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  1. Environmental Justice Plan Brainstorming Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Environmental Justice Plan
    Resilience iCAP Team
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    On December 3, 2020, a small group of community and campus staff (Scott Tess, Morgan White, Ximing Cai, Sharva Hampton-Campbell, Kaamilyah Abdullah-Span, Ruby Mendenhall, Meredith Moore) brainstormed key principles of the environmental justice plan (iCAP 2020 objective 8.3). The notes from this initial meeting is attached and the group will continue to meet monthly. 

    Attached Files: 

  2. Weekly Update - Word of mouth, Bike donations

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Pretty slow around these parts—per usual for this time of year.

    A story: A gentleman comes in on Wednesday looking for bikes. We get to talking and he’s volunteered at Working Bikes (the org we give abandoned bikes to) up in Chicago, he knows his way around a wrench. He buys a nice road bike and that was that. An hour later, he brings a friend back; she signs up for a membership. Two days later, same guy is back with another friend; he buys a membership, too. Says they’ll both be back on Monday to work on a bike. Word of mouth really is the best marketing.

    This week I’ll still be processing the donations from the kids bike event that were not kids bikes. We got a lot of adult-sized bikes that aren’t worth saving, unfortunately.
    The numbers:

    Visitors: 11
    Sales: $254
    Memberships: 2 for $60
    Misc: $4

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  3. Tests Performed for Illinois Biodiesel Initiative's Quality Control

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI)

    As provided by Allison Narlock, the current quality control lead for Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI), IBI performs a series of standard tests for every batch. The tests, with the ASTM test number, are the following (in no particular order:)

    • Acid Number: D974
    • Water and Sediment: D2709
    • Flash Point: D93 (D6450), we use the closed cup method
    • Oxidative Stability: D2274
    • Visual Inspection: D4176
    • Cold Soak: D7501
    • Cloud Point: D2500

    For each test, results are recorded to provide information as needed.

     

  4. Call2Recycle FY2020 Report: Collection of Batteries and Cell Phones

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling

    The attached files highlight the battery and cell phone collection efforts conducted from 01/01/2020 to 12/31/2020. These reports include valuable information such as the pounds collected, breakdown by chemistry, growth rates, and collected trends over a 3-year time period.

    Attached Files: 

  7. Trees Promote Health and Wellness

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Resilience Commitment

    In the January 2021 Newsletter, the City of Urbana discussed the health and wellness benefits of trees, as well as its plans to promote tree planting throughout the city:

    Trees affect our health and wellness. Humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, whereas trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. With a mutually beneficial relationship, one large tree can supply enough oxygen for four people. This is really wonderful, however, it takes around five trees to absorb the CO2 produced by just one person.

    Additionally, trees also trap air pollution. This greatly affects our health. Trees also help to clean water by acting as a natural filter. Plus, trees decrease stress for us and improve recovery time from illnesses. These are a few of the reasons Urbana's Urban Canopy is tantamount to human life, health, and progress. Trees are always working to keep us healthy and strong – help us do the same for them! *

    We’re asking you to partner with the City of Urbana — on an individual basis or through your neighborhood association, service organization, business or church — by sharing the cost of new trees through our Co-op Tree Planting Program.

    The City of Urbana Arbor Division will be adding to Urbana's Urban Canopy this coming Spring, 2021. These are made possible by the generous donations through the Co-op Tree Planting Program. 

    "If all goes well this will be good for roughly 40-45 vacant tree planting sites throughout town. These site will be planted with Urbana Heritage species and mostly native species to Illinois. I will be selecting these sites during January for spring planting order," Kevin Sanderson, Arborist and Urbana Arbor Division Supervisor, said.
     

  9. Weekly Update: Happy New Year, Kids bike giveaway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Happy New Year! The final week of the semester—and the two weeks preceding it—were a whirl of kid bike prep for our event, which took place on December 19th.
    Here’s a story CI Living did on the event:  https://www.wcia.com/ciliving-2/the-bike-project-hosts-kids-bike-giveaway/
    We gave away 40+ bikes in less than half an hour and our community really came through in providing those donations on such a short time frame.
    This week will be a lot of cleaning and organizing—kids bike parts are strewn every which way as we hustled to get the bikes finished—and an inventory once-over to see where we stand on parts and bikes.
    Thanks!
    The numbers:

    Visitors: 7
    Sales: $19

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  10. Some Coal Plants in Illinois to be shut down

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)

    From: https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-...

    The company also announced its next phase of coal plant closures in Illinois and Ohio with a combined capacity of more than 6.8 GW, by 2027. The plan has the following timeline:

    • End of 2022: Edwards Power plant, Bartonville, Illinois, 585 MW, in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator.
    • End of 2025: Baldwin Power Plant, Baldwin, Illinois, 1,185 MW; Joppa Power Plant, Joppa, Illinois, 1,002 MW (plus 239 MW of gas turbines), both in MISO.
    • End of 2027: Newton Power Plant, Newton, Illinois, 615 MW, in MISO; and Kincaid Power plant, Kincaid, Illinois, 1,108 MW, Miami Fort Power Plant, North Bend, Ohio, 1,020 MW, and Zimmer Power Plant, Moscow, Ohio, 1,300 MW, all three in the PJM Interconnection.

    "These plants, especially those operating in the irreparably dysfunctional MISO market, remain economically challenged," Vistra said in a Sept. 29 statement. "Today's retirement announcements are also prompted by upcoming Environmental Protection Agency filing deadlines, which require either significant capital expenditures for compliance or retirement declarations."

  11. Updated list of needed student projects

    Associated Project(s): 
    Independent Student Projects
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) [ARCHIVED]

    This is a list of projects that need students to work on.  It will be updated periodically by sustainability staff members, the last update was 1/2/21:

    • Tree Canopy Analysis: Work with F&S staff to complete a GIS analysis of the university's tree canopy, in support of the Tree Campus USA designation. This will include comparison to peer institutions and a presentation of the results and methodology to the Tree Campus Advisory Committee. Depending on time availability, it can also include an analysis of the local tree canopy, off campus. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu.
    • CCNet Website: Work with the Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) leadership team to redesign and publish the CCNet website (old version is online at http://www.champaigncountynet.org/). There is a monthly brown bag sustainability networking event on the Third Thursday of each month, but the website hasn't been updated since 2016. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu.
    • If you have a project idea, please contact us at sustainability@illinois.edu, or submit it through the iCAP Portal Suggestions page.

  15. Monthly water usages totals now available for the BIF

    Associated Project(s): 
    BIF Greywater Pipe System

    Monthly totals for water consumption in the greywater pipes at the Business Instructional Facility have now been added to the corresponding iCAP portal page. In the future, totals will be updated upon request. Send requests through the Suggestions form on the iCAP Portal.

    See the attached spreadsheet to find the daily totals from Mid-October 2019 to November 2020. Vales are listed in gallons, measured per year as the overall usage.

    Attached Files: 

  16. 12/18 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Increase Recycling through the WTS
    Reuse Surplus Goods and Valuable "Waste"
    Develop Sustainable Purchasing Policies
    Sustainable Procurement Reports
    Sustainable Procurement Reports
    Grind2Energy

    Attached are the meeting minutes from the Zero Waste SWATeam on 12/18/2020. The following agenda items were discussed:

    • Grind2Energy Additional Scope.
    • NERC membership.
    • Mask Terracycle Program.
    • Organics Master Plan.
    • Vending Machine Single-Use Plastics Replacement.
    • Mitigating single-serve options in third-party vendors in Union.
    • Reusable dining operations during COVID.
    • Reuse of Surplus Goods.
    • Battery Recycling Options.
    • Purchasing Order Fufillment: Sustainable Options.
    • Purchasing Sustainability Digital Booklet.
    • Food Waste Reduction Webinar Engagement Opportunity.
    • Sustainability Integrations within punch-out catalogues/iBUY.
    Attached Files: 

  18. 12/16 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Electric Vehicle (EV) Task Force
    Fleet Replacement Plans
    Decrease Emissions from UI Fleet
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips

    Attached are the meeting minutes for the Transportation SWATeam Meeting on 12/16/2020. The following agenda items were discussed:

    • Intern Solicitation
    • Intern Resources List
    • EV Task Force
    • Fleet Vehicle Usage Tracking
    • Reduction of Fleet
    • Air Travel Emissions
    Attached Files: 

  19. Funding Award: Living Lab Platform for CIF geothermal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal at the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The SSC approved $9,318.16 in funding in Fall 2020 for a Living Lab Platform at the CIF. This project expires 12/16/2022.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Precious Plastic Campus Recycling Hub

    Associated Project(s): 
    Decrease Wasteful Practices through Behavior Change
    Increase Recycling Rates
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The SSC approved $12,000 in funding for a precious plastic campus recycling hub in Fall 2020. This project expires 12/16/2022.

    Attached Files: 

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