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  1. SmartWay Project Check-in

    Sinead Soltis checked in with students of ENG 177 to find out more about their project. The students explained that the project concerns increasing the use of aerodynamic elements on trucks to make transportation more efficient. They are going to do this by informing the trucking companies of the economic and environmental benefits of adding aerodynamic structures, such as side skirts, to their trucks, at the Dixie Truck Stop in McLean, IL. Morgan White, Sinead Soltis, and Abby Culloton (lead for the University to obtain affiliate status) will be accompanying them to the truck stop.

  2. Weekly check-in resilience work

    Meredith Moore, Morgan White and Stacy Gloss met for the weekly check-in on resilience work.

    Agenda:

    • Review iCAP goals 8.5 & 8.7
    • Discuss iCAP objective assessment powerpoints
    • Schedule October meetings 

    Notes:

    • iCAP goal 8.5 – Stacy should reach out to Eric Green and Lana Holden about how students find out about green jobs; what green certifications are known.
    • iCAP goal 8.7 –Stacy should reach out to Eric Green to find out about student work on carbon off-sets. Ideas: Consider a white paper/literature review on “local” carbon offsets , or host round table/presentation / symposium with “experts” on local offsets
      • Stacy will read more on Second Nature off-sets / campus carbon calculations
      • 1 MW = 1 REC,  1 off set = 1 ton of CO2e reduced or kept out of atmosphere
      • Read status of the voluntary carbon markets 2021 pdf doc shared from Morgan
    • Stacy will post previous meeting notes from Resilience Objective meetings on Sustainability, Vision Zero, and Green Infrastructure
    • Cancel the 10/7/2021 meeting due to Green Quad Day, next weekly check-in on 10/14
  3. SSC Final Report: Local Grains and Locally Processed Foods for Dining Services

    SSC received final report for Spring 2021 for Local Grains and Locally Processed Foods for Dining Services project on 09/27/2021. Please see attached. 

  4. Walkability Audit: Week 7 meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    On September 30, 2021, Sarthak and Sutapa met with F&S-TDM, F&S Grounds, F&S FIR, and faculty from the Urban Planning department to keep everyone updated regarding the Walkability Audit. The Survey Questionnaire and Deficiency report drafts were discussed and sent out for perusal and inputs to everyone involved in the project. Inputs are expected by October 11, 2021 to move forward with finalizing the drafts.

  5. Transportation iCAP Team September 2021 Meeting

    The Transportation iCAP team met via zoom from 9:00 A.M.-10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, September 29th. This meeting featured an update on proposed telecommuting policies from Doctor James Gallaher, discussions on the iCAP Objectives Assessment and iCAP celebration, and a general review of the goals and projects of the committee.

  6. MASSMAIL - Student Sustainability Committee Application and Updates

    The following email was sent as a Massmail to U of I students:

    ======================

    Hello students,

    The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) is a student-led organization that funds student, staff, and faculty project proposals via two student fees—the Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee and the Sustainable Campus Environment Fee—which together make up the Illinois Green Fund. Projects selected for funding are those which provide the greatest benefit to sustainability on campus, while providing engaging, educational opportunities for students to learn more about sustainability. The SSC is accepting project applications now! 

    Additionally, the SSC is introducing a new program to guide students from a broad interest in sustainability to a fully-fledged project application. By supporting applicants step-by-step through our process, we hope to engage students on a larger scale, ultimately resulting in the strongest applications possible. This new Project Funding Workshop Series will span five sessions, which can be found on the SSC calendar. Our first meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 29th, from 4-5 pm CT, in Lincoln Hall, Room 1065. We will discuss issues related to sustainability on campus that could be addressed with an SSC-funded project. In subsequent sessions, we will develop solutions to these challenges, create project proposals, and help participants write funding applications.

    For anyone who is passionate about sustainability and the environment, this is a great opportunity to turn your passion into a tangible, positive change for the campus community! Presently, we are not offering this event online. If you are unable to attend in-person, but still would like to get involved with the SSC, you can stay up-to-date by signing up for our mailing list. If you are interested in becoming a General Member, or other aspects of the committee, please visit our website. Every student at the University pays approximately $14 a semester to the Illinois Green Fund, so please join us to help allocate these student dollars!

    October is Campus Sustainability Month! We encourage you to attend UIUC’s inaugural Student Sustainability Summit this October, co-hosted with the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC). This month-long program includes University- and community-led sustainability efforts through events such as Green Quad Day, a Sustainability Research Symposium, teach-ins, tours of campus facilities, a movie night, and much more! To learn about the full breadth of the summit and stay updated on other sustainability-related RSOs, add the SSLC’s calendar. You can also connect with our social media accounts @ssc_uiuc and @uiuc_sslc on both Twitter and Instagram! Finally, for more information on campus sustainability efforts and events, check out the iCAP (Illinois Climate Action Plan) Portal and iSEE (Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) Calendar.

    We hope to see you at the Project Funding Workshop Series, Student Sustainability Summit, and more events throughout Campus Sustainability Month and beyond!

    Best,

    Jack Reicherts

    SSC Chair

  7. Engagement iCAP Team First Meeting of the Fall Semester

    The Engagement iCAP Team met on Wednesday, September 29 for the first time this fall semester. During the meeting, members discussed the team mission, updates on all 6 iCAP 2020 objectives, and the iCAP 2021 Objective Assessment. Meeting minutes are attached below.

  8. Table Installed and Inspected, Waiting on Solar Panel Installation

    A Belson recycled picnic table was installed and inspected.

    The solar panels for the table are yet to be installed.

     

    Pictures of the table are attached below.

    The email regarding this event is also attached below.

  9. Native Shrub Planting in the Southern Arboretum Woodlands

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: McSweeney, Kevin

    To: Reicherts, Jack; Marsaglia, Julia Raine

    Cc: Lee, Iris; Lynch, Lauren Rae; White, Morgan

    Recipients: ientsjackhr2 at illinois.edu; juliarm2 at illinois.edu; irislee3 at illinois.edu; lrlynch2 at illinois.edu; mbwhite at illinois.edu

     

    Hi Jack & Julia,

     

    Thank you for agreeing to follow up on the student-led planting of native shrubs in the Southern Arboretum Woodlands. This will be a valuable addition to the Campus Tree Committees report that will used in support of our application for renewal of our Tree Campus USA designation.

     

    I suggest you contact:

     

    1. Lauren Lynch (copied above) to get info about Prof. Jim Miller’s Restoration Ecology class that assisted with the shrub planting as part of the field component of the class. Lauren served as TA for the class.

     

    2. Iris Lee (Arboretum Staff) who compiled the list of native shrubs and supervised the operation and subsequently supervised Arboretum interns who watered and weeded around the plantings during the summer months.

     

    Funding from SSC helped support these project activities.

     

    Let me know if I can provide additional information.

     

    Best wishes,

     

    Kevin


    Kevin McSweeney
    Director, University of Illinois Arboretum
    ++608 712 4101 (‘phone, messages, WhatsApp)

  10. ZW003 GreenerOffice Delivery Service Enrollment - Successful

    Jenny Kokini, Managing Director of iSEE, responded to Morgan White with the following email:

    --

    Dear Morgan,

    iSEE will be happy to pilot the GreenerOffice Delivery Service offered by Office Depot.

    As a matter of fact, Amy, tried to place her first order today to Office Depot using the GreenerOffice Delivery Service. But no such option was given.  So, she went to office depot outside the iBuy and found the page to sign up for.  A form needs to be filled out.  Amy put a service desk request ticket with purchasing to see if this can be implemented at University level given that it references University account.  If Purchasing rejects filling out the form giving campus level GreenerOffice Delivery option, then Amy will fill out the form giving just iSEE the option of the GreenerOffice Delivery Service.

    Best wishes,

    Jenny

    --

    See iWG assessment and transmittal of ZW003 GreenerOffice Delivery Service Enrollment here.
    See iCAP Team Recommendation ZW003 - GreenerOffice Delivery Service Enrollment here.

  11. First Student Sustainability Summit this October!

    The Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) are hosting U of I's first-ever Student Sustainability Summit in October. This month-long celebration includes Green Quad Day on 10/7 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and a Research Symposium from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Campus Instructional Facility. If you are an Illinois student, staff, or faculty researcher and would like to present your sustainability-related research, please fill out this interest form! >>>

  12. ELP Registration opens next week!

    ELP Registration Opens Next Week! Interested in an environmental career? Starting Oct. 4 you can register for iSEE's new Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), designed to prepare Illinois undergraduates for leadership roles in the sustainability field. In the Spring 2022 program, participants will learn about policy-making at the local and state levels, develop real-world environmental policies, and present proposals to decision-makers in Springfield and Urbana-Champaign. Participation is free, including travel expenses to Springfield during spring break. Students from all backgrounds, class standings, and majors can apply! Stay tuned for details on our website >>>

  13. Campus Sustainability Month is almost here!

    Campus Sustainability Month is right around the corner and we are very excited to invite you to a series of events throughout the entire month of October! Starting this week, Wednesday, September 29 at 6:00 PM, Dr. Ann Perry-Witmer is hosting the next TED Talk: Eco-Edition series over Zoom. She will present a pre-recorded TED Talk and lead a discussion on sustainable decision-making in everyday life - you won’t want to miss out. Register HERE

    Next, back by popular demand, the second Waste Reduction Challenge begins on Monday, October 4. Participants track items they throw away from October 4 – October 31 to learn about and reduce individual waste generation as the month progresses. It is a fun and results-driven challenge with a supportive community. Throughout the month, we send helpful tips and tricks to make it as easy and informative as possible. Sign up HERE.

    Other events in October include:

    • Green Quad Day – October 7 from 10 – 4 PM
    • Virtual Solar Open House – Topia online platform – October 15 from 1 – 2:30 PM
    • Campus trash cleanup – Engineering Quad - October 15 from 3:30 – 5 PM
    • TED Talk: Eco-Edition – Sustainable Economy with Alexa Smith – October 19 from 6 – 7 PM. Register for the Zoom event HERE.
    • Campus Sustainability Celebration – NCSA (1205 W Clark St, Urbana) – October 20 from 1 – 4 PM
    • Illini Lights Out – Foreign Language Building – October 22 from 5:30 – 7 PM. Sign up HERE.  
    • Student Sustainability Summit: Research Symposium – Campus Instructional Facility 4029 - October 26 from 5 – 8 PM 

    Check out more information and other Campus Sustainability Month events on iSEE’s Sustainability Calendar HERE. If you are aware of a sustainability event that is not listed on the calendar, let us know!  

    Start filling your calendars – there are many opportunities to get involved, make a difference, and meet new people. Remember, while we have sustainability events all year long, Campus Sustainability Month is a month-long opportunity to highlight our environmental pride, connect with others, and increase participation in sustainability-related events by the U of I community and beyond. Get involved and come show your support! As always, we are here to answer any questions and guide you in the right direction.

    Have a great week and happy Campus Sustainability Month!

  14. Carbon Offsets - RFP

    Associated Project(s): 

    Below is an email exhange discussing Carbon Offsets RFP:

    Hi Aaron,

     

    I hope you are well! Looking at our old files, back in 2016 it would appear we sent out an RFP in order to purchase carbon offsets. Attached is the document that Ben McCall filled out at that time.

     

    We are once again interested in purchasing carbon offsets, and I am a little unsure how to get started. Is filling out this document the same route that we should go in order to start moving forward with the process?

     

    Thank you in advance!

    Meredith

    -------------------------------------

    Hi Meredith,

     

    It looks like we did execute a Bid, 1HJH1707, in March of 2017 that was awarded to EcoAct Inc. on June 8, 2017 for $45,200.

     

    In order to start any type of solicitation process, you’re correct that we will need the Competitive Solicitation Request form with a place holding Banner requisition with your estimated cost.

     

    I should note that the Small Purchase Threshold has since been increased to $100,000. Do you anticipate the cost to exceed this amount?  

     

    Aaron M Finder, mba cppb

    -----------------------------------------

     

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