Illinois Street Residence Hall Grind2Energy Tour
Associated Project(s):
Members from the ISC, ZeroWaste Interns, as well as Daphne Hulse and Codie Sterner attended a tour of the Illinois Street Residence Halls and their Grind2Energy system today.
You are here
Projects Updates for place: Ikenberry Commons / SDRP
Tracking/displaying Grind2Energy data.
Associated Project(s):Hi Thurman,
A recurring topic that’s come up in our zero waste conversations has been the desire to track and display more metrics under the zero waste theme on the iCAP Portal. Grind2Energy data was one metric that was brainstormed, as it relates closely to our Zero Waste Objective 5.5, “Plan for organic waste.” Since Dining already tracks that data, it would be easy for us to get it up on the portal. Would this be something that you’d be in favor of us doing? If so, any input on how the data is displayed (by month, or annually)?
Thank you,
DaphneHi Daphne,
Fate has it that I will be seeing the Grind2Energy people tomorrow at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago. I would like to see if this is something that can by automatically updated from our system. They may have some functionality for this and if not, it may be some thing they could create and would be a selling point for them. I will find out the possibilities. I would rather that this be auotmatic so that the data is always current and nobody can "drop the ball" along the way.
THURMAN ETCHISON
Assistant Director of Dining - Facilities and Equipment
Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 4/25/23
Associated Project(s):On April 25th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss the State Farm Center Recycling (ZW011) recommendation and brainstorm on the Zero Waste iCAP summary report for the 22-23 FY.
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:ZW004 Recommendation Update
Associated Project(s):Beckman currently uses reusable trays, plates, and glasses in their cafe. They currently have a dishwasher onsite and will have a larger one in the new project (U22005 Beckman Café Renovation). They also have a stack of plastic and Styrofoam containers on the line as people move through the food ordering line, so improvements could be made here to nudge people towards the reusable options.
Student Athlete Advisory Committee / Varsity House reusable containers
Associated Project(s):From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2023 2:50 PM
To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAACHey all,
The meeting with Jonathan went great and he is super open to new ideas.
Based on my previous meeting and Student-Athlete's feedback, Jonathan decided to buy these reusable containers: https://gfsstore.com/products/310397/ & https://gfsstore.com/products/310378/ (not sure if the oz sizes are exactly the same).
He said he had enough budget to buy 500 of each to give to every student-athlete. He has already seen a decline in the styrofoam containers. But deli containers (for things like cereal, yogurt, soup, and small snacks), plastic bags (sometimes), and plastic silverware are still being used. The reusable containers did feel flimsy - especially compared to the Good2Go ones - but they are much cheaper. So I would be worried about durability and scratching/damage if real silverware is used.
Daphne was able to join and got some good insight into the entire process. Hendrick House acts as the caterer and does not maintain the space so they don’t have a lot of control over the trash. But for the kitchen, they still put everything in the dumpster (including cardboard). So we have some room for improvement there.
Overall - I think we should help set up communication between Varsity and SAAC (or just students in general) to make sure this program can continue for years to come. I think a follow up with Colin and pushing for a sustainability position in SAAC is the best next step. I’ll give Colin a few days to respond to Daphne’s email but I’ll try to set something up again.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Best,
Justin
On Apr 7, 2023, at 5:23 PM, Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu> wrote:
Wow, this is amazing!! Please count me in for the 4/10 meeting at Varsity Room - happy to join you and continue this great momentum.
Thank you,
Daphne
From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 7, 2023 4:47 PM
To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAACHi everyone,
I received this message from Jonathon last week:
"Justin, thank you for your patience regarding this project. I am happy to announce that beginning on Monday, April 3rd Varsity Room Dining will be offering free, reusable, eco-friendly containers to any student-athlete that requests a set. A set of containers will consist of (1) 38-ounce rectangular container and (1) 48-ounce circular container.
Additional individual containers and/or sets may be purchased by student-athletes if they would like.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to meet again to continue our previous discussions.”
This email came as a surprise as I had not received a response to my emails sent earlier this semester. I am planning to visit the Varsity Room this Monday, 4/10, at 12:45 PM to chat with Jonathon about the program. A friend sent me the information they have received (attached) and told me they weren't exactly sure how the program worked. I’m hoping we can bring together our knowledge and resources to create a stable, successful program.You all are more than welcome to join, otherwise I’ll send my notes and recommendations after. Additionally, I think another meeting with Colin, Jonathon, and everyone else will be important before the semester is over.
Best,
Justin
<IMG_0476.jpeg><Screenshot 2023-04-03 at 5.48.56 PM.jpg>
On Feb 15, 2023, at 8:48 AM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:
Thanks, Justin. If you are talking with Jonathon, could you also mention food waste and Grind2Energy? It would be great to recruit the Varsity Room/Hendrick House into the program.
Jen
From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 6:58 PM
To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
Cc: Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAACHi Jen,
Thanks for the information!
I haven’t heard from Colin since our last meeting - I’ll reach out to him. I’ll also contact Jonathon Curtis, the chef at the Varsity Room, to talk about the prospect of reusbales.
I’ve actually spoke to multiple people at Hendrick House regarding sustainability. So, if we need a little push there, I know who to reach out to. Also, I know they have a good stock of reusable containers as well - I’ve borrowed them!
Best,
Justin
On Feb 14, 2023, at 5:21 PM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:
Hi all,
Hope you are doing well.
I am writing to follow up about the prospect of establishing reusable container and Grind2Energy programs at Hendrick House. I met separately with Tim Knox and University Housing and Dining leadership over the past month. What I learned from Tim is that SAAC and student athletes have tremendous influence with Hendrick House and should request that Hendrick House implement these programs. University Housing and Dining does not have enough staff to wash additional containers or sort food waste for G2E, even if Hendrick House were to pay for these services. However, Housing seemed to think Hendrick House has the capacity (just not at the Varsity Room). Housing is willing to be a resource for Hendrick House by sharing information, answering questions, etc.
The next step is to convey this info to Colin and SAAC. Has anyone heard from Colin lately? If I recall correctly, he was going to ask SAAC members about whether they support these initiatives. Justin, if you want to ping him, that would be great. Any other ideas about how to keep this moving forward?
Thanks,
Jen
Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)
iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois
W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
jmf@illinois.edu
ph 217-333-9428Attached Files:Considerations for clean thermal energy
Associated Project(s):There are a few examples of clean thermal energy in use on campus at this time. These include:
- the solar thermal panels on the Activities Rec Center, heating the three swimming pools
- the biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, heating the two story greenhouse on south Race Street
- geothermal installations providing heating and cooling at the Fruit Farm Admin Building, the RIPE greenhouse, the Campus Instructional Facility, a few buildings at Allerton Park, the solar decathlon Gable Home at the Energy Farm, and a few rooms in the Hydrosystems Building
- a wood-fired stove heating some maintenance buildings at Allerton Park
We could expand these types of energy systems...
- Additional geothermal installations are being planned for various places around campus, including a geothermal battery system at the Energy Farm. The other geothermal locations in planning discussions now include the South Campus Center for Interdisciplinary Learning, a future greenhouse for CABBI, and the Doris Christopher Kelley Illinois Extension Building in the Arboretum.
- The biomass boiler at the Energy Farm was designed with the anticipation of future expansion.
- Solar thermal is a great option for our area of the planet, but it is not easy to integrate it in our existing energy enterprise.
Another option for clean thermal energy is biogas, which UIUC contributes to locally through the Grind2Energy system, which takes food waste from the dining halls to the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD). UCSD puts it through their anaerobic digester which captures the methane (a very strong greenhouse gas). Currently, that captured methane is used to run an electrical generator, which provides power to the UCSD facility. An alternative would be to upgrade the methane to pipeline quality and use the biogas a Abbott Power Plant on campus. This is an expensive option that would require a lot of coordination and funding.
Another strong option is a micronuclear reactor, which is being studies by the Grainger College of Engineering faculty and researchers. This system could be integrated with the existing steam distribution system and provide ghg-free energy to campus.
Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 3/10/2023
Associated Project(s):On January 30th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss final thoughts on the finished tailgate recycling recommendation, the feasibility of a large scale composting program on campus, and current work with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:iSEE Quarterly update for Winter 2022
Associated Project(s):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
- iSEE received a $1M gift from a class-action lawsuit settlement; it is being used for iSEE-funded $300k low-carbon transportation solutions research.
- A new cover crop project called iCOVER received a $5M grant from USDA and was featured in The News-Gazette.
- From the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center and SMARTFARM project:
- ASC team members co-authored paper led by Stanford on cover crops’ effect on yields; also, papers on soil carbon budgets and increased adoption of cover crops
- ASC was featured in a video for American Geophysical Union meeting, and team members also were part of an Illinois Farm Bureau video.
- From the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative:
- The Riggs Brewery “Field to Beer” video was immensely popular, receiving more than 11,000 interactions on Twitter.
- IRAI was also featured in Illinois Farmer Today.
- From the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation:
- CABBI authored a multi-institutional study that explored the first known use of CRISPR/Cas9 editing of miscanthus. Another team published a paper on 3-D phenotyping tools for miscanthus.
- Articles have featured new Sustainability Theme Leader Wendy Yang, new Feedstock Production partner and PI Ernst Cebert of Alabama A&M, and new Conversion PI Heng Ji.
- Six CABBI researchers (including Lisa Ainsworth, Kaiyu Guan, and Don Ort) were named to Clarivate’s highly cited list; and CABBI researchers have earned two EMSL awards for continued studies of sorghum stems.
- From the I-FARM “Farm of the Future” project:
- View a new overview video.
- Check out the FAQ article.
- The project has received FarmWeekNow and WAND-TV coverage — and was featured on the Big Ten Network during Illini basketball games!
- Robotics in the field media coverage in The News-Gazette.
- From the Energy-Enhancing FEWS project:
- Team members are part of new $2.5M USDA grant to convert biowaste to pavement.
- Members of the Illinois Geothermal Coalition have successfully demonstrated efficient use of an abandoned oil well in the Illinois Basin as a geothermal “battery.”
- An iSEE biobased chemicals and inks project was featured for its work on printable electronics.
- Former iSEE Associate Director Gillen D’Arcy Wood recently published a new website on ocean data from 19th century voyage.
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
Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 12/8/2022
Associated Project(s):On December 8th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss a new approach to creating recommendations for next semester. During the meeting, the team created subcommittees based on aspects of the key priorities document and provided feedback on an environmental engineering sustainability project.
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 11/7/2022
Associated Project(s):On November 7th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss DIA sustainability initiatives with Tim Knox and made edits on the Project 4 Less expansion recommendation to be submitted in the coming month(s).
Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:Composting Council review of institutions that compost
Associated Project(s):Click here to read the "Our Campus Composts" case review of institutions that compost, per the Composting Council in 2018-2019.
SSC Semester Report: Diversity and Inclusion Center
Associated Project(s):SSC received semesterly report for Fall 2021 for Diversity and Inclusion Center project on 01/17/2022. Please see attached.
ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program - Successful
Associated Project(s):Dr. Jeff Moore, Director of the Beckman Institute, responded to Morgan White, Associate Director for F&S for Sustainability, with the following email on 1/18/22:
"Thank you, Morgan and Jennifer. We'll discuss this at our next meeting. On first glance, it looks like a prudent practice to follow."
See iWG assessment and transmittal of ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program here.
See recommendation and submittal of ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program here.For future updates, please refer to the Reusable Containers project
Zero Waste iCAP Team Meeting
Associated Project(s):The Zero Waste iCAP Team met on Thursday, January 27 to finalize the recommendations drafted at the end of last semester, the Water Drinking Behavior Survey and the Water Filter System Tracking. The team also discussed several recommendations they intend to pursue this semester, including: Adopt-a-Highway program, Food Literacy Project, Composting Committee, P Card Training and Sustainable Receipt options. Meeting minutes are attached.
Attached Files:Good2Go Student Report
Associated Project(s):Arden Youn, Wei-Ting Yang, Alaa Eldemerdash, Jasmine Jacome, and Gil Perez, Gies College of Business graduate students, spent the semester reviewing the Good2Go Reusable Dining Container program. The PowerPoint is attached and the link to the recording of the final presentation is found below.
Attached Files:Funding Approval for Grind2Energy
Associated Project(s):Ehab Kamarah and Madhu Khanna approved $135,000 of funding from the Carbon Credit Sales Fund for the Grind2Energy system.
"This project will install the Grind2Energy system for food waste at the Lincoln Avenue
Dining Hall on campus... Housing has successfully installed the Grind2Enery system as a sustainable solution for dining hall pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste in four of the five dining halls. This funding would allow them to complete the final installation before the student body returns in fall 2022." -Morgan White (12/14/2021)An email of approval is attached below.
Attached Files:Information Regarding Grind2Energy Funding for LAR
Associated Project(s):The following message was sent to Morgan White to share with Carbon Credit Fund Administrators by Thurman Etchison, the Assistant Director of Dining - Facilities and Equipment, on November 18, 2021. The email & attachments contain important information regarding the potential installation of a Grind2Energy system at LAR:
Carbon Credit Fund Administrators,
Housing Dining Services is seeking funds to add a Grind 2 Energy system to our Lincoln Avenue Dining Hall. Grind 2 Energy is a system that allows us to put our food waste into a pumpable slurry so that it may be taken to an anerobic digester at the Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District. These systems replace the aerobic digesters we previously had in our dining units. The aerobic digesters had issues with the effluent not meeting EPA standards.
This system would be our fifth and likely final system as we would have one at every residential dining location. These are operational at Ikenberry, PAR, FAR and ISR. Currently, University Housing does not have resources to fund this project due to the impact of COVID on our budget. We would reach out to the Student Sustainability Committee for funding but for us to do the infrastructure work and have the unit installed prior to the next school year, we need to start before the next round of submissions.
The use of Grind 2 Energy has been a very successful program for us. It meets our needs, keeps us in compliance with regulatory bodies, is comparable in costs to other methods of disposal. It is very sustainable in terms of the environment. To date, we have diverted 289 tons of food waste even though there was limited use until this school year.
The amount we are requesting is $133,538.00. A simple breakdown of our expected costs is below. As our tradespeople have installed the 4 previous units, we believe this number to be very accurate. Our last unit came in within $1000 of our estimate.
LAR Grind 2 Energy – Preliminary Budget Cost
- LAR Grind 2 Energy System (equipment and labor)…..................................................................... $86,000
- (Rigging fees)........................................................................................................................... $4,650
- Concrete Slab Work (existing planter modifications site work & new concrete slab)….................... $23,100
- New Wall at Table (Demolition, floor work, ceiling work, MEP & new wall)…................................... $19,788
- TOTAL: $133,538
I would like to add that these units are highly visible on campus and it is our intention to start highlighting the metrics in our dining units via electronic messaging. This may include digital displays, The Housing Insider and social media platforms. There is also great deal of interest in biogas impact from these units. I have met with 2 groups of students from the CEE 190 class about these units in the past month.
In short, this program reduces carbon emissions, produces fertilizer and creates energy. The systems are highly reliable and have had almost no issues to date. Please see the attachments for additional info.
Thank you for your consideration,
THURMAN ETCHISON
Assistant Director of Dining - Facilities and Equipment- LAR Grind 2 Energy System (equipment and labor)…..................................................................... $86,000
Reusable container update - through 9/30
Associated Project(s):Below are the counts of meals logged in our POS systems as served in To Go boxes from the beginning of the semester thru Thursday, Sept. 30.
Breakfast To Go, Meals 349
Lunch-To Go, Meals 402
Dinner- To Go, Meals 143
Late Night To Go, Meals 2
Box - To Go, Meals 147Total meals: 896
"How Can We Reduce Waste from Agricultural and Food Systems?"
Associated Project(s):True food circularity must include waste reduction on the agricultural and consumer sides. Don't miss this third iSEE Congress webinar on "Circular Food Systems," with Brian Roe, Van Buren Professor of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at Ohio State; and Tom Theis, Director of The Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois Chicago. Register here >>>
November 3, 12–1 pm • Zoom webinar
Julie Wurth • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
"How Can We Reduce Waste from Agricultural and Food Systems?"
ECIP Award Winners
Associated Project(s):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:
- Occupant Action Category
- Ice Arena
- Student Dining and Residential Programs
- English Building
- Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE)
- Energy Advancement Category
- Stock Pavilion
- Forbes Natural History Building
- Levis Faculty Center
- Early Development Lab
- Honorable Mentions
- State Farm Center
- Bielfeldt Athletic Administrative Building
See the attached file to read the official announcement of 2021 ECIP Winners, including the locations' % improvements and monetary savings.
Attached Files:- Occupant Action Category
