Biodiversity Plan intern Gabriel Harper-Hagen is looking for students and student groups to help him develop two iNaturalist surveys for the project. Here is the detailed explanation from Gabe:

The survey will act as a pilot for future surveying around campus and the broader community. We will have two surveys: one focused on animals and one focused on plants. This is because of the different methods of surveying each. The surveys will benefit from as many students that would be interested in this for either one (Or both). The survey will attempt to efficiently gather data about the diversity of plant and animal species found on campus to create a baseline for what is present and to help identify gaps on the campus where diversity may be lacking. If successful, I hope to expand the model to other parts of the community including the park districts to have larger community based BioBlitz seasonally to keep track of the diversity in the area and measure success of the biodiversity plan. 

As far as students can help, we need enough people to survey the area efficiently in a reasonable amount of time. The student groups and individual students would be helping in an initial survey that focuses only on the campus. My thought is that a date will be set for each of the two surveys where the participants can join to go over brief instructions on identifying plants with iNaturalist, adding them to the project, and explaining the purpose of surveying. iNaturalist allows for specific project data to be collected within a region which is then peer reviewed. Ideally, there will be some experts (students or professors if appropriate) that join for each survey to help with logistics and identification. I hope this will not only be a useful database for our campus to utilize, but also a fun learning experience. 

All iCAP students and environmental student groups are encouraged to participate. If interested, please email Gabe (harperh2@illinois.edu) and Resilience iCAP Team clerk Asli Topuzlu (aslit2@illinois.edu). 

All, Slower times here at the Bike Center (in terms of visitors). We’re almost slow enough that we can reinstate the First Visit Free policy. Not quite there, as we’ll have lulls but pick back up again.

It was discovered that the CBC Google Business hours were not updated when we moved to M – F, which explains why we we’ve been so slow on Tues/Thurs. That has since been corrected so we’ll see if that impacts visit numbers this week.

Last week I started sorting bikes at the warehouse for shipment/donation. We’ll be saving even more bikes than usual as we’re critically low on consumable parts like tires.

We managed to rehab a Huffy to an acceptable degree. The frame was in good shape and we piloted a new freewheel system that should hopefully help keep those types of bikes rideable for longer. That bike sold in about 20 minutes. Demand for cheap bikes is evergreen.

This week I’ll do more sorting at the warehouse and coordinating the donation, an interview or two, and otherwise business-as-usual.

The numbers:

Visitors: 78
Sales: $479.50
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $70
Memberships: 5 for $150
Tires/tubes: 9 for $58

Thanks!

Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Coordinator

On October 3, UIUC sustainability representatives met and discussed the following:

Attendance: Pete Varney, Meredith Moore, Shreya Mahajan, Bryan Johnson, Marty Kaufmann, Morgan White, Daphne Hulse

• Bryan Johnson: res life. Will be having a conversation with the res life Director. Seeing if Sustainability LLC wants to take on the sticker.
• Waste audit: submit a request for the SSC funding. Meredith and Dave discussed this before Daphne joined, wanting to pursue SSC funding.
  • Daphne would do the request. Ask for 25,000 for step 1, and then submit the actual cost in step 2.
• Tim Knox is on the engagement iCAP team. Tim and Marty talk every couple of weeks. Tim had been talking with COO (Roger, chief operations officer) about the need for better recycling for tailgating. This will be in the works for Fall 2023. Marty says they’ve done flyers, but probably not bags before. Maybe we do a kiosk on busy game days.
• Picnic tables. Morgan suggested ARC put them at Vet Med, arboretum, off-of-the-beaten path.
  • Marty says athletics could maybe utilize them? Not against them, but it wasn’t a request of theirs.
  • It’s not a great time of year to get them (they would have to be stored through the winter).
  • Will continue to look into these, but it’s on the back burner for now. Will address it in the spring.
• Temporary Coca-Cola bin discussion. No one is sold on them. But they do provide a benefit at events, to show people (especially students) that we recycle.
  • Hard to clean? Marty: we may or may not need bins at athetics, especially for the zero waste event.
• Meeting on Wednesday: Tell Jake that we do want the bins replaced, but need to clarify where they will go. 60 total? Could all of them get delivered to F&S and deployed for various situations.
  • Determine how many we got originally, and if they can all be replaced (with the Royal Blue).
• Meredith: getting students to help out. Morgan had asked Marty to see if he could find a RSO. Marty has a staff meeting at 2, so he will ask for those contacts. Then, we will connect the students from sustainability to this athletic RSO.

From: Jake Slager <jakeslager@coca-cola.com>
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 3:22 PM
To: Moore, Meredith Kaye <mkm0078@illinois.edu>
Cc: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: RE: Illinois Sustainability Campaign Messaging

Hey Meredith,

Hope you had a great weekend too!

I’m working on getting estimates for a bit sturdier bins, but with the attached graphics if you all could approve for sure or provide any other feedback.

We did deliver 120 total (60 recycling, 60 trash) for convocation/quad day/welcome week, but I’m not sure who all received them and if any went to athletics. That’s part of what we need to finalize too, is how many you want replaced (or all 120), and then how to divvy them up between departments/areas of campus that need them too. My plan is to replace all that you need, and determine if we need more permanent bins anywhere such as with Athletics particularly.

I was hoping to give Daphne a call this week quick to align on calendars for just the smaller group to meet. I know we said could keep the weekly at 330CST on Wednesdays, but I’d like to move it up if at all possible, so let me know if your all schedules could accommodate that or not please or we can chat on that quick too.

Agenda this week can be this topic, as well as the YAH agency discovery questions/answers, and perhaps discuss the Circular Solutions audit that I’m trying to get as many details as possible for you all on too by Wednesday. Let me know anything else you want to review as ewll.

Talk soon, thanks!

Classified - Confidential

From: Moore, Meredith Kaye <mkm0078@illinois.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2022 12:14 PM
To: Jake Slager <jakeslager@coca-cola.com>
Cc: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: RE: Illinois Sustainability Campaign Messaging

Hi Jake,

Hope you had a great weekend. Quick question – I seem to remember that Athletics received their own shipment of the recycling/trash sets. On campus, we received 60 (30 for housing, 30 for F&S) and are wondering how many DIA received.

We can talk about this on Wednesday, but could you give us an idea of how the “rebranding” process will work? Will all of the bins be replaced, or just a portion, with the new “Don’t Waste” messaging?

Thanks!
Meredith

--------------------------------------------
“There are a lot of dreamers – dreaming is very important, but it’s really the dreamer and the doer. You’ve got to be the doer.” –Will Steger  

MEREDITH MOORE
Sustainability Programs Manager 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
1101 W Peabody Drive (Suite 382), Urbana, IL, 61801
217.333.0119 | mkm0078@illinois.edu
www.sustainability.illinois.edu
 


Please consider the environment before printing out an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure. 

Attached files highlight the boxes that were found at each location where boxes were ogirinally deployed, and their filled status. Based on this survey, a decision will be made regarding the PPE mask recycling program

Morgan White suggested that SSC should create a mass mail that goes to faculty and staff asking them to provide the Illinois Green Fund Information ot their students. 

Attached are notes from a meeting discussing the role of iSEE.