Happy Earth Day, 2021!!! 

Welcome to the UIUC Solar Sites Open House!

• Nine campus solar power installations are available to visit at this virtual open house.
• Contact people for each site are standing on the yellow stars by their facility, on Earth Day from 9-10:30 AM.
• There are also links for further information about each solar site.

Hints for Using Topia

• Zoom out on your browser to see more of the campus at once.
• Click on a destination to move your avatar to that site, or use the arrow keys to navigate
• Send messages in Topia to people you meet here, with the mailbox icons.

***MAKE SURE TO USE GOOGLE CHROME AS YOUR BROWSER*** 

Invitation - Open to All

Ever wonder how far the university has come in solar energy use? Come out to the UIUC Solar Sites Open House hosted on Topia, an interactive online platform, to learn about different buildings and areas across campus that are producing solar energy! During the Open House, contacts for each location will be available to answer questions about the solar installations at nine locations. Learn more about the amazing solar installations on campus!

This event will take place online from 9-10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day!), at https://topia.io/uiuc-solar-sites.*

***MAKE SURE TO USE GOOGLE CHROME AS YOUR BROWSER*** 

Attached are the meeting minutes for the Transportation SWATeam meeting on 4/16. The agenda is as follows:

• Commuter Program & Teleconferencing Policy Internship Update
• Campus Fleet Replacement Plans Initiative Update
• EV Task Force Draft Recommendation
• Campus Opportunities: CTAC Meeting, Campus Bike Census Spring 2021.

The Bike Census Spring 2021 Event on April 28, an event which seeks to accurately portray biking on the CU campus, is searching for volunteers. No prior experience is required; just show up to the VIRTUAL Training Session at 9AM and go from there!

Following the completion of iWG assessment for Energy005 Modeling for Energy Code Compliance, the recommendation was transmitted to Dr. Mohamed Attalla on April 15, 2021. 

See iWG assessment of Energy005 attached. 
See iCAP Team recommendation of Energy005 Modeling for Energy Code Compliance.

Please see attached the ridership information from Veo for March 2021.

The following event invite was sent to LeAnn Bird at DIA:

We invite you, your teammates, and fellow climate-curious athletes to a special Athletes-Only EcoAthletes Community Chat on Thursday the 22nd, Earth Day! During the chat, world-famous chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy and one of the best climate communicators out there, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, will share some thoughts with our group. Then we plan to share EcoAthletes' exciting new path forward, which features our centralized focus on a new Resource Hub. It will equip you and the rest of our climate-active Champions to lead climate action...We've been hard at work on this and can't wait to share! By attending, you'll have the chance to be entered to win exciting prizes and gain opportunities to meet aligned potential sponsors, professional mentors and like minded athletes.

REGISTER HERE for the event on Earth Day, April 22nd, at 10:15am ET!

https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=025a0fa19b0e671467d82f681&id=9e93bbf113 

All, Still not steadily busy as the temps started to dip. We’ll see what this week brings.
We had our Basic Maintenance 101 class on Wednesday night. Sam held the class and we had 5 people signed up but only 1 showed. Friday Ride was a no-show except for a DI reporter who wanted to cover the event.
This week is business as usual and our Friday Ride again. I’ll scavenge some freewheels and tires/tubes off some of the junk bikes in storage at some point, too. We are desperately low on used freewheels and can’t really get any new ones due to the sustained supply shortages.

The numbers:

Visitors: 22
Sales: $664.50

Bikes (refurb): 3 for $410
Tires/tubes: 7 for $26

Thanks!

Jacob Benjamin
WManager, Campus Bike Center

Following the completion of iWG assessment for Res002 Biodiversity Plan, the recommendation was transmitted to Dr. Nickols-Richardson, Director of Extension, on April 12, 2021. 

See iWG assessment of Res002 Biodiversity Plan attached. 

See iCAP team recommendation Res002 Biodiversity Plan.

The Zero Waste iCAP Team made the ZW004 "Reusable Dining Containers Program" recommendation on 4/2/21:

"Where possible and applicable, campus restaurants and foodservices should adopt the use of a reusable containers instead of disposable or compostable containers for take-out food. At a minimum, this should become an option for customers."

The Zero Waste iCAP Team made the following recommendation ZW002 Join Northeastern Recycling Council Government Recycling Demand Champions on 4/2/21: 

University of Illinois to join the NERC Government Demand Champion Program.

1. Free technical assistance in training, recognition, and tools to support efforts in the program. This will help us find more Post-consumer recycled (PCR) products by engaging with existing or identifying new vendors, provide training opportunities to department buyers, and/or provide the SWATeam with innovative engagement tools to increase buy-in across campus.
2. Aligns with State of Illinois Procurement Code (ILCS 500/45-15 & ILCS 500/45-20)
3. First University to join the program
4. National recognition for sustainability commitment
5. Support a circular economy

The Land and Water iCAP team submitted the following Certified Greener Building Certification recommendation on 4/2/21:

"The Land and Water iCAP Team recommends the creation of a Certified Greener Building Program to add to the portfolio of Greener Campus Programs under iSEE. The existing Greener Campus Programs target nearly every facet of campus life from University employees to student experiences. A Greener Building Certification would provide an opportunity for collaboration between building liaisons and the people and groups that utilize campus buildings. A set of requirements and voluntary actions must be developed to achieve the certification. Based on the success of the existing Certified Greener Campus programs, students, faculty, and staff alike are very likely to take advantage of the certification opportunity and embed these actions as part of building operations. These actions will also promote life-long sustainable habits. A Greener Building Certification would establish a sustainability standard and increase our culture of sustainability on campus."

The Land and Water iCAP team submitted the following LW002 Vet Med Parking Lot Re-Design recommendation on 4/2/21:

"This recommendation calls for a redesign of the Vet-Med parking lot F27 to reduce runoff and prevent flooding of the Dairy Farm. Project design recommendations would include adding stormwater infrastructure such as bioswales and raingardens within the redesigned parking lot, as well as to the west of the parking lot where much of the runoff from the asphalt currently flows. A student project, which placed first in the Central States Water Environmental Association Student Design Competition: Environmental Category addresses this issue, but the team recommends hiring a Professional Services Consultant team, consisting of a professional engineer and landscape architect for the design. It is possible that the firm may be willing to donate the design, which would reduce the cost."
 

The Telecommuting & Commuter Program intern met with supervisor Sarthak Prasad on Friday, April 9th, 2021 to discuss updates on the program and goals for the upcoming week. Over the past few days, they continued to research telecommuting programs at other Illinois universities (UIC, UIS, ISU) and various Ivy League institutions. In addition, the Transportation SWATeam reviewed the questionnaire for the IHR department and other universities. Once Audrey and Sarthak finish receiving feedback, they will revise and finalize the questionnaire and send out the document to the IHR department. They will also collect the necessary information to contact the employees responsible for telecommuting at the Big 10 Schools, the University of Illinois at Springfield and Chicago, as well as Harvard and Yale. Once they gain the contact information, they will draft emails to each of the specified schools and create a google form in case the school is not able to meet over the phone or via zoom.

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 

The Illinois Solar Decathlon team has completed construction of the innovative ADAPTHAUS and is planning an inauguration event. To learn more about this project, visit some of the many links below:

https://www.solardecathlon.gov/2020/build/competition-team-illinois.html

https://resourcefurniture.com/inspiration/adapthaus-net-zero-for-the-win/

https://sustainability.illinois.edu/student-team-awarded-150000-for-sola...

https://www.facebook.com/illinoissolardecathlon/

https://dailyillini.com/opinions/2021/01/19/letter-to-the-editor-illinoi...

https://www.contractormag.com/green/solar/article/21144537/solar-decathl...

https://twitter.com/Solar_Decathlon/status/1377984161751867395

Meeting minutes for the 4/9 Zero Waste SWATeam meeting are attached. The agenda is as follows:

• Updates
• Roundtable Discussion
  • Removal of virgin paper from F&S stores/catalogues 
  • Elimination of thermal paper receipts
  • Assessment of third-party vendors footprint (single-use plastics, recyclable materials, etc) in the Union.
  • Student Waste Management Educational initiative.
  • Single-use plastics in vending machines.
  • Reuse of Surplus Goods
  • Battery Recycling