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Projects Updates for place: National Soybean Research Center

  1. Green Cleaning Products and Practices Funding Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Cleaning Products and Practices
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to provide funding to purchase and testing of the Activeion Ionator EXP Cleaning System to use and evaluate in daily cleaning operations in major buildings on the University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. This project will displace the use of chemicals for cleaning, reducing operating costs, natural resource use, and improving indoor air quality for all individuals on campus. This will thus help the University make its operations more sustainable, and Facilities and Services will also document their experience as a case study for other campus and community entities to emulate. On successful completion of the pilot, the Committee hopes to receive a proposal to help fund large-scale adoption of this cleaning system on campus. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding this proposal in the amount of $9,000.

    Attached Files: 

  2. Integrated Pest Management - Funding Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal looks to implement a two-year enhanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan to assist University Housing with pest management needs, while reducing pest management costs, reducing students’ exposure to pests and pesticides, and promoting environmental stewardship. The project goals include: (1) Collaboration on a pilot IPM plan between University Dining Services and Terminix to evaluate IPM practices and identify possible ways to reduce pesticide applications in the dormitories food service areas; (2) Developing educational materials for students, parents and others regarding pest management and notifications of any pest related issues (some materials will be used for University-owned apartment residents and others for dormitories) in collaboration with University Housing; The project lead currently has a $30,000 grant from USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture to promote school integrated pest management in Illinois. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of supporting a matching funds grant in the amount of $30,000 to be used only for activities at University-owned facilities at the Urbana campus.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Campus Bike Center Funding Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to fund 50% of the cost of part-time shop manager position as transition assistance to become fully self-supporting. This grant will help the Campus Bike Project become a financially sound, self-sufficient, self-funded shop, where all operating costs are recouped through memberships and the sale of recycled refurbished bicycles, new and used parts and accessories. The Campus Bike project is a cooperative where students can learn how to repair and maintain their bike for transportation throughout the year. The campus bike project provides significant services toward increasing bicycle use on campus, and has received significant previous investment from F&S, the Committee and the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding a grant in the amount of $7,500.

    Attached Files: 

  5. Composting Feasibility Study

    Associated Project(s): 
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to complete a feasibility study re: composting of campus food waste. The scope of work for this study includes evaluation of proposed composting sites and identification of the optimal location, specification of necessary site improvements, verification of analysis regarding program size and logistics and development of a program plan with capital equipment needs. This study will enable establishment of a food-waste program that will divert ~600 tons of foodwaste from the landfill annually (and accompanying methane and CO2 emissions), in support of the Illinois Climate Action Plan, and campus waste reduction goals. This project is also being supported by $7,400 funding from the Office of Sustainability. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding a grant in the amount of $15,000.

    Attached Files: 

  7. Bike Sharing Feasibility Study

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bike Sharing Feasibility Study
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to conduct a feasibility study off different options for implementing a bike-sharing program at the University of Illinois. A feasibility study for this project is a necessary step before implementation of a campus bike sharing project can be considered, in line with the Illinois Climate Action Plan. University bike-sharing programs exist in different forms across the country and the challenge is finding a model that will be highly used by students as well as being mostly self-sustaining. Committee funds will be used to support a half-time summer intern as well as for other expenses relevant to the study, with any unspent funds held for implementation of improvements to campus bicycle parking infrastructure. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding a grant in the amount of $10,000.

    Attached Files: 

  8. Allerton Geothermal Project Funding Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at Allerton Park
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to install a geothermal system at the Evergreen lodge and Retreat Center. The Evergreen Lodge is a 2828 sq. ft. structure used as lodging facilities for retreat center guests. The installation will result in energy savings of ~ $2,000 annually and provide the University with experience in handling geothermal installations – none of which are currently installed at the University. This project is also being supported by grant funds from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities. Committee funds will be utilized for purchase and installation of equipment, such as a ground source heat pump unit, as well as drilling of borehole heat exchange pipes. Additionally, Allerton park has agreed to install an on-site educational display about geothermal energy. The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding a grant in the amount of $18,000.

    Attached Files: 

  9. SSC funding award letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Wind Turbine Generator(s) on South Farms
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    In October 2010, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) wrote a letter to the Office of Sustainability at the U of I recommending that the wind turbine project receive $500,000 in funding with following conditions:

    1) That all funds provided by the SSC be returned in full if the project is postponed, cancelled or placed on hold.

    2) That all funds provided by the SSC for be expended by December 31 st, 2011 and that a final report of all work completed and accounting of funds spent be provided to us by that date as well.

    Attached Files: 

  12. Green roof on Art & Design and KCPA Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Roof on Art & Design Link Gallery
    Green Roof on KCPA
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The goal of this project is to construct a green roof atop the Link Gallery between the School of Art + Design and the Krannert Art Museum. This project will be implemented primarily by students and faculty of the School of Art + Design and will be in a highly visible campus location. It will help reduce energy costs at the facility and provide rain water for the surrounding gardens. As Facilities & Services is expected to cover half the cost of resurfacing the roof, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of partially funding the  proposal in the amount of $63,900.

    Attached Files: 

  13. BIF Prairie Garden Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal looks to contribute to the campus wide effort of promoting more sustainable landscaping by creating a Prairie Garden comprised of plant species characteristic to east-central Illinois to surround the Deloitte Auditorium in the courtyard of the Business Instructional Facility (BIF). The Prairie Garden will provide carbon sequestration benefits, aid in management of water runoff, increase biodiversity, and reduce the use of carbon-intensive maintenance equipment. Replacing the current overgrown sedge meadow with low-height, low-growth, native sustainable botanicals will lead to less management needs and greater student engagement with increased access and aesthetics. The Prairie Garden will be highly visible to the thousands of weekly visitors to the BIF, sending a message about the importance of and commitment to sustainable practices. Such education will be furthered through informational signage and orientation of new students. The College of Business and College of Business Class of 2010 will provide the remaining $10,540 expense of creating the Prairie Garden. Further, the College of Business will assume responsibility for ensuring the success and continued maintenance of the project, and the grant will be paid back to the Committee if the project is inadequately maintained and the restoration effort is abandoned in the next five years. The improvements to the Business Instructional Facility courtyard will provide highly visible, tangible evidence of the campus commitment to responsible sustainable behavior. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the fully requested amount of $10,000.

    Attached Files: 

  14. Campus-wide Bike Parking Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    FY09 SSC Bike Parking Upgrades
    FY12 SSC Bike Parking Upgrades
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Bike parking is essential for supporting green commuters as well as raising awareness and supporting biking on campus. In 2009, the SSC funded $10,600 for standard bike parking at three popular locations on campus, Freer Hall, the Undergraduate Library, and the Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building. Later in 2012, SSC provided $225,000 in order to replace old donut-hole bike parking with U-loop parking at the Armory, the Main Library, the Foreign Language Building, and other high-traffic areas on campus.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Plant Sciences Greenhouse Loan Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Plant Sciences Window Shades
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The College of ACES Seeks funding for the installation of energy/shade curtains in the Plant Sciences Laboratory (PSL) Greenhouse. The goals of this project are to decrease the energy usage to heat and cool the greenhouse rooms, increase natural light quality in the greenhouse rooms, and decrease energy usage by the application and removal of whitewash. Additional project benefits are that the retrofitted greenhouse rooms will be of higher value for research and teaching purposes, by allowing increased use of higher-quality natural lighting, and enabling better lighting control.

    Project costs includes the installation of energy shade curtains at the cost of ~$12,000 per room (for nine rooms), in addition to electrical work and new control systems and software. Total costs for the project are anticipated at $120,000, will be financed through this loan. In addition, the Committee will provide a grant of $5,000 for an associated sub-metering project to quantify project benefits.

    Attached Files: 

  16. IUB Retrocommissioning and Occupancy Sensors Loan

    Associated Project(s): 
    Occupancy and Daylight Sensors
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    FY10 RCx

    Program Background:

    The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) is tasked with the allocation of the proceeds of two student environmental fees – the Clean Energy Technology Fee and the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee, to improve the sustainability of our campus. The committee has established a program to make funds available for efficiency projects that will be later returned for reinvestment in future projects.

    Committee funds will be made available to the Office of Sustainability which will carry out an inter-departmental transfer to the Receiving campus unit. The Receiving unit agrees to return the transfer to the Office of Sustainability, in installments, as described on the next page, for reuse by the SSC.

    Project Description:            

    The Illini Union seeks funding to retro-commission the Illini Union Bookstore building, and to install Occupancy Sensors in the Illini Union building. The Illini Union Bookstore building contains both academic and auxiliary units, and the SSC loan will allow for complete retro-commissioning of the building. Retro-commissioning is expected to cost $113,000; the RCx process identifies defective components within the HVAC systems, reconfiguring and controlling them to function more efficiently, decreasing wear and tear and extending their service life by 20 years (as part of a regular preventative maintenance program), as well as reducing building energy consumption.

    The SSC loan will also provide $67,000 to install lighting occupancy sensors in the Illini Union, in food service preparation areas, restrooms, office areas and meeting rooms, which will reduce energy and lighting use.

    Terms:

    The Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of the Office of Sustainability transferring an amount of $180,000 to the Illini Union completion of this work. These funds are to be drawn from the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee account managed by the SSC, as needed to complete the project. All funds requested from the SSC must be expended before 30th September 2010, else the unit must apply for an extension.

    The Illini Union agrees to return the funds provided by carrying out annual transfers to the Office of Sustainability due on the 15th of August of each year in the following manner:

    $20,000 – Due 15th August 2011

    $40,000 – Due 15th August 2012

    $40,000 – Due 15th August 2013

    $40,000 – Due 15th August 2014

    $40,000 – Due 15th August 2015

    The Office of Sustainability will direct them back to the Committee’s account. The Illini Union will provide a close-out report about the project after installation. The Illini Union will also appropriately publicize the Committee’s support of these projects.

    All funds provided by this transfer will be used in a manner consistent with University of Illinois policies and procedures.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Sustainable Student Farm Funding Agreement

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

    This proposal looks to continue to develop a student run farm at the Horticultural Pomology Farm on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Windsor. As a partnership between the campus horticulture program and students, the farm will significantly contribute to campus food needs by supplying produce to University food service operations. This will allow the campus to move toward a more sustainable agricultural model and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food transportation. Student volunteers and Crop Sciences employees will harvest, process and deliver fresh crops to University Dining Services, which will pay the prevailing market rate for the produce. This model should allow the project to bring in adequate funding in the near future, and the requested funds will be used to propel the farm to achieve self-sustaining operations in 2011. Further, a sign will inform the community of the farm’s presence and open houses will be held to introduce students and staff to this sustainable agriculture operation. This continued and expanded project will provide tangible evidence of campus commitment to responsible sustainable behavior. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the fully requested amount of $25,000.

    Attached Files: 

  18. Solar Decathlon 2011 Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Solar Decathlon
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal seeks to provide funding for student education centered around the University of Illinois’s participation in the 2011 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Competition. Each student team participating in this prestigious, international competition is required to build an entirely solar-powered 800 sq. foot house with innovative design features. This grant will provide funds for the development of new courses and enhancement of existing courses, provisioning of course materials and software, and the sponsorship of guest lecturers and consultants ($25,000), the employment of graduate students in coordinating roles for education and volunteer engagement activities ($15,000), and student travel associated with the competition ($10,000). The last UI entry in the Solar Decathlon competition engaged hundreds of students and was the highest-placed US finisher in the Competition; furthermore this participation will require the team to raise $700,000 at a time of severe campus budget constraints. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding this proposal in the amount of $50,000.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Prairie Project Instructional Workshop Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Prairie Project Instructional Workshop
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The Prairie Project is a faculty development workshop with the objective of preparing faculty (and aspiring faculty) to teach on issues of sustainability and to introduce such material into existing campus coursework. The project will reach an interdisciplinary group of 18 faculty members who teach courses reaching thousands of students, and helping achieve campus objectives around sustainability education. This workshop will also serve as a pilot project for larger workshop activities in future years. Committee funds will be used to provide a modest honorarium for participants, who undertake to make modifications to a course that they will teach next year. This workshop is being hosted by the campus Office of Sustainability, and funding support in equal amounts is also being provided by the Office of Sustainability and the Environmental Change Institute. Thus the Committee recommends funding this program in the amount of $5,000.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Occupancy Sensors Funding Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Occupancy and Daylight Sensors
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This proposal looks to install occupancy sensors in classrooms, hallways, restrooms, lounges, and other public areas in twenty heavily used campus buildings, chosen according to the number of student contact hours. This project will reduce energy usage by 30% in affected areas, saving the campus approximately $18,000 per year in energy costs (based on a $0.0689/kWh rate), and reduce emissions by nearly 440,000 lbs of CO2 equivalent. This highly visible effort is expected to increase student and community awareness of the impact of reducing lighting usage. These sensors will serve as a lasting and permanent public statement of campus commitment to responsible sustainable behavior. Thus, the Student Sustainability Committee is in favor of funding the fully requested amount of $50,000.

    Attached Files: 

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