time students returned to campus. The old bike paths, along with hedges, overgrown evergreens, and decorative urns were removed from the area. A new 6 foot wide path was constructed and plans have been made to restore the landscape as needed. The Armory Avenue bike path is now open to use!

    This project tied in with the renovation of the entire Armory Ave bike path that connects the bike lane on Armory Ave to the bike lane on Goodwin Ave. This bike path goes through the Gregory Hall, Foellinger Auditorium, Smith Hall, IGB, and Bevier Hall.

    Please see attached the final report for this project.

    See the previous update for this project.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Design drawings being reviewed

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0

    The construction drawings for civil and electrical design for the solar farm 2.0 project are being reviewed by F&S, both design review and utilities and energy services, and should be completed in the next two weeks.

  8. Funding Approval for iCAP Portal Maintenance and Improvements

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Utilize Carbon Credits
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature

    Evan De Lucia and Mohamed Attalla approved $50,000 of funding from the Carbon Credit Sales Fund for iCAP Portal maintenance and improvements for FY20 to FY23. 

    "This will allow us to continue improvements to the iCAP Portal and continue to enhance the usability
    and impact of this well-used resource." -Morgan White (06/01/2020)

    The email of funding approval is attached below.

    The Memorandum of Understanding between iSEE, F&S, and MSTE is attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  9. Bicycle Registration page updated

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Registration
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign

    The bicycle registration page on the Bike at Illinois (bike.illinois.edu) to reflect the new changes. The new system will be available to the public from July 20, 2020. This page now contains information about the importance of registration, new bicycle registration system, how to register, and the 529 Shield (registration tag) pick up locations. Due to the pandemic, all the Shield pick-up locations were closed.

    Learn more and how to Register Your Bicycle here.

    Learn about the Benefits of registering your bicycle here.

  11. Design Team results for Uni High

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Solar Decathlon

    I would like to thank you for the wonderful opportunity. I would also like to thank everyone who attended and gave their encouraging and insightful inputs. It was a rewarding experience to present and get positive feedback. 

    Peter and I, would love to keep working and participating in this process since we are here on campus for another two years. It would be really nice if you would involve us. Excited about that!

     

    Also, I am attaching the PowerPoint presentation for reference and further use. 

     

    Thanks once again, and I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. 

     

    Warm regards,

    Prajakta Gharpure

    Attached Files: 

  12. COVID-19, Climate Change and Health: A Webinar May 19 at Noon CDT

    Associated Project(s): 
    Provide Centralized Communication about Sustainability
    Resilience Commitment
    Resilience iCAP Team

    Join NCSA and LAS for a chat on lessons we can learn on the interplay between climate and human health in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdowns. These findings could potentially help improve air quality and health in areas of poor air quality. Larry DiGirolamo, Don Wuebbles, and Ashish Sharma will cover current observations and review the challenges involved in approaching this research. 

    May 19, 12 PM • Tuesday, Noon Central Daylight Time Barbara Jewett • National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA)

    COVID-19, Climate Change and Health: A Webinar May 19 at Noon CDT

     

  14. Funding Approval for Energy Advisor for Solar Farm 3.0

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA
    Utilize Carbon Credits
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature

    Mohamed Attalla and Evan DeLucia approved $17,000 of funding from the Carbon Credit Sales Fund for an Energy Advisor for Solar Farm 3.0, Customer First Renewables.

    An email of the approval is attached below.

     

    Attached Files: 

  15. Sustainability Benefits of using iBuy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement

    The main purpose to transition to iBuy is it will promote a sustainable process (e.g. no more paper, toner, postage, delivery, etc). Purchase Orders (PO) through Banner have historically been printed and mailed to vendors. For scope, here are Banner PO number over the last four fiscal years FY17 = 7,804, FY18 = 7,368, FY19 = 7,537, and FY20 = 5,669 (2 months remain in the fiscal year). In a conservative estimation, say each PO is 10 pages. This alone would have been 75,370 sheets of paper. This doesn’t consider the toner, postage or delivery emissions. In comparison, iBuy POs FY17 = 2,785, FY18 = 2,618, FY19 = 2,843, and FY20 = 3,179. Years FY17-FY19 were a 74% to 26% ratio. The efforts purchasing has made this year has shown positive movement towards higher utilization of this system as the current ratio for FY20 is 64% to 36%. Putting an exact percentage is difficult because we’re dependent on the systems abilities and the modifications Jaggaer can implement for us. Historically we have been limited in our abilities to work towards a transition to iBuy because of software limitations. 

    We are currently in the process of updating functionality which will enable higher system utilization. Here are some of the updates currently being worked on: 

    ·       Addition of Contracts Plus. Historically, purchase orders which were tied to a contract or solicitation had to be submitted through Banner. The addition of Contracts Plus will eventually replace iCS and everything will be housed in the same system which would eliminate this limitation.

    ·       We’ve also been limited on a method that clearly allows us to process a Standing PO in iBuy. It is technically possible; however, the process is convoluted. We anticipate having the ability to process standing POs by FY21. In FY19, we processed over 3,000 standing POs in Banner. Not all of these will transition to iBuy immediately, but we could potentially see a large reduction here in FY21.

    ·       We’re also in the process of implementing the America To Go  punchout catalog in iBuy which will reduce the amount of restaurant and catering order that will come through Banner. For scope, UIUC spends about $12 million dollars in this market.

  16. Certifications!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Red Oak Rain Garden

    Great news! RORG is now certified as the following:

    • Monarch Waystation – Monarch Watch
    • Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary – Illinois Audubon Society
    • Plants for Birds – National Audubon Society
    • Wildlife Habitat – National Wildlife Federation
    • Native Plant Butterfly Garden – Wild Ones
    • Certified Butterfly Garden – North American Butterfly Association
    • Pollinator Pocket – University of Illinois Extension

    layne knoche
    Visiting Extension Outreach Associate
     

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