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Projects Updates for key objective: No name

  1. Stormwater Utility Fee overview

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rainwater Management
    Identify funding for projects without payback
    Green Infrastructure
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    The University pays a stormwater utility fee to both the City of Urbana and the City of Champaign.  The fee is based on total impervious area that drains into city-owned storm sewers. If stormwater drains into university-owned sewers then directly discharges to a receiving stream, there is no fee assessed.

    • The current rate for the City of Champaign is $5.24/3,478 sq ft.
    • The current rate for the City of Urbana is $5.14/3,100 sq ft.

    There are credits and incentives that the university can apply toward the stormwater utility fee. By maintaining compliance with the university’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES), the university receives a 5% credit from each city. Additionally, each city has their own Credit and Incentive Manual (attached) which provides an opportunity for the university to reduce their stormwater utility fee by reducing the impact of the runoff from their properties by methods such as installing sustainable storm water practices that allow stormwater to infiltrate into the ground. The manuals have specific guidelines on how to calculate the credits based on the particular stormwater practices that are employed.

    Attached Files: 

  3. PWR SWATeam Minutes 3/15

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Landfills with Methane-capture Technology
    Recycled-Content Paper Policy in CAM
    Establish a Net Zero Waste Plan and Policy
    Achieve Zero Waste

    At the PWR SWAT Team meeting on March 15th, the team debated over the message in the new Ethics Compliance Message concerning recycling standards and rules. The team decided that two videos should be created, one with base instructions for recycling, the other for explaining the commonly misunderstood paper policy. The team will look more into the paper policy draft and suggest a new paper policy for the campus. 

    Attached Files: 

  4. Sustainability interns continue work updating iCAP Portal project pages

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Topical iCAP Teams
    2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (2015 iCAP) [ARCHIVED]

    CEE students Chenxi Jiang and Shuang Chen are working with Morgan Johnston to edit the iCAP Portal project pages for each iCAP objective.  Chapters 8-12 do not have SWATeams, and the background research on these chapters has been completed.  The edited project pages are scheduled to be online by the end of March.  The next step is editing the iCAP objectives for each SWATeam chapter in the iCAP.  Chenxi and Shaung will be meeting with SWATeam representatives over the next few weeks to gather information, and then the project pages will be edited to reflect the latest info.  We expect to be able to complete this before Earth Day on April 22, 2017.

  6. South Campus Afforestation Recommendation - Assessment with comments

    Associated Project(s): 
    ALUFS Recommendations Summary
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Increase Agroforestry on Campus

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on Feb 16, 2017. They supported the South Campus Afforestation recommendation. Their official comments for this recommendation was:

    "The iCAP includes an objective to add 50 acres of trees on campus, and this SWATeam recommendation suggests one potential location. The iWG suggests the College of ACES work with the Campus Master Planning committee to identify appropriate locations for additional trees. Another option to consider is parallel to the Embarras River."

    See attached the iWG assessment complete with comments from all the iWG members.

    See ALUFS003 South Campus Afforestation Recommendation

    Attached Files: 

  8. Provost Office approves funding for LED Exit Signs

    Associated Project(s): 
    LED Exit Signs
    Allocate Existing Resources

    The Office of the Provost approved $75,000 in one-time funding for the next step in the LED Exit Sign retrofit project.  The funding of $75,000 is for LED Exit Sign lighting replacement, additions, and new building surveys.  Material and labor of $70,000 would be used to replace 343 fixtures in 20 buildings at an average rate of $204/fixture.  An additional $5,000 is proposed to survey 50 campus buildings for exit light counts.  That will provide the input necessary for the next phase, once this phase is completed.

  9. EGEN SWATeam Meeting (3.10.17)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Geothermal on Campus
    Solar Power on Campus
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Clean Power Agreements Off-Campus

    The EGEN SWATeam held another bi-weekly meeting. Topics covered include:

    • Associate Director for Campus Sustainability Ximing Cai and his vision for iSEE
    • Biomass boiler at Energy Farm
    • Opportunities for Geothermal on campus
    Attached Files: 

  10. iWG Meeting Notes from Jan. 27, 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Reduce Cooling Tower and Chiller Plant Water Use
    Indoor Bike Parking
    Green Lab Program
    Formal Sustainability Procedures

    The iCAP Working Group met and discussed the following agenda items.  Meeting notes are attached.

    1. Brief iCAP Portal overview by Morgan
    2. Discuss any updates to Water002, Cooling Tower Increase COC
    3. Discuss Trans008, Bike Parking in Ramps
    4. Discuss updates to Econs004, Green Labs Coordinator
    5. Consider issues with recommendation process and view recommendation tracker

    Attached Files: 

  11. Sustainability staff discussed the outreach programs on the portal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Earth Week
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)

    Morgan Johnston, Catherine Yee, and Chenxi Jiang met today to discuss the outreach information listed on the iCAP Portal.  Catherine described the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) and the Certified Green Office Program (CGOP).  We also discussed the Earth Week efforts and the overall purpose of the SSLC as a networking opportunity for students in sustainability groups.

  12. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    A main component of the 2010 iCAP is to engage the outside community in working to create a more sustainable campus. The University of  Illinois is working to enhance its engagement activities in the arena of sustainability. Champaign County Network (CCNet) is an effort to engage the campus and the surrounding community in a shared discourse on the critical sustainability and climate issues ahead. The University's Office of Corporate Relations is working to enhance collaborations with corporations in sustainability activities.

    The iCAP provides an opportunity to engage the outside community in a dialogue on the University’s role in helping to resolve community climate responses. For example, the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) is designed to provide assistance to public and private interests in reducing and conserving their operational energy use in buildings. This type of information is an important step in developing meaningful solutions to climate change.

  13. Conservation Budget Recommendation (ECONS003) - Transmittal to the Council

    Associated Project(s): 
    ECBS Recommendations Summary
    Sustainability Council
    Retrocommissioning (RCx)
    Energy Conservation Efforts

    ECONS003 Conservation Budget Recommendation was transmitted to the Office of the Provost on March 6, 2017. The Council discussed the recommendation at this meeting.

    See iWG Assessment of ECONS003 Conservation Budget

    See SWATeam Recommendation of ECONS003 Conservation Budget

  14. EGen006 Petascale Offsets recommendation - Assessment with all comments

    Associated Project(s): 
    eGen Recommendations Summary
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    PPA for National Petascale Computing Facility

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on February 23rd, 2017, to discuss and start the assessment on the SWATeam recommendation EGen006 Petascale Offsets. The iWG's official recommendation was:

    "This has been an open issue since the 2010 iCAP and the 2015 iCAP.  This should be addressed with the current discussions about supercomputing on campus."

    See attached the iWG assessment complete with official comments from all the iWG members.

    See SWATeam recommendation EGen006 Petascale Offsets here.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Campus Tree Inventory Recommendation - assessment with comments

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Tree Inventory
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Utilize Carbon Credits
    ALUFS Recommendations Summary

    The iCAP WOrking Group (iWG) met on February 23rd, 2017, to discuss and start the assessment of SWATeam recommendation ALUFS002 Campus Tree Inventory. Their official comment on this recommendation was:

    "The iCAP Working Group supports the use of the Carbon Credit funds for a tree inventory update."

    See attached the iWG assessment complete with official comments from all the iWG members.

    See SWATeam ALUFS002 Recommendation.

    Attached Files: 

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