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Projects Updates for Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

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  1. iCAP update presented at Senate Committee on Campus Operations

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Provide Centralized Communication about Sustainability
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    These iSEE representatives presented an update of key efforts underway for the iCAP 2020: iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability Dr. Jennifer Fraterrigo, iSEE Associate director for Education and outreach Dr. Luis Rodriguez, Sustainability Programs Manager Meredith Moore, F&S Associate Director for Sustainability Morgan White, and Sustainability Academic Advisor Eric Green. the key topics were:

    • Earth Month
    • Clean Power
    • Plastic Waste Reduction
    • Environmental Leadership Program
    • Sustainability Gen Ed efforts

    The following links were also sent to be shared with the committee:

    Also, if anyone is interested in participating in one of the Topical iCAP Teams, as a faculty member, please let us know. The topics are listed on the iCAP Portal at https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/topical-icap-teams.

     

  3. iSEE Newsletter 03/01/2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

     

    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    OFFICE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

     

     

     

    		 March 1, 2022

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Magazine Features U of I Basalt Project

    A University of Illinois team researching the use of basalt rock for "enhanced weathering" of farm fields was recently featured in Anthropocene magazine. Spreading rock dust could boost crop yields and lock up vast amounts of carbon. Researchers Carl Bernacchi, USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Physiologist; Evan DeLucia, Arends Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology; Ilsa Kantola, soil ecologist and iSEE Visiting Research Scientist; and Stephen Long, Professor of Crop Sciences and Plant Biology, discussed their work with the magazine's Dan Ferber. The Illinois work is part of the Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation (LC3M) and was funded in 2021 for five more years of studies in the now nearly $3 million project.

     

     

     

     

     

    Scott Tess from the City of Urbana meets with Environmental Leadership Program students in the iSEE Collaboratory. Credit: Mark Herman/iSEE

     

    		  

    ELP Updates: Projects and Visitors

    iSEE's Spring 2022 Environmental Leadership Program is rapidly nearing its conclusion. The students and instructors have been meeting since January to hear from governmental and advocacy representatives as well as academic experts — and pursuing their own projects as they prepare to make presentations to local and state government officials. For the latest on the ELP, please check out the blog by iSEE Communications Intern Kratika Tandon, a member of the 2022 cohort!

     

     

     

     

     

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    Plant Model Expert to Highlight Crops in silico Symposium

    Registration is open for the 6th Crops in silico (Cis) Symposium and Hackathon on May 11-13, to be held virtually through the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The keynote will be delivered by Leah Band of the School of Biosciences and School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham, who creates models to gain understanding of plant growth and development. Trained as a mathemetician, Band has collaborated closely with experimental biologists in her work. Stay tuned for more details about the keynote and other presentations by visiting this website, and register here! >>>

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Green and white banner advertising the "Use the Bin" recycling pledge at U of I.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    		 Upcoming Events & Opportunities

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Engineering a Greener Future Mural. Calling all student artists! Help create a mural showcasing sustainability initiatives and green technology research on campus. “Engineering a Greener Future” will be featured in the main gallery of the Siebel Center for Design (SCD) during the Fall 2022 semester. Sponsored by the Student Sustainability Committee and hosted by SCD, the project is designed to put a spotlight on sustainability initiatives like Solar Farm 2.0 and inspire students to participate in sustainable actions! Applications are due Friday March 4! >>>

    Emerging Contaminants in the Environment Conference (ECEC). Registration is open for ECEC22, co-hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant! Keynote speakers are Scott Coffin, a Research Scientist with the California State Water Resources Control Board; and Abby Hendershott of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Out of an abundance of caution, the conference has moved from a hybrid format to fully virtual. Undergraduate scholarships covering registration fees are available.
    Saturday-Sunday | April 27-28, 2022 | Register

    Nomination Deadline March 4 for Social Justice Awards. The Diversity and Social Justice Education Program’s Annual Social Justice Awards honor unsung members of the U of I campus and community who have sought to address marginalization, oppression, and/or privilege in their communities. Nominations for outstanding undergraduates, graduate students, staff/faculty members, alumni, and registered student organizations will remain open through Friday, March 4. You can nominate yourself or someone else by visiting this website >>>

    Breaking the Plastic Wave: Solving the Plastic Pollution Problem. Plastic has become ubiquitous in our lives, from disposable bottles to microbeads in body washes, and plastic waste is piling up in our terrestrial and aquatic systems. Jim Palardy, Project Director of the Conservation Science Program at The Pew Charitable Trusts, will give an overview of the current trajectory for plastic pollution and highlight a better solution for the environment, the economy, and communities. This Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) webinar is an iSEE-certified green event!
    Noon-1 p.m. | Thursday, March 10 | Register

    Watch the Sustainability Training Video! Help our campus reach "herd sustainability" by watching our video and filling out a short survey. You'll learn about everyday actions you can take to get your semester off to a sustainable start and build an environmentally responsible campus! Visit our website to watch now>>>

    Green Your Lab With Our New Toolkit! Facilities & Services and iSEE have developed a Greener Labs Inventory Toolkit to help facility liaisons and principal investigators track energy usage in their labs and identify more sustainable practices, such as leaving items unplugged or upgrading equipment. For questions, email mbwhite@illinois.edu.

    C4 Social Media Internship Available! The Champaign County Climate Coalition (C4) is looking for several social media/marketing interns to share information, resources, and opportunities with the county-wide community. Applicants must have enthusiasm for climate action and experience with marketing and social media; graphic design experience appreciated. This is an unpaid internship. To apply, email your resume and/or a letter of interest describing your qualifications to Savannah Donovan at sydonovan@urbanaparks.org.

    Check out iSEE’s Illinois Sustainability Calendar for a full list of events!

     

     

     
       

     

    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    Suite 350 National Soybean Research Center MC 635
    1101 W. Peabody | Urbana, IL 61801
    Contact: sustainability@illinois.edu

     

     

     

    Facebook

    Instagram

    Twitter

    YouTube

     

  4. Spring 2022 Semester Goals

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)
    Earth Month
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Fossil Fuels Divestment
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    Co-presidents Owen Jennings, Maiah Caise, Jack Reicherts, and Maria Maring are excited to embark upon their second semester as SSLC leadership together. The primary goals of the semester include: 

     

    • Bolster collaboration between environmental RSOs on UIUC campus. The SSLC hopes to work with Student Affairs to incentivize participation with the SSLC, using the University of California Berkely’s Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) as a template. Weekly board meetings and monthly full meetings will continue per usual.

    • Bolster collaboration between other Illinois schools like University of Illinois Chicago, University of Illinois Springfield, and Illinois State University. Both SECS and ISG may play significant roles in this relationship-building. The SSLC has already been in contact with Illinois State.

    • Host Earth Month events. The SSLC already began communication with the Illini Union Green Team last semester to begin planning events like Green Quad Day and a movie night on the Quad. Organizations like SECS, Red Bison, and iSEE that have been historically active in Earth Month events will be essential in these processes. 

    • Write SSLC bylaws. The Council has not previously had bylaws, and they are absolutely essential to moving forward in an organized and successful fashion. 

    • Continue to monitor the fight for divestment from fossil fuels. This iCAP Objective has caused copious political strife between students and administrators. Because divestment continues to be a hot topic, the SSLC will continue to listen to student concerns. 

     

  5. Celebrate Campus Sustainability Month in October!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    Campus Sustainability Month - Waste Reduction Challenge
    Campus Sustainability Month

    iSEE invites you to a series of events throughout October to increase sustainability in our campus community. Take part in the Waste Reduction Challenge, join us for Green Quad Day (Oct. 7), or check out the first Student Sustainability Summit Research Symposium (Oct. 26)! And don’t miss the Campus Sustainability Celebration on Oct. 20. Find all the events on iSEE’s Sustainability Month Calendar!

    October 1–31

    Celebrate Campus Sustainability Month in October!

  6. iSEE Newsletter: Plantings Complete Solar Farm 2.0!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    Energy iCAP Team

    The final stage of the Solar Farm 2.0 project is wrapping up this month with the planting of a native pollinator habitat. The farm will serve as a major demonstration and research site for pollinator-friendly solar arrays, with more than 6.5 million flowering plants and native grasses around the 54 acres of panels creating a natural habitat for birds and beneficial insects. With this second solar farm, the campus has achieved clean energy goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) nearly four years ahead of schedule. Clean energy production will now support roughly 12 percent of annual campus electricity demand. Congratulations to Facilities & Services for all of the hard work on this important project; iSEE and its SWATeam members were proud to provide key support for Solar Farm 2.0 by pushing for an increased renewable portfolio in the iCAP. Students in iSEE's sustainability minor also helped assess the new array's carbon footprint!

  7. Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    Climate researcher James Hansen, known for raising alarms about climate change in the 1980s, will address failures in energy policy & suggest changes moving forward. While the public is coming to grips with climate change, scientists & engineers failed to shape policies to avert its worst consequences, says Hansen, Director of Columbia University’s Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program.

    May 5, 12–1:30 pm • Zoom | Password 591223

     

    Julie Wurth Asmussen • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    Global Climate Change: Implications for National and Global Energy Policies

  8. Certified Greener Campus Programs Workshop

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    iSEE hosted our first “Certified Greener Campus Program Workshop” to guide U of I organizations in certifying as “green,” even while unusual conditions add complexity to campus’s daily operations. The online workshop included a program overview, steps to certification, FAQs, and an open discussion about overcoming common barriers to sustainability.

    If you were unable to attend Thursday’s workshop, you can still take steps to advocate for sustainable practices in your unit! I invite you to:

  11. Fall 2020: iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    iSEE funding for Campus as a Living Lab (CALL)
    Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan
    Freezer Challenge
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Sierra Club surveys
    Sustainability Best Practices Video
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Campus Sustainability Month

    The Fall 2020 iSEE Quarterly Update (iQ) was released with the following message from Madhu Khanna, the Interim Director of iSEE:

     

    Dear Colleagues,

    Attached, please find attached the Fall 2020 “iQ” – the quarterly update from the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE).

    It has been two months since I became interim director of ISEE.  It has been exciting to see ISEE bring in multimillion-dollar research grants, launch a new research initiative in regenerative agriculture, and help coalesce sustainable agriculture research on our campus during this period.

    Our Certificate in Environmental Writing has engaged students in making insightful contributions to a new issue of Q Magazine. We have also expanded our opportunities for education and scholarly discourse with several online events, including those on nuclear energy and geothermal energy research.

    We formally launched the new Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP 2020) on Oct 20, 2020. This ambitious plan is the result of the hard work of campus sustainability folks who worked hand-in-hand with Facilities & Services and incorporated the vision of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community members into a plan for the next five years and beyond — all the way to carbon neutrality no later than 2050!

    I am so grateful to Evan Delucia for his efforts over the first seven years as the first director of our Institute. He has left iSEE as a vibrant part of the Illinois community, and I am working with our outstanding ISEE staff to expand upon the work already begun — as evidenced in this six-page update.

    Please take a quick look at those updates and more in “iQ.” For more regular news, please sign up for our E-newsletter at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/5031776.

    Wishing you a successful end to the fall semester,

    Madhu

    Attached Files: 

  13. Trans008 Mode Share Survey recommendation - Assessment started

    Associated Project(s): 
    Multi-Modal Transportation Study
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    Transportation iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on May 10, 2018, to discuss and start the assessment of the SWATeam recommendation, Trans008 Mode Share Survery. The iWG's draft comment on the recommendation was:

    "iSEE should create and administer a mode-share survey, with recurring on a regular basis. For example, every other year or as often as the Big 10 averages."

    See SWATeam recommendation Trans008 Mode Share Survey here.

  14. SWATeam Appreciation Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    See attached the Appreciation Letter sent to all SWATeams earlier this month.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Trans008 Mode Share Survey recommendation - Submittal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Multi-Modal Transportation Study
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    The Transportation SWATeam submitted a recommendation, to the iWG, stating, "iSEE should facilitate and fund, if any funds required, an updated University District transportation mode-share study. The previous circulation study was conducted by the transportation group in the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), CUUATS. This was conducted in 2011. This recommendation is for the Transportation SWATeam to create survey questions and, with the help of iSEE, distribute the survey across campus."

    See attached the SWATeam recommendation, Trans008 Mode Share Survey, complete with comments from all the Transportation SWATeam members.

    Attached Files: 

  16. February 2014 meeting notes from first Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    The first formal meeting with the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) under iSEE's guidance was an introductory meeting about iSEE and the proposed iCAP SWATeams. 

    The meeting was called by and coordinated by:

    • Ben McCall – Associate Director for Campus Sustainability, iSEE
    • Madhu Khanna – Associate Director for Education and Outreach, iSEE
    • Nishant Makhijani – iSEE Intern, Vice - Chair Student Sustainability Committee

    The key points discussed included an overview of iSEE's goals and structure, education and outreach plans, and an overview of the SWATeams.

    Attached Files: