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Projects Updates for place: National Soybean Research Center

  1. 2021 International Freezer Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Freezer Challenge

     

    Research, managing labs, and personnel keeping you busy? No worries!

    International Freezer Challenge Coordinators can enter your lab's information and the cold-storage sample management efforts you have made during the past year.

    Any changes, upgrades, cleaning out, defrostings, filter cleanings, and reductions to freezer/refrigerators can all be added to your score sheets. 

    Sample management, reductions, inventory creation or changes and upgrades, as well as, increasing room-temperature sample-storage inventory are all actions that increase your score and reduce the environmental impact of your lab operations.

    All actions in sample management you have made since August 2020 help your lab improve environmental impact, reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, and are eligible to boost your lab and UIUC's overall point totals in the 2021 International Freezer Challenge.

    If you would like us to register your lab and complete your score sheet?

    • Send a completed copy of the linked word document with your action items, or send a request for assistance to gfoote2@illinois.edu.
    • If requesting assistance, we will arrange a time to meet with you and gather the necessary information to complete your lab's registration and scorecard.

    Help UIUC defend our 1st place international standing and win the opportunity to be highlighted and have your photo in NATURE magazine!

    For more information and questions about the International Freezer Challenge, please contact Paul Foote, F&S energy efficiency and conservation specialist, gfoote2@illinois.edu, 217-244-1048.

     

     

  2. Florida-Orchard Prairie Pollinator Signage

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bee Campus USA
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Prairie Restoration at Florida & Orchard
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas

    A 24" by 36" blank sign was installed at the corner of Florida Avenue and Orchard Street, by the Florida-Orchard prairie, near Orchard Downs and the Presidents’ House. The information planned to be featured in the sign will originate from the new Bee Campus brochure. This text will highlight the Bee Campus student organization, information about pollinators, as well as university and campus initiatives to be more pollinator-friendly. Thanks to funding by SSC, the signage will be ready for public display by the end of 2021!

    See the attached files to view the installation of the blank sign!

    Attached Files: 

  3. SSC Semesterly Report June 2021: Meadow at Orchard Downs Low Mow Zone

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Meadow at Orchard Downs
    Low Mow Zones
    Issue Press Releases and Sustainability Reports

    As a part of the terms of the funding agreement for Meadow at Orchard Downs Low Mow Zones, the Student Sustainability Committee released a semesterly report with key information about the project on June 14, 2021. The report can be viewed below.

    Attached Files: 

  5. iSEE Newsletter: Plantings Complete Solar Farm 2.0!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    Energy iCAP Team

    The final stage of the Solar Farm 2.0 project is wrapping up this month with the planting of a native pollinator habitat. The farm will serve as a major demonstration and research site for pollinator-friendly solar arrays, with more than 6.5 million flowering plants and native grasses around the 54 acres of panels creating a natural habitat for birds and beneficial insects. With this second solar farm, the campus has achieved clean energy goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) nearly four years ahead of schedule. Clean energy production will now support roughly 12 percent of annual campus electricity demand. Congratulations to Facilities & Services for all of the hard work on this important project; iSEE and its SWATeam members were proud to provide key support for Solar Farm 2.0 by pushing for an increased renewable portfolio in the iCAP. Students in iSEE's sustainability minor also helped assess the new array's carbon footprint!

  6. Congratulations to our 2020-2021 Greener Campus Awardees!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Chapter Program
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)
    Certified Green Event Program

    This year, we awarded 38 green certifications on our campus! Congratulations to all! This includes 28 events (including iSEE Congress and the “TED Talk: Eco Edition” series) seven Greek chapters (including gold-level awards for Delta Delta Delta, Pi Beta Phi, Delta Gamma, Kappa Delta, and Zeta Beta Tau), and three offices: International Student & Scholar Services, Department of Communication, and Department of Chemistry Administrative Office. Learn more about all of iSEE’s Certified Greener Campus programs.

    Greek Chapter Gold Certifications:

    • Pi Beta Phi — March 2021
    • Delta Delta Delta — March 2021
    • Delta Gamma — March 2021
    • Kappa Delta — February 2021
    • Zeta Beta Tau — November 2020

    Greek Chapter Silver Certifications:

    • Triangle Fraternity — November 2020 (Read more!)

    Greek Chapter Bronze Certifications:

    Event Certifications:

    • SECS iCAP Teach-In — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Trivia and Happy Hour — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Plant Parenthood Fundraiser — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Roundtable with La Colectiva — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Earth Day Climate Strike — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Stargazing — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Teach-In — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Ecosociology Lecture & Discussion — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Virtual Sustainable Cooking — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Volunteering with Red Bison — Certified April 2021
    • SECS “Plogging” 5k Fun Run — Certified April 2021
    • SECS Painting Climate Strike Signs — Certified April 2021
    • Illinois Solar Decathlon ADAPTHAUS Inauguration Event — Certified April 2021
    • Campus Recreation Food Assistance & Well-Being Program Digital Food Drive — Certified April 2021
    • iSEE Congress 2021: The Future of Water — Certified March 2021
    • Champaign Park District/UIUC Bunny Brunch — Certified March 2021
    • iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series — Certified March 2021
    • Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) Environmental Policy Workshop — Certified March 2021
    • ELP Corporate Sustainability Workshop — Certified March 2021
    • SSC Coffee Hours — Certified March 2021
    • RST/Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club Young Olympians Program — Certified March 2021
    • One Winter Night Anniversary Plaza Donation Drive — Certified March 2021
    • One Winter Night — Certified February 2021
    • Parkland College Trivia Night, 3/24/2021 — Certified February 2021
    • Illinois Extension Everyday Environment Webinar Series — Certified February 2021
    • American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) general meeting series — Certified February 2021
    • Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Sustainability Seminar Series — Certified December 2020
    • ECEC21 (Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference 2021) — Certified December 2020

  7. NSRC Pollinator Garden Build

    Associated Project(s): 
    Compost at National Soybean Research Center (NSRC)
    Student Groups with Sustainability Focus
    Red Oak Rain Garden
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Bee Campus USA

    The 350 square-foot pollinator garden at the National Soybean Research Center is planted! The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time hearing plant stories and learning about our very own native species from Layne Knoche. Check out our Facebook post here. 

    Huge thank you to Layne Knoche, Eliana Brown, and the whole Red Oak Rain Garden team, Eric Green, Michael Dzianott and the Red Bison team, Joey Kreiling, Blake Cedergren, and the From the Ground Up team, and all friends who helped out with the planting. 

    Stay tuned for more fun! 

  8. Article: An Earth Month to Remember

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet)
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Earth Month
    Illinois Solar Decathlon
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Solar Farm 2.0

    The Spring 2021 iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ) highlighted a diverse array of campus initiatives that made this year's Earth Month one to remember. Ranging from hosted events to sustainable energy, the article discusses the launch of the "TED Talk: Eco Edition" series, Solar Farm 2.0, community trash pickup, and more!

    Read the article in the attached files below. 

    Attached Files: 

  13. Take action, register today, and submit your efforts by July 1, 2021

    Associated Project(s): 
    Freezer Challenge

    Did you buy an energy-efficient refrigerator or freezer, discard or unplug a fridge or freezer, clean out samples, start a sample inventory list, adjust a fridge or freezer to a warmer temperature, defrost a fridge, or clean the filters? These actions promote equipment longevity, better sample management, and improve efficiency; they also help you earn points for the Freezer Challenge. 

    For more information and questions about the International Freezer Challenge, please contact Paul Foote, F&S energy efficiency and conservation specialist, gfoote2@illinois.edu, 217-244-1048.

    Take action, register today, and submit your efforts by July 1, 2021.

  14. Scope change approved: iSEE Green Labs Intern

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Lab Program
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The SSC approved a scope change for the Green Labs Intern project to allow the funding to be used for the larger Greener Campus program, and to revise the schedule to have an expiration date of June 30, 2023. The project contact is Meredith Moore at iSEE.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    Climate researcher James Hansen, known for raising alarms about climate change in the 1980s, will address failures in energy policy & suggest changes moving forward. While the public is coming to grips with climate change, scientists & engineers failed to shape policies to avert its worst consequences, says Hansen, Director of Columbia University’s Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program.

    May 5, 12–1:30 pm • Zoom | Password 591223

     

    Julie Wurth Asmussen • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

  16. 2021-2022 Student Sustainability Committee Member Application

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The Student Sustainability Committee is seeking undergraduate and graduate students interested in applying for a voting member position for the 2021-2022 academic year. Applicants are not required to have a sustainability or STEM background. Any dedicated student interested in promoting campus sustainability is encouraged to apply. The deadline to apply is May 14, 2021.

     

    Student Sustainability Committee • Student Success and Engagement

     

    2021-2022 Student Sustainability Committee Member Application

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