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Project Updates for Zero Waste iCAP Team

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  1. WCIA: Illini football prevents waste with first tailgate recycling event

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tailgate Recycling
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola

    Link to article, published on September 22, 2023

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Saturday will mark the very first time Illini Football will host a tailgate recycling event with the “Zero Waste Tailgate.”

    The event will be part of the University of Illinois’ Don’t Waste initiative. There will be orange and blue-colored recycling boxes and a bright green dumpster to throw bottles and cans away. Helpers will be of assistance and can be identified by shirts reading, “Be Orange, Go Green.”

    Green dumpsters will be placed on the east end of Lot 31 and South First Street. Boxes will be placed throughout Grange Grove and around the Illinois tent in Lot 31.

  2. F&S Website: First-Ever Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Event

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Tailgate Recycling
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)

    First-Ever Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Event

    Sep 19, 2023 | 10:12 am

    New orange and blue recycling boxes and a green dumpster will be available for fans near Memorial Stadium

    Illinois Football takes on Florida Atlantic University (FAU) on Saturday, September 23, at Memorial Stadium. Before the non-conference game, several orange and blue recycling boxes and a bright green dumpster will be available to help Fighting Illini fans recycle bottles and cans, which will prevent more items from reaching the landfill.

    Individuals in RVs or vehicles entering Lot 31 and Lot 32 will be given blue bags to use to drop off empty bottles and cans at the utility-sized recycling dumpster on the east side of Lot 31, along South First Street. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans and bottles may also be placed by fans into boxes within Grange Grove and around the Illinois Tent in Lot 31. Items may also be thrown in the dumpster.

    This first-of-its-kind Tailgate Recycling event on the Urbana campus is a part of the Don’t Waste initiative. Coca-Cola; the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics; the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment; and Facilities & Services are partnering to reduce waste at major campus events and support reaching zero waste goals. Approximately 10 volunteers will wear “Be Orange, Go Green” shirts and will be ready to assist the recycling efforts.

    Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse said, “Illini fans support their team and university like no other. The new Block I–wrapped recycling bins and marked dumpsters for the FAU game will allow tailgaters in these areas to easily recycle bottles and cans and add to the number of pounds of materials diverted from the landfill on our recycling scoreboard.

    The new recycling boxes will stay in place for all remaining Illini home games. The next recycling event with volunteers will be Saturday, November 11, when Indiana University visits Champaign.

    This year, Don’t Waste has achieved the following milestones:

    • With student volunteers’ help during the basketball season, Illini fans collected a State Farm Center basketball gameday record of 1,280 pounds of recyclables in March.
    • Two hydration stations were installed at Memorial Stadium this summer to encourage the use of reusable water bottles during Illini games.
    • An additional 140 pounds of plastic was diverted from the New Student Convocation event in August.

    Establishing a zero waste culture at the U of I is a top sustainability objective of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The iCAP is the university’s strategic plan to meet the Climate Leadership Commitments, including becoming carbon neutral as soon as possible and building resilience to climate change in the local community. The data collected from these engagement efforts will guide future recycling infrastructure improvements in university facilities and be used to establish best practices for implementing sustainable habits at campuswide gatherings and unit-level events.

    For more information about general campus waste management (how that works/what is recycled) and iCAP progress, contact Daphne Hulse dlhulse2@illinois.edu, 217-333-7550. And keep watching for social media updates and campus recycling reminders on #DontWasteWednesday.

  3. News Channel 20: University of Illinois promotes recycling at football game with 'Zero Waste Tailgate

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tailgate Recycling
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)

    Link to article, released on September 24, 2023

    As guests returned to Memorial Stadium this afternoon for u of i's home game against florida atlantic university, Facilities and Services Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign pushed for a cleaner environment with the help of fans.

    It hosted Zero Waste Tailgate to encourage guests to toss bottles, cans, and other recyclable goodsby giving them blue bags and placing a large green dumpster near the stadium.

    Zero Waste Coordinator, Daphne Hulse believes those items being provided makes it easier to reduce landfill.

    Working at a large scale event like this with high visibility, is a great way not only to engage students, faculty and staff. But also community members that come here for these tailgate events." Hulse said. "Collectively we can work towards reducing that landfilled waste.

    The next recycle event will be on November 11th at the stadium for u of i's home game against Indiana University.

  6. ZW004 Recommendation Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Beckman Cafe Reusable Containers
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reusable Containers

    Beckman currently uses reusable trays, plates, and glasses in their cafe. They currently have a dishwasher onsite and will have a larger one in the new project (U22005 Beckman Café Renovation). They also have a stack of plastic and Styrofoam containers on the line as people move through the food ordering line, so improvements could be made here to nudge people towards the reusable options.

    Attached Files: 

  7. Student Athlete Advisory Committee / Varsity House reusable containers

    Associated Project(s): 
    Reusable Containers
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, April 10, 2023 2:50 PM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC

     

    Hey all,

     

    The meeting with Jonathan went great and he is super open to new ideas.

     

    Based on my previous meeting and Student-Athlete's feedback, Jonathan decided to buy these reusable containers: https://gfsstore.com/products/310397/ & https://gfsstore.com/products/310378/ (not sure if the oz sizes are exactly the same).

     

    He said he had enough budget to buy 500 of each to give to every student-athlete. He has already seen a decline in the styrofoam containers. But deli containers (for things like cereal, yogurt, soup, and small snacks), plastic bags (sometimes), and plastic silverware are still being used. The reusable containers did feel flimsy - especially compared to the Good2Go ones - but they are much cheaper. So I would be worried about durability and scratching/damage if real silverware is used.

     

    Daphne was able to join and got some good insight into the entire process. Hendrick House acts as the caterer and does not maintain the space so they don’t have a lot of control over the trash. But for the kitchen, they still put everything in the dumpster (including cardboard). So we have some room for improvement there.

     

    Overall - I think we should help set up communication between Varsity and SAAC (or just students in general) to make sure this program can continue for years to come. I think a follow up with Colin and pushing for a sustainability position in SAAC is the best next step. I’ll give Colin a few days to respond to Daphne’s email but I’ll try to set something up again.

     

    If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

     

    Best,

    Justin


     

    On Apr 7, 2023, at 5:23 PM, Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu> wrote:

     

    Wow, this is amazing!! Please count me in for the 4/10 meeting at Varsity Room - happy to join you and continue this great momentum.

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

     

    From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, April 7, 2023 4:47 PM
    To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>; Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC

     

    Hi everyone,

     

    I received this message from Jonathon last week: 

     

    "Justin, thank you for your patience regarding this project. I am happy to announce that beginning on Monday, April 3rd Varsity Room Dining will be offering free, reusable, eco-friendly containers to any student-athlete that requests a set. A set of containers will consist of (1) 38-ounce rectangular container and (1) 48-ounce circular container.

    Additional individual containers and/or sets may be purchased by student-athletes if they would like.
    Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to meet again to continue our previous discussions.”


    This email came as a surprise as I had not received a response to my emails sent earlier this semester. I am planning to visit the Varsity Room this Monday, 4/10, at 12:45 PM to chat with Jonathon about the program. A friend sent me the information they have received (attached) and told me they weren't exactly sure how the program worked. I’m hoping we can bring together our knowledge and resources to create a stable, successful program. 

     

    You all are more than welcome to join, otherwise I’ll send my notes and recommendations after. Additionally, I think another meeting with Colin, Jonathon, and everyone else will be important before the semester is over.

     

    Best,

    Justin

    <IMG_0476.jpeg><Screenshot 2023-04-03 at 5.48.56 PM.jpg>


     

    On Feb 15, 2023, at 8:48 AM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:

     

    Thanks, Justin. If you are talking with Jonathon, could you also mention food waste and Grind2Energy? It would be great to recruit the Varsity Room/Hendrick House into the program.

     

    Jen

     

    From: Holding, Justin Kenneth <jholdi2@illinois.edu> 
    Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 6:58 PM
    To: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Palella, Nikki <palella3@illinois.edu>; Keating, Claire Elizabeth <cek6@illinois.edu>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Re: Hendricks House and SAAC

     

    Hi Jen,

     

    Thanks for the information!

     

    I haven’t heard from Colin since our last meeting - I’ll reach out to him. I’ll also contact Jonathon Curtis, the chef at the Varsity Room, to talk about the prospect of reusbales.

     

    I’ve actually spoke to multiple people at Hendrick House regarding sustainability. So, if we need a little push there, I know who to reach out to. Also, I know they have a good stock of reusable containers as well - I’ve borrowed them!

     

    Best,

    Justin

     

    On Feb 14, 2023, at 5:21 PM, Fraterrigo, Jennifer M <jmf@illinois.edu> wrote:

     

    Hi all,

     

    Hope you are doing well.

     

    I am writing to follow up about the prospect of establishing reusable container and Grind2Energy programs at Hendrick House. I met separately with Tim Knox and University Housing and Dining leadership over the past month. What I learned from Tim is that SAAC and student athletes have tremendous influence with Hendrick House and should request that Hendrick House implement these programs. University Housing and Dining does not have enough staff to wash additional containers or sort food waste for G2E, even if Hendrick House were to pay for these services. However, Housing seemed to think Hendrick House has the capacity (just not at the Varsity Room). Housing is willing to be a resource for Hendrick House by sharing information, answering questions, etc.

     

    The next step is to convey this info to Colin and SAAC. Has anyone heard from Colin lately? If I recall correctly, he was going to ask SAAC members about whether they support these initiatives. Justin, if you want to ping him, that would be great. Any other ideas about how to keep this moving forward? 

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)

    iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
    Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois

    W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.

    Urbana, IL 61801

    jmf@illinois.edu
    ph 217-333-9428

    https://fraterrigolab.nres.illinois.edu/

    Attached Files: 

  8. iSEE recommends filtered filler stations are installed going forward, based on survey results

    Associated Project(s): 
    Drinking Water Survey
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    From: Fraterrigo, Jennifer M jmf@illinois.edu
    Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2023 11:20 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren dlhulse2@illinois.edu
    Subject: RE: Drinking water behavior survey

     

    HI, Daphne.

     

    This looks good. Given the results (esp. slides 18-20), I will suggest to Morgan that F&S only install filtered filler stations moving forward and also consider replacing spigots with filtered filler stations at some locations.

     

    I will make a similar suggestion to Lowa for residence halls.

     

    Thank you,

    Jen

  10. Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 3/10/2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Tailgate Recycling
    Large-Scale Food Waste Composting
    Grind2Energy

    On January 30th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss final thoughts on the finished tailgate recycling recommendation, the feasibility of a large scale composting program on campus, and current work with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). 

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  12. Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 1/30/2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tailgate Recycling
    Project4less
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    On January 30th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss the details of the suggested tailgate recycling program and ended the meeting with a plan going forward. The team also discussed the outcome of the ZW009 review during the iWG meeting that took place the same morning. 

    Meeting minutes are attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  13. iSEE and F&S initiate an analysis of the drinking water survey

    Associated Project(s): 
    Drinking Water Survey
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    Hi Daphne,

     

    Morgan and I spoke yesterday about mining data from the drinking water behavior survey that Meredith led. I started a list of question that I shared with Meredith, but she does not have time to take look into them. Morgan suggested you would be interested in working on this and could recruit Alec McKay to perform the analysis.

     

    The survey and responses can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceArOvxVzrJDNEwuWICC8nY2sBsXaF1NgJp9ZXI9DJf1rAcQ/viewform?usp=sharing

     

    My initial list of questions is below. There may be other items worth examining.

     

    Let me know if you want to discuss further. I’ll reach out shortly about scheduling regular meetings.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

     

    *********************************

    Hi Meredith,

     

    I think it could be informative to analyze some of the responses to the survey. Specifically, it would be valuable to know if there is any consistency among respondents (in terms of gender identity and role on campus) to better target an information campaign. I made an initial list of questions and responses (below) that warrant a closer look (others could be added). Do you have an intern that could perform an analysis?

    -         Agree or strongly agree to the statement: “Bottled water is my primary source of drinkable water.”

    -         4 or 5 to the question: “To what degree do you prefer one type of water over another? Tap vs filtered” or “tap vs bottled” or “Filtered vs bottled”

    -         4 or 5 to “Bottled water is safer to drink than tap water.”

    -         4 or 5 to “Filtered tap water is safer to drink than tap water.“

    -         4 or 5 to “One single-use bottle of water does not yield a significant environmental impact.“

     

     

     

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo (she/her)

    iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability and
    Professor of Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
    Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    University of Illinois

    W-423 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave.

    Urbana, IL 61801

  14. Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 12/8/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Develop Sustainable Purchasing Policies
    Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) Climate Action Plan
    Plastic Bag Recycling
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    On December 8th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss a new approach to creating recommendations for next semester. During the meeting, the team created subcommittees based on aspects of the key priorities document and provided feedback on an environmental engineering sustainability project. 

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  16. Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 11/7/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) Climate Action Plan
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Increase Recycling Rates
    Project4less
    Zero Waste iCAP Team

    On November 7th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss DIA sustainability initiatives with Tim Knox and made edits on the Project 4 Less expansion recommendation to be submitted in the coming month(s). 

    Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Take the Drinking Water Survey!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Drinking Water Survey
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    Take the survey here!

    This survey is the result of a recommendation by the Zero Waste iCAP Team and is intended to gain a better understanding of drinking water behavior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    The survey is broken into eight sections. Section one asks demographic questions, sections two through seven ask you to respond to statements on a 1-5 scale, and the last section asks open ended questions. Please answer as truthfully as possible. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes. 

    Participants will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Illini Bookstore gift card!

    To get involved or share your ideas, please contact sustainability@illinois.edu.  

  18. Campus Sustainability Celebration - 10/17/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Green Leadership Council (GLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    The 2022 Campus Sustainability Celebration was a huge success! Thank you to all who participated! The PowerPoint presentation is attached, and the agenda for the event was as follows:

    • 3-3:15 PM – Welcome
      • Jennifer Fraterrigo, on behalf of Director Madhu Khanna (iSEE)
      • Chancellor Jones
      • Vice Chancellor Susan Martinis (OVCRI)
    • 3:15 – 3:30 PM – Holistic initiatives
      • Plastic reduction (Jen)
      • Clean energy/Solar Farm 3 (Morgan)
      • Greener Campus Program (Meredith)
    • 3:30 – 4:40 PM – iCAP Team presentations
      • Energy
      • Transportation
      • Land and Water
      • Zero Waste
      • Education
      • Engagement
      • Resilience
    • 4:40 – 5 PM – Student groups (SSLC, SSC) – Jack Reicherts and Maiah Caise
      • Closing remarks by Jennifer Fraterrigo (on behalf of Madhu Khanna)
    • 5 – 6 PM – Celebration - refreshments, roundtable forum with each iCAP Team, student tabling session  
    Attached Files: 

  19. Zero Waste iCAP Meeting 10/5/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Dining Services Reusable Containers

    On October 5th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to make final edits on Campus Sustainability Celebration slides, foster a conversation on Zero Waste initiatives with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA), and discuss potential recommendations relating to food waste at dining halls.

    Meeting Minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Varsity Room Sustainability Initiatives

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Engagement iCAP Team
    Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) Climate Action Plan

    Team Clerk Claire Keating met with Zero Waste Team Clerk Nikki Palella and Justin Holding, a member of the engagement team.

    The meeting content included brainstorming zero-waste food containers for athletes who participate in meals provided by DIA and Hendrick House.

    Meeting also covered updates on Green Sports Alliance recommendation and future contacts.

     

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