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  1. Materials from iWG

    Associated Project(s): 
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam

    Dear ALUFS SWATeam,

    The iCAP Working Group met today, and we very much look forward to your updated report on campus progress towards the 2010 iCAP targets.

    In the hopes that it will provide some assistance as you formulate your recommendations for the revised iCAP, to be presented at the iCAP Forum on October 22nd, we wanted to provide you with some additional files:

    1) A "template" for the iCAP sections that we ask that you use. This was written using Transportation as an example, but it should be easily adaptable.

    2) A "resources" document that summarizes the 2010 iCAP strategies, excerpts from a document that was put together back in FY13 summarizing progress at that time, a set of links to relevant pages on the iCAP Portal, and a list of the questions in the STARS report that are relevant to your team.  The STARS report is how our campus gets "graded" on our sustainability performance, so these questions may inspire ideas for things the campus should be doing.

    3) A table of emissions in your area as determined by the Clean Air Cool Planet calculator, which represents our officially reported emissions. 

    You can fill this in with your proposed goals, and include it in the template.

    4) A summary of all of our emissions in different categories, for context.

    5) The Clean Air Cool Planet calculator itself, updated for FY2014, in case you wish to dive into how the calculations are performed.

    We hope this information will be helpful to your team.  If there is anything we can do to help you with your important work in the coming month, please just ask!

    Cheers,

    Ben

    --

    Professor Benjamin J. McCall

    Associate Director for Campus Sustainability

    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    campus-sustainability@illinois.edu

     

    Attached Files: 

  2. FY14 Heating Degree Days and EUI

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam

    The attached file shows the heating degree days for each fiscal year and the Energy Use Intensity.

    ---------

    Hi Karl,

    Wow!  So the weather does seem to have had a big influence here.  I wonder if there's a way to quantify that?  Could we, for example, break out the BTUs spent on steam from the total BTUs, and then consider two metrics: (1) non-steam EUI, and (2) steam EUI per Heating Degree Day? 

    This might give us better metrics for our performance?

    Thanks so much,

    Ben McCall

    -----------

    From: Helmink, Karl J

    Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 10:07 AM

    To: campus-sustainability@illinois.edu; swat-ecbs@dib.illinois.edu

    Cc: Marquissee, Mike

    Subject: RE: Updated progress report

    Yes, Mike Marquissee and Kent presented the data to our Utilities and Energy Services group. This is where the BTU/ sq. ft. and heating degree day charts came from. I assume that Mike's group put these charts together with Kent's oversight.

    I am not deeply aware of all of the details that go into the development of these charts.  ( It is pretty complex in my opinion.)

    Mike, attached is a copy of the FY 14 year ending updates that came forward from our swat team.  FYI  If you can clarify any of the mentioned items, that might be helpful.

    Also, we don't normalize any of the RCx data. One can easily get lost in the numbers, and I prefer to focus on the real meter readings.

    Thanks,

    Karl Helmink

    --------

    All, attached is an analysis overlaying the heating degree days with the EUI.  The reported EUI is not normalized for weather changes. - Mike Marquissee

     

    Attached Files: 

  3. Meeting #2 coming up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    Hello Sustainability Ambassadors,

    This is a friendly reminder that the second Certified Green Office Meeting is tomorrow Sept. 25, 10am-11am in Room 210 Illini Union. We will be talking about techniques to achieve extra credits within the waste reduction and promoting sustainability in meetings and events categories. Please RSVP here. We will also be serving light refreshments and coffee. 

    Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. 

    Thanks,

    Nishant Makhijani

  4. agenda for meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    From: Rajagopalan, Nandakishore [mailto:nrajagop@illinois.edu]
    Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 10:29 AM
    To: swat-water@dib.illinois.edu
    Subject: This aternon meeting

    In the interests of making the most of our time, here are my top line goals. The first one is based on Lance Schideman suggestion. Three and four are again based on Lance and Marys suggestions.

    We might even want to suggest a water reuse goal with timelines. Not sure what the basis would be but if we want a zero water campus, we can calculate precipitation over some area and assume that it satisfies a portion of our needs; the rest would come from reuse (both effluent as well as stormwater). The stormwater could be integrated with landscape and will be the residual after accounting for evapotranspirtion.

    Any water features as part of the landscape would then be integrated with heat sink needs as campus, possibly creating an year-round landscape, maybe even a temperate rainforest in the Mid-west!

    Goals

    1. Overall reduction
      1. in line with ICAP 2010
      2. Normalized levels of 20,000 gallons per weighted campus user in 2020 and 16500 gallons per weighted campus user by 2025
      3. Normalized  levels of 42 gallons per total buildings sq. ft (buildings + laboratory space) by and 36 gallons per sq. ft. in 2025 (question to Stephanie on these numbers)
    2. Undertake bottoms-up approach to estimate end-use for campus using best practices to determine realistic goals achievable by water conservation alone
    3. Recognize water reuse as an essential component to continue reductions in fresh water demand on campus beyond 2025; initiate planning activities to increase water reuse on campus 
    4. Integrate the physical and natural elements of campus topography to reduce water demand on campus and facilitate reuse

    N. Rajagopalan PhD

    Associate Director/Illinois Pollution Prevention Scientist

    Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

    Prairie Research Institute

    University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

    Champaign, IL

     

  5. comments on draft from Marcus Ricci

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    Thank you for the great report, Warren (and SWATeam). I am very impressed. I added some comments and sent Warren some data on the building-servicing by the WTS. If you have any questions, contact me.

    Cheers,
    Marcus

    Marcus Ricci, MS, MUP
    Building Energy Specialist, Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC)

    Attached Files: 

  6. iWG agenda packet

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (2015 iCAP) [ARCHIVED]

    Attached here are the agenda and other relevant materials for the September 25, 2014 meeting of the iCAP Working Group.

    Attached Files: 

  11. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) purchased for FY15

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Power
    • PEI bought 20,000,000 kwh for FY15. 
    • They are MISO Wind RECs. 
    • Without Petascale, this represents 5.28% of projected electricity demand. 
    • Including Petascale, this represents 4.25% of projected electricity demand.  
    • A half year of the solar farm would bring this up to 5%.
    • The REC cost was $ 1.25 / MWH for a total of $27,000.

  12. Land SSC Working Group

    Hi all,

    My name is Michael LaPelusa and I am the Land Chair of the Student Sustainability Committee.  If you are still interested in attending working group committees, fill out the doodle poll below.  They will start the week after next and be very informal.

    http://doodle.com/23pv92kn9ptkxstf

    Best regards,

    Michael LaPelusa

  13. USGBC Student Chapter Newsletter

    Associated Project(s): 
    USGBC Student Chapter

     

     
     

    USGBC HEADER *To view newsletter properly, please enable images.
     
     

    USGBC Students UIUC Newsletter
    for the week of September 14th - 20th

    Click here to like USGBC Students UIUC on Facebook!
    Click here to follow us on Twitter!
     

     

    A Look Inside This Week's Newsletter:

    • Green Apple Day Of Service
    • ECE Building Tour
    • Join Our Projects Committee!
    • LEED Study Sessions Fall 2014
    • Membership
    • Opportunities with Illinois Solar Decathlon
     

     

    Green Apple Day of Service

    1276696_587744154615420_250660579_o.102342.jpg
     

    For this year's Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS), we will be working with Stratton Elementary School to implement a sustainable project at their school. GADOS is a national event put on by USGBC to educate and serve the communities in a sustainable way.

    We will be going to Stratton on the afternoon of September 26. 
    SIGN UP HERE.

    Email AJ Unander at aunande2@illinois.edu with related questions!
     

     

    ECE Building Tour

    Sign up here to join us for a tour of the new ECE building on September 19th at 3 pm!
     

     

    Join Our Projects Committee!

    Are you interested in getting hands-on experience with green projects? Join the Projects Committee! Projects include planning the Second Annual Student Sustainability Initiatives Symposium, handling Campus Conservation Nationals, Lego LEED, and much more!

    Weekly Projects Committee meetings will be on Wednesdays at 4PM in Engineering Hall 112. All are welcome! Come by to learn more about the projects we're working on this year and to get started on a great semester!
     

     

    LEED Study Sessions, Fall 2014

    LEED.102857.png
     

    USGBC will be hosting a series of 9 study sessions this fall to prepare students to take the LEED Green Associate Exam. Sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 7-8pm in Room 1311 Newmark, beginning on September 24th. A one-time fee of $25 for USGBC members and $35 for non-members will cover all classes and will grant access to study slides filled with details about the exam, the LEED rating system, how USGBC works, and many, many practice exam questions.

    If you are interested, please fill out your information here. 

    Please contact LEED Coordinator Dan Malsom at malsom1@illinois.edu with any questions. 
     

     

    Membership

    USGBC Students membership is $10 for the semester and $15 for the year. Only members can attend Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, run for Executive Board positions, apply for Intern and Chair Positions, and participate in non-meeting activities that require funding. Members also receive a $10 discount for LEED Study Sessions!

    As a new additional benefit, becoming a member will give you access to the official US Green Building Council internal "Facebook": National Field. This is an invaluable resource that will allow you to network with USGBC staff in Washington D.C., all state and regional chapters, and USGBC members across the nation.

    Contact Eva Zhao at bzhao11@illinois.edu to become a member!
     

     

    Opportunities with Illinois Solar Decathlon

    Illinois Solar Decathlon (ISD) is currently in need of a secretary and a sponsorship chair! Along with those positions, a Projects Team is being established to tackle two potential projects in preparation for Solar Decathlon 2017. The first of these projects is a potential 1000 sq. ft. net-zero renovation of an existing cottage at Allerton Park. The second is the Department of Energy Race to Zero design competition. In preparing a core team for Solar Decathlon 2017, ISD needs a combination of experienced students and young students.

    Applications close on the night of Wednesday, September 24th.
    Access applications by clicking the corresponding links below!

    Secretary Application
    Sponsorship Chair Application
    Projects Team Application
     
    		 
     
             
     

    U.S. Green Building Council Students
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    usgbcstudents.uiuc@gmail.com

    Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe

    		      
             
     
     

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  15. water savings and costs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Here is an example of unit costs for various replacements at the University of Connecticut late 2007. The estimates were by a plumbing firm. Says costs = material +labor

    Domestic Fixture Retrofits (ResLife)

    Measure

    Unit Cost

    Counts

    Total Cost

    Water Saved Per Unit (gal)

    3.5 Commercial Toilet Replacement

    $515.00

    1,026

    $528,390

    16,317,926

    1.6 Commercial Valve Retrofit

    $175.00

    337

    $58,975

    1,081,656

    1.0 Pressure Tank Toilet Upgrade

    $150.00

    251

    $37,650

    989,442

    Gravity Toilet Tank Upgrade

    $75.00

    528

    $39,600

    1,510,885

    Urinal Valve Retrofit

    $175.00

    133

    $23,275

    232,477

    Faucet Flow Control

    $14.00

    2,669

    $37,366

    4,157,618

    Showerhead Upgrade

    $20.00

    2,150

    $43,000

    7,884,000

    Showerhead Retrofit

    $50.00

    54

    $2,700

    5,835,474

     

     

  17. SITES system

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Dear Keith and Water Team:

    Here is a link to Sustainable Sites Initiative, now called SITES rating system. SITES has a long history, but the short story is that this is a robust and leading tool for advancing landscape performance. It not only a tool but also a certification program. It is/will be adopted by USGBC to inform the sites credits for LEED. In many ways, it was a response to LEED really not getting at the potential for site systems themselves. It could be added to iCAP's recommendations for renovations and new construction. 

    Just as with LEED, it went through some growing pains, particularly challenging was documenting pre-design conditions to demonstrate performance and sustainability improvement. After multiple years of pilot projects and testing, version 2 has just been released. It can be used with or without a building or other structure within the site, making it a great tool for our campus. 

    A colleague of mine at Conservation Design Forum in Elmhurst, IL has been a key participant in its development, and he would be a fantastic additional to our external consultant group. 

    http://www.sustainablesites.org

    Thanks, see you tomorrow,

    Mary Pat

     

    Mary Pat Mattson, RLA, ASLA

    Assistant Professor : Department of Landscape Architecture

    College of Fine and Applied Arts : UIUC

    611 Taft Drive, Champaign IL 61820

  18. F&S response to iWG assessment

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

    This letter is in response to the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) Working Group (iWG) recommendation #EG001, which Facilities & Services (F&S) received on August 28.  F&S agrees that the campus should investigate the feasibility of entering into a Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to increase the use of renewable energy for campus. 

    Regarding the EG001 general statements about campus energy use, data points, and assessments of anticipated financial impacts, F&S will need more time to compile a useful response.  Regarding the three specific EG001 recommendations, I have consulted with Al Stratman, Kent Reifsteck, and Mike Larson to provide the responses below. 

    1. Recommendation: “The campus should undertake a Power Purchase Agreement for wind energy. Based on currently available information, we recommend that the amount be at least 119 million kWh per year (25% of our total electrical usage), but we should aim to purchase as much as we possibly can, given any technical, financial, and contractual constraints.”

    From this recommendation, we understand that the iWG recommends entering into a Wind PPA for at least 25% of the FY15 electrical demand.  However, the campus cannot make an informed decision about whether or not to undertake a PPA until the financial impact is fully understood.  A key component of the financial impact is the fully burdened cost of the purchased wind power, which will not be known until after the successful completion of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.  Therefore, F&S does support pursuing a PPA so the feasibility can be evaluated, but we do not support making a final decision to undertake a PPA until completely evaluating the financial implications.

    1. Recommendation: “The effort to secure a PPA should be pursued as quickly as possible. The campus should inform PEI that this is a top priority, and that the review of RFI submittals and the issuance of the RFP should be expedited by all necessary means.”

    During this summer, F&S worked with PEI to define a schedule for issuing a Request for Information (RFI) and a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP).  This schedule shows a completion date of April 2015, so that the PPA could commence with delivery of power on July 1, 2015, at the start of FY16.  We have informed PEI that this is a top priority, along with safety and reliability of the overall campus energy system.

    1. Recommendation: “The iCAP Working Group should be kept informed and advised during the process of pursuing the RFI, RFP, and PPA, and given the opportunity to provide recommendations before key decisions are made about the PPA, to ensure that technical and financial considerations are appropriately balanced with our campus sustainability objectives.”

    F&S values the advice and input from sustainability advocates on campus.  Therefore, we suggest developing a set of interim checkpoints for keeping the iWG informed as the process unfolds.

    To meet our Climate Commitment and achieve carbon neutrality, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.  I look forward to working with the iWG and the SWATeams as this recommendation is pursued.

    Sincerely,

    Morgan B. Johnston

    Associate Director of Sustainability, F&S

  19. Water SWATeam using Google Drive

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Hello SWAT Water,

    It was nice to meet all of you this morning, I am excited to be part of this group! We have a lot of great ideas already that I am excited to see implemented. I have created a google drive folder which I will be placing all of our minutes and documents in. I have shared it with everyone, so please inform me if you haven't received the folder in your drive account (it should be labeled "SWAT Water Minutes and Documents").

    In the folder, I have uploaded our minutes from this morning and also included any supplemental documentation that we have received thus far for your convenience, including the charge letter and various templates that were emailed from Ben. I also uploaded the power point that I brought up during the meeting. I produced this power point last year when I was contracted by West Point to do some research on Low Impact Development implemented on campuses east of the Mississippi. Hopefully this can be an asset to flip through to see some things other campuses are doing in the east and midwest to reduce their impact on water supply and quality along with links to find more information on the individual projects.

    I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will see you all next Wednesday at noon!

    Cheers,

    Danielle Thayer

     

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1Drb3ANboRvUUtQSVRpM1ZXUVk

  20. video about Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Fellow waste warriors,

    UO does cool things when it comes to the material management system. They did one of the first campus waste audits back in the early 90s and have since grown into a power house in recycling and materials management. They have a new training video. Its 50mins long, and yes that is extremely excessive. But it is a great cheat sheet to evaluate our current state and where we could go.

    Shantanu Pai



    On Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:28:32 AM UTC-5, K2 wrote:

    Here is a training video that the students just finished here at the University of Oregon.  It’s close to an hour and will be shown to all new student employees with the UO Zero Waste Program.  It’s funny and poignant while being instructive.  Way to go students of the world…..working so hard for a better life…..it’s crazy to see how hard we all work saving resources.  This video is about you too…..and we say to all of you in zero waste land-THANKS for recycling!  Zero Waste is Higher Education….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQHQJJzldbA&feature=youtu.be&a

     

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