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Projects Updates for theme: Education

  2. Spring 2022: iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    iSEE funding for Campus as a Living Lab (CALL)
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Freezer Challenge
    Sierra Club surveys [ARCHIVED]
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Certified Greener Campus Programs

    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:

     

    • The U of I campus was rewarded with the only USDA NIFA “Farm of the Future” grant. Our I-FARM project will be an 80-acre testbed for merging technology, sensing, and agronomy into a farm setting with crops and livestock that will be productive and profitable. Read our June 1 news release >>>
    • In addition, for the fifth consecutive time, our campus reached Gold-level status in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) run by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). New solar and geothermal energy projects, a reduction in water use, and wide-ranging sustainability research helped us reach this level yet again. Read the May 25 news release >>>

     

    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

     

  5. Sustainability Sub-Council Meeting Minutes 3-30-22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Council
    Sustainable Land Management Committee
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)
    Broaden Sustainability Education
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS)

    The Sustainability Sub-Council met on 3-30-22 in preparation of the Sustainability Council meeting. The agenda was as follows: 

    • Introductions
    • Sustainable Land Management (for South Farms)
    • Waste Reduction Strategies
    • Updates – Campus Landscape Master Plan, Sustainability Gen Ed requirement
    • STARS report

    The meeting minutes and PowerPoint presentation are attached. 

  6. Video Case Studies of Sustainable UIUC Campus Buildings

    Associated Project(s): 
    Advance Student Sustainability Outreach Efforts
    Independent Student Projects

    From: Shanmugam Narayan, Vinothni

    To: White, Morgan

    Recipients: mbwhite at illinois.edu

     

    Hello Morgan,

     

    I have shared the NCEL & HSL plans, newsletter, and Earth month schedule with my team. Thank you so much for sharing those.

     

    I have also attached a link for case study videos that my concept team students created for one of the activities I planned last semester.

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KRaWCbD2WYsWEA9bR0JUx9a_ELMov0v9?usp=sharing

     

    Thanks for initiating to include their work on the website.  Have a nice day!

     

    Sincerely,

    Vinothni Narayan Icon</p> <p>Description automatically generated

    Graduate – Masters | Class of Dec 2022

    Civil and Environmental Engineering | Construction Engineering and Management

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

    vs37@illinois.edu  | +1 (217)-200-2817

     

  8. Invitation to Environmental Leadership Program Banquet

    Associated Project(s): 
    Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)

    From: Rosenbery, Amy Nichole
    Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2022 7:48 AM
    To: Rosenbery, Amy Nichole
    Subject: Reminder: Invitation to Environmental Leadership Program Banquet

    Good morning all,

    Just sending a reminder that we need an RSVP by end of the day today.

    Dear Colleagues,

    I hope this finds you well. I am reaching out to invite you to the first closing banquet of the Environmental Leadership Program organized by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE).

    The ELP wraps up in a couple of weeks with a trip to Springfield, where students will present their crafted policy to state legislators and staff. The program will conclude with a celebratory banquet at the Illini Union on Thursday, March 17, 2022, from 5-7:30 pm.

    As a valuable member at iSEE, we would be delighted if you could join us in celebrating the successful launch of the program. I have attached the event agenda for additional information. To confirm your attendance, kindly reply to this email by Wednesday, March 9.

    On behalf of everyone at iSEE, I would like to thank you again for your contribution to building the program!

    Best Regards,
    Amy

    Amy Rosenbery
    Business Administrative Associate
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
    National Soybean Research Center
    1101 W. Peabody, suite 350, MC-635
    Urbana, IL 61801
    217/333-4178
    www.sustainability.illinois.edu

  9. Online LEED Green Associate Training

    Associated Project(s): 
    LEED Certification
    Educate Future Leaders

    The following text is taken from the February iSEE Newsletter, which is attached below.

     

    LEED Green Associate Training Offered Online. Students can prepare for the LEED Green Associate exam through this online course offered by LeadingGreen and taught by a U.S. Green Building Council faculty member. Register for a live webinar or complete the on-demand recordings at your own pace. Questions? Watch this introductory video or email Lorne Mlotek at info@leadinggreen.com.
    Live webinars Feb. 24, March 12,  April 2, April  23, May 15 | Register here

  10. "Q Magazine: The Dark Side of Thrifting" -iSEE Newsletter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW)

    The following passage is taken from an iSEE February Newsletter (the newsletter is attached below).

     

    Q Magazine: The Dark Side of Thrifting

    When her clothing donation was denied at a secondhand store, Q Magazine author Nikki Palella was inspired to investigate behind the scenes of the thrifting industry. In "The Dark Side of Thrifting," she outlines the consequences of Western society's reliance on fast fashion, over-consumption, and clothing donations. Our unwanted clothes thread their way around the world, to the detriment of the environment, local industries, and people's livelihoods. Secondhand clothing and the thrifting industry, while well-intentioned and helpful to a small portion of society, can cause real pain.

     

     

  11. NRES 285 - iCAP Ambassadors - Facility Liaison

    Associated Project(s): 
    NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors

    "Hello Elizabeth and Don,

     

    Thank you again for agreeing to serve as facility liaisons for our NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassador Course! We look forward to this interdisciplinary, collaborative, and interactive field course. We sincerely appreciate your willingness to participate.

     

    This is the second week of the course and students have begun to learn about the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) 2020 and sustainability best practices. The syllabus with course schedule is attached; please note that the students will not necessarily visit their buildings until the end of February.

     

    Before the initial call or meeting (set up by the student group), we encourage you to assess your building to identify if there are any areas that the students should avoid walking through or areas in which they might need accompaniment. In March, the Thursday class period will be “reserved” as a time for students to work with their facility liaisons and/or assess buildings. If the class period time (Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 – 10:50 AM) does not work for you to meet with the group, the students will work with you to identify another day/time. 

     

    The students will be provided with the building floor plans ahead of time and both you and the student group will receive the “sustainability checklist”. This list will serve as the foundation for their building assessment in which they will base their final report and sustainability recommendations. In summary, the role of you two as facility liaisons are as follow:

    • Work with a student team (4 students), who will be trained on the Illinois Climate Action Plan. Students will hear from various guest lectures throughout the month February.
    • Students will visit their campus building in March and April to observe and gather sustainability information (e.g., number/location of recycling bins) and make recommendations as a final assessment/report. Building floor plans will be provided to the students by F&S/Eric and Meredith. 
    • Facility liaisons are strongly encouraged to have weekly or bi-weekly check-in calls with the student group.
    • Facility liaisons are strongly encouraged to walk the building with them and/or to be there for student teams to assess certain areas, and discuss/answer questions about the building.

     

    Please reach out to Eric and myself at any time throughout the semester if you have any questions or if we can help facilitate communication or expectations between you and the student group. Thank you so much again!"

    -Meredith Moore (01/25/2022)

    Sustainability Programs Manager 
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

  12. NRES 285 iCAP Ambassadors Presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors

    A presentation titled, "How Campus Works", created by Morgan White, was presented on 1/25/2022 in the NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors course.

     

    The topics discussed:

    1. Campus Master Plan and the iCAP

    2. Energy Overview (Campus and Buildings)

    3. Facility Liaisons and F&S

    4. Building Service Workers

    5. Building Users (Students, Faculty, Staff, and Visitors)

    6. How it ALL Works Together...

     

     

    The presentation is attached below.

     

     

     

  13. LA537 Final Presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Infrastructure
    Independent Student Projects

    From: Hu, Jie
    Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2021 11:27 AM
    To: Hays, David Lyle; Ruggles, D Fairchild; Sullivan, William C; White, Morgan; McGuire, Mary Patricia
    Subject: LA537 final presentation materials

    Dear All,


    Thanks for Dede, Bill and Morgan to be juries and participant to LA 537 final presentation, and thanks for all of you comments and suggestions!
    After the presentation, students has revised their final submission materials. I have put all of their final works here in the box. I hope you can give more comments, suggestions and ideas to help me further improve my studio teaching.


    Thank you for all of your support and help!


    Enjoy your winter break! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
    Jie

  17. Apply for a 2022-23 Levenick Teaching Sustainability Fellowship!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Fellows Research Program [ARCHIVED]
    Encourage Course Development or Modification

    iSEE is offering seed funding to help faculty & instructors incorporate sustainability into the classroom in 2022-23. Levenick Teaching Sustainability Fellows can get $1,000 to integrate sustainability into an existing course or $2,000 to develop a new course, as well as resource support. 100- and 200-level courses encouraged.

    Application deadline Jan. 31, 2022.

  19. Sustainability Gen-Ed Student Survey

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Gen-Ed Requirement

    Please take this survey regarding the sustainability general education requirement: https://forms.gle/UGho4xcS8hx8Rw5aA

    Proposal information is attached. 

    This proposal calls for a 3 credit-hour Sustainability category to be added to the Natural Sciences and Technology gen ed requirement. It will give all undergraduate students the opportunity to take a course focused on sustainability topics to fulfill 3 credit hours of this existing requirement. Read through the attached proposal to learn more, and fill out the survey below to share your thoughts on this proposal. We appreciate all responses.

  20. Spring 2022 ELP Applications Open

    Associated Project(s): 
    Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)

    After piloting two successful workshops in Spring 2021, iSEE is launching its new Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) this fall. Designed to prepare Illinois undergraduates for leadership roles in the sustainability field, the ELP focuses on developing students’ communications skills around environmental problems, mobilizing social resources, and implementing plans for sustainable change.

    In the Spring 2022 program, participants will learn about the policy-building process at the local and state levels, develop real-world environmental policies linked to the current legislative session, engage with local and state government officials, and present policy proposals to legislative staff and decision-makers in Springfield and Urbana-Champaign.

    Applications opened Oct. 4 and closed Oct. 31. Participation is free, including travel expenses for the trip to Springfield during spring break — thanks to a generous gift from the Baum Family Fund. iSEE has encouraged interested students from all backgrounds, class standings, and majors to apply.

     

    See the attached file for the iQ Fall 2021 to read this article in its original form.

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