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Projects Updates for theme: all

  1. MASSMAIL - Student Sustainability Committee Application and Updates

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Provide Centralized Communication about Sustainability

    The following email was sent as a Massmail to U of I students:

    ======================

    Hello students,

    The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) is a student-led organization that funds student, staff, and faculty project proposals via two student fees—the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee and the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee—which together make up the Illinois Green Fund. Projects selected for funding are those which provide the greatest benefit to sustainability on campus, while providing engaging, educational opportunities for students to learn more about sustainability. The SSC is accepting project applications now! 

    Additionally, the SSC is introducing a new program to guide students from a broad interest in sustainability to a fully-fledged project application. By supporting applicants step-by-step through our process, we hope to engage students on a larger scale, ultimately resulting in the strongest applications possible. This new Project Funding Workshop Series will span five sessions, which can be found on the SSC calendar. Our first meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 29th, from 4-5 pm CT, in Lincoln Hall, Room 1065. We will discuss issues related to sustainability on campus that could be addressed with an SSC-funded project. In subsequent sessions, we will develop solutions to these challenges, create project proposals, and help participants write funding applications.

    For anyone who is passionate about sustainability and the environment, this is a great opportunity to turn your passion into a tangible, positive change for the campus community! Presently, we are not offering this event online. If you are unable to attend in-person, but still would like to get involved with the SSC, you can stay up-to-date by signing up for our mailing list. If you are interested in becoming a General Member, or other aspects of the committee, please visit our website. Every student at the University pays approximately $14 a semester to the Illinois Green Fund, so please join us to help allocate these student dollars!

    October is Campus Sustainability Month! We encourage you to attend UIUC’s inaugural Student Sustainability Summit this October, co-hosted with the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC). This month-long program includes University- and community-led sustainability efforts through events such as Green Quad Day, a Sustainability Research Symposium, teach-ins, tours of campus facilities, a movie night, and much more! To learn about the full breadth of the summit and stay updated on other sustainability-related RSOs, add the SSLC’s calendar. You can also connect with our social media accounts @ssc_uiuc and @uiuc_sslc on both Twitter and Instagram! Finally, for more information on campus sustainability efforts and events, check out the iCAP (Illinois Climate Action Plan) Portal and iSEE (Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) Calendar.

    We hope to see you at the Project Funding Workshop Series, Student Sustainability Summit, and more events throughout Campus Sustainability Month and beyond!

    Best,

    Jack Reicherts

    SSC Chair

  3. Engagement iCAP Team First Meeting of the Fall Semester

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach
    Engagement iCAP Team

    The Engagement iCAP Team met on Wednesday, September 29 for the first time this fall semester. During the meeting, members discussed the team mission, updates on all 6 iCAP 2020 objectives, and the iCAP 2021 Objective Assessment. Meeting minutes are attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Table Installed and Inspected, Waiting on Solar Panel Installation

    Associated Project(s): 
    InSPIRE Solar Powered Outdoors Table (SPOT)
    Solar Power on Campus

    A Belson recycled picnic table was installed and inspected.

    The solar panels for the table are yet to be installed.

     

    Pictures of the table are attached below.

    The email regarding this event is also attached below.

    Attached Files: 

  5. Native Shrub Planting in the Southern Arboretum Woodlands

    Associated Project(s): 
    Native Plants at Arboretum

    From: McSweeney, Kevin

    To: Reicherts, Jack; Marsaglia, Julia Raine

    Cc: Lee, Iris; Lynch, Lauren Rae; White, Morgan

    Recipients: ientsjackhr2 at illinois.edu; juliarm2 at illinois.edu; irislee3 at illinois.edu; lrlynch2 at illinois.edu; mbwhite at illinois.edu

     

    Hi Jack & Julia,

     

    Thank you for agreeing to follow up on the student-led planting of native shrubs in the Southern Arboretum Woodlands. This will be a valuable addition to the Campus Tree Committees report that will used in support of our application for renewal of our Tree Campus USA designation.

     

    I suggest you contact:

     

    1. Lauren Lynch (copied above) to get info about Prof. Jim Miller’s Restoration Ecology class that assisted with the shrub planting as part of the field component of the class. Lauren served as TA for the class.

     

    2. Iris Lee (Arboretum Staff) who compiled the list of native shrubs and supervised the operation and subsequently supervised Arboretum interns who watered and weeded around the plantings during the summer months.

     

    Funding from SSC helped support these project activities.

     

    Let me know if I can provide additional information.

     

    Best wishes,

     

    Kevin


    Kevin McSweeney
    Director, University of Illinois Arboretum
    ++608 712 4101 (‘phone, messages, WhatsApp)

  7. First Student Sustainability Summit this October!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)

    The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) are hosting U of I's first-ever Student Sustainability Summit in October. This month-long celebration includes Green Quad Day on 10/7 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and a Research Symposium from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Campus Instructional Facility. If you are an Illinois student, staff, or faculty researcher and would like to present your sustainability-related research, please fill out this interest form! >>>

  8. ELP Registration opens next week!

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

    ELP Registration Opens Next Week! Interested in an environmental career? Starting Oct. 4 you can register for iSEE's new Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), designed to prepare Illinois undergraduates for leadership roles in the sustainability field. In the Spring 2022 program, participants will learn about policy-making at the local and state levels, develop real-world environmental policies, and present proposals to decision-makers in Springfield and Urbana-Champaign. Participation is free, including travel expenses to Springfield during spring break. Students from all backgrounds, class standings, and majors can apply! Stay tuned for details on our website >>>

  10. Campus Sustainability Month is almost here!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Campus Sustainability Month - Waste Reduction Challenge
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Illini Lights Out
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]

    Campus Sustainability Month is right around the corner and we are very excited to invite you to a series of events throughout the entire month of October! Starting this week, Wednesday, September 29 at 6:00 PM, Dr. Ann Perry-Witmer is hosting the next TED Talk: Eco-Edition series over Zoom. She will present a pre-recorded TED Talk and lead a discussion on sustainable decision-making in everyday life - you won’t want to miss out. Register HERE. 

    Next, back by popular demand, the second Waste Reduction Challenge begins on Monday, October 4. Participants track items they throw away from October 4 – October 31 to learn about and reduce individual waste generation as the month progresses. It is a fun and results-driven challenge with a supportive community. Throughout the month, we send helpful tips and tricks to make it as easy and informative as possible. Sign up HERE.

    Other events in October include:

    • Green Quad Day – October 7 from 10 – 4 PM
    • Virtual Solar Open House – Topia online platform – October 15 from 1 – 2:30 PM
    • Campus trash cleanup – Engineering Quad - October 15 from 3:30 – 5 PM
    • TED Talk: Eco-Edition – Sustainable Economy with Alexa Smith – October 19 from 6 – 7 PM. Register for the Zoom event HERE.
    • Campus Sustainability Celebration – NCSA (1205 W Clark St, Urbana) – October 20 from 1 – 4 PM
    • Illini Lights Out – Foreign Language Building – October 22 from 5:30 – 7 PM. Sign up HERE.  
    • Student Sustainability Summit: Research Symposium – Campus Instructional Facility 4029 - October 26 from 5 – 8 PM 

    Check out more information and other Campus Sustainability Month events on iSEE’s Sustainability Calendar HERE. If you are aware of a sustainability event that is not listed on the calendar, let us know!  

    Start filling your calendars – there are many opportunities to get involved, make a difference, and meet new people. Remember, while we have sustainability events all year long, Campus Sustainability Month is a month-long opportunity to highlight our environmental pride, connect with others, and increase participation in sustainability-related events by the U of I community and beyond. Get involved and come show your support! As always, we are here to answer any questions and guide you in the right direction.

    Have a great week and happy Campus Sustainability Month!

  12. Carbon Offsets - RFP

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utilize Carbon Credits

    Below is an email exhange discussing Carbon Offsets RFP:

    Hi Aaron,

     

    I hope you are well! Looking at our old files, back in 2016 it would appear we sent out an RFP in order to purchase carbon offsets. Attached is the document that Ben McCall filled out at that time.

     

    We are once again interested in purchasing carbon offsets, and I am a little unsure how to get started. Is filling out this document the same route that we should go in order to start moving forward with the process?

     

    Thank you in advance!

    Meredith

    -------------------------------------

    Hi Meredith,

     

    It looks like we did execute a Bid, 1HJH1707, in March of 2017 that was awarded to EcoAct Inc. on June 8, 2017 for $45,200.

     

    In order to start any type of solicitation process, you’re correct that we will need the Competitive Solicitation Request form with a place holding Banner requisition with your estimated cost.

     

    I should note that the Small Purchase Threshold has since been increased to $100,000. Do you anticipate the cost to exceed this amount?  

     

    Aaron M Finder, mba cppb

    -----------------------------------------

     

  13. Weekly check-in resilience work

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community
    Resilience iCAP Team

    Resilience Work Weekly Check-In

    09/23/2021, 2:00 PM

    Attendees: Morgan White, Meredith Moore, Stacy Gloss

    Updates

    Stacy provided an overview of her activities for the previous week including

    • reviewing the Resilience page and project histories
    • beginning work (by contacting key stakeholders and setting up meetings) on Vision Zero, Green Infrastructure, and Taking Leadership on Sustainability objectives.

    iCAP Portal

    In this meeting we discussed additional functionality, the strategy and rationale on Resilience web page organization. Morgan provided insights on using the iCAP portal such as accessing projects through a table by using the Project Page and searching Projects by Status.  Projects can be added to the iCAP portal by sending a proposal to add a project to Morgan and Meredith.  There is an iCAP Portal Content template that should be used.

    Community resilience and sustainability projects

    We reflected that there are many community projects and programs related to sustainability and resilience that do not appear anywhere in the iCAP such as MTD projects, Sanitary District work, Stormwater partnerships, Recycling projects and programs, certain solar projects.  We discussed that having a website or webpage dedicated to community partnerships, programs, and outreach about sustainability, environment, resilience, water, energy, land-use etc could be an excellent community resource. The idea bubbled to have a Community Supported Resilience Portal in parallel to the iCAP portal for tracking programs, resources, and projects. This could be a recommendation for meeting one or more of the iCAP objectives.  

  14. iCAP Energy Team September Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Clean Energy Plan
    Building Envelope Pilot Project
    Energy Conservation Efforts
    Energy iCAP Team

    The iCAP Energy team had its first meeting of the 2021-22 Academic Year at 9:00 A.M. on September 24th. This meeting was used to evaluate where our team stands in achieving its goals and to determine a path forward for the year. The agenda, presentation, and minutes from the meeting are attached for a better understanding of the meeting.

    Attached Files: 

  15. FY22 Utility Rates

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utility and Energy Services Funds

    The following utility commodity rates have been reviewed with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Office of the Provost and have been approved for use as of July 1, 2021:

    • Steam (per klb:) $18.41
    • Electricity (per kwh:) $0.0882
    • Chilled Water (per mbtu:) $14.16
    • Water (per kgal:) $4.66
    • Sanitary (per kgal:) $4.49

    For more details, view the FY22 Utility Budget and Rate Approval on the F&S Website.

    Or, refer to the attached file.

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  16. SSC Semesterly Report: Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB) Interactive, Energy Education Production Use Display

    Associated Project(s): 
    Electrical and Computer Engineering Building: LEED Platinum
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received semester report for Spring 2021 on 9/24/21 for Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB) Interactive, Energy Education/Production/Use Display project. Please see attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  20. Walkability Audit: Week 6 meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Walkability Study

    On Thursday and Friday, September 23 and Spetember 24, 2021, Sutapa and Sarthak met to edit the Survey Questionnaire of the Walkability Audit. The Deficiency Report parameters were finalized during this meeting. The creation of the Volunteer training manual process is scheduled to start after this meeting.

    The draft documents mentioned above have been sent to the members involved in the Walkability study for their inputs. The inputs are expected to be received by Oct 11, 2021.

    Next week, Thursday September 30th, a common meeting is scheduled and open to all members of the project to discuss the progress.

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