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Projects Updates for Education iCAP Team

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  1. Education iCAP Team October 2022 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    Education iCAP Team had its online October meeting on Monday, October 10th, from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM. The team worked on the Campus Sustainability Celebration slides, discussed a potential action idea on listing courses that focus on other aspects of sustainability than environment, and talked about inviting people from various departments to discuss Sustainability in Study Abroad Recommendation. Meeting minutes are attached. 

     

  2. Urban Biodiversity Master Plan Student Support

    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). 

  3. Education Team Returned Recommendation Meeting Notes

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Education iCAP team had a virtual meeting from 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM on Friday, September 23rd, to talk about two returned recommendations.

    EDU_006 Sustainability in Study Abroad Recommendation: The Education team decided to move on with this recommendation by broadening it on implementing sustainability across all study abroad curriculum. The team will discuss this further at its upcoming October meeting on 10/03 and draft a new recommendation that will build off the original one. 

    EDU_005 Sustainable Scholars Program Recommendation: The Education team decided to postpone this recommendation and not consider it for now due to not having enough necessary information defined. The team also thinks that it is too early for this recommendation due to the lack of general sustainability education on campus. The team will get final thoughts about this recommendation from all team members at the October meeting. 

    Meeting minutes are attached. 

  4. iWG Meeting 9-9-22

    The iCAP Working Group met on 9-9-22 and discussed the following agenda. The meeting minutes are attached. 

    1. Introductions
    2. Reminder of our role on the iWG
    3. Edu006 Sustainability in Study Abroad: https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/edu006-sustainability-study-abroad-submitted
    4. Edu007 Big10 Green Career Fair: https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/edu007-big10-green-career-fair-submitted
    5. Bike program/bike registration free
    Attached Files: 
  5. iCAP Team Priority Areas 2022-2023

    The following email was sent to the iCAP Teams:

    Hello iCAP Teams,

    Thank you again for serving on these important campus sustainability committees, and for your commitment to helping the university achieve the objectives in the Illinois Climate Action Plan.  As promised in the charge letters you received, we are attaching the Key Priorities Document here.  The attached document includes a section for each iCAP Team, with two parts in each section: Priority areas and in progress iCAP Portal projects.

    1. Priority Areas

    In order to help our campus move from STARS Gold to STARS Platinum, we have identified priority areas where our university can potentially improve. iSEE’s summer intern Tyler evaluated the latest UIUC STARS report and identified example case studies from STARS Platinum schools.  Tyler’s report is online at “Report on Improving UIUC STARS Score.” The priority areas also include topics for potential recommendations that have been brought up in previous discussions with the campus sustainability teams.  One example of this is the current efforts to reduce plastic waste on campus.

    Many prior iCAP team members have expressed a desire for guidance on appropriate topics for recommendations, so we are providing this guidance to assist your team with focus areas for development of recommendations.  We encourage you to investigate these ideas with gusto; reach out to people at other schools to learn more about the ideas and contact people on our campus who would have a stake in the project (“stakeholders”) to understand how it could fit into our campus. You should also review the recommendation template to see the information that needs to be completed when you submit a recommendation to the iCAP Working Group. 

    1. In progress iCAP Portal projects

    The iCAP Portal has over 900 projects and contains information about our campus sustainability efforts, going back as far as 2003. The information is primarily entered by members of the iCAP Teams, the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC), and a few volunteers.  We are requesting your assistance to get updates on some of the projects that are listed as “In Progress.”  For each of the projects listed in the attached file, please answer the following questions:

    • Who is the current contact person? The project records on the iCAP Portal may provide past contacts, and your team members may have relevant information.
    • Is the project completed? If not, what is the current status of the effort?
    • What changes are needed on the iCAP Portal project page content? Pictures would be particularly nice to be able to share on the Portal.

    We are very excited about this coming year, and we want to support you in any way necessary.  Please reach out to any of us at any time.

    Thank you,

    Morgan, Jen, and Meredith

  6. iCAP Team Charge Letters 2022-2023

    iSEE Director, Madhu Khanna, sent out the seven iCAP Team charge letters for the 2022-2023 academic year (attached). 

    "Thank you once again for your service in helping to make the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign a more sustainable campus. Attached is your charge letter for the 2022-2023 academic year with an outline of your campus sustainability duties as part of the iCAP Team. We look forward to your positive and impactful contributions."

  7. Education iCAP Team September 2022 Meeting

    The Education iCAP team had a hybrid meeting from 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 PM on Monday, August 29th. The team reviewed the Education iCAP objectives, shared project updates, and brainstormed new action ideas for this semester. Meeting minutes are attached.

  8. iCAP Team Kickoff 2022

    The iCAP Teams and iCAP Working Group gathered for the annual kickoff event on 8-24-22. Current members attended to learn about the iCAP 2020, the role of the teams and members, and meet sustainability staff and fellow team members. The presentation is attached and the recording can be found here

  9. iCAP Team and iCAP Working Group Kickoff

    We had a great iCAP Team and iCAP Working Group Kickoff on 9/16/21! During the event, we heard from iSEE Interim Director, Dr. Madhu Khanna, went through the team rosters, iCAP Procedures, iCAP 2020 and progress made thus far, and lastly summarized other resources that sustainability advocates should be aware of. 

    The iCAP Teams and iCAP Working Group are instrumental in helping campus advance and achieve our sustainability goals and we look forward to a great year!

    The presentation is attached and the recording is found here

  10. iCAP Team Charge Letters

  11. Careers in Sustainability Panel Discussion 4/9/21

    The Career Center hosted a Careers in Sustainability panel which included the following panelists: Roxina Kanchwala (Eco.Logic), John Sinclair (Wisconsin DNR), Andrew Rehn (Prairie Rivers Network), and Savannah Donovan (Urbana Parks District). 57 people were in attendance! Several resources were shared to the group: 

    https://climateinterpreter.org/about/projects/nnocci

    https://skepticalscience.com/ 

    https://www.cleanenergyleaders.org/

    https://grist.org/energy/greentrolling-a-maniacal-plan-to-bring-down-big-oil/

    https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/

    The recording is found here: https://uofi.app.box.com/s/m73kwaloh46tr9pphhwgqm4treblvku0 

  12. Sustainability Career Panel 4/9/21

    Interested in careers in sustainability? Join us to hear a panel discussion from industry professionals and learn how the field is changing and how to pursue sustainable careers.

    Panelists will include representatives from:

    Eco Logic
    Prairie Rivers Network
    Urbana Park District
    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

    Please register at:
    https://go.illinois.edu/SustainabilityCareersPanel

  13. Education SWATeam Meeting Minutes 2/8/2021

    Meeting minutes from the February 8th Education SWATeam meeting. 

    At this meeting, the team met with members of the Illinois Student Government to discuss their proposal to the Educational Policy Committee on developing a General Education Requirement in Sustainability. This has been an ongoing goal that builds off of iCAP 2020 Education objectives. 

  14. iSEE Plans 2 Environmental Leadership Workshops for Undergrads This Spring

    The Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) is a new initiative launched this spring by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE). Targeted at undergraduate students, the Program will include pre-professional workshops, field trips, and networking opportunities. Developing an undergraduate leadership program was a key educational objective in the Illinois Climate Action Plan.

    “iSEE’s previous efforts have increased the amount of sustainability and environmental content in the U of I curriculum as we partnered with academic units from across campus on a sustainability minorenvironmental writing instructionindividual classes, and course development opportunities,” said Gillen Wood, the Institute’s Associate Director for Education & Outreach. “The ELP takes a slightly different approach: We are creating a ‘value-add’ — beyond coursework — for students interested in more practical experience on how to effectively advocate for the environment.”

    iSEE is piloting two ELP workshops in Spring 2021: March 24 on environmental policy; and April 13 on corporate sustainability. Up to 25 students may register for each event, which are scheduled on campus non-instructional break days.

    These workshops will allow students to develop their sustainability leadership and communication skills, to learn about relevant career paths in sustainability, and to establish valuable networking connections. Successful professionals in the environmental policy and corporate sustainability fields will lead the sessions.
    More details will be forthcoming on the workshops, but registration is now open. Visit the Program page for more information and for links to register! >>>

  15. Invitation to Join Discussion re: Edu002 Internship Coordinator

    Hello Education and Resilience teams,

    It was great to see many of you at the “Sustainability team open house”. We will plan another event next month so we can continue to connect and get to know each other! I am reaching out to revisit a recommendation submitted last spring by the Education team: Edu002 Internship Coordinator. When the iWG deliberated the next steps of this recommendation, it was discussed that there could be value in collaboratively discussing this idea to hear the perspectives from both the Education and Resilience teams.  

    I am writing to ask if you are interested in joining this discussion, please complete this Doodle Poll by 2/2. A summary of the recommendation is below and the full recommendation template is linked on the iCAP Portal:

    The Education team recommends developing a sustainable communities paid internship program in partnership with local businesses, non-profits, local government agencies, community-based agencies and cultural institutions in Central Illinois. 

    The internship program will be designed to build organizational capacity in the Champaign-Urbana / Central Illinois with regard to sustainability and resilience efforts to advance sustainable development and/or climate action goals. This program aims to allow students the flexibility to devise an internship experience that aligns with their specific interests within sustainability. Collaborations between the University and Champaign-Urbana community can be taken advantage of as projects where internships can be generated.

    The student interns will be involved in sustainability and community resilience efforts with directed emphasis toward sustainable development goals. Interns will gain real-world, project-based, and pre-professional experience in a workplace setting anywhere from 3 months (summer intern) to 1 year. 

    The intern program will also be tasked to provide leadership training as a foundation for real-world, project-based, and pre-professional experiences. Existing campus resources such as leadership development training modules available through Student Union programming should be utilized.

    I hope many of you are interested and willing to join the discussion! Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions.

    Meredith

  16. Education SWATeam Minutes 11/4/2020

    Associated Project(s): 

    Meeting minutes from the 11/4/2020 Education SWATeam meeting. The team was joined by Gretchen Forman of the Grainger College of Engineering Office of First Year Experience and Creen Ahmad from Illinois Student Government. Discussions focused on enriching the first-year student experience through sustainability education. Strategies to acheive this goal include sustainability education in orientation and 100-level courses. 

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