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  1. Bike Census volunteer opportunity (4/28) and TED Talk discussion (4/29)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach
    Bicycle Counts
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign

    Happy Friday! I hope you are having a great Earth Week/Earth Month and have been able to attend a few (of the many!) activities this April. The Bike Census Spring 2021 is next Wednesday, April 28, from 10 – 11 AM. Bike Census is a collaborative, community-wide effort between Facilities & Services (F&S) and Champaign County Bikes that began in 2013 as part of ongoing improvement efforts to support the campus’ Bicycle Friendly University status.

     

    If you are available to volunteer next Wednesday morning, please sign up here. There will be a virtual training session beforehand at 9 AM. Two Illinois coffee mugs will be raffled off for student volunteers. I hope you are able to participate and in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Sarthak Prasad (sprasad9@illinois.edu).

     

    On another note, in celebration of Earth Month, the next iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition event will focus on environmental activism and individual versus corporate responsibility for climate change. On Thursday, April 29 at 7 PM, participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk presented in July 2020 by Xiye Bastida: "If you adults won't save the world, we will." Afterward, all are invited to participate in a guided discussion hosted by iSEE Communications Intern and ESES student, Maria Maring. Sign up here.

     

    As always, be sure to check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for upcoming events and programs and help spread the word. Have a great weekend!

     

  2. Sustainability Message from Illinois Leadership!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Earth Month
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    To wrap up Earth Week, President Killeen, Chancellor Jones, and leadership teams sent out the following message:

    "The University of Illinois System welcomes President Biden’s publicly announced commitment to action on climate change, a serious and essential statement of the country’s resolve to lead in building a better, more sustainable future.

    President Biden’s new plan to, among other things, cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030 also represents a call to the country’s centers of research and innovation for the bold ideas needed to make these goals reality.

    The University of Illinois System and its three universities stand ready to help."

    Go Illini!

    https://massmail.illinois.edu/massmailArchive 

  4. Weekly meeting with Audrey Freeman: Tasks for the week of April 26th

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Telecommuting

    The Telecommuting & Commuter Program intern met with supervisor Sarthak Prasad on Friday, April 23rd, 2021 to discuss updates on the program and goals for the upcoming week. Over the past week, they emailed over 10 different universities to fill out the google survey and/or schedule an interview to gain more personal insights and research. They also emailed the updated questionnaire to the IHR department, however, the department had to reschedule the meeting to May 5th. In addition, Audrey has begun creating the final deliverable presentation via PowerPoint for the transportation SWATeam meeting on April 30th. In the coming week, she will reach out again to the universities that have not yet filled out the google survey, and finish the final deliverable presentation.

  5. 4/23 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Build a Culture of Sustainability

    Attached are the minutes to the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting which took place on April 23, 2021. The meeting agenda was as follows:

    • Elimination of thermal paper receipts.
    • Education on Waste Management.
    • Reduction of water bottle purchases in vending machines.

    Potential initiatives which resulted from this conversation:

    • Pursue sustainable receipt options to divert receipts from University waste stream.
    • RA Training on waste management, with intent to educate students in university housing about sustainability.
    • Creating a sustainability training video for buyers through the Purchasing office.
    • Recommendation to create F&S standard to modify water fountain installations.
    • Recommendation to do a behavioral assessment on water bottle purchasers.
    • Recommendation to launch an education campaign for campus members on tap water quality.
    Attached Files: 

  10. Energy iCAP Team Meeting from 04-14-21

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team
    Green Lab Program
    Improve Space Utilization
    Clean Energy Plan

    The Energy iCAP Team met on April 14th, 2021 with Brian Bundren, a member of the Illinois Space Advisory Committee, about to learn more about how campus space can be managed more efficiently as a way to reduce energy consumption. The University moving from hybrid learning to more in-person instruction and the new IVCB budget model that assigns bills individual colleges for their energy use will have significant impacts on space usage. The team also discussed our recommendation for Green Labs, or ways to integrate sustainability in research labs and reduce their energy consumption. We will also be moving forward with recommending an Energy Planning document to outline steps towards carbon neutrality by 2050. 

    Meeting minutes and agenda are attached!

    Attached Files: 

  11. Resilience iCAP Team Meeting Minutes from 4-06-21

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Environmental Justice Plan
    Develop Local Carbon Offset Program [ARCHIVED]
    Local Sustainability Issues

    The Resilience iCAP Team met on April 6th, 2021 to brainstorm ideas for public engagement for creating our first Environmental Justice Plan. Members identified important avenues for learning about local intutions on what are relevant barriers to equitable health and safety in our communities. Moving forward, the Biodiversity Plan and EJ Plan will look to possibly engage the Department of Urban Planning and other students who will work on focus group interviews over the summer. The meeting concluded with an overview of the current progress of all Resilience iCAP objectives and future steps.

    Meeting minutes and chat log are attached! 

    Attached Files: 

  12. Chancellor sent a letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Fossil Fuels Divestment - Support Letter

    Chancellor Jones sent a letter to the University of Illinois Foundation, asking to “continue to evaluate investment opportunities and exposures for both their financial risk and return along with environmental, social and governance factors.” Chancellor Jones also attached a copy of the iCAP along with the letter and a response is currently being awaited.

  15. Weekly Update: Friday Ride

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Not a whole lot to report from last week. We had our first attendee for a Friday Ride. He was unfamiliar with basic rules of the road so we took him on a very short loop to get him acclimated. At a stop light he asked, “So you can ride in the road?” Something to consider in future route planning/participation. We missed a call/voicemail from someone else asking about the Friday Ride so we’ll have to keep an eye on the phones going forward, as well.

    The forecasted snow on Tuesday probably won’t help business this week. I have the Campus Transportation Advisory Committee to attend on Tuesday but the rest of the week is business as usual. I’ll grab some more salvageable parts from the bike barn for staff-tasks for the week.
    The numbers:

    Visits: 25

    Sales: $339
    Memberships: 5 for $150
    Tubes/tires: 10 for $50


    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Manager, Campus Bike Center

  16. Weekly meeting with Audrey Freeman: Tasks for the week of April 19th

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Telecommuting

    The Telecommuting & Commuter Program intern met with supervisor Sarthak Prasad on Friday, April 16th, 2021 to discuss updates on the program and goals for the upcoming week. Over the past week, they collected the necessary information to contact the employees responsible for telecommuting at the Big 10 Schools, the University of Illinois at Springfield, and Chicago. On Monday, they will email these universities and include the newly made google form to continue to gain more personal insights and research. Also on Monday, they will email the updated questionnaire to the HR department, so that they are ready for their meeting on April 22nd. This week, they will begin creating the final deliverable presentation via powerpoint for the transportation SWATeam.

  17. Welcome Note for Earth Day Solar Open House

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Power on Campus
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    Happy Earth Day, 2021!!! 

    Welcome to the UIUC Solar Sites Open House!

    • Nine campus solar power installations are available to visit at this virtual open house.
    • Contact people for each site are standing on the yellow stars by their facility, on Earth Day from 9-10:30 AM.
    • There are also links for further information about each solar site.

    Hints for Using Topia

    • Zoom out on your browser to see more of the campus at once.
    • Click on a destination to move your avatar to that site, or use the arrow keys to navigate
    • Send messages in Topia to people you meet here, with the mailbox icons.

    ***MAKE SURE TO USE GOOGLE CHROME AS YOUR BROWSER*** 

    Invitation - Open to All

    Ever wonder how far the university has come in solar energy use? Come out to the UIUC Solar Sites Open House hosted on Topia, an interactive online platform, to learn about different buildings and areas across campus that are producing solar energy! During the Open House, contacts for each location will be available to answer questions about the solar installations at nine locations. Learn more about the amazing solar installations on campus!

    This event will take place online from 9-10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!), at https://topia.io/uiuc-solar-sites.*

    ***MAKE SURE TO USE GOOGLE CHROME AS YOUR BROWSER*** 

    Attached Files: 

  18. New Solar Panels at BIF

    Associated Project(s): 
    BIF Rooftop Solar PVs

    The new 12.5 kW array will be the second rooftop installation at the facility. The current array, on top of Deloitte Auditorium, produces about 41,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, – or about 3.4% of the electricity needed to power BIF for an entire year. The new array will be smaller but will supply enough power to offset the anticipated energy usage of the fourth floor addition by contributing 15,500 kWh per year.

     

    https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/news/2019/04/22/solar-panels-added-to-...

  19. 4/16/21 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Fleet Replacement Plans
    Encourage Telecommuting
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Attached are the meeting minutes for the Transportation SWATeam meeting on 4/16. The agenda is as follows:

    • Commuter Program & Teleconferencing Policy Internship Update
    • Campus Fleet Replacement Plans Initiative Update
    • EV Task Force Draft Recommendation
    • Campus Opportunities: CTAC Meeting, Campus Bike Census Spring 2021.

    The Bike Census Spring 2021 Event on April 28, an event which seeks to accurately portray biking on the CU campus, is searching for volunteers. No prior experience is required; just show up to the VIRTUAL Training Session at 9AM and go from there!

     

    Attached Files: 

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