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Projects Updates for theme: all

  1. Map My Emissions link

    Associated Project(s): 
    Reduce Emissions from Transportation

    "Transportation of all kinds accounts for nearly a quarter of global CO2 emissions(Opens in a new window). Commuters often have little choice about how they can get to work. But even if they make a concerted effort by using tools like Map My Emissions(Opens in a new window), which calculates how much CO2 commuting options generate, it’s hard to beat the zero emissions generated by walking from one room to another." per https://www.pcmag.com/news/remote-work-will-never-be-the-same-and-thats-...

  3. 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

     

    Attached Files: 

  5. Weekly Update: Grabbing scraps; Safety Checking bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, I was out most of last week and my staff ably handled running the shop in my absence. This week we’ll only be open W/F due to the Memorial Day holiday.

    Thanks to Todd for grabbing scrap over the weekend as we were getting quite full on that. Still have a few more bikes to strip.

    This week I am meeting with a prospective new hire, a U of I dad who is involved with a similar non-profit group in Boise, ID (of all places), and safety-checking a few bikes that’ll help us build our for-sale inventory back up.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 21
    Sales: $1,043.00
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $550
    Memberships: 6 for $180
    Tire/tubes (new/used): 10 for $77

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  6. Water Reduction Challenge Wrap-Up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text copied from email

    Subject: Water Reduction Challenge Wrap-Up

    Hello!

     

    This was the final week of the Water Reduction Challenge–congratulations for making it through! We hope that you have enjoyed the challenge and have picked up some steps to take to reduce your daily water use. We have enjoyed seeing students, staff, and community members get involved throughout the month and share their water reduction stories. If you have not already done so, please submit your Week 4 Google Form with an uploaded point grid by Tuesday, May 2nd. As a reminder, for each submission at the end of the week, you’ll be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes! We will randomly choose winners and inform them soon.

     

    It may be the end of the challenge, but continue to learn more about and get involved in sustainability initiatives at the University of Illinois and in your community! If you have not already done so, sign up for the iSEE newsletter at this link for a weekly email including upcoming events and sustainability news. In addition, check out these other ways to get involved in sustainability:

    ·        Look for events on the comprehensive Sustainability Calendar

    ·        Check out the iCAP Portal where we list and track our projects and progress

    ·        Read the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) to learn about the campus’ sustainability goals 

    ·        iSEE offers a sustainability minor and certificate in environmental writing here: SEE Fellow Program.

    ·        Look into joining an iCAP Team. There are a limited number of student voting positions available; please reach out if you are interested because there may be an opportunity!

    ·        If you are on the Illinois campus, check out our Greener Campus Certification opportunities (for offices, events, and Greek chapters)

    ·        Sign the Use the Bin Pledge to always recycle and use the recycling bin!

    ·        Talk to your friends and peers about sustainability. Lead by example!

     

    Congratulations again for your dedication to tracking your water use habits this month! Thank you so much for your participation, no matter if you submitted a grid once or every week. Continue to use what you learned throughout the month in your daily life, and tell your family and friends about what you have learned. Thank you again!

    Attached Files: 

  7. Week 4 - Water Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text copied from email

    Subject: Week 4 Water Reduction Challenge

    Hello!

     

    We hope you had a great Earth week and were able to celebrate by learning about how to reduce your daily water consumption! How is the challenge going? You only have one more week left—congrats! We have enjoyed seeing you all continue to track your water consumption and become more conscious of your water footprint. If you have not already done so, please submit your Week 3 Google Form with an uploaded point grid by Tuesday, April 26th. 

     

    This week, reflect on the positive changes you have made in your life and think about how you can continue to take these steps after the challenge is done. While Earth Month and this challenge may be ending soon, that doesn’t mean you should stop conserving water! We hope that some of your positive actions have turned into habits so you can continue with them in the future. Read some final tips in this week’s attached tips document and learn about the importance of educating others about water reduction and other sustainability topics. 

     

    Continue to keep track of your points for the final week of the challenge and submit your Week 4 Google Form and grid (attached) by Tuesday, May 2nd. As a reminder, you can join or start tracking your water even this late in the month. For each submission at the end of the week, you’ll be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes! 

     

    There are still several more events to celebrate Earth Month coming up this week! Come to iSEE, F&S, and the Illini Union Board’s trash pick up this Friday, April 29th. Volunteers will meet at Alma Mater at 3pm, and bags will be provided. Afterward, the final Illini Lights Out event of the semester will be at 5:30 pm in the Foreign Language Building lobby! Sign up here.

     

    As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to share how the challenge is going for you, please email us. We hope that Week 4 goes well for you, and keep up the great work!

     

    ~Jenna Schaefer (iSEE intern) and Meredith Moore (iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager)

    Attached Files: 

  8. Week 4 - Water Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text copied from email

    Subject: Week 4 Water Reduction Challenge

    Hello!

     

    We hope you had a great Earth week and were able to celebrate by learning about how to reduce your daily water consumption! How is the challenge going? You only have one more week left—congrats! We have enjoyed seeing you all continue to track your water consumption and become more conscious of your water footprint. If you have not already done so, please submit your Week 3 Google Form with an uploaded point grid by Tuesday, April 26th. 

     

    This week, reflect on the positive changes you have made in your life and think about how you can continue to take these steps after the challenge is done. While Earth Month and this challenge may be ending soon, that doesn’t mean you should stop conserving water! We hope that some of your positive actions have turned into habits so you can continue with them in the future. Read some final tips in this week’s attached tips document and learn about the importance of educating others about water reduction and other sustainability topics. 

     

    Continue to keep track of your points for the final week of the challenge and submit your Week 4 Google Form and grid (attached) by Tuesday, May 2nd. As a reminder, you can join or start tracking your water even this late in the month. For each submission at the end of the week, you’ll be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes! 

     

    There are still several more events to celebrate Earth Month coming up this week! Come to iSEE, F&S, and the Illini Union Board’s trash pick up this Friday, April 29th. Volunteers will meet at Alma Mater at 3pm, and bags will be provided. Afterward, the final Illini Lights Out event of the semester will be at 5:30 pm in the Foreign Language Building lobby! Sign up here.

     

    As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to share how the challenge is going for you, please email us. We hope that Week 4 goes well for you, and keep up the great work!

     

    ~Jenna Schaefer (iSEE intern) and Meredith Moore (iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager)

    Attached Files: 

  9. Week 3 - Water Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text copied from email

    Subject: Week 3 Water Reduction Challenge - Happy Earth Week!

    Hello and Happy Earth Week!

     

    You are almost halfway done with the Water Reduction Challenge. Congratulations! How is it going? It is great to see you reflect on your water-use habits; on our end, we have enjoyed hearing about the creative steps you are taking to reduce your consumption. We hope that you have been able to implement some new water reduction habits into your daily life since week 1 and that you are looking forward to incorporating more sustainability actions in the next two weeks. If you have not already done so, please submit your Week 2 Google Form with an uploaded point grid by Tuesday, April 19.

     

    This week, let’s focus on reducing your water footprint by consuming and purchasing goods more intentionally! Did you know that the production of just one pair of jeans requires 2,108 gallons of water? Each product you consume requires water to produce it; as a consumer, you have a lot of purchasing power to invest in more local, ethically-produced, and sustainable goods. Ask yourself if you really need to purchase the item in question when you are shopping, or consider if there is a more sustainable option (think about alternatives that you already have or purchase a reusable/high-quality item). Learn more about conscious consumption in this week’s tips attached to this message. For example, learn about the business practices of the brands you support and donate to and purchase clothes from second-hand stores.

     

    Continue to keep track of your points and submit your Week 3 Google Form and grid (attached) by Tuesday, April 26. As a reminder, you can join or start tracking your water at any point in the month. For each submission at the end of the week, you’ll be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes! 

     

    There are a lot of activities this Earth Week! While every day should be treated the same as “Earth Day”, try and take a few extra steps this week to be more environmentally conscious. On Tuesday, April 19 from 7-8 PM, Jennifer Walling (Executive Director of the Illinois Environmental Council) will be hosting the iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition series on Zoom. Learn more and sign up here! Check out more events this week on the iSEE Sustainability Calendar.

     

    As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to share how the challenge is going for you, please email us. Have a great week!

     

    ~Jenna Schaefer (iSEE intern) and Meredith Moore (iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager)

    Attached Files: 

  10. Week 2 - Water Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text copied from email

    Subject: Week 2 - Water Reduction Challenge

    Good evening!

     

    Congratulations on finishing the first week of the Water Reduction Challenge! How did it go? Did you find yourself thinking about how much water you use on a daily basis? As part of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), we think about water usage quite a bit. Objective 4.1 in the iCAP is to "reduce potable water consumption to 721,500 kgal/year by the fiscal year 2024, which is a reduction of 45% from the fiscal year 2008 baseline.”

     

    We hope that you have found it insightful to reflect on your water-related habits each day and that you are looking forward to seeing yourself decrease your water use over the next three weeks. Going into week 2, use what you learned in week 1 to increase your point total and incorporate more environmentally-friendly actions. If you have not already done so, please submit your Week 1 Google Form with an uploaded point grid by Tuesday, April 11th. 

     

    This week, we’re going to focus on reducing our water footprints in the bathroom. Did you know that the bathroom is the largest usage of indoor water; approximately 75% of the total amount of water in a household is typically used in the bathroom! Think about it - a half-filled bathtub holds about 50 gallons of water. You can additionally save water and energy by cutting back on hot water. Learn more about reducing bathroom water use in this week’s tips attached to this message; for example, focus on keeping shower length to a minimum (less than 5 minutes) and rewearing clothes instead of washing them right away. What other tips do you have for reducing water in the bathroom? 

     

    Continue to keep track of your points this week and submit your Week 2 Google Form and grid (attached) by Tuesday, April 19th. As a reminder, you can join or start tracking your water at any point in the month. For each submission at the end of the week, you’ll be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes!

     

    As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to share how the challenge is going for you, please email us. Don't tap out...have a great water-saving week!

     

    Jenna Schaefer (iSEE intern) and Meredith Moore (iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager)

    Attached Files: 

  11. Water Reduction Challenge Kickoff

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Reduction Challenge

    Text Copied from email

    Subject: Welcome to the Water Reduction Challenge!

    Good evening! 

     

    It is April 4th which means Earth Month is officially kicked off, and iSEE’s Water Reduction Challenge has begun! Thank you, and congratulations, for signing up for the challenge and welcome to the community! 

     

    The challenge will take place from April 4th to April 30th. Throughout the month, the goal is to learn about your own water use and what steps can be taken to reduce this amount. We hope that you will be more conscious of how much water you use each day with newfound tools to continue in your water reduction journey!

     

    Each day, track the amount of water you directly and indirectly use based on the products/actions defined on the predetermined points sheet (attached). For each water-intensive action, you lose points, and for each sustainable action, you earn points. For example, you will lose points for taking a long shower (longer than 5 minutes), but earn points by wearing clothes multiple times without washing. The goal is to earn as many points as possible, but the most important goal is to become more cognizant of your daily water habits and understand how to incorporate more water-conscious behaviors into your lifestyle. 

     

    Start keeping track on Monday, April 4; attached is the week 1 grid to record your points. We suggest keeping track of your actions throughout the day using a note on your phone or a piece of scratch paper, and then fill out the grid at the end of each day. Each week, we will send resources, tools, and tips to check in and help guide your experience; at any time, feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or feedback on the challenge.

     

    Please submit your point grids at the end of each week by the following Tuesday. For week 1 of the challenge (April 4-10), fill out this form and upload your grid by Tuesday, April 12. Each week you participate and submit your grid, you will be entered into a raffle for sustainability prizes!

     

    We are so excited that you have taken a significant step in managing your water usage. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns at any point throughout the challenge! If you know anyone else who may be interested in challenging themselves to use less water, please pass this along and have them fill out this form to get involved and start accumulating tips and resources to aid in the process. Anyone and everyone are encouraged to join the challenge at any point in the month.

     

    Check out the attached guide with tips to help you get started in your water reduction journey, and be sure to thoroughly read the point system document. We are so excited to get started, and we hope you are too! Have a great week, and be on the lookout for the Week 2 email next weekend.

     

    ~Jenna Schaefer (iSEE intern) and Meredith Moore (iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager)

     

    P.S. Have you signed up for the iSEE newsletter yet? If not, click here! This is the best place to stay in-the-know with the latest sustainability events, programs, and opportunities . . . such as the trash clean-up on April 8 from 3-4:30 PM - meet at Alma Mater and open to all! More details here.

    Attached Files: 

  12. May TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series - Bikes!

    Associated Project(s): 
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]

    The May TED Talk: Eco-Edition event will be held on 5/31 from 6-7 PM. It is hosted by our very own Tyler Swanson, an incoming senior and the clerk for the Energy and Transportation iCAP Teams.

    Tyler will present a pre-recorded TED Talk by Adam Stones, “How Cycling Can Transform Places” followed by a guided discussion. The semester may be over, but this is a great opportunity to connect with each other in a casual, no-pressure setting. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rc-upqzkoG91isKwq2w-20GAxOU_qS4HM

    Feel free to pass this along to anyone who may be interested!

  13. Illini Union Events, Reusable Water Bottles

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Messaging Campaign
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    In the Illini Union event marketing, they provide information about water bottle refilling stations that are near the event. This is apart of their messaging campaign to reduce single use plastic in campus events. Illini Union does not have a policy against providing single use water bottles, but encourages event attendees to bring their own reusable water bottles.

  16. ArcGIS Field Maps application to be used for tagging abandoned bicycles

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    Sarthak Prasad worked with Chad Kupferschmid, from F&S FIR, to develop an electric way to tag bicycles on campus and mark them on a GIS based map. Chad developed the Field Maps application for this project. We would use it in three phases:

    Phase 1: Initial tagging of the bicycles - Only Tag ID and Comments section available

    Phase 2: Confirming the abandoned bicycles - New field (Abandoned or not) would be available

    Phase 3: Inventory of the impounded bicycles - Once confirmed, the Parking department would remove the bicycle and transport them to the Round Barns, where Sarthak Prasad along with his intern will inventory all the impounded bicycles. During this phase, more fields - Make/model information, Bike Registration information, Serial Number information, pictures, etc. would be available

    This app was ready for us to use by the end of May

  18. Sarthak met with Gabe Lewis to talk about Electric Vehicles and EV charging

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase use of EVs and other Alternative Service Vehicles
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations

    On May 24, Sarthak Prasad met with Gabe Lewis to talk about EVs. Gabe is the Transportation Planner at the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) and he currently leads the RPC Tech Committee which consists of 7 members – Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Rantoul, St. Joseph, Mahomet, and Champaign County. Most recently, they had been talking about the feasibility of EVs in urban as well as the rural areas in the county.

    We talked about the US DOT's Charging Forward, an EV toolkit, that is primarily focused on EV Charging in the rural areas: https://www.transportation.gov/rural/ev/toolkit

    We also talked about Clean City Coalition. State of Illinois does not have a coalition, but Chicago has one and we could potentially reach out to them: https://cleancities.energy.gov/coalitions/

    https://cleancities.energy.gov/coalitions/chicago

    Also discussed the federal funding available through National EV Infrastructure (NEVI), Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), State and Local Planning for Energy (https://maps.nrel.gov/slope/), and EV Pro Lite (https://afdc.energy.gov/evi-pro-lite)

  20. Lighting Retrofits are important - article in Popular Science

    Associated Project(s): 
    Lighting Conservation Projects
    Provide Centralized Communication about Sustainability
    Centralized Energy Efficiency Efforts

    “Incandescent bulbs use more energy and produce more heat due to their engineering designs,” says Paul Foote, energy efficiency and conservation specialist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It’s important to shift to more energy-efficient alternatives to reduce the environmental impacts of incandescent bulbs from the utilization of fossil fuels for electricity, he added.

    By mandating a minimum light output or lumens per watt, manufacturers make sure all bulbs can effectively light up a room, which ensures that consumers will avoid overusing energy with substandard bulbs to get the same level of brightness, says Foote. “When upgrading from incandescent bulbs to LEDs, we have noticed a 60 percent decrease in energy consumption on average, and therefore energy cost avoidance has reduced our utility bill by similar amounts for lighting,” he adds.

    <--break->Popular Science interviewed Paul Foote at F&S as part of their article about the importance of lighting retrofits. the full article is available online at https://www.popsci.com/environment/light-bulbs-sustainability-energy/. 

     

     

     

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