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Project Updates for Education iCAP Team

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  1. 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

  2. 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. 

  3. SWATeam charge letters

  4. Email to Resilience SWATeam re: Edu002 recommendation

    Hello Resilience SWATeam!

     

    I hope this message finds you well. In the spring, one Education SWATeam (Edu002) recommendation to the iCAP Working Group suggested developing a sustainable communities paid internship program for students, in partnership with local businesses, non-profits, local government agencies, and local community-based organizations. As the recommendation states, the program would be designed to provide student opportunities in the sustainability field to advance resiliency efforts in our region and help tackle challenges related to climate change.

     

    The iWG recommended including the Resilience SWATeam in discussions on how best to move this forward since it directly involves and relates to the community. We recognized that cities are interested in working with students though funding may be a potential barrier. Your input on this recommendation will be very helpful. What are your initial thoughts on this recommendation? Does this seem like a feasible project, and what would be needed to implement such a program? Meredith may schedule a meeting in the fall between the two SWATeams to discuss further, though in the meantime, please respond with your feedback.

     

    Thank you!
    Ximing Cai

    August 2, 2020

     

  5. 2019 SWATeam Kickoff with Attached Power Point

    Good afternoon!

     

    It was wonderful meeting many of you at the iWG and SWATeam Kick Off event yesterday afternoon. Thank you so much for attending and for your participation. It will be a great year and your efforts are very much appreciated. Please find the slides and handout attached, and be sure to reach out if you have any questions.

     

    As a reminder, Sarthak Prasad from the Transportation team mentioned that it would be helpful if you could take this short bike survey.

     

    Thank you again for your hard work and dedication to making our campus a more sustainable place! I look forward to meeting with you in the near future.

     

    Meredith

     

    --

    Meredith Moore

    Sustainability Programs Coordinator

    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    1101 W. Peabody, Urbana, Suite 338 (NSRC)

    217-333-0119

     

    [Power Point from Kickoff is attached, RC]

  6. SWATeam Welcome Message

    Dear SWATeam members,  We are so happy to welcome you to the FY20 SWATeams, including Energy, Land and Water, Zero Waste, Transportation, Education, and the new Resilience Working Advisory Team (RWAT).  SWATeams are an important part of our overall Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) efforts, and we truly appreciate your assistance and support

     

    In 2014, iSEE worked with the Office of the Chancellor to develop the formal sustainability procedures to support the Carbon Commitment.  These procedures established the SWATeams, the iCAP Working Group (iWG), and the Sustainability Council.  In 2018 Chancellor Jones and the Mayors of Urbana and Champaign signed a Resilience Proclamation, so RWAT is the newest part of our SWATeam process.  We are currently working on an update to the iCAP procedures document. We’re also updating the 2015 iCAP plan to the new 2020 iCAP, and FY20 SWATeams will contribute to such an important milestone of iCAP!

     

    For both returning and new SWATeam members, here are a few things to expect in the coming weeks:

    • iSEE Director Evan DeLucia will be sending a formal charge letter for each team.
    • iSEE Sustainable Programs Coordinator Meredith Moore is training the new SWATeam clerks and graduate assistant, Regina Cassidy.  Then the SWATeam clerks will contact you to schedule three full team meetings this semester, one in September, October, and November.
    • The SWATeam pages on iSEE have been updated, and we will be updating the iCAP Portal pages.
    • We will send you a schedule for the 2020 iCAP development, with specific timelines for the SWATeams to draft specific, measurable objectives for the 2020 iCAP.
    • You will receive an invitation to the SWATeam kick-off event, hosted by iSEE in September.

    As mentioned above, this year will be highly focused on drafting the 2020 Illinois Climate Action Plan iCAP.  Each of the SWATeams will be asked to recommend specific, measurable objectives for the 2020 iCAP.  To help facilitate this effort, the two of us, as co-chairs of iWG, will both be attending each full SWATeam meeting in September, October, and November.  The actual iCAP chapters will be written by members of the iWG and iSEE staff, based on the input received from SWATeams and campus, for review by the iWG.  In Spring 2020, there will be campus and community review of the draft chapters, and the SWATeams will be included as key stakeholders in that review process. Ultimately, the 2020 iCAP with a chapter for each SWATeam, and additional related chapters will be formally submitted to the Sustainability Council for campus approval.

     

    The University is committed to being carbon neutral as soon as possible, and no later than 2050, and to bolstering our community’s resilience to the impacts of climate change. SWATeams play a key role to achieve those goals. We thank you for your willingness to assist in the efforts that will make us a model of sustainability for the nation. Thank you for your time, your enthusiasm and your continuous efforts!

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Ximing Cai and Morgan White

    iCAP Working Group, co-chairs

     

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