You are here

All Project Updates

Search

Search tips:
  • This form will search for words in the title OR the description. If you would like to search for the same term(s) across both the title and description, enter the same search term(s) in both fields.
  • This form will search for any of the words you enter in a field, not the exact phrase you enter. If you would like to search for an exact phrase, put double quotes (") around the phrase. For example, if you search for Bike Path you will get results containing either the word Bike OR the word Path, but if you search for "Bike Path" you will get results containing the exact phrase Bike Path.


Pages

  1. Energy002 Building Envelope - Successful

    Morgan White, Associate Director of F&S for Sustainability, responded to Dr. Ximing Cai with the following email. See the attached file for an overview of the building envelope testing pilot project.

    ===

    Hi Ximing,

    Thank you for sharing the Energy002 SWATeam recommendation. As we discussed, F&S is pleased to move forward with this recommendation to do a Building Envelopes Pilot Project on campus.  We have submitted a request to the Student Sustainability Committee, seeking their support to run this pilot project.  We are also meeting with Bill Rose, the co-chair of the iCAP Energy Team, and several F&S team members to discuss first steps.  I’ve attached a project overview here, which we can share with the iCAP Working Group.

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    ====

    See transmittal of Energy002 Building Envelope to F&S here. 
    See iWG assessment of Energy002 Building Envelope here.
    See recommendation and submittal of Energy002 Building Envelope here. 

    For additional progress on this effort, see Building Envelope Pilot Project

     

  2. 10/5 Resilience iCAP Team First Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Resilience SWATeam met for the first time on October 5th, 2020 to get to know one another other and assigned team members to specific iCAP 2020 Objectives. We did icebreakers and new student members were introduced to different faculty, staff, and community members that are leading projects throughout campus. The team will have a follow-up meeting on October 9th to discuss work done over the past week and complete the iCAP 2020 Assessment. Attached are the meeting minutes. 

    The agenda was as follows:

    1. Introductions

    2. Evaluation of current progress on completing iCAP 2020 Objectives

  3. Updated procedures approved by Chancellor Jones

    Associated Project(s): 

    An updated procedures document for the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) was approved October 7, 2020 by Chancellor Jones.

    This document describes Sustainability Working Advisory Teams (SWATeams), the iCAP Working Group, the Sustainability Council - including a new subcommittee of the Council, and the role and responsibilities of Campus Units.

  4. Energy iCAP Team Meeting

    The Energy iCAP Team met for the first time on Oct. 2nd to discuss new ideas for addressing building-level energy usage during the pandemic and brainstormed priorities for achieving iCAP 2020 goals. Attached are the meeting minutes.

    The agenda is as follows: 

    1. Introductions
    2. Discuss Energy objectives
    3. Start developing goals for the team this year
    Attached Files: 
  5. Illinois Student Government initiates discussion with F&S about recycling plastic bags

    Associated Project(s): 

    Greetings Director Attalla,

     

    The Environmental Sustainability Committee of Illinois Student Government is working on developing a solution to the increased plastic bag waste that has been generated on campus this semester. We would like to start an initiative to bring plastic bag collection locations on campus with the purpose of recycling plastic bags at an off-campus location. Myself, the committee chair Creen Ahmad, and our committee vice-chair Ari Kelo would like to organize a meeting with you and any other relevant members of the F&S team to determine how we can implement this plan.

     

    Plastic bag use has increased greatly on campus this semester, being used in all dining halls, retail locations, and off-campus restaurants. Since these products are not easily recyclable, we feel it is important to ensure they do not begin to pollute the campus community or contaminate the current recycling chain on campus.

     

    We hope to meet with you soon, and we look forward to hearing about your availability!

    Sincerely,

    Tyler Swanson

     

  6. Weekly Update: Refurbished bike swap, low numbers, signage

    Associated Project(s): 

    All,

    Another week in the books! It’s definitely still an adjustment to be open only by-appointment. We’re still getting phone calls and emails about user error and whatnot when scheduling and we’re only seeing 4 or so people per day. But hey, it’s a pandemic. People are still going to the old shop—some internet search engines are not up-to-date but we do have signage over there. Ironies of all ironies since people couldn’t seem to find that tucked-away garage before and are now flocking to it, it seems.

     

    Had a refurb-swap of a loose cranked bike. Thankfully the gentleman wasn’t injured in the failure. He took a different same-priced bike. He was very understanding and that was appreciated.

    Still working on upping our staffing levels to a comfortable number.

    We’ve only done a handful of bike registrations, which either speaks to the cost-as-deterrence or that people are picking them up elsewhere. Hopefully the latter!

    Still optimizing the layout and functionality of our new space but everyone who’s visited that was familiar with the old space has been blown away by the across-the-board improvements. I discovered a closet here that I didn’t know existed which now is storing the Bikes at Work trailer and the smaller kid-sized one. Aquaham Lincoln will likely migrate over here this week.

     

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 21
    Sales: $562.70
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Bikes: 3 for $360
    Tires/tubes: 1 for $1

     

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  7. eweek announcement

    Associated Project(s): 

    Sustainability Training

    The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) and Facilities and Services is excited to release a brief training opportunity to learn more about campus sustainability efforts and the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) 2020! We encourage all campus members to take the training and participate by providing feedback following the video. 

    Meredith Moore • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    baseline_wifi_black_18dp.png This opportunity is available online.

  8. links for resources

    The Zero Waste SWATeam met 10-02-2020 to discuss the iCAP 2020 objectives for Zero Waste, and one of the topics was regarding the new objective for implementing a Food Literacy Project in campus dining halls. Team members identified a few resources that could be helpful in implementing this project:

    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jiec.12923

    https://dining.harvard.edu/food-literacy-project

    "Modelling nutrient flows in a simplified local food-energy-water system": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344918300818

     

     

  9. 10/2 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Attached are the meeting minutes for the Transportation SWATeam Meeting on 2 October 2019.

    The items discussed were:

    • Introductions
    • Announcements
      • Sustainability Celebration Information
        • Student member involvement
      • SSC Working Group Meeting Invitation
    • Team Member Updates
      • SSC Grant Application for Abandoned Bike Path Removal
      • Bike Census 2020 Volunteers
      • CTAC Membership
    • iCAP 2020 Objectives Assessment
      • Team Members assigned objectives.
      • Deadline for member contributions is 10/9 at noon.
  10. 10/2 Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting

    Attached are the meeting minutes and chat log for the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting on 2 October at 4PM.

    Also attached are resources for the conversation surrounding vending machine alternatives. 

    The agenda for this meeting is as follows:

    • Introductions
    • Announcements
      • Sustainability Celebration Information
        • Student member involvement
      • SSC Working Group Meeting Invitation
    • iCAP 2020 Objectives Assessment
      • Team Members assigned objectives.
      • Deadline for member contributions is 10/9 at noon.
    • Refresher
      • America To Go Sustainability criteria

        • SWATeam can provide help in determining appropriate sustainability criteria to include.
      • Vending Machine Single Use Plastics Alternatives Discussion
        • Working through various points of consideration.
        • Tabled discussion.
  11. Final numbers from Light the Night 2020

    Associated Project(s): 

    This year, Light the Night event was hosted at three locations: Alma Mater Plaza, Hallene Gateway, and Campus Bike Center (new location). Overall, the volunteers installed bicycle lights to nearly 450 bikes at these locations.

    Leftover lights:

    Red lights: 806

    White lights: 779

    The remaining lights are stored in Room 143 at F&S. They will be distributed among the four funding agencies.

  12. Light the Night 2020 - post event meeting

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Light the Night 2020 organizing team met on September 29th, 2020 to discuss the event and lessons learned. Gabe Lewis said that he was in contact with City of Urbana to publish a final report for LTN 2020 in their upcoming newsletter. Sarthak Prasad would do the final count after the meeting so that Gabe can send the report to City of Urbana.

    The team noted that there were several students who needed repairs on their bicycles, so they were given the informtion about Campus Bike Center. Jeff Yockey was also doing minor repairs at the Hallene Gatway location. Next year, we could maybe advertize the event so that those needing minor bike repairs can go to the CBC location. Jake Benjamin said that we could have a repair station at the end of the volunteer line at the CBC location for anyone needing immediate repair. We all thought it was a great idea!

    The team also noted that since the light installation took minimal time, the attendees were more interested in learning more about the bicycle information, Census, and Wellness this year. We should also have the Bike at Illinois merchandize and other handouts at the exit rather than at the entry point.

    Finally, we all thought that the presence of UIPD was very encouraging, the officers helped out a lot with handing out information, and they were happy to help!

    The event was considered a success, considering the pandemic and concerns of having a distribution event. All volunteers were very careful and abided by the Safety Plan in place and helped keep the line of attendees moving (attendees were in and out within 2 minutes).

    Stacey DeLorenzo, Chantelle Hicks, Sinead Soltis, and Sarthak Prasad took several pictures for the event and posted them to social media.

Pages