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Projects Updates for place: Materials Research Laboratory

  1. Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling

    From: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 3:59 PM
    To: Kuehl, Mark A <mkuehl@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Hi Mark,

     

    Last semester when I came by LAR/Allen to do a tour of the recycling system there (during which we discussed the blue bag transition), one of the staff mentioned that there are a particular type of vacuums used that utilize lithium ion batteries, that then must be discarded.

     

    Would it be possible to get a specific URL link or photo of what the vacuum / batteries look like? We may have found a vendor willing to responsibility dispose of these (recycle them).

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

     

    DAPHNE HULSE (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu

    https://fs.illinois.edu/zero-waste
     
    w+oZTVvd0iIYgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==

    “If it cannot be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned, or removed from production.” – Pete Seeger

    On Jan 23, 2024 4:01 PM, "Kuehl, Mark A" <mkuehl@illinois.edu> wrote:

    Oly,

    I believe Daphne is talking about the zoom batteries. Can you provide a picture of the batteries for her?

    Thanks,

     

    MARK A KUEHL
    Assistant Director for Housing Building Services
     
    University Housing │ Student Affairs │ University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    6A LAR │ 1005 S.Lincoln | M/C 030 │ Urbana, IL 61801
    217.300.4590│ mkuehl@illinois.edu

    www.housing.illinois.edu
     
    facebook    twitter    instagram    youtube     

    983FCDE

    Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

    From: Bytnar, Olymer <obytnar@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 4:43 PM
    To: Kuehl, Mark A <mkuehl@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: FW: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Pictures attached.

     

    Thank you,

     

    Olymer Bytnar 

    From: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 2:56 PM
    To: Sophie Boel <sophie@redwoodmaterials.com>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: FW: FW: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Hi Sophie,

     

    Happy new year! I wanted to reach out and ask if this type of lithium ion battery would be of use to Redwood? I recently learned that our Housing department uses these types of batteries fairly regularly for a piece of cleaning equipment, and once they are used they have to discard them and replace with new ones.

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

     

    DAPHNE HULSE (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu

    https://fs.illinois.edu/zero-waste
     
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    “If it cannot be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned, or removed from production.” – Pete Seeger

    From: Sophie Boel <sophie@redwoodmaterials.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2024 12:10 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: FW: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Hi Daphne!

     

    Happy New Year to you and the U of I team!  It’s great to hear from you.  We absolutely do take these types of batteries and would be happy to recycle these for you.  Just a few quick questions that will help determine the shipment approach:

     

    1. How many of these batteries do you currently have on hand that need to be recycled? (count / wattage – info needed because we have a 300Wh limit per box) I will have to reach out to other areas to see if they have batteries to dispose of. I am only of aware of one at the moment but I am sure there are more in other buildings.
    2. What is the frequency per semester / year that you think you would need recycling? (so that we can sort out the sequence that we send boxes and expect shipment back) I would say once a year pickup would work.
    3. Do you have a safe place on campus where you are aggregating these batteries right now as they reach end-of-life, or is that also a solution you are looking for? We keep them in the foremen office or equipment room on a shelf.

     

    Thanks for reaching out!

     

     

    Sophie Boel

    Internal Communications & Public Affairs Manager

    440.759.5401

    sophie@redwoodmaterials.com

      

    signature_2024689654

    From: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:12 AM
    To: Sophie Boel <sophie@redwoodmaterials.com>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Kuehl, Mark A <mkuehl@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: FW: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Hi Sophie,

     

    Please see our responses below! Apologies for the delay on my end in communicating with you. I’m looping in Mark here from Housing for any next steps so I am not a bottleneck.

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

     

    DAPHNE HULSE (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu

    https://fs.illinois.edu/zero-waste
     
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    “If it cannot be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned, or removed from production.” – Pete Seeger

    From: Sophie Boel <sophie@redwoodmaterials.com>
    Sent: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:27 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Kuehl, Mark A <mkuehl@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: FW: Lithium ion battery from vacuums at Housing?

     

    Hi Daphne,

     

    No worries at all.  Happy to learn more, Mark!

     

    Based on your current answers, we can ship you an Obexion box for you to place your single battery in and can accumulate a few more in (depending on physical size and storage capacity of that battery).  When you are ready for it to be picked up, we’ll send you a shipping label and can have it collected.

     

    Best,

    Sophie

  2. Redwood Materials: Jen, Daphne, and Amy meet with Sophie Boel

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    Attendance: Jen Fraterrigo, Sophie Boel, Daphne Hulse, Amy Fruehling

    Sophie Boel introduction: been with Redwood 2+ years, managing construction and engineering team, moved to external affairs (consumer recycling, outreach and education programs). Taking over the university partnerships piece from Seema. Two pieces to look at together:

    • Consumer education, branding materials, and how-to for safe collection and mailing.
    • Research - existing program to bolster with data, or bring about together.

    Recalling our first conversation with Redwood Materials:

    • What is redwood looking for?

    • How can the university offer collaborative experiences with Redwood? Research, battery collection drives.

      • Jen forwarded Sophie the documents she had provided Seema as far as research opportunities go.

    Redwood's experience with collection:

    • 40-50 Audi and Volkswagen dealerships have collection bins - regularly collected and shipped back to Redwood.
    • International Rotary Clubs host collection events throughout the country.

    Daphne's research on where batteries are sourced from and where they end up across campus. Daphne could only speak to batteries that are procured with university money. There is not a gauge on what the community does with batteries and what their needs are.

    • DRS collects Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NMH), Lithium (Li) Ion & Polymer (LiPo), and Silver Oxide (AgO) batteries for recycling. Daphne and Jen don't know the name of the recycling vendor, but they will find out. Sophie says there is a chance that the vendor already works with Redwood Materials, we just have to find out. Rechargeable batteries that are part of a device may get removed, and the device sent to someone like Redwood Materials to find recycling outlets for the device materials, too.

    What could Redwood provide support on if the university would undertake something with them?

    • Bring Seema back into the conversation side (she is involved with business development support).

    Has Redwood done many events with universities? No, they haven’t done many events with universities:

    • University Nevada - Reno, as this is located close to their HQ.

    • Have done events in collaboration with International Rotary Clubs:

      • Environmental & Sustainability Action Group (ES-RAG) - made collection events a part of their piece on sustainability

      • 50-100 collection events - active consumer engagement pieces

      • Earth Day events

    • For events, Redwood can send a Redwood employee - if there is a lot overlapping in terms of time of year (especially Earth Day or Month), some of the rotary district governors act on behalf of Redwood go to an event to staff and educate.

    • Reach out to Urbana and Champaign counterparts - they hold an annual event for Illinois residents for electronics recycling. Maybe there is a need for more than just once a year? And if they combine forces with the university and Redwood, we would have more resources and support to go around.

      • It will be good to hear what the cities think, as their population will likely be the main source for the waste. Students don't often have these kinds of devices and batteries laying around.

    • Any money that can be reinvested to the program? The university tries to find ways to reinvest when possible.

      • Sophie to talk to Seema about this

     

  3. DRS tracks the batteries that they give to WTS, that they recycle, and that they trash

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Lee, Morris <morrisl@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, August 18, 2023 11:00 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Hill, Landon E <landon@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    Good Morning Daphne,

     

    Attached is a report for the batteries handled by the DRS Waste Group.

     

    If you have any data related questions, please let me know (I will be on vacation next week). Landon would be able to answer the operational questions.

     

    Thanks, Morris

     

     

    MORRIS LEE
    RESEARCH SAFETY PROFESSIONAL
     
    Division of Research Safety
    Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    102 Environmental Health and Safety Building
    101 S. Gregory St. | M/C 225
    Urbana, Illinois 61801
    217.300.4563 | morrisl@illinois.edu
    www.drs.illinois.edu
     
    P698ojxP4tc7j8gMqgPv+E4KQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==

    Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure. 

    Attached Files: 

  4. WTS hosts collection site for lead acid battery recycling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    Neither the Waste Transfer Station nor Interstate Batteries (vendor) tracks or weighs the lead acid batteries that are picked up from the cage at the Waste Transfer Station. Rather, the battery unit sold is. The new battery is sold without a core charge, and then the old battery is picked up at a later time. The number of battery units sold is tracked (from 1501 S Oak Street), so this is our best metric for tracking lead acid battery recycling.

    Attachment only covers 2022-2023 sales, a request has been sent for historical data.

    FYI - lead acid batteries (often used in the automobile context) are some of the most easily recycled and rechargeable batteries out there!

    Attached Files: 

  5. Fall 2023 Sustainability Celebration FW: ECIP next steps

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    Hi Paul,

     

    Should we set up a calendar time to talk via Teams about the ECIP plans?  I’d think it would include Jen Fraterrigo, and maybe Rob?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

     -------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    During Monday’s meeting we chose to follow your advice and go with the fall schedule.

     

    We are again having conference schedule during this week and wonder if the sustainability week can be chosen on a week other than the week of Oct 16th – the 20th?

     

    Best

    Paul

     

    --------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    I think the date of the Campus Sustainability Celebration can move, as long as it is within October. I'll touch base with Jen about it and confirm. 

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan 

    -------------------

    Hi Elizabeth,

    I checked with Karl and the BTAF Mechanical conference for engineering is Oct 15-18th and the I2SL Sustainable Labs conference is Oct 22-25, if we can avoid these two weeks that would be terrific?

     

     

    Thank you 

    Paul Foote

    ---------------------

    Hello Elizabeth,

    Any updates on the timing for this event?

     

    I am looking to coordinate the ECIP awards for 2022 and 2023 during this event.

     

    Best

    Paul Foote

  6. Lead acid battery recycling, Surplus electronic battery recycling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren
    Sent: Monday, August 14, 2023 9:37 AM
    To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi Jen,

     

    Follow up - the Waste Transfer Station does not track how many lead acid batteries are collected across campus and picked up by Interstate, so I have reached out to Interstate to see if pickups are something they track.

     

    Thank you!

    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu

    https://fs.illinois.edu/zero-waste
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

     

     

     

    From: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, August 11, 2023 10:24 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    In other words, we generate revenue from recycling the lead acid batteries and then use that revenue to purchase new lead acid batteries. Is that correct? That’s great!

     

    Thanks for following up with Surplus. Once I hear back from you I will reach out to Seema.

     

    Jen

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, August 11, 2023 10:03 AM
    To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    More info on the batteries: the lead acid batteries that are taken to the cage on the west side of WTS are then given back to Interstate Batteries as a refundable core deposit. This is often mandated by state legislature. Lead acid batteries are used in vehicles (so our Garage is a big producer of these), and the cost of purchasing new lead acid batteries covers the cost of returning them for recycling. So these are one type of battery currently successfully being recycled. I’ll see if WTS keeps a record of weight on this, to know how much we are recycling.


    I will follow up with Surplus to see if they have any idea how many electronics batteries they are sending to Secure Processors, the vendor that accepts these kinds of batteries for recycling.

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

  7. DRS process for battery disposal: trash, recycling, waste transfer lead acid batteries

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Hill, Landon E <landon@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 4:20 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Varney, Pete <pvarney@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi.

     

    Is there something specific that you are looking for?

     

    DRS picks up most anything chemical that is requested for disposal through the campus waste management app: https://www.drs.illinois.edu/Page/RequestAWastePickup

     

    All alkaline batteries are trashed.

     

    Rechargeable batteries are recycled.

     

    Lead acid batteries are taken to the cage on the west side of the Waste Transfer Station.

     

    Landon

  8. Surplus electronic battery recycling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 3:19 PM
    To: Weaver, Jeff <jweaver2@uillinois.edu>
    Subject: Surplus and waste memo / batteries

     

    Hi Jeff,

     

    On a different note, battery recycling is a topic that has come up several times recently. F&S does not have any comprehensive program at this point. DRS collects batteries from departments for disposal through their hazardous waste vendor, but they do not recycle the batteries. Regarding batteries from devices such as computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets, and other small devices, (devices that will not be redistributed out to departments for reuse) do you know how these are handled through the state? If they are recycled?

     

    [Surplus response] For the small batteries in those devices, we ship them to Secure Processors, the downstate State contracted electronics recycling vendor.  We don’t know how the vendor handles the batteries on their end after we ship them.

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

  9. Redwood Materials: Jen, Daphne, and Amy meet to follow up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)

    On June 26, 2023 Amy Fruehling, Jen Fraterrigo, and Daphne Hulse meet to follow up after initial contact with Redwood Materials

    • Amy is the connector so she can stay involved if need be, but batteries are not her expertise

    • Ask Stephanie Hess about DRS about battery disposal on campus is how much is recycled. See if departments have a need for this

    • Collection drives would be for students, primarily, for their personal items

      • Ask Goodwill about technology collected from Dump and Run - was it a good outlet for students?

    • IT would be more surplus-oriented

    • Could payment be associated with batteries collected?

    • Would just have to try it out and see if it’s worth it - we won't entirely know what the demand will be for the service

    • ARC does battery recycling

      • Reach out about that

    • Collection sites must be supervised so nothing is mixed in

    • Housing or libraries as a place of disposal would be most ideal. Having it available rather than waiting on a collection drive once or twice a year, is Amy's thought

    • Seema will be sending over material about how they have done collection drives in other places, so we know how it might run

    • Electrical and computer engineering department

      • Specialization in batteries

      • Looking at how to create batteries with a longer life span

      • Do they have a program? Sell to students?

      • A way for iSEE to integrate campus sustainability and research, so Jen will take the first step here

    • Redwood contact is an alum, co-founder is tied to Tesla - Amy notes the significance of this

      • Feels like there could be even more than just collecting batteries

    • Opening up redwood materials collection to the community - because the spring electronics event is once a year in the spring, so sparse opportunity for the community/county

  10. DRS uses hazardous waste vendor for battery disposal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling

    From: Hess, Stephanie Tumidajski <sthess@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 4:02 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Hill, Landon E <landon@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi Daphne,

     

    A good area to look into. I remember there being battery recycling a long time ago and then was told it was no longer is a thing.

    We do not recycle batteries that come through DRS. Those are disposed of using our hazardous waste vendor. I’ve copied the regulated waste compliance manager on this email. He can probably give you an idea about the volume of batteries that come through our waste facility and answer your specific questions.

     

    Steph

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 26, 2023 3:54 PM
    To: Hess, Stephanie Tumidajski <sthess@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Subject: DRS battery disposal

     

    Hi Stephanie,

     

    A recurring topic that’s come up in sustainability conversations on campus has been about batteries, and we are working to assess what the needs are for this type of specialized recycling and for whom (campus property, personal, etc). In the past several years, battery recycling has been decentralized under departmental programs through companies like Battery Solutions and Call2Recycle for single-use and rechargeable batteries. I also understand that DRS disposes of departments’ unwanted batteries – I am curious, is this a program that is widely used by campus? Do most of the batteries collected under DRS get recycled?

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

  11. Redwood Materials: Daphne and Shreya meet with Seema Nilakhe for an introduction

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Single-Use Battery Recycling

    On June 21, 2023 Daphne Hulse and Shreya Mahajan met with Seema Nilakhe to discuss Redwood Materials and opportunity for collaboration.

    • Introductions

      • Seema Nilakhe, originally from Chicago suburbs, attended U of I

      • Amy Fruehling was career counselor for Seema during her undergraduate years

      • Dabbling in environmental initiatives

      • Worked at Amazon for supply chain

      • Worked at Tesla

        • Infrastructure projects in North America

      • Wanted to work at start up so went to Redwood Materials

        • Lithium ion batteries

        • Based out of Reno, Nevada

        • Consumer partnerships is Seema’s role

      • Don’t take

        • Lead acid

        • Cadmium

        • Car batteries

    • Daphne notes that the batteries Redwood would be interested in would likely come from university property, which is handled by CMS/Surplus/OBFS

      • Seema can assist with looking into this process

    • Redwood process:

      • Pickup batteries with large OEMs (large car companies that make EVs)

      • Redwood picks up scrap

      • Redwood partners with Call2Recycle

      • Typically you have to pay a fee for Call2Recycle for their services (U of I may have had the service for free?)

      • Collections would be the biggest benefit for us:

        • Cell phones, laptops, smaller devices are high in cobalt and nickel and critical elements that are part of the battery

        • Larger devices would need to be checked for logistics and chemistry

        • Pricing is based on gross weight

        • Collections - don’t provide packaging but suppliers have the drums, crates, or collection mechanism to do that

        • DOT shipping guidelines (Redwood has that and can give us a sample) we have to be in compliance

        • Under 60 watt hours

        • Engineering may have drums that we could use to ship the batteries

        • Gaylords work too

      • Differences between primary and secondary batteries

        • Primaries - non-rechargables

          • Watch batteries

          • Typically lithium ion

      • Have partners which take all of the excess materials that aren’t batteries

        • Secondary - rechargeable

    Next steps:

    • CMS/Surplus - ask if they already recycle batteries, or need an outlet for it

    • Check inventory on drums and gaylords/shipping materials - Seema will send DOT guidelines

    • Event with marketing/public relations

    • Bin in the Union - how do you keep people from randomly throw items in there that are not batteries? Must be supervised

    • Stick to call2recycle for AA AAA alkaline

  12. Redwood Materials: F&S, iSEE, and ACES introduced to GIES alum Seema Nilakhe to discuss battery recycling opportunities

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Battery Recycling
    Single-Use Battery Recycling
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)

    RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

     

    Great – thank you all for your thoughts and connections.  I’m moving Madhu and Bob to bcc and can loop them back in as needed.

     

    Jennifer, Morgan and Daphne, can you please share your interest in joining a call along with your availability for the last 2 weeks in June?  I’ll get a call scheduled with Seema so that we can explore a possible collaboration.

     

    Best,

    Amy

     

    Amy Fruehling, MBA

    Senior Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

    College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

    1301 W. Gregory Dr.

    Urbana, IL  61801

     

    217.265.4045

    afruehli@illinois.edu

     

    From: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 12:06 PM
    To: Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>; Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Cc: White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Amy,

     

    Bob is correct that campus no longer has a battery recycling program. I would be interested in following up about how we might restart the program. Colleagues in Facilities & Services, including Morgan White and Daphne Hulse, Zero Waste Coordinator, might also be interested in joining a call.

     

    On a related note, the alum may be interested in an initiative to recycle components of EV batteries (among other types) for reuse in Europe that leverages a partnership between industry and academia.

    https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news-archive/2019/new-project-launches-focusing-on-the-sustainable-reprocessing-of-rare-earth-magnets

     

    Best,

    Jen

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)

    iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
    Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois

    W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.

    Urbana, IL 61801

    jmf@illinois.edu
    ph 217-333-9428

    https://fraterrigolab.nres.illinois.edu/

     

     

    From: Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2023 9:27 AM
    To: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Amy,

     

    Campus had a battery recycling program but it was discontinued in 2015 due to lack of funding.  It is now left to units to fund recycling programs if they want.

    https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/battery-recycling

     

    I also thought of Jen Fraterrigo for discussing potential partnerships on campus.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Bob

     

    Robert L. Schooley
    Professor and Head
     
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    W-503 Turner Hall | M/C 047
    Urbana, IL 61801
    217.244.2729 | schooley@illinois.edu
    nres.illinois.edu
     
    Bu0VAhW8+s0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=

     

     

     

    From: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:24 PM
    To: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>; Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; White, Morgan <mbwhite@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Amy

     

    Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This sounds interesting.  Would you know what kind of batteries she is interested in building a recycling program for?

    I am ccing Jen Fraterrigo and Morgan White to let us know if we have any current program for this and get their thoughts on potential opportunities for battery recycling on our campus.  

     

    Best

    Madhu

     

     

    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

     

    Office: 1101 W. Peabody, Suite 336, M/C  635

    Urbana IL 61801

     

    email: khanna1@illinois.edu; phone: 217-333-5176; fax: 217-333-5538

     

    http://ace.illinois.edu/directory/madhu-khanna

    https://ceos.illinois.edu/bio-khanna

    https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LPH4gbUAAAAJ&hl=en

     

    https://illinois.zoom.us/j/2173335176?pwd=Ri8rTzQ0S1RxZHpiY2tEWVdaSlhtZz09

     

     

    From: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 5:13 PM
    To: Khanna, Madhu <khanna1@illinois.edu>; Schooley, Robert Lee <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Madhu and Bob,

    Checking in to bring this request to the top of your email again.  I’d like to get back to our alum contact at Redwood Materials this week. Did you have any thoughts on her request below, or are there others you’d suggest that I reach out to?

     

    Thanks!

    Amy

     

    From: Bollero, German A <gbollero@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, May 26, 2023 3:18 PM
    To: Fruehling, Amy <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    I will let Madhu and Bob to respond to this.

    Thanks

    GB

     

    From: "Fruehling, Amy" <afruehli@illinois.edu>
    Date: Monday, May 22, 2023 at 2:54 PM
    To: German Bollero <gbollero@illinois.edu>, "Khanna, Madhu" <khanna1@illinois.edu>, "Schooley, Robert Lee" <schooley@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Campus Sustainability - Redwood Materials

     

    Hi Bob, German and Madhu,

     

    Redwood Materials, founded by Tesla co-founder, JB Straubel, is a renewable energy company that focuses on making batteries sustainable and affordable by localizing the battery supply chain and producing components in the US from recycled batteries. A fantastic Gies alumni and former student that I worked with, reached out and is interested in creating a battery collection program at Illinois.  She referenced the campus-wide recycling program with Coca Cola.  While I think this could fit nicely into the Campus Sustainability program, I think that we could discuss possible research, project or funding collaborations that would enhance a program of this nature and support an academic partnership.

     

    I am reaching out to you given your roles in the college and campus sustainability initiatives.  Are there any programs within iSEE, NRES or that campus is working on that might align well?  Are there others within your units that you recommend that I pose this question to?  I’d like to have a follow up call with the alum, Seema Nilakhe, to share some options, and then can bring others into the conversation to hopefully begin talking about how to move forward.

     

    Thank you for your thoughts,

    Amy

     

    Amy Fruehling, MBA

    Sr. Director of Corporate Relations

    217.265.4045

    8DFIANu9afgYkAAAAASUVORK5CYIIA

     

  13. ECIP next steps

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    Hi Paul,

     

    Should we set up a calendar time to talk via Teams about the ECIP plans?  I’d think it would include Jen Fraterrigo, and maybe Rob?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    ----------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    During Monday’s meeting we chose to follow your advice and go with the fall schedule.

     

    We are again having conference schedule during this week and wonder if the sustainability week can be chosen on a week other than the week of Oct 16th – the 20th?

     

    Best

    Paul

    --------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    I think the date of the Campus Sustainability Celebration can move, as long as it is within October. I'll touch base with Jen about it and confirm. 

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan 

    -------------------

    Good morning,

     

    I am fine with moving the Campus Sustainability Celebration to another week in October.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

  14. ECIP awards for 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    Hello Jen and Morgan,

    I have attached a draft of the award letter to be sent to the deans and dept heads, and am reaching out to iSEE in regards to supporting this program.

     

    I believe in the past ISEE co-presented these awards with F&S and more recently the awards were presented at the Sustainability Celebration which works well to promote more exposure for all sustainability items on campus.

    Unfortunately, the BTAF Mechanical Engineering conference and I2SL conferences are during the same week so we were not available to join this past year.

     

    We are now looking at 5 separate presentations at each location to present this years awards and wondering what support or involvement ISEE would be interested in?

     

    Thank you 

    Paul Foote

    ----------------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    Jen and I spoke about this, and iSEE is interested in continuing to participate in the presentation of the ECIP awards.  We would like to suggest that this be a single award presentation, rather than the five separate events.  It can occur during Earth Month, and perhaps it could be held at the ACES Library, which is a nice venue and it was the ECIP winner with the highest energy savings.

     

    Please let us know if this is an acceptable plan, and we can arrange a call to talk about the details.

     

    Also, I asked Ehab about the Henry Admin Building leadership, and he suggests Paul Ellinger be the point of contact for the award letter.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    --------------------------

    Hello Everyone,

    This is a terrific plan, Rob gave the go-ahead to plan the venue, date & time etc.

     

    When works best for all?

     

    Thank you

    Paul

    ----------------------

    Hello All,

    I am bumping this to the top of the email list for scheduling the venue and timing for this event.

    Let me know when we can discuss/finalize the details?

     

    Best

    Paul Foote

    ----------------------

    Hi Paul,

     

    Is there anything that you were anticipating including in this event agenda, other than the ECIP announcements and plaque distribution?  If not, it might be better to include both years’ winners in the fall 2023 campus sustainability celebration. 

     

    I realize this is a shift from what we were thinking of, but it would be a shame to put together an event that is only 15 minutes long…  It would also be difficult to get a broad audience.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -----------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    We were thinking this timeframe might fit better than the fall venue with multiple conferences etc…

    Pending the date, we should have information regarding the next round of funding and were planning to gather the facilities managers at this event to share examples and promote future project applications.

     

    Thoughts everyone?

    Best

    Paul

    ------------------

    Hi Morgan and all,

    I crossed the revolving loan fund and ECIP, the ECIP awards can be discussed at our next monthly meeting.

     

    Thank you

    Paul Foote

    -------------------

     

    Hi Paul, What monthly meeting?

    thanks, Morgan

    ------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

    UES has a monthly meeting for ECIP, RLF, rapid back and other funding items as needed.

     

    Best

    Paul

     

  15. ECIP Award Winners

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    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: 

  16. 2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Facilitate campus-wide sustainability events
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    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

    2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration!

  17. Call2Recycle FY2020 Report: Collection of Batteries and Cell Phones

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling

    The attached files highlight the battery and cell phone collection efforts conducted from 01/01/2020 to 12/31/2020. These reports include valuable information such as the pounds collected, breakdown by chemistry, growth rates, and collected trends over a 3-year time period.

    Attached Files: 

  18. Campus Sustainability Celebration

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)
    Freezer Challenge
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Climate Leadership Commitments
    Major Annual Events
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    iSEE and F&S are excited to invite you to the Campus Sustainability Celebration 2020! This is an annual event that is especially exciting this year with the signing ceremony of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) 2020, (once every five years) and the presentation of energy conservation and Freezer Challenge awards. Everyone is invited and encouraged to stay afterward for a social-hour!

    Campus Sustainability Celebration

    October 20, 3 pm • Map

    Meredith Moore • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    baseline_wifi_black_18dp.png This opportunity is available online.

  19. Energy Conservation Incentive Program - Program Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    Hello ECIP winners,

     

    When the Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) was launched in 2013, it included financial awards that distributed some of the centrally managed campus utility funds back to the winning buildings. The calculation system was based on placement (first place to fourth place) in the awards program and the award category (occupant action or energy advancement).  You can see the calculation in the attached fact sheet from 2016, if you are interested.  With the Integrated and Value-Centered Budget (IVCB) reform, we transitioned this year, and we are closing out the initial phase one of the ECIP.

     

    Some of the original award funding has not yet been allocated to an associated facility improvement project.  If you have remaining funds and have not yet committed to a specific project, please do so as soon as possible.  All ECIP award funds must be committed by the end of this fiscal year, so please let us know your plans.

     

    Now in phase two, the ECIP awards include a plaque and the associated prestige, and no additional monetary awards (see attached revised fact sheet).  Instead, your colleges will benefit directly from the energy savings.  Additionally, to increase the visibility of the great progress all of you have made, we are collaborating with the Illinois Solar Decathlon’s Concept Team (incoming freshmen, learning about building systems and sustainability).  They will be completing a simple Building-Level Energy Report card for the 50+ ECIP winners this fall.  In the spring, I will send those reports to you with an opportunity to connect with the Concept Team members.

     

    Later this week, I will send a follow up email to the FY19 winners with images to help you spread awareness of this award.  Congratulations again to all of you, and thank you very much for your past and ongoing contributions to the campus sustainability and energy efficiency efforts.

     

    Sincerely,

    Morgan

    Attached Files: 

  20. Division of Research Safety - battery recycling

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling

    All rechargeable batteries that are received through the campus waste program are recycled. The campus community must submit an online waste request through the DRS waste application to have their rechargeable batteries picked up and recycled.

     

    I would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

     

    Thanks.

     

    LANDON HILL
    Chemical Waste Manager
    Division of Research Safety

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