F&S Newsletter: New Conservation Record!
Please see the attached link to read the F&S newsletter.
Please see the attached link to read the F&S newsletter.
The link below is an informational letter with information on how labs can join the International Freezer Challenge.
https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/91/1674395291.html
The following is an email sent by John Marlin on May 16, 2023:
As most of you know I am retired from campus and involved in other off campus conservation activities. I will no longer be overseeing the Burrill Hall native planting.
During the pandemic, maintenance at campus native plantings by volunteers was not allowed. This coupled with very dry conditions caused deterioration of several sites including the one at Burrill Hall. F&S bought the woodland wildflowers for the planting and the Entomology Department installed them and provided some maintenance in conjunction with some students.
Department head May Berenbaum has put together an effort to revitalize the planting and has some limited funding for some maintenance of the native plants. F&S plans to make some changes in part of the area and the path is to be restored. Daniel Bush will initially work with the native plants and supervise any students.
In the past weeds removed from the site were placed by the two square concrete benches and I notified Ryan Welch who had the maintenance crew remove them. I assume a similar arrangement can be made possibly with Mr. Dalby as the contact.
This site was quite popular with people walking past and provided a good instructional resource, especially the area near the sidewalk. I hope that this will continue.
John C. Marlin
Dennis Dalby replied:
Thank you John,
It was nice meeting you today to gain some of your tips and input regarding the planting and upkeep of this area. I’ve been working with Ryan Welch and SIB to get this area brought back up to its current level and look forward to its improved upkeep with the discussions that we had today. We’ll be working with Ryan to have a wood chip path added once again and will add a few small plants of our own within the areas that we (MCB) will maintain. SIB will maintain the areas of the native plants. It will look and function much better once all is in place.
Thanks again for stopping by to share your experience,
Dennis
Below is the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories Winners for Sustainable Achievements. UIUC was awarded excellence for the following.
Excellence Winners in the Renovation/Retrofit Category
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UIUC is the first image on the My Green Labs web page. The link of the webpage is https://www.freezerchallenge.org/
UIUC was within top 4 for energy savings in the Freezer Challenge this year among academic organizations.
And, in the top 2 in terms of normalized points earned. UAB beat UIUC in both categories this year, with over 100 labs participating from their campus.
UIUC was within top 4 for energy savings in the Freezer Challenge this year among academic organizations.
And, in the top 2 in terms of normalized points earned. UAB beat UIUC in both categories this year, with over 100 labs participating from their campus.
From: Foote, Gerard Paul <gfoote2 at illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2022 4:01 PM
Subject: Urgent poll for photo shoot & 2022 Freezer Challenge results
Hello Everyone,
Congratulations, on another world-class performance and international recognition in the 2022 International Freezer Challenge!
You have reduced over 290,000 kWh’s annually, an energy cost savings of over $25,500, which is our second highest results since participating in this competition and has earned the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign an Honorable Mention in the 2022 Freezer Challenge!
Yes, I know this is not the same as first place or even the innovative Winning Streak Award that we helped create, but it is a testament to our world-class example and leadership in sustainable laboratory practices in research sample cold-storage management.
Most importantly, your continued efforts, participation and documenting these lab practices reflects efficient adoption and implementation of sustainable laboratory practices that have long lasting impacts once incorporated into the labs day-to-day operations.
On a side note: My competitive side suspects that we once again may have outperformed or at least participated in the top tier of participating universities worldwide, more follow up to come.
Please add your availability in this When2Meet calendar: https://www.when2meet.com/?16378891-ETV5Z by August 19th 2022 deadline?
FYI- The overall impacts are still being accumulated and will be shared in a campus wide media release and mass email.
The rules now state we are only able to be recognized for 1st place or the Winning Streak Award if previous winners surpass their previous year’s energy savings calculations and while we achieved are second highest reductions to date, overall it was not higher than last year’s reductions of over 383,000 kWh’s.
Thank you
Paul Foote
Think Globally. Act Locally
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Specialist
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
F&S Energy Services Retrocommissioning
Email: gfoote2 at illinois.edu
Office: 217-244-1048
https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/1684374878.html
Register your lab for the 2022 International Freezer Challenge and help maintain the Illinois research community’s track record of 1st place in cold-storage sample management.
The Spring 2022 iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ) was released with the following message from Madhu Khanna, the Interim Director of iSEE:
Greetings Colleagues,
Attached, please find the Spring 2022 edition of iQ, our quarterly update. You will see that in this six-page pdf recapping the recent semester, we had plenty of news and updates from our research, education, events, and campus sustainability fronts.
But the work did not end there! Since the semester ended, we have had two other exciting announcements:
For more up-to-date news from iSEE, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.
Best wishes for a healthy and productive summer,
Madhu
This link contains the 2022 Freezer Challenge Newsletter:
More information can be found in the attached link.
Becky Chambers Hennessy, writer of R&D World magazine, wrote a Q&A style piece on UIUC's "Winning Streak Award" for the International Freezer Challenge. The piece contains answers from Deborah S. Katz-Downie, Martin Gruebele, and Paul Foote. The piece can be found here.
For the second year in a row, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign won the "Winning Streak Award" for earning the most points and saving the most kWh/year of any academic institution. This is the fourth year in a row we have topped the academic sector list! UIUC estimated annual energy savings was at 383,615 kWh's or approximately $32,262.
All of the freezer challenge winners can be found here.
In the 2021 Freezer Challenge, 222 labs participated from over 100 different research institutions across 17 countries. The combined efforts of the scientists and labs saved 4.6 million kWh of electricity over the past year, which is the equivalent of reducing carbon emissions by 3,260 metric tons.
Based on the U of I's submitted scoresheets (33 in total), the combined actions of the university saved a total of 1051 kWh/day across multiple labs throughout campus.
The iCAP Working Group met on 7-22-21. Attached are the meeting minutes. The agenda was as follows:
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?
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.
Register now to join the International Freezer Challenge to solidify the Illinois research community's first place track record in cold-storage sample management. Share your efforts and keep the campus at number one!
This project is meant to transform the walkway between Burrill and Morrill Halls into a sustainable and multifunctional landscape. The walkway formerly had planters with a few, mostly non-native species. The walkway’s impervious concrete also had the problem of collecting rainwater and flooding. This area is high in student pedestrian traffic and is a part of the “Million Dollar Tour” that prospective donors to the University take while visiting campus.
In order to make the space more aesthetically attractive and sustainable, native shrubs, ferns, and woodland species that will do well in shady conditions were introduced to the walkway. In order to curb the rainwater collection problems of the water, a rain garden has been proposed to be added to the center of the walkway. The benefits of rain gardens outside of eliminating localized flooding include improving water quality, creating habitats, and recharging groundwater.
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.