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Projects Updates for key objective: No name

  1. Funding Approval for Energy Advisor for Solar Farm 3.0

    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.

     

  2. Sustainability Benefits of using iBuy

    Associated Project(s): 

    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.

  3. SSC Funding Award: Bike Path Renovation: Armory Avenue Path South of Gregory Hall

    The SSC awarded $50,000 for the "Bike Path Renovation: Armory Avenue Path South of Gregory Hall". This award will expire on May, 2022. Please see attached the Funding agreement.

  4. Grind2Energy

    Grind2Energy-horizontal.jpgGrind2Energy: Turning Campus Food Waste into Fuel

    The 49,000 students educated at the University of Illinois can generate a lot of food waste. Most of it winds up in a landfill. But for students with a dining hall plan, food waste is ultimately turned into energy, helping the campus reduce its carbon footprint.

    With the "Grind2Energy" system, food scraps are ground down and ultimately run through an anaerobic digester at the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District, producing methane that is used for fuel to power the plant. The system was installed at Florida Avenue Residence Halls last fall, and others are in the works.

    "Hopefully this small piece will be part of a bigger system down the road," said Thurman Etchison, Assistant Director of Housing Dining Services for Equipment and Facilities.

  5. Tree Campus USA Celebration - Zoom Meeting

    Thank you to everyone who joined us live or watches later on the CCNet Facebook page!  We enjoyed a great turnout for the Tree Campus USA Celebration, with about 35 people on the Zoom call and a reach of 365 on Facebook.

    This event included a review of the five years that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been designated as a Tree Campus USA, by Brent Lewis. Senior in Integrative Biology student, Maddie Smith, presented the results of her diversity analysis for the campus' urban forest, and the F&S Tree Surgeons, Dustin Reifsteck and Sky Drewes, answered tree-related questions.  At the end of the hour, community announcements included Arbor Day and Earth Month events coming up.

    Celebrate National Arbor Day next week on April 24, 2020!

    Links from announcements and presentation

    The event concluded with a round of thanks, and several were captured in the chat log.

    12:56:43     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you to the Grounds Dept!
    12:58:28     From  Samantha Fisher : Thank you for this presentation! I really enjoy your monthly presentations.
    13:00:02     From  Stacy Gloss : Thanks CCNET for a great presentation today. Awesome collaborative effort.  Everyone have a great day!
    13:00:33     From  ekamarah : Thank you everyone for these interesting presentations and conversations. Have a great day.
    13:00:37     From  Brent Lewis : Yes, thank you everyone!
    13:00:49     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you, everyone! Great job!
    13:01:08     From  pattsi : Stay well everyone
    13:01:12     From  Marya Ryan : Yes, great presentations! So glad to reconnect with CCNet after a few years away.
    13:01:24     From  Miranda Vieson : Thanks!
    13:01:25     From  Marcus Ricci : It was a great presentation, with all of the different presenters nicely tying in to the theme. The Q&A was cool.
    13:01:26     From  Jenna Kurtzweil : Thanks, everyone!!
    13:01:26     From  Kate Gardiner : Love CCNet, thanks Morgan!

  6. history note from F&S

    F&S has used both GEM (8?) and e-Ride (2) electric service vehicles as well as 8 other small, gas powered Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), 2 each from 4 different manufacturers totaling 8 LSVs. I’ve attached an email that has a link to a story posted on Cars.com about our use. While a variety of vehicles were used they were pretty much all gone in 5-8 years for many reasons including capability, reliability, parts supplies, vendors going out of business and personnel concerns. None in service currently.

     

    From July 2008, by Pete Varney:

    The University did in fact purchase 8 vehicles, we are calling them "mini-trucks."  Chery is one of the OEMs.  We purchased two each of Tiger, Mag Intl, Vantage and Cushman (no longer selling in the US).  The desire is to test their effectiveness as a service vehicle on campus.  We have a large fleet of service vehicles (250+) and the majority of them never travel more that a couple of miles each day and never exceed the campus speed limit, 25 mph.

     

    This has been a long and at sometimes, difficult, project to get rolling, but now includes electric vehicles (E-ride) as well.  All part of the University's goal of conserving energy and increasing sustainability.

    https://www.cars.com/articles/chinese-part-of-mini-truck-mania-1420663272884/

     

     

  7. Sustainability Webinar: Large Summer Festival Going Zero Waste

    James Carter - programming & operations manager with Ann Arbor Summer Festival (A2SF) - will discuss how they implemented a dramatic waste management transformation, created educational opportunities, and presented community-collaborative art programming. The operational goal? To become a zero waste event with 90% landfill diversion over three years.

    April 9, 12–1 PM Elizabeth Meschewski • Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

    Sustainability Webinar: Large Summer Festival Going Zero Waste

     

  8. Everyday Environment Webinar Series

    Associated Project(s): 

    University of Illinois Extension's Energy & Environmental Stewardship Team presents the "Everyday Environment Webinar Series." Learn about natural resources and how to make small changes in your lifestyle to positively impact your environment. From lawn care and native plants to understanding coyote behavior and more, there is always something new to learn about your everyday environment. 

    April 9–June 25, 1–2 PM • Every Thursday Erin Garrett • Cooperative Extension Service

    Everyday Environment Webinar Series

     

    Join us for weekly sessions on environmental topics presented by University of Illinois Extension's Energy & Environmental Stewardship Team! These webinars will both provide new information on natural resources and help you learn how to make small changes in your lifestyle to have a positive impact on the environment. From lawn care, native plants, and managing home waste to understanding coyote behavior and atmospheric optics, there is never a shortage of new things to learn about your everyday environment. See flyer for more details. 

    The schedule of webinars is below and registration is free! Please register for each individual webinar you are interested in attending at their respective registration link.

    Sky Spectacles

    April 9, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Join us and learn why we see a blue sky; why twilight is longer near the poles; and what sun dogs, halos, mirages, and other atmospheric optics are. Presenter: Duane Friend

    Coyotes

    April 16, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Coyotes have to be one of the most misunderstood species in Illinois. Cunning, social, resilient, opportunistic, faithful, adaptive, shy, successful, hated, inspirational: those words have all been used to describe coyotes. They conjure up mixed feelings of fear, anger, and for some, wild beauty. Coyotes are often blamed for many things they do and do not do. Nonetheless, they might be worthy the title of best survivalist despite the human population. Presenter: Peggy Doty.

    Planting for the Pollinators

    April 23, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    How can you support pollinators in your yard? Learn what types of pollinators you can attract to your yard and discover the right native plants attract butterflies, native bees, moths, and more. Presenter: Erin Garrett.

    Natural Lawn Care Part 1: Assessment

    April 30, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Assess the health and prepare for environmentally-friendly lawns. Participants will learn tools and techniques to better assess lawn so as they make an informed natural lawn care plan. Presenters: Abigail GarofaloGemini Bhalsod, and Allison Neubauer.

    Natural Lawn Care Part 2: Strategies

    May 7, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Learn strategies to understand your lawn, as well as learn tools to create a natural lawn care action plan. Presenters: Abigail GarofaloGemini Bhalsod, and Allison Neubauer.

    Managing Waste in the Home

    May 14, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    Have you ever thought about how much trash your household generates? Learn about the management of municipal solid waste in the US, materials that can be recycled or composted, locating recycling and composting facilities near you, and strategies for decreasing household waste. Presenter: Ashley Belle.

    Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Biennial Report

    May 21, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    How is water quality in Illinois? The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy guides the state's efforts to improve water quality at home and downstream by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in our lakes, streams, and rivers. The strategy lays out a comprehensive suite of best management practices for reducing nutrient loads from wastewater treatment plants and urban and agricultural runoff. Learn how the strategy has progressed. Presenters: Eliana BrownKate GardinerHaley HaverbackJennifer Woodyard.

    All About Clouds

    June 25, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time

    See various types of clouds, including unique clouds only seen in a few locations and what weather is expected with each variety. Presenter: Duane Friend

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