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Projects Updates for key objective: No name

  1. Clean vehicle tax credits

    Associated Project(s): 
    UI Ride
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Decrease Emissions from UI Fleet

    Following is Pete Varney's response to the question from Morgan, "In addition to the Ford Lightning EVs, could we potentially get EV versions of the turtle-top 15-person vans?  Also, is there any discussion about getting Hybrid buses for UI Ride?"

    When discussing EV we have to look at manufacturer availability and operational needs. Car Pool vehicles, 15-pass vans, need to be able to operate both locally and on extended trips ruling out EV due to range restrictions.

    We won’t be looking to replace the first UI Ride bus until FY24/25. We can explore hybrid, but this class of vehicle is different from MTD hybrid buses. Electric may be an option. When the time comes, we’ll discuss with the System office as they put the $$ into UI Ride.

    Thank you,

    Pete

  2. Update from Brent regarding milkweed recommendation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas
    Bee Campus USA

    Jen asked Brent on March 1 about the status of LW004 Monarchs Need Milkweed and ALUFS006 Increased Agroforestry. Brent responded on March 1 with the following message:

    Hi Jennifer,

    On this one, Morgan has our response.  We want to do the work with F&S Grounds, but would like to have the SSC pay for seeds.  I think I have a cost of $2200, which would allow for us to seed a fairly large amount of the low mow spaces on campus.  F&S wouldn’t charge for our time as we would be broadcasting, which isn’t difficult.  The benefit of having us do the seeding is that we would know where it was.  We would also focus on the higher visibility areas to greatest impact.

    If we can get funding soon, we can get the seeds ordered for this year. 

    Thanks!

  3. Sustainability Internship Program Independent Study Documents

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    Sustainability Internship Program

    Attached documents were generated as part of an independent study on a sustainability internship program. It highlights similar programs, both at UIUC and elsewhere, as well as some identification of local opportunities.

    Attached Files: 

  6. Sarthak & I (Alec) met to discuss the 2023 Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) Application

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Friendly University Status
    2014 Campus Bike Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Reduce Driving on Campus

    Sarthak & I met for an hour on 2/27/2023 to discuss the 2023 BFU application. I checked some answers with him. We determined who we need to ask for some questions and answered other questions.

     

    The current version of the 2023 BFU Application Log is attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  8. Transportation iCAP Team Meeting 2/24/2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Fleet Replacement Plans

    The Transportation iCAP Team met on Friday, February 24th, 2023 to hear about upcoming research on electric vehicles on campus, discuss updates to bike storage projects, and discuss actions to promote fleet replacement plans on campus.

    Watch the recording here

    Attached Files: 

  9. iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Report on Progress
    iSEE Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) Projects
    iSEE Congress
    Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW)
    Grind2Energy
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    Illini Lights Out
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Bee Campus USA

    Greetings, Colleagues,

     

    I hope the start of 2023 is going well. I’m reaching out today to send you iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022 from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.

     

    For more up-to-date news from iSEE, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.

     

    IN RESEARCH

     

     IN EDUCATION & OUTREACH

    • Registration is open for iSEE Congress 2023 — “Addressing Crises of a Planetary Scale: Lessons from Pandemics and Climate Change.”
    • The Fall 2023 Critical Conversation is expected to bring together stakeholders to discuss climate-smart commodities.
    • iSEE’s Environmental Leadership Program for Spring 2023 is already more than past the midway point; check out our student blog for some perspective on the immersive learning experience.
    • Read a Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW) success story in former Q author and CEW recipient Zack Fishman.

     

    IN CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY

    • Our Grind2Energy video explored how dining hall food waste produces energy and fertilizer; its release spurred coverage by The News-Gazette and WCIA-TV.
    • iSEE’s new, more comprehensive Student Action webpage offers listings for iSEE jobs, volunteering, and student organizations to join.
    • Illini Lights Out fall semester featured RECORD totals: more than 640 volunteers turned off 20,303 bulbs, saving the campus as much as 35,000 kWH, $3,090, and nearly 25 tons of GHG. Spring dates: Jan. 27 (130+ volunteers, 5,043 bulbs, 8,700 kWH, $760, 6.2 tons of GHG), Feb. 10 and 24, March 24, and April 21.
    • At the November Zero Waste basketball game (see video) more than 280 pounds of beverage containers and other recyclables were diverted from the landfill. The next Zero Waste basketball game March 2 seeks 100 volunteers. iSEE partnering with F&S, Housing, Athletics, and Union for a #don’twasteWednesdays twitter campaign all spring. FALL PLAN: a ZW football tailgate.
    • A new Waste Transfer Station video shows the great work by Facilities & Services — but also the need for all campus community members to pre-sort their recyclables to prevent them from becoming landfill waste.
    • Greener Campus certifications in the new year: One new office (Visit Champaign County!), one new chapter (Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority), and nine new events (including Illini Lights Out) certified in January.
    • Read our article about the sustainable features of Campus Recreation and our feature about the new beekeeping club on campus.

     

    Thanks for reading, and best wishes for the remainder of the spring semester!

     

    Best,

    Madhu Khanna

     

     

    Madhu Khanna

    Pronouns: she, her

    Alvin H. Baum Family Chair & Director, Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment

    ACES Distinguished Professor in Environmental Economics

    Co-Director, Center for Economics of Sustainability

    University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

    1301, W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801

     

     

     

  10. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - February 24, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    Done:

    • Moved "Northeast of Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Lab" Place from Null Island to where I think it should be. Could someone confirm it's now in the right spot?
    • Objectives page: fixed some styling issues (buttons above table, margin above in-page links to account for sticky headers)
    • Added LinkedIn & Reddit share buttons on Project Updates (see this Project Update for example)
    • Added social sharing buttons on Projects (see iCAP Portal project for example)
    • Finished testing improved method for setting a Project's location in the menu system (dropdown list was becoming unmanageable). A couple cautionary notes:
      • You can switch from single-item dropdown lists to multi-item lists by dragging the bar below them to expand them. If you drag bar back up to switch back to single-item dropdown lists, future changes to the items still fill them in as multi-item lists. Just drag the bar back down to expand them again.
      • **Do not select self in last dropdown list** - it will appear to work fine for that node, but it actually loses its place in the hierarchy, which can be seen in its children. If you go back in to edit the node, you'll have to find its location again from scratch.

    Discussion:

    • Should we show a "last updated" date on the projects?
      • Automatically show last time Project was updated?
      • Add field that is updated intentionally when a project's information has been reviewed & by whom?
      • Add a disclaimer about information being correct at the time it was entered?
    • Some social sharing buttons not showing up in incognito mode? (e.g. Carbon Commitment)
    • 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)

    TODO:

    • Can we limit access to menu selection for Projects to only certain users - e.g. iCAP Admins?
    • Remove RSS Feeds from listings (e.g. Project Updates for collection: Geothermal Projects)
    • Search: can it be less rigid? e.g. ignore punctuation, understand that "bikes" and "bicycles" are equivalent, etc.
    • 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
    • Track down and resolve informational message on full listing page for Project Updates by Key Objective (see, e.g. Projects Updates for key objective: 1.0 iCAP 2020 Illinois Climate Action Plan)

  11. Sarthak & I (Alec) met to discuss the Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) application

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Friendly University Status
    2014 Campus Bike Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Reduce Driving on Campus

    Sarthak & I met on 2/20/2023 to go over some questions I had about the BFU application. We talked about the built environment of the campus (question A8), and clarified the total campus enrollment statistic. I also showed Sarthak the log I created to keep track of the my progress on the application, which is attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  12. 2-20-23 Internal Meeting

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

    On February 20, UIUC sustainability representatives met and discussed the following:

    Attendance: Tony Mancuso, Jen Fraterrigo, Shawn Patterson, Julie Wurth, Steven Breitwieser, Travis Tate, Marty Kaufmann, Daphne Hulse

    Agenda:

    1. Basketball game

      1. Volunteers: Marty

        1. Volunteers checking in at the main west entrance?

        2. Place for volunteer coats and bags / giveaway t-shirts?

          1. Marty to check in with SFC

        3. Timing

          1. Move up first shift to 4:30 for bin placement (*note in reminder email*)

      2. Communications: Group feedback

        1. F&S crafted messaging for the upcoming game: feedback? [see word document]

      3. Media: iSEE

        1. Photography/videography: night of the event? (post-game pickup)

          1. iSEE interns

          2. Talk with F&S communications

      4. Post-game feedback: Marty

        1. Did you notice that this was a recycling-focused game? YES/NO

        2. Did you know State Farm Center recycles bottles and cans? YES/NO

        3. Did you recycle your cans and/or bottles at this game? YES/NO/I HAD NO RECYCLABLES

        4. Would you like to see more recycling initiatives at State Farm Center? YES/NO

        5. Did you know you can bring your own empty, clear plastic water bottle, up to 32 ounces to State Farm Center? YES/NO

        6. Post-season survey - could be incorporated here - Marty to investigate

      5. Post-game recycling estimates: Jen, Shawn

        1. It is possible to capture concession data from the single event [see excel sheet]

        2. Quantity of plastic bottles and aluminum cans sold at the event

          1. Estimate the weight of an empty can and bottle

          2. Of the total pounds of recyclables collected, estimate what percentage each material makes up. Percentage and weight, estimate % of bottles that were sold recycled, % of cans that were sold recycled

          3. Purpose:

            1. Part of the Coca-Cola contract (achieve 100% recycling of bottles and cans by 2030).

            2. Helpful to know how far we are until we cap out on possible recycling at these events (“we only captured and recycled roughly 50% of the bottles and cans sold that night”).

        3. Use relative proportions found in the bowl pick

        4. Don’t know the premium area information (missing data), though it is a small proportion

     

  13. Weekly capstone meetings: Meeting from 2/15

    Associated Project(s): 
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Independent Student Projects

    Ethan and Sarthak met via zoom to discuss Ethan’s progress in reviewing relevant documents toward the former 2014 Bicycle Plan and for the future 2024 Bicycle Plan. Ethan has finished reading the 2019 and 2023 progress reports on the bicycle plan and reviewed which projects have been finished and are yet to be finished. Ethan’s main goal is to develop a presentation for a meeting with Morgan and Stacy to discuss the work he and Sarthak have been doing. Also, they must present their plan for the semester in regard to developing the planning process for the next year, in reference to the 2024 Bicycle Plan. Ethan and Sarthak also discussed highlighting the bicycle audit expected to be done in the Fall.

    Attached Files: 

  14. Land & Water iCAP Meeting 2/17

    Associated Project(s): 
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)
    Water Audit / Inventory
    Monitor Soil Health
    Cover Crops on South Farms

    On February 17th, the Land & Water iCAP team met to discuss the details of a permeable pavers recommendation. The team then split off into breakout rooms to organize future soil and water committee initiatives. 

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  17. iSEE Green Event and Chapter Certifications

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Chapter Program
    Certified Green Event Program
    Certified Greener Campus Programs

    Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Green Event and Green Chapter certification programs! 

    Green Chapter: Kappa Delta, Gold, Recertified February 2023

    Green Event:

    -Krannert Art Museum SPEAK Cafe: Rest and Rejuvention, Certified February 2023

    -F&S, iSEE, DIA, Coca-Cola partnered event Zero Waste Basketball Game, Certified February 2023

    -University of Illinois Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Holonyak Memorial, Certified February 2023

    -Office of the Chancellor for Special Events Filler Scholar Dinner, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events University of Pretoria Dinner, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Strategic Planning Summit, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Rutgers Men's Basketball Game, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Minnesota Men's Basketball Game, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Northwestern Men's Basketball, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events Illinois vs. Michigan Men's Basketball, Certified February 2023

    -Chancellor's Office for Special Events University-wide Commencement Ceremony, Certified February 2023

    Keep up the great work!

       


     

  19. Sustainability Career Panel Newsletter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)
    Sustainability at Career Fairs

    Image

    SECS Newsletter 02/13/2022

    WHEN: Wednesday, February 15, 2022

    TIME: 5:30 - 7:30 PM

    WHERE: Campus Instructional Facility, Room 2035 (1405 W. Springfield Avenue)

    Image

    Happy Monday! I hope you guys are enjoying the sweater weather outside! We will take a break from our projects this week as our sustainability career panel will take place on Wednesday at the CIF. The panel will feature leaders from the Illinois EPA, Illinois Environmental Council, Prairie Rivers Network, Urbana Park District, Sola Gratia Farm, and more. This event will be broken into two 50-minute sections separated by a break, and there will be plenty of time for a Q&A session. Food will be provided (👀), with vegetarian-friendly options available.

    Also, don't forget about our Valentine's Day fundraiser this Tuesday! Stop by our table at the quad from 12-4 to buy some V-Day cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and roses! If you want to bake out or help, it's not too late - use this link to sign up. Thank you!


    Image



    We hope to see you on Wednesday! Go green or go HOME!

     




     

     

    Join the Discord!

     

  20. Funding Approval for Micro-Agrivoltaics - Salvage of Equipment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature
    Agrivoltaics: Crop Production and Solar Panels on the Same Land
    Ground Mounted Solar PVs BRC Research Test Bed [ARCHIVED]

    Ehab Kamarah and Madhu Khanna approved $10,000 in funding to support Agrivoltaics projects on campus.

    Tim Mies sent the following email excerpt to Madhu Khanna on Feb 7, 2023:

    I would like to update a bit on how this project might go forward, and ask for your thoughts on possible funding to complete this project (connect to campus grid).

     

    Carl to date has purchased 3 solar frames which can hold up to 72 of the size panel I have in storage (from the 2007 Solar Decathlon house).  Unfortunately I have only 40 panels, which will lead to a gaps in shading with only 12 panels per structure.

     

    My initial intention was to apply to SSC for funding to fill the space, purchase inverters, and hire electricians to connect to the campus grid.  This application would occur after the initial goal, shading research plots, is complete.

     

    Since this last email, I was contacted by Brent Lewis at F&S regarding potential surplus panels available immediately due to a demolition project under way for the failed building the panels connect to.  The picture below shows 60 panels of larger capacity (245 watt instead of 180) that would be able to fully populate the footprint of Carl’s frames.  In addition, there are inverters and ancillary connection parts that can likely be reused to allow these panels continued production on the campus grid.

     

    A ballpark estimate from F&S would be 5-10K to salvage all of the panels and equipment.   Do you think there would be support from Ehab to utilize carbon credit funds to at least salvage the panels and reinstall on the new frames?  I would be willing to apply to SSC again for the final connection if carbon funds could not cover this all.

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