On February 7, Daphne Hulse met with Nate Himes (Director of Counseling Ministries) at Merci's Refuge and Tom King (Director of Logistics) + Wally Proenza (VP Retail Operations) at Goodwill Land of Lincoln to discuss donation logistics. On February 13, Daphne will meet with Lisa Sheltra (Director of Community Engagement) + Mike Jenkins (Director of Retail Operations) at Salt & Light.
As of February 6, Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Merci's Refuge, Salt & Light, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore have all expressed interest in exploring a donation partnership for Dump & Run.
On January 24, Daphne Hulse met with Kasey Umland, Director of the Women's Resources Center, formerly the Associate Director at University YMCA, to discuss the following:
What is the history of UIUC-YMCA Dump and Run events?
Started with private certified housing, religious affiliated groups around 2012. 3 semi-trailers worth of stuff from campus and from the community. A lot of staff time went into the program.
Previously had 2 boxes on every floor of Illini tower, which was a huge source of items. 26 boxes in this one building. Change in Illini tower management meant YMCA couldn’t do collections here anymore. It was great to have the materials, but hard to get everything out in time. the same year, University Housing came to YMCA about their Housing salvage drive (the person who ran it left). This was the first year YMCA collaborated with UIUC.
Started doing some university housing dorms, but not all.
Realized they couldn’t keep up with the overflow of materials.
Big shift in kinds of items they received. Went from servicing mini apartments/suites (Illini Tower) versus university dormitories. 10x the amount of stuff as before with the Illini tower. 3/4 was clothing and bedding.
Talked to Housing and needing more resources. It was too hard for YMCA to keep up. Majority of volunteers who did collections were students, but it was finals. Had a close relationship with them, but students would need to go right when things were picking up near the end of the move out week.
Based off a quick survey of other schools move-out programs, it seems most common for schools to work with local nonprofit(s) to immediately donate items following the move out program. As opposed to storing items over the summer and preparing for a fall move-in sale. Thoughts about these two different ways of operating?
Donating most items straight away seems like it may be the only way it can work for the university, since there’s an immense quantity of items to deal with.
Suggest talking with intended recipients of non-profits beforehand, to see if they can accept it all immediately, or if it will be too much.
Even when YMCA was running it, their excess was too much for some places.
Salt and light had capacity.
Goodwill said to stop (no more clothes).
Most places would say they would want at least some items.
The value of selling these items in a sale near move in is that there are items unique the college experience: XL twin sheets, for example.
What are some best practices for event coordination?
If you are dealing with multiple sites - think in advance about plotting out how to do collections.
Thinking about when things will come in from certain places. Which were high donation spots? Some will only need checked every so often, some places needed checked 2 or 3 times a day.
Capacity - Kasey always wanted something better than just putting items in a cardboard box.
It is easier if items are placed directly into a bag. Otherwise, volunteers have to do this work.
Try to be really clear about what people can and cannot donate. In a perfect world, check the boxes in the evening, that’s when students move out.
We will have to rely on the help of volunteers, but students will have their finals during this time, and be moving out. We want to strengthen town and gown relations through this program. Any suggestions for local groups/organizations who would be good to reach out to who you think would have an interest in volunteering?
Rotary Clubs
Church or high school youth groups
If the university would consider half day leave, that could be an incentive
during business hours means it increases the privilege needed to participate
Honors societies
Sierra Club
Junior League
Humane Society
Court Diversion
On January 19, Daphne Hulse met with Marc Alexander, Director of Development and Membership at University YMCA, to discuss the following:
What is the history of UIUC-YMCA Dump and Run events?
Started to 20ish years ago as a garage sale (2001) in front of the YMCA. Clearing stuff outside of the building. Grew to a community collection, private residential collection, Housing was doing some salvage operation, approached the Y about helping do a program. Through 2019, The YMCA would collect from Housing every May.
2019 Y started doing renovation in the building and streets so the YMCA couldn’t use the building for collections.
Started conversations about the YMCA pulling back, and then COVID hit.
Last year YMCA and UIUC had a very long conversation and decided YMCA couldn’t do any of the May period.
Mostly was the YMCA running it, was done by the one coordinator. Staff from the YMCA helped here and there. Volunteers assisted. UIUC helped with getting access to the building.
2019 Housing and F&S each provided a truck to help load and haul stuff. F&S provided two workers to collect things and load them and sort them. More partnership that year.
Piece in August is the sale itself. F&S provided supplies, tables, dumpsters, F&S and Housing put out advertisements about the sale to students. Used UIUC networks.
Based off a quick survey of other schools move-out programs, it seems most common for schools to work with local nonprofit(s) to immediately donate items following the move out program. As opposed to storing items over the summer and preparing for a fall move-in sale. Thoughts about these two different ways of operating?
Biggest lift was sorting and storing it. It could take a very long time. Stuck it in semis. Sifting out what is useful and what is not, was the hard part.
If there is a way to get the stuff out in May and then repurpose it, that is most ideal. But this can be challenging.
Michigan State established their own ReStore, and do this year around.
Salt and Light, Habitat for Humanity, could be helpful with collection.
If there way a way to sort and pull things for Y in August sale, is also possible.
What are some best practices for event coordination?
Breakdown of varying roles to pull this off.
In general, need to coordinate volunteer and staff schedules for the workload.
Have to set up a defined schedule for each dorm, how often you’ll be there. 24 lobbies they would have to collect from (couple times a day). If you fall behind, what’s the contingencies?
Tuesday - Monday and Tuesday following Move-Out Saturday. Heavy time period, make sure you have volunteers.
Takes a very detail-oriented person to manage this and schedule it out for attack.
What are some best practices for volunteer coordination?
Each volunteer is doing it for a different reason:
Some love it, some they have to do community service, different levels of commitment, one person will not show up. Be aware of these motivations. Everyone’s physical capabilities, developmentally challenged (has to have certain tasks). Shift may never go the way you want it to. Be flexible at all times, have Plan B and Plan C at all time.
What were some of your biggest obstacles with this event? Things to watch out for?
It’s not all usable items. Despite all of your communication efforts, it will happen. Maybe 1/6 or 1/5 of things will be unusable.
We will have to rely on the help of volunteers, but students will have their finals during this time, and be moving out. We want to strengthen town and gown relations through this program. Any suggestions for local groups/organizations who would be good to reach out to who you think would have an interest in volunteering?
F&S ideas so far:
Faith in Place
Champaign County Environmental Stewards
YMCA’s suggestions
Rotary Clubs often do volunteer work
Chambana Moms (not really volunteer base, but they could advertise the need for volunteers)
Will ask staff for more suggestions
There was another YMCA member who helped with Dump and Run, Kasey Umland? Would she be good to reach out to? Would I be able to get her contact information?
Director of Womens Resource Center.
Was associate dir of the YMCA. Some years she supervised Dump and Run, some she ran it. Played a key role. Started in 2012.
Daphne will meet with Kasey Umland 1/24/23.
On January 12, Shreya Mahajan, Dominika Szal, and Daphne Hulse finished preliminary research into the spring move-out programs of other schools. Attached are the results. These results will help inform UIUC's plan for our Dump and Run program.
Daphne Hulse and Morgan White met on 1/9/23 to discuss the history of UIUC-University YMCA Dump and Run events. Daphne will succeed as the primary coordinator for these future events. Daphne will meet with Marc Alexander (YMCA's Dir of Development and Membership), one of the previous UIUC Dump and Run coordinators, on 1/19/23 to discuss best practices for event coordination.
From: Student Sustainability Committee
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 2:31 PM
To: White, Morgan
Cc: recycling@illinois.edu; Varney, Peter W
Subject: Re: Extension request for Dump and Run
Hi All,
This Scope Change was approved! Sorry for the late response!
Please let us know if any additional information is needed on our end!
Best,
SSC
Deke Weaver, Professor in the School of Art & Design, requested a tour of the Waste Transfer Station, as well as asked the following questions:
1. Do any of you have a rough estimate of how many plastic water bottles the U of I population goes through in a day (week, month, year)?
2. Would it be possible to collect a few of the plastic water bottles from the recycling center for this project?
Weaver is working on a public engagement piece about the oceans, climate, plastics and interconnected ecosystems and needs approximately 2500-4000 bottles. The project is a whale sculpture named CETACEAN.
Shawn Patterson from Facilities & Services replied explaining that the waste transfer station acquires 2-3 thousand pounds of plastics each month and will be able to accommodate the professor's need for plastics.
The University YMCA is hosting their annual Dump and Run event in August 2022 at the Stock Pavilion. SSC funding will support this important reuse event,
SSC received a semesterly report for Fall 2021 for the Campus Contributions to Dump and Run on 06/16/2022. Please see attached.
An extension request was submitted for Dump and Run, an SSC-funded project. This request addressed a change in the project's scope, including ending a partnership with the University YMCA, potential rebranding, and new initiatives for UIUC-led collection programs.
See the scope change in the attached files.
SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for CETACEAN project on May 5, 2022. Please see attached.
Below is an email from Morgan White describing that the University YMCA plans to only conduct Dump and Run in the fall.
This led Morgan, F&S, & Housing leadership to decide to delay their version of spring collections until the full-time Zero Waste Coordinator has been hired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: White, Morgan
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2022 8:24 AM
To: Johnson, Bryan Lloyd; Kuehl, Mark A; Hiser, Daniel William; Patterson, Shawn L
Cc: Boehm, David ; McKay, James; Sealine, Alma R; Varney, Peter W; Kamarah, Ehab
Subject: RE: Dump and Run - arranging a meeting
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your patience and willingness regarding the UIUC collaboration with the University YMCA on the Dump and Run.
This year, the Board and Leadership of the University Y made the decision to only do Dump and Run in the fall. In 2021, they had arranged a fall-only collection, followed immediately by a sale in August at the Stock Pavilion. As they reviewed the impacts of that fall-only sale compared to the collection efforts and impacts for the spring collection and fall sale, they decided to focus solely on the fall sale from now on.
Following that news, I spoke with F&S and Housing leadership, and we agreed that it would be best to delay our own version of spring collections until the full time Zero Waste Coordinator has been hired. This search is approved, and we hope to have a new employee who will report to Pete Varney (and try to fill Shantanu Pai’s shoes) in the next few months. That person will then work with us to develop an appropriate solution for keeping gently used materials (clothes, books, etc.) out of the landfill during move-out week.
Thank you all very much, and we will be in touch as plans develop for a spring 2023 collection.
All my best,
Morgan
======================================
MORGAN B. WHITE
Acting Director of Capital Programs
Associate Director of F&S for Sustainability
Facilities & Services | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
On October 20, 2021, the 2021 Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) Award Winners were announced at the Campus Sustainability Celebration!
UIUC is home to a total of 10 winners and honorable mentions, as listed below according to their categories:
See the attached file to read the official announcement of 2021 ECIP Winners, including the locations' % improvements and monetary savings.
All are invited to the 2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration and appreciation event! Meet and network with your peer sustainability advocates and hear about exciting campus sustainability progress! Since the event is in person, please be prepared to wear a mask and show your Safer Illinois app or equivalent status. If you can't make it in person, watch the livestream on YouTube! >>>
October 20, 1–4 pm • National Center for Supercomputing Applications lobby, 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana
Julie Wurth • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
Dump and Run is BACK! After a 1-year hiatus, the University YMCA is thrilled to once again hold community collections and the Big Sale this August. All collections and the sale will be held at the U of I Stock Pavilion, in cooperation with the College of ACES and Dept. of Animal Sciences.
Dump and Run keeps over 30 tons of used, quality goods out of Champaign-Urbana’s dumpsters and landfills each year. This project reduces litter and consumer waste, saves space in landfills, lowers dumping costs for certified housing and apartments and provides inexpensive items for folks to purchase in the fall.
While we were unable to hold our normal spring collections this past May, we look forward to collecting as many great items as we can from our community and hope that you will join us in helping find usable goods a new home. Thanks to the community and the University of Illinois for making Dump & Run a success each year, and we will see you this August!
(From the YMCA Dump and Run website) More information here
August 2021 Collection Days:
All collections will be held at the UI Stock Pavilion, located at 1402 W. Pennsylvania Ave, Urbana IL, beginning on Monday, August 2.
Monday Aug. 2: noon - 4:00pm
Tuesday Aug. 3 - Friday Aug. 6: 9:00am - 4:00pm. Late collection on Wednesday Aug. 4 until 7:00pm
Saturday, Aug. 7: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Monday Aug. 9 - Friday August 13: 9:00am - 4:00pm. Late collection on Wednesday Aug. 11 until 7:00pm
Saturday, Aug. 14: 10:00am - 2:00pm
FINAL collection day, Monday Aug. 16: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Check out the YMCA Dump and Run website for more information.
Please look at the piece about student recycling at the U of Kentucky in the attached link.
https://www.asumag.com/green/sustainability-initiatives/article/21168170/profiles-july-2021
The SSC Semesterly Report for Fall 2020 for Dump and Run is attached below.
The semesterly report, submitted on 1/22/2021, for Dump and Run is attached below.
This report gives a brief description of why the May 2020 Dump and Run was cancelled, and why the May 2021 Dump and Run may also be cancelled.
