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Projects Updates for Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

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  1. Solar Powered Cookstoves Funding Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Allerton Climate Action Plan (apCAP)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The Solar Powered Cook Stoves project is an innovative effort to implement cook stoves powered by solar energy. The stoves associated with this project will utilize innovative new technology to overcome some of the key limitations of current solar cooking. Specifically, they will offer high-temperature cooking and grilling while in use while also storing energy for cooking at night or during other periods of reduced sunlight. Once completed, these stoves will provide a clean source for cooking and grilling that does not use fire, gas, wood, or charcoal.

    Attached Files: 

  2. Field to Fuel-Biomass

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This project involves purchasing and installing a biomass boiler at the Energy Farm, in order to heat a research greenhouse using Miscanthus that is grown on the Energy Farm. The hope for the project is that a successful pilot will pave the way toward expanded use of biomass heating on our campus in order to reduce our campus greenhouse gas emissions.

    Attached Files: 

  3. New ECE Building Project Solar Panels

    Associated Project(s): 
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The new Electrical and Computer Engineering building (New ECE building) will be operational starting the fall semester of 2014, and will be a unique green building on the University of Illinois campus. It is designed to be the most energy efficient engineering building in the world and is targeting LEED platinum certification, the highest rating for efficiency. With the full planned solar energy complement, the building is projected to achieve net zero energy status. The facility will be one of the two largest net-zero energy buildings in the United States. It will be a facility that supports all its own energy needs – on average over each year – leaving no carbon or fossil consumption footprint. Although the ECE building design itself is intended to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the energy objectives go far beyond this rating to true energy sustainability.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Archived web info - CSE SSC page

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Student Sustainability Committee

    SSC Chair, Suhail Barot

    The Student Sustainability Committee'spurpose is to:

    1) explore the options for the use of the student fees for sustainability and alternative energy generation, and 2) evaluate the feasibility of projects being discussed with the professional assistance of engineers in the Division of Facilities and Services. The committee reviews and recommends projects to be funded from two student fees, the $14.00 Sustainable Campus Environment fee and the $2.00 Cleaner Energy Technologies fee.

    In Spring 2003, a $2.00 per semester non-refundable student fee for Cleaner Energy Technologies was approved by a student referendum. The intent of the fee is to "provide pollution-free renewable energy as a portion of the campus energy portfolio and reduce campus energy consumption." In Spring 2010, students passed a referendum that raised the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee from $5 to $14. The measure passed by 77% approval, and established University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as having the largest funding pool of its kind in the United States. The Student Sustainability Committee, is a joint student, faculty and staff committee, though students are the only voting members on the Committee.

    The projects approved by the Student Sustainability Committee undergo approval by the Office of Sustainability.

    To become a member of the Student Sustainability Committee, visit the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs website for application information and application deadlines.


    Student Sustainability Committee Members

    Students - 2012-2013
    Kathryn Kinley - (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
    Marika Nell - (Civil and Environmental Engineering) - Treasurer
    Suharsh Sivakumar - (Computer Science)
    Emily Cross - (Earth Systems, Society and Environment)
    Olivia Webb - (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
    Jordan Jessop - (Graduate Student, Natural Resources and Environmental Science)
    Marcus Ricce - (Graduate Student, Urban and Regional Planning)
    Felicia Speranske - (Natural Resouces and Environmental Science)
    Sean Sullivan - (Earth Systems, Society, and Environment)
    Teresa Tousignant - (Graduate Student, Architecture) 

    Faculty Advisors - 2012-2013
    Brenda Coble Lindsey- Social Work
    Brian Deal- Urban and Regional Planning
    Praveen Kumar- Civil and Environmental Engineering
    Robert Pahre- Political Science
    Madhu Viswanathan- Business
    Michelle Wander- Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

    Staff Advisors - 2012-2013
    Stephanie Lage- Office of Sustainability
    Betsy Jo Liggett- Environmental Compliance, Facilities and Services
    Morgan Johnston- Sustainability Coordinator, Facilities and Services
    John Prince- Deferred Maintenance, Facilities and Services
    Ed Slazinik- Illini Union

    Program Advisor
    Mckenzie Beverage – Student Programs and Activities

     

    ssc_logo.png

  5. notes from SSLC presentation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    • Structure
      • 10 students, 6 faculty, 6 staff
      • $1.1 million to distribute among student and faculty projects
        • Cleaner Energy Technologies fee
        • Sustainable Campus Environment fee
      • 4 Subcommittees
        • Executive
        •  Bylaws
        • Fines
        • Marketing
      • 6 topics – include more community input
        • Land
        • Energy
        • Food and waste
        • Education
        • Water
        • Transportation
    • Strategic Impact
      • ICAP concerns  - fund projects that help UIUC reach ICAP goals
      • Projects that have no other method of funding.
    • Process
      • Step 1: ideas get turned into specific requests and goals, submitted to SSC in application with project abstract and approximate funding needed.
      • Applications are reviewed and selected based on strategic impact goals, get invited to step 2…
      • Step 2: Specific logistics figured out, feasibility reports made
      • Step 3: Entire SSC votes
    • SSC allocations
    • Future goals
      • More student engagement
      • Expand outreach efforts
      • Get more student-driven project applications
    • Some projects/organizations SSC has funded…
      • Green Observer
      • Bike Shop
      • Solar decathlon house

  7. Working Group kickoff meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The SSC Working Group kickoff meeting we held today.  All the working group chairs gave a quick overview of the project types they handle. The chair gave an overview of the process and the workload for the working groups.  

    The individual working groups met at various tables and discussed their plans for the year.

  8. Positions determined for FY14

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Working Group Formation and Chair Selection

    a.       Energy

    Chair: Jessica DeWitt

    b.       Water

    Chair: Amy Liu

    c.        Food/Waste

    Chair: Maria Jones

    d.       Land

    Chair: Amy Liu

    e.       Transportation

    Chair: Katie Kinley

    f.        Education

    Chair: Nishant Makhijani

     Subcommittee Formation and Chair Selection

    a.       Executive

    Chair: Marika

    b.       Finance

    Chair: Katie

    c.        Bylaws

    Chair: Nishant

    d.       Marketing

    Chair: Marlon

  9. Educating Future Leaders_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Teaching Sustainability Workshop aka Prairie Project [ARCHIVED]
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    This is a two-part project. Part 1 is the development of a K-12 sustainability education online resource, probably in the form of a website. There are many existing online educational resources for teaching about sustainability in K-12 education, but they are scattered and some of the information is poor quality and some is difficult to find. Part 2 is a proposal for funding “new” course development and delivery. The course would cover both content information related to sustainability and methods for teaching it. Students would complete a major project that could involve either K-12 education or on-campus UI student education.

    Attached Files: 

  11. Solar Farm Funding Award and Acceptance Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    The 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm will increase the generation of renewable energy on campus and help meet goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The Solar Farm will produce an estimated 7.86 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) the first year or approximately 2% of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus based upon usage projections for fiscal year 2015.

    Attached Files: 

  12. Glass Filler Retrofit_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Fountain Retrofit
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    By providing convenient bottle filling stations at water fountains in several heavily-trafficked campus buildings and libraries, the goal of this project was to wean the student body off of plastic water bottle consumption, lower campus waste generation, and encourage students, faculty, staff, and visitors to adopt environmentally-conscious habits. A marketing campaign called “Tap That” was coordinated to publicize the project and educate the campus community about the numerous benefits of reusable water bottles. In total, the project expenses were $15,160.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Sustainable Agricultural Food System_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Agricultural Food System
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Attached Files: 

  16. TBH Lighting Controls_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    TBH Lighting Project
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    $62,900 was awarded to instill occupancy sensors and lighting timers in various locations within Temple Buell Hall. This was intended to encourage awareness of energy use among design students and faculty, and to reduce lighting and cooling energy use in the building.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Perennial Polyculture Production_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) Research Site
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Attached Files: 

  18. Bridge to China Allerton Project_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Allerton Climate Action Plan (apCAP)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Allerton Park, located in Monticello, Ill., was previously the private estate of Robert Henry Allerton. In 1946 Allerton Park was given as a gift to the University of Illinois by Robert Allerton as “an educational and research center, as a forest and wildlife and plant-life reserve, as an example of landscape architecture, and as a public park”. Today, the park is used for various purposes, such as business meetings, hiking, and weddings.

    Allerton Park is 4.7 miles away from downtown Monticello and has three entrances to it. One of these entrances is a North Entrance that leads from Old Timber Road. Allerton Park wishes to construct a pedestrian pathway which runs alongside Old Timber Road, connecting the Visitor Centre of the park to County Farm Road, which is connected to downtown Monticello. However, a quarter mile north from the visitors center the path is obstructed by a creek, which is difficult to cross. Allerton Park needs a solution that would help connect the two ends of this path over the creek. They wish to construct a bike path that would connect all three entrances of the Park and be a form of transportation within the park. Allerton Park wishes to draw visitors towards the park via a safe and sustainable transportation method and to promote a positive relationship between users and the natural environment. Also, this bridge project will assist the student organization, Bridge to China, to build sustainable bridges in future bridge projects in China.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Medicine Take-Back Program_Funding Award and Acceptance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Medicine Take-Back Program [ARCHIVED]
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Background: Pharmaceutical chemicals have been documented in rivers, lakes, groundwater, soil, and treated drinking water across the country. Despite occurring at very low levels, the chemicals are known to cause changes in behavior, reproduction, and growth in fish, frogs, mussels, and other aquatic wildlife. Unused medications stored in the home may also be sources for drug misuse and abuse.

    Goal: To help tackle these environmental and social issues, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) is working to establish a medicine collection program for the University of Illinois Campus and the C-U community that would properly dispose of expired or unused medications via EPA-recommended incineration.

    Attached Files: 

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