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Projects Updates for key objective: No name

  1. Solar Farm 3.0 possibilities on UIUC owned land?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA

    Hi Geri and Anita,

     

    At the Sustainability Council, you said there are University-owned lands that could potentially support our Solar Farm 3.0 goals.  I think you said there is one possibility near UIS.  Is there another location, as well?

     

    I’d appreciate a description of the potential sites and locations, so we can talk with the energy consultant about those sites.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -------------------------

     

    The UIS farmland adjacent to that campus could be considered for a solar project.  Decisions pertaining to the development of a solar project at UIS would be done through that campus.  Our UIS contact is Chuck Coderko, Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities and Services. There are approximately 256 total acres of which 235 are tillable acres (in crop production) managed by Ag Property Services   UIF has approximately 75 acres near the UIS campus as well.  UIF farmland is managed by Heartland Bank. 

    From my email exchange with Chuck, “several discussions with Springfield’s City Water Light & Power (CWLP), the sole provider of UIS’s electricity, who owns the lines/power grid. They are investing in solar in other areas of Illinois, and after several meetings, proposed ideas, etc., it appears they are not interested in what UIS would offer, and we would be on our own. But the city’s leadership changed a couple of months ago, and future opportunities may exist. Without CWLP or another partner, we would be generating electricity for the campus. We would also like to include other potential entities we could provide power to (Lincoln Land Community College, etc.), but we haven’t gotten that far.  We are looking for opportunities. As we currently stand, working through a P3 or Energy Service Company would be our most likely scenario, but much feasibility research will need to be done. UIS can’t bank a solar farm alone, and I am leery of levying a multi-million dollar debt on the university.”

     

    Ag Property Services manages farmland for the College of Engineering:

    Reifsteck Farm is located in Champaign County.  There are approximately 247 total acres of which 210 are tillable.  There are research projects on a portion the non-tillable areas. 

    VRO Farm is located in Vermilion County.  There are approximately 320 total acres of which 95 are tillable.  The farmland borders timber/woodland on two sides.  The Illinois Natural History Survey may be conducting research in the timber/woodland. 

     

    If you have additional questions, please let us know.

     

    Thank you,

    Anita Million

  2. FW: Solar Farm 3

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA

    Madhu,

         I have attached a study that I did in 2020 for an on-campus Solar Farm 3, in case it is of use to you or anyone else.  The numbers have changed since 2020, of course, but it is likely that the conclusions of the study remain the same.  This study supports the comments I made to you about an on-campus Solar Farm 3 when we spoke last week.

     

                    Scott

    Attached Files: 

  3. Thermal Energy Storage - site selection - updated report and scorecards

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Thermal Energy

    Good afternoon Site Selection Committee.  I have received some comments and have incorporated them into the draft report and it is attached here.


    Also attached is a site evaluation form for you to fill out along with a quick guide on how to complete the evaluation. Please provide your scoring no later than 3:00pm on Thursday May 11, 2023.  After that, I will compile the final version with the scoring.

     

    Please let me know if you have any questions.  

     

    Thank you,

     

    Mark Roessler

    -----------------------------

    Good afternoon everyone.  Dennis pointed out to me that there is a better scorecard document to use rather than the pdf that I previously sent.  Please use the attached excel spreadsheet instead of the pdf.

     

    And just a reminder to try to have your scores into me by 3pm on Thursday 5/11/2023.

     

    Thank you and have a great weekend.

    ------------------------------

    Good afternoon, Mark.

     

    Please find attached, UOCP’s site selection review to locate a new CHW tank.

     

    Let me know if you have any questions.

     

    Thank you,

    Sandy

    -------------------------

    Good morning Sandy.  How’s it going today? 

     

    I think you mentioned you/UOCP would have more comments on the draft of the final report for the TES tank selection so I am checking in to see if there are any?


    Thanks.

    -----------------------

     

    Mark, thank you for requesting UOCP’s input.  UOCP has reviewed the draft Site Evaluation Report for locating the new Thermal Energy Storage tank.  Please accept UOCP’s review comments for consideration before UOCP accepts the final report.

     

    Thank you,

    Sandy

    Attached Files: 

  4. 6-1-23 External Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Tailgate Recycling
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    Welcome Celebration Recycling

    On June 1, 2023 UIUC representatives and Coca-Cola met to discuss the following:

    Attendance: Naveen Baarla, Jen Fraterrigo, Jake Slager, Marty Kaufmann, Shreya Mahajan, Sarah Carten, Travis Tate

    • Recycling Value Assessment - Tour

      • UIUC recognized as a best in class MRF

    • Upcoming events:

      • Welcome Week Lunch

        • Friday, August 18 Lot 31

        • After State Farm Center convocation

      • Move in week

      • Tailgate recycling (near memorial stadium)

    • Rvat

      • Bottles and cans collector

      • 4’ tall flag pole

      • 48w x 40d x 41h

      • Don’t Waste messaging

      • Could work well with lunch and tailgate recycling (near the collection sites, not near memorial stadium)

      • Tested at Kentucky Derby, test sites at retail stores

        • Jake has a follow up with the Derby tomorrow and will see how the vat use was received

      • Aluminum and steel, chloroplast material. can put a weight down to ensure that it doesn’t blow away

      • On a pallet

    • Competitive bin options

      • Could be near the memorial stadium entrances

      • Could brand it with DIA sports, football

  5. TEACH AD workshop at the Healthy Lifestyle Hub, about the anaerobic digesters installed at Green Era Campus

    Associated Project(s): 
    Plan for Organic Waste
    University of Illinois at Chicago
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Reduce Foodwaste

    Sarthak Prasad and Daphne Hulse attended an in-person TEACH AD workshop at the Healthy Lifestyle Hub in Chicago to learn about the anaerobic digesters installed at Green Era Campus in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood.

    Attached Files: 

  8. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - June 2, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    Done:

    Discussion:

    • Review user roles
    • Question about a TODO: "Collections page: Add image upload option". At a previous meeting we had this TODO, but what was the context? Was it to have a thumbnail for each Collection? Or a banner image?
    • Should we link to "Take Action" project from homepage?
      • Replace map link in Highlights?
      • Need to finish Take Action page content
    • Are we ready to make Fancy Page Layout live?
    • Archiving projects
      • Add "Archived" checkbox?
      • Add "Archived" to Visibility options?
      • Add "Archived" to Project Status options? (probably not - this mixes the status of the project itself with whether we still want it to show up on the site)
      • Remove from nested listings, still publicly available?

    TODO:

    • Loading message on page unload shows up sometimes in browser page history (e.g. view iCAP Portal PDF from About page, then click "back")
    • Michael will put together a spreadsheet of iCAP Clerks for review
    • Homepage has extra padding on right side on mobile
    • SSC project embedding: add category filtering options
    • (long term goal) look into importing information from another source, e.g. SSC students without iCAP Portal access can put together info in a structured format for automatic import into iCAP Portal
    • Look into Collection embedding again, à la Drawdown Solutions Library Sammy had found ("Filter by sector or area of action" section)
    • Metric search/display:
      • Theme (via connected Project, i.e. Theme -> Project -> Metric)
      • Most recent updates as of: (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
      • (Internal only) Last updated before (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
    • (Low Priority) Make column headers click-sortable on Projects by Project Status page
    • Fancy project layout mockups - keep tweaking #3 to improve contrast
    • Discuss metrics
      • Metrics with lots of data
      • Consider how to handle old metrics that no longer track new data. Archive somehow?
      • Fun with math (e.g. combining multiple metrics)
      • Calculated Metrics on Dev site

  9. Meeting with Jen and Morgan - Commuter Program and Emergency Ride Home

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Please see attached the meeting notes from our meeting on May 22, 2023. Attended by: Morgan White, Stacey DeLorenzo, Sarthak Prasad, Jennifer Fraterrigo

    Major talking points:

    • Emergency/Guaranteed Ride Home program is like an insurance program
    • Concern - program funding for itself
    • Ride sharing
    • Carpool options
    • Three types of programs:
      • Celebrate those who active mode of transportation
      • Those who relinquish their parking pass (Commuter Program)
      • Emergency Ride Home Program

    Action items for Sarthak:

    • Ask Maria McMullen (Parking) – if there is a carpool permit and how does it work
    • Ask Yanfeng about the Vanpool survey
    • Have other universities done a study or a review of the ERH program
      • Whether there is a desire/demand for ERH now that there are Uber/Lyft and other programs
      • Have they evaluated their program?
      • If not, do a survey on campus
    • talk to Advancements/Corporate Relations about Uber/Lyft (benefits/free)
      • Try and get a phone call with Barlo Levold
    • Fact Sheet for all the different programs that support the car free lifestyle
      • Arent you glad, you dont have a car
      • Maybe work with a student group to make it a little
    • Ask Veo and ZipCar if the participants used their services
    • Ask for feedback from the participants
    • Extend the pilot through to December
    • Ask for feedback in fall
      • Not reopen the enrollment
    • Talk to Parking
    • Ask all parking permit holders if they may be interested in this program
    Attached Files: 

  10. ICAP Recommendation Engagement005 DIA and Green Sports Alliance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) Climate Action Plan

    On April 10, 2023 Jennifer Fraterrigo sen the following email:

    Dear Mr. Whitman and Tim,

    The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) Working Group (iWG) recently approved recommendation Engagement005 from the Engagement iCAP Team for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to formally join the Green Sports Alliance. The expectation is that doing so would increase the visibility of campus sustainability efforts and put UIUC on par with fellow Big10 institutions that are integrating sustainability into athletics. Additional details are provided in the attached recommendation.

    The Formal iCAP Procedures include a section on campus unit responsibilities upon receipt of a recommendation, and we respectfully request your response to this recommendation by May 5, if possible. If you have any questions regarding this recommendation, we are happy to jump on a call with you to discuss it.

    Sincerely,

    Jennifer Fraterrigo

    ---------------

    On May 2, 2023 Josh Whitman responded:

    Jennifer,

    The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) approves the recommendation to formally join the Green Sports Alliance at the $2,500 Premier Membership level. Assistant Athletic Director Tim Knox will be responsible for coordinating the implementation for DIA.

    Josh

    --------------

    On May 4, 2023 Jennifer forwarded the previous thread to Sarthak:

    Hi Sarthak – one more!

    Please mark this as successful on the portal; response below.

    Thanks,

    Jen

    ------------

    On May 20, 2023 Morgan White responded to Jennifer:

    Hi Jen, Daphne, and Betsy,

    I suggest we invite Tim Knox to a meeting, to see what support he may need from F&S and iSEE in this endeavor.  What do you think?  Or has something like that already happened?

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    ------------

    On May 22, 2023 Betsy Ligget replied with the following email and attached documents:

    This is great news, thank you for sharing! I’m happy to join a meeting with DIA regarding Green Sports Alliance, please let me know when I can assist with the transition. The last annual membership invoice (10-13-22) is attached and is for the Nov. 1st, 2022 - Nov. 30th, 2023 time period.

    I have also attached the 2021 membership letter for everyone’s files.

    Thanks again,

    Betsy

     

    Attached Files: 

  12. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - May 19, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    Done:

    • Header: remove "at" between UI and UC
    • SSC project embedding:

    Discussion:

    • Question about a TODO: "Collections page: Add image upload option". At a previous meeting we had this TODO, but what was the context? Was it to have a thumbnail for each Collection? Or a banner image?
    • Should we link to "Take Action" project from homepage?
    • Archiving projects
      • Add "Archived" checkbox?
      • Add "Archived" to Visibility options?
      • Add "Archived" to Project Status options? (probably not - this mixes the status of the project itself with whether we still want it to show up on the site)
      • Remove from nested listings, still publicly available?

    TODO:

    • SSC project embedding: add category filtering options
    • (long term goal) look into importing information from another source, e.g. SSC students without iCAP Portal access can put together info in a structured format for automatic import into iCAP Portal
    • Show "no content" message under Metric Chart when no tracking records exist
    • Look into Collection embedding again, à la Drawdown Solutions Library Sammy had found ("Filter by sector or area of action" section)
    • Metric search/display:
      • Theme (via connected Project, i.e. Theme -> Project -> Metric)
      • Most recent updates as of: (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
      • (Internal only) Last updated before (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
    • (Low Priority) Make column headers click-sortable on Projects by Project Status page
    • Fancy project layout mockups - keep tweaking #3 to improve contrast
    • Discuss metrics
      • Metrics with lots of data
      • Consider how to handle old metrics that no longer track new data. Archive somehow?
      • Fun with math (e.g. combining multiple metrics)
      • Calculated Metrics on Dev site

  14. Tailgate Recycling Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tailgate Recycling
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola

    The Zero Waste iCAP Team submitted ZW010: Tailgate Recycling to the iWG on March 22, 2023. On April 19, 2023, the iWG transmitted the approved recommendation to the DIA and F&S leaders, Josh Whitman and Ehab Kamarah.

    Attached Files: 

  18. Green Globes 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs

    Thank you to everyone who attended the iSEE and SSLC 2023 Green Globes, where we recognized student organizations for their sustainable initiatives taken in the past year. Special congratulations to Students for Environmental Concerns, Illinois Urban Farmers, and Red Bison for receiving scholarships to further those initiatives! We are excited to see what the future looks like for these sustainable organizations, keep up the great work!

  20. ATTN: Jennifer Fraterrigo - sustainability programs at UIUC for iPRES 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utilize Carbon Credits

    Dear Jennifer,

     

    My name is Sara Berthier and I am the new events planner for the Main Library at UIUC.

    I’m currently assisting interim Dean Chris Prom and associate Brent West ccd here for the organization and logistics for the next iPRES conference that will take place at the iHotel, September 19th-22nd, 2023.

     

    A few of our sponsors have enquired about green sponsorships (see our sponsorship pamphlet attached, see green sponsors page 15) and were curious about any existing programs around sustainability at UIUC.

    Is there a University program with carbon offsets we could buy into or an equivalent?

     

    Let me know if you have any insight on this or if you have done this in the past.

     

    Looking forward to hearing from you, thank you for your help!

     

    Best regards,

     

    SARA BERTHIER

    --------------------

    Thanks for forwarding, Eric.

     

    Hi Sara,

     

    Thank you for reaching out about buying carbon offsets. There is no existing UI program for purchasing carbon offsets. The best I can offer is a carbon offsets purchasing guide that my colleague in F&S put together: https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/files/projectupdate/5747/Carbon-offsets-guide.pdf   It includes links to two websites where you can search for certified carbon offsets.

     

    In the past, the University sold carbon credits and reinvested the proceeds in sustainability initiatives, but we are currently reviewing this policy and no carbon credits are being sold at this time.

     

    I hope this helps. Feel free to reach out directly to me if you have any additional questions.

     

    Best wishes,

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo

    --------------------

    Hi Jennifer,

     

    Thanks for sharing this pdf, it’s super helpful.

    I look into the two websites provided, we’ve also found Cool Effect to buy carbon offsets, have you heard of it?

    The process seems pretty easy and other Higher Ed institutions have used it in the past.

     

    Thanks for your insight,

     

    Best,

     

    SARA BERTHIER

    --------------------

    Looks like a good website! We are exploring creating a system for purchasing local offsets. Feel free to check back with me in the future if the need arises again.

     

    Thanks,

    Jennifer 

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