iWG Meeting Minutes from 2-25-21
The iWG met on 2-25-21 to discuss the Energy 004, Energy 005, and Resilience 002 iCAP team recommendations. Meeting minutes are attached.
The iWG met on 2-25-21 to discuss the Energy 004, Energy 005, and Resilience 002 iCAP team recommendations. Meeting minutes are attached.
The Environmental Justice Working Group met on 2-26-2021 (meeting minutes attached) and discussed the next steps to move forward with environmental justice planning. These include:
Below are data sets provided by Scott Tess and Lacey Rains Lowe to assist the student work on environmental vulnerability assessments in spring 2021.
As of March 01, 2021, many small edits and content ideas were suggested for ECEB-related project pages on the iCAP Portal. These suggestions to update the pages were provided by Joyce Mast and include the following:
Attached is an email chain where William Pellico of the DOE Facility Fermilab in Batavia, IL inquires about the impact of UIUC's solar farm.
A Federal Renewable Energy Certificate Guide is also attached below.
On February 28, 2021, Catherine Somers sent out an email to Professors Bruce Hajek and Philip Krein regarding the ECE lobby displays. As written in the exciting email:
"I have a bit of good news! The Student Sustainability Committee-funded lobby display which will eventually have interactive features to encourage energy savings, is taking shape. The kiosks and the touchscreen panel are installed and rotating informational slides. Joyce Mast continues to make excellent progress on the real-time display of solar energy production." -Catherine Somers
This approval follows suit after the Mast's submitted application for SSC funding for the lobby displays. In Step 2 of the funding application, $30,000 was requested from the SSC for "Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB) Interactive, Energy Education/Production/Use Display."
See the attached file to view the SSC funding application.
Good afternoon, Thank you for registering for our first TED Talk: Eco Edition event, focusing on environmental justice! It was wonderful to see many of you in attendance. Your ideas, input, and questions led to a very thought-provoking and meaningful discussion.
We encourage you to share the TED Talk with your friends, family members, and peers. Continue the discussion on this important topic and keep initiating conversations – even when they are difficult. Consider joining Waste Reduction @ Illinois | Facebook. This is a great community forum for sharing ideas and continuing sustainability discussions.
Leah Courtney did a fantastic job as our first host of this TED Talk series. We have attached Leah’s presentation for anyone who would like to refer to it as a resource. Keep an eye out for our March TEDTalk: Eco Edition which will focus on the topic of plastics. Additionally, don’t forget to register for our Plastic Free Challenge starting March 1 (Monday!) using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IqlSU5c7E5JYcpGljWZjYIg3eMsfz5DJKquM1BqgPWY/viewform?edit_requested=true.
Please reach out with any questions or feedback. We thank you again for your participation and enthusiasm, and are already looking forward to the next conversation!
Kindly,
Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainability Programs Coordinator
Emily Dickett, iSEE Sustainability Intern
TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/david_lammy_climate_justice_can_t_happen_witho...
Join us for iSEE's first TED Talk: Eco-Edition! This month’s theme is "Environmental Justice."
Together, participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk presented by David Lammy, the first Black Member of Parliament to hold the Justice post in British Parliament, titled "Climate Justice Can't Happen Without Racial Justice." Afterward, all are invited to participate in a guided discussion and roundtable.
Our host is Leah Courtney, a sophomore at U of I studying Civil and Environmental Engineering with minors in Spanish and the Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Fellows Program. A student member of the Zero Waste Sustainability Working Advisory Team, Leah is passionate about the environment and social justice.
Sign up to learn, discuss, and connect with peers in a casual, social setting. Grab your favorite snack and get comfortable! Topics and hosts vary each month.
The meeting which took place on 26 February at 4PM (CDT) discussed the following:
The data for week 3 (February 14 - February 20, 2021) is as follows:
Landfill: 118,040 lbs
Cardboard: 13,590 lbs
Paper: 2854 lbs
Bottles & Cans: 1430 lbs
Food Organics: 3600 lbs
To help the University of Illinois become a model of sustainability both in the community and for the world to emulate, the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) has developed a tiered system for campus sustainability procedures. In June 2014, Chancellor Phyllis Wise approved the Procedure for Formulating and Evaluating Campus Sustainability Policies & Initiatives, offering a big-picture process for updating and evaluating the iCAP — and explaining the roles of the Sustainability Council, the iCAP Working Group (iWG), and the Sustainability Working Advisory Teams (SWATeams).
The SWATeam meeting on Feb 24, 2021 took place at 10AM (CDT) to discuss the following:
Stacey DeLorenzo from F&S Transportation Demand Management presented the attached slides to the class on 2/23.
All, Last week’s weather was brutal and thus, very slow for us.
We made it through the bikes I picked up at the warehouse a week prior. A couple good ones and couple damaged-beyond-repair ones. Par for the course. Denver, a new volunteer, visited one day last week and worked his way through fixing up a bike. We got a couple bikes donated and then fixed up for the KBG (Kids Bike Giveaway)—can’t start too early! Some engineering students came in looking for parts for a class project to make some kind of small wheeled conveyance that moves like an inchworm? Something like that. Next time that happens, I’m giving out my contact info so they can follow up with the finished project—would be cool to have a collection of school projects that we helped out with.
This week I’ve got some student staff interviews and new hire trainings to arrange, TBP meeting, NIRSA virtual conference, and will pick up more bikes. Saturday is going to break 50 degrees so maybe we’ll sell some bikes. The longer term forecast is trending warmer so we’ll see how that affects visit numbers.
The numbers:
Visitors: 5
Sales: $109
Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center Manager
The latest edition of iSEE's Q Magazine is now available. This edition features an encounter with a New Mexico landscape destroyed by wildfires, the public health and environmental toll of the toxic byproduct coal ash, and other reflections on the natural world. The magazine showcases student environmental writing.
See https://emails.illinois.edu/newsletter/28281545.html
Every year, the university’s vice chancellors have the opportunity to update the Senate Executive Committee on our units. When I spoke with them last week, I focused on OVCRI alignment with the four overarching pillars of the campus strategic plan. In addition to our significant role in explicitly research-related goals, I was particularly pleased to note the many ways that OVCRI units contribute to "Transformative Learning Experiences."
We work closely with the academic colleges to extend opportunities for students. While I don't have space to list every activity and program, I will note a few highlights. Nearly 1,000 grads and undergrads alike enjoy interdisciplinary research experiences at IGB or Beckman, while hundreds learn firsthand in the field, working on projects at PRI. Programs such as CCIL's Cancer Scholars, iSEE's Sustainability minor (and new Environmental Leadership Program), HRI's Mellon Fellowships and Internships, as well as NCSA's SPIN program offer transformative learning opportunities in emerging areas with societal impact. Students learn to use cutting-edge instrumentation at the Biotech Center, participate in community-focused and clinical projects with support from CSBS and IHSI, and even have real-world learning opportunities through internships with Research Park companies (800+ students each year!). Students can choose excellent degree programs at hundreds of universities across the country. But the way the vibrant research enterprise contributes to student education is a true point of differentiation for our university.
Sincerely,
Susan
As of February 22nd, 2021, UIUC earned the 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition!
The following summarized message was sent on behalf of the Arbor Day Foundation program:
Dear Tree Campus Higher Education contact,
Congratulations to your campus for earning 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition. Tree Campus Higher Education, an Arbor Day Foundation program, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.
To obtain this distinction, your campus has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for your campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance (which was optional in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic) and the sponsorship of student service learning projects. Your entire campus community should be proud of this sustained commitment to environmental stewardship.
If there was a time for trees, now is that time. Your diligence in improving the environment and quality of life at your school contributes to a healthier, more sustainable world for us all.
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.
Don't miss the Wednesday premiere of "Beyond the Elements: Life," a PBS NOVA episode that features the University's RIPE project. Steve Long, Lisa Ainsworth, Don Ort, and other scientists discuss their efforts to "hack" photosynthesis.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/beyond-the-elements-life/
The data for week 2 (February 7 - February 13, 2021) is as follows:
Landfill: 141,680 lbs
Cardboard: 16,610 lbs
Paper: 7,135 lbs
Bottles & Cans: 0 lbs
Food Organics: TBD
We increased our recycling amounts and decreased our landfill amount from last week - yay!