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Projects Updates for place: National Soybean Research Center

  1. Archived Info - Previous Project Description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Styrecycle: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling program

    Dart Container at 1505 E. Main St., Urbana, accepts expanded polystyrene (EPS), more commonly known by its brand name Styrofoam, for recycling. Departments are encouraged to take EPS there to recycle this bulky material. By doing so, we can reduce the volume of waste sent from campus to landfills and avoid the harmful environmental impacts of that practice. There is no charge to drop off EPS at Dart for recycling.

    There is currently no central funding source to pay for transportation of EPS to Dart, so departments need to arrange transport independently.

    The drop-off location is in a fenced-in area of the Dart parking lot and may be accessed 24 hours a day. Dart accepts foam packaging (except for packaging peanuts), foam cups, foam egg cartons, foam meat trays, foam ice chests, and other foam products that fall within these guidelines:

    • Make sure foam has the #6 chasing arrows symbol on it.
    • Deposit foam in a clear or translucent bag (large bags are provided at the drop-off site).
    • Rinse or wipe foodservice containers free from food.
    • Remove straws, lids, tape or any other non-foam material.
    • Do not include foam-packaging peanuts.

    From fall 2015 until summer 2017, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) ran the Styrecycle program in partnership with Community Resource Inc. (CRI). Ownership of CRI changed in July 2017, and the new owner was not able to continue the program.

  2. AASHE Webinar on Green Office Programs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    From: Vandenbergh, Lydia Bodman <lbv10@psu.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2021 9:16 AM
    To: Vandenbergh, Lydia Bodman
    Cc: Wendy Olmstead
    Subject: July 21st AASHE Webinar on Green Office Programs

     

    Upcoming Webinar:

    Webinar: Creating or Improving Green Office and Lab Certification Programs: Best Practices

    July 21 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT

    Free

    If your institution is considering creating a Green Office Certification Program (GOCP) or improving an existing one, you have company. In 2019, several universities and colleges were in the same situation, and created a focus group to explore best practices, under the auspices of the Big Ten and Friends Sustainability Network. The group’s size blossomed over the following year to representing about twenty-five institutions, offering a breadth of experience to tap.

    The group found that program models vary by assessment process; staffing; metrics; alignment with the global Sustainable Development Goals; adaptability for remote workers; target audience; recognition approach; and participation incentives. After an initial benchmarking process, they honed in on four programmatical areas to explore improvements: metrics; addressing social actions; alignment with professional development goals; and remote work adaptability. In this AASHE session, participants will learn about various program models and the best practices from three leaders involved in the analysis effort: Lydia Vandenbergh from Penn State University; Tony Gillund of Ohio State University; and Wendy Olmstead from California State University, Stanislaus.

    This presentation will provide valuable tips and models to consider for those looking to launch or evolve their own programs that make sustainability the norm in work and lab spaces. Although this session is focused on examples from the higher ed community, the information could be applied to non-profits and other organizations.

     

    Register here.

     

    Lydia Vandenbergh
    Associate Director of Employee Engagement and Education
    Sustainability Institute

    Penn State University
    814-863-4893 (o)
    814-880-3058 (c)

     

    "When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide." John Lewis, July 2020

     

    Check out our programs:
    sustainability.psu.edu/greenteams
    sustainability.psu.edu/greenpaws

     

     

  3. The compost tumbler is back!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Compost at National Soybean Research Center (NSRC)

    The compost tumbler is once again available for drop-off at the National Soybean Research Center! A few reminders:

    • Drop off organic material only, including food scraps (remove stickers!), coffee grounds, paper towels/napkins, and tea bags.
    • Compostable ware (cutlery, cups, etc.) cannot go in the tumbler.
    • Please refrain from putting in extremely dense or packed material. We'd prefer not to have excessively dense or heavy materials. 

    To prevent bad odors and flies, please also put in "brown" material, including leaves or paper towels, and give the tumbler a turn. If you encounter any issues, please contact Meredith Moore at mkm0078@illinois.edu. Thank you!! 

  12. News-Gazette article about CIF geothermal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature
    Issue Press Releases and Sustainability Reports
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    The News-Gazette printed this story about the geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility: https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/university-illinois/renewable-en...

     

    "URBANA — The University of Illinois’ glossy new building at Springfield Avenue and Wright Street represents the next step in its sustainability goals.

    The four-story, 122,000- square-foot, $75 million Campus Instructional Facility is also the biggest geothermal installation on the UI campus.

    Its geothermal system can pump 135 tons of hot or cool air into the building. That’s twice as much as the next biggest geothermal system on campus, and about 30 times the amount pumped into an average home.

    “The whole world knows about solar and wind power and things like that — hydroelectric power, too — but that’s only the electric side of energy. Energy also includes heating and cooling,” said Morgan White, director of sustainability at UI Facilities & Services. “It’s truly transformative, because it’s moving into the phase of getting us clean thermal energy and not just clean electricity.”

    Electricity provides heating and cooling as well, she said, but it’s primarily provided by natural gas, propane and other nonrenewable sources of energy.

    The key to the geothermal endeavor? Forty boreholes dug into the Bardeen Quad next to Grainger Library. They’re 20 feet apart, 6 inches wide and drilled 450 feet deep.

    Initially, the project required 60 boreholes, but UI researchers reduced that figure — and made the system financially feasible — by checking the thermal conductivity of different rock and soil layers, or the rate that heat passes through them, while considering the depth and flow rate of groundwater.

    To keep the building temperate year-round, a mixture of water and glycol circulates from a heat pump in the mechanical room into a pipe that runs up and down the underground field of boreholes.

    In winter, the pump pulls heat from the ground into the building. In summer, heat is pumped from the building back into the ground.

    “It’s like when you have a bathtub that’s a little too hot or a little too cold, and you pour some water in and stir it up,” White said.

    In all, the system reduces the building’s energy consumption by 65 percent compared to a typical heating/cooling installation, saving about $45,000 per year.

    Student initiatives helped fund the state-of-the-art thermal system. The 18-member Student Sustainability Committee, funded by the annual “Green Fee” assessed on students, allocated $375,000 — or about 13 percent of the system’s cost — to the facility’s geothermal installation.

    The building has a number of other unique features. It contains two dozen new classrooms — one of the highest figures on campus — replete with active-learning and distance-learning spaces. In the fall, engineering courses will occupy most of the space, along with math, statistics and other technical classes.

    The facility is also the first UI building funded through a public-private partnership, which allows for tax-exempt financing.

    Meanwhile, faculty and graduate students will use temperature information from a 385-foot-deep monitoring well, funded by Facilities & Services and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment, for continued research opportunities. 

    As part of the Illinois Climate Action Plan, the university plans to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

    Currently, around 12 percent of electricity is provided by renewable sources, like the solar and wind farms near campus, White said. But only 4.5 percent of the UI’s total energy use, counting thermal, comes from renewable sources.

    “Clean electricity is important, but it’s not enough,” White said.

    In the planning stages, the UI wasn’t supposed to start implementing geothermal systems until 2035, but a suggestion by Yu-Feng Forrest Lin of the Prairie Research Institute jump-started that process."

  13. 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.

     

     

  14. 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: 

  15. 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: 

  17. 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!

  18. 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

  19. 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! 

  20. 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: 

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