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  1. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, it’s almost BIKE MONTH! Tomorrow is BTWD! Student staff and I will be running the event, which promises—at this point—to be fantastic weath er.

     

    Last week was slightly abridged since I took Monday off. Hours ran smoothly without me. The remaining days were a healthy amount of busy but skewed towards slow overall. This week looks to be warmer.

    I taught a class at ARC on Tuesday night. 10 people showed up, one of whom came to the Bike Center the next day and declared, “Your class inspired me to try to repair my own bike”. Couldn’t have hoped for a better result!

     

    On Friday I interviewed two new student workers that I will be hiring. They’re both freshman, which provides me with ample time to mold them into expert bicycle helpers--and they were willing to stick it out through some tough, frustrating hub repairs I had them do. Elsewhere on the staffing front, Leah will be leaving us for the greener pastures of Cunningham Children’s Home in the next week or two. Shean will follow sometime after graduation, I believe. They’ve both been great employees; they’ll be missed around here.

     

    Numbers:

    Sales: $296.50
    Memberships: 4 for $120
    Tire/tube: 6 for $50

    No B-a-B or refurbished sales

     

    Thanks!

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager
  2. Energy and Sustainability project presentations

    Energy and sustainability engineering poster sessions

    Join us for poster sessions on Monday, April 30, and Wednesday, May 2, from 3-4 p.m. in Transportation Building room 114, during the course ENG 571 – Theory of Energy and Sustainability Engineering. View posters and speak with graduate student authors concerning their term project findings in many topics associated with energy and sustainability issues.

    Amy McCullough . College of Engineering - Administration

  3. Sustainability Fashion Show

    School of Art + Design 2018 Re-Fashioned Fashion Show

    The 12th annual Illinois fashion show will be presented on Saturday, May 5, from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in the lobby of Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 Lorado Taft Drive, Champaign, IL. Students from ArtS 299 Fashion Design will be presenting their one-of-a-kind ensembles. Wearable works of art walk the runway, combining sustainability and creativity.

    Audra Weinstein . Art and Design, School of

  4. ECBS and EGen SWATeam Joint Meeting with Joyce Mast

    On March 30th, 2018, the ECBS and EGen SWATeams held a joint meeting with Joyce Mast, the leader of the project to make the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB) zero net energy. Joyce informed the teams that 300 kW is needed on the ECEB rooftop and 1.2 MW is needed in the north campus parking deck (NCPD) to meet this goal, according to a graduate student's thesis. The solar panels have been bought, but a space frame would be needed in order to strengthen the structural support. The team suggested a more feasible and cost-effective solution to look into would be to donate the project money to Solar Farm 2.0. As long as ECEB does not necessarily need to be generating the energy, they can still claim they are zero net energy. In addition, the SWATeams provided ideas for behavioral change projects. 

  5. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Last week’s zero-waste activities consisted of revisions to the glove recycling informational flyer and trailer-opening instructions. I also had emails with a new participant in the glove recycling program, Alison Stodola from the Natural History Survey. In the week to come, I will update the iCAP portal to show their participation.

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  6. SSC Funding Agreement - Eco Olympics

    SSC approved a $200 micro grant to Eco-Olympics for digital signage in the residential halls. These signs will display progress and energy savings.

    "Eco-Olympics is an energy saving competition between the dorms. Residents sign up for teams which then participate in activities led by hall captains to earn points. Energy use also translates into points, and less energy used means more points. At the end of the three week competition, the team with the most points is declared the winner and members of that team receive a prize."

  7. SSC Funding Agreement - Design for America

    SSC approved a $500 micro grant proposal for Design for America's Social Hack event.

    "During this event, you will learn about the human-centered design process, the methods of creating a circular solution, and finish by applying these concepts and creating your own solution. Come by yourself or with a team to learn  about this initiative and create a solution of your own!This event is open to everyone, whether a student or community member. You don't need to have prior knowledge or have a specific major; we are here to share these insights with you! Lunch will be provided."

    https://www.facebook.com/events/155049638520765/

    Attached Files: 
  8. SSLC Seeks Vice President

    We are looking for a UIUC student who is passionate, excited, and driven to work towards solutions to environmental issues here on campus and in the greater CU community to serve as the Vice President of SSLC for 2018-2019! This student should be willing to help organize and facilitate the networking and collaboration of the members and RSOs represented on this council, which may include tasks such as:

    1. Leading and contributing to open discussions on ideas and potential events to promote sustainable initiatives.
    2. Providing insightful thoughts about how to best encourage collaboration between sustainability RSOs on campus.
    3. Representing the student voice to university administration through committee meetings.

    Specific duties of the Vice President may include:

    1. Taking notes of prominent ideas discussed at meetings.
    2. Following up with Council members regarding their ideas and events.
    3. Leading Council meetings in the absence of the President.
    4. Managing the Council listserv.
    5. Co-planning and co-implementing programming, such as guest speakers, for Council development.

    Prior involvement with the sustainability community on campus is encouraged but not required. While this position is unpaid, course credit (ENVS 491) is available.

    Qualifications:

    • UIUC undergraduate or graduate student
    • A desire to make our community more sustainable
    • Communication & interpersonal skills
    • Self-motivated & organized
    • Problem-solver and service-oriented
    • Passion for supporting student leaders and student organizations
    Attached Files: 
  9. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    Morgan and I had a phone call Friday to go over what I’ll focus on in the remaining couple of months of my position, which ends July 31: I will get revised glove recycling materials to her, wrap up the iCAP Portal glove recycling site, contact the student volunteers who offered to help recruit departments to participate in that program, and assist with reporting zero- waste activities to the Student Sustainability Committee. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  10. steam use at greenhouses

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Deep Direct Use geothermal project has completed a preliminary assessment of steam use for greenhouses on UIUC campus. Steam usage in the greenhouses at Turner Hall and Plant Sciences building were compared with Lincoln Hall (pre and post renovations) for the period 2013-2018.

     

    Generally, the steam use in greenhouses is 3-5 times higher (mmBTU per square foot) than in an academic building. Together, the greenhouses have produced ~25MT CO2/MWh) over the 5-year period.

  11. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 

    All, last week was oddly, strangely, very slow and quiet here despite the wonderful weather for most of the week. I was amped up for the deluge of people but it is snowing right now, so I can’t blame ‘em. On Friday we had a moderately well-attended Friday Ride semi-hosted by SECS. It was more of a trial run for next Friday’s Earth Week ride. The route, as planned, is deeply off-campus, which I always like.

    As for this week: Tonight I am teaching a class at the ARC on basic maintenance (ABC Quick Checks, bike vocabulary, etc). I will be taking Friday and next Monday (23rd) off and letting student workers run open hours. I’ll bring them in for a brief manager training this week but they already know everything except a few minor details. Otherwise, per usual, I’ll build bikes and organize.

    Numbers:
    Visitors: 52
    Sales: $742.50

    Bikes (refurb): 2 for $370
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $101
    Memberships: 3 for $125 (2 reg; 1 family)

    Thanks!

    - Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  12. ECBS SWATeam Meeting Minutes

    On March 8, 2018, the ECBS SWATeam had another team meeting where they listened and provided constructive criticism to a presentation on imagery for several energy conservation projects from On the House. Eco-Olympics has made great promotion progress and has advanced from the initial stages to the running stages, with 16 participants already signed up. The team also discussed the target of 10 year paybacks for ESCOs. They are considering recommending more ESCO projects on buildings on campus for utility reductions in buildings that consume large amounts of energy and haven't had retro-commissioning yet. 

    Attached Files: 
  13. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Pete and Shawn—

    • Jonathan McClintock from Kimberly-Clark sent glove recycling statistics: 
      • Illinois Sustainable Technology Center 3,000 lbs
      • Chemistry Department 440 lbs 
    • I asked him to confirm whether these are the numbers for 2017 or some other time period. I felt confident that the ISTC numbers are the ones for the trailer at PPSB. If there is any reason to think that’s not the case, I’ll ask him about that, too.
    • I heard from Anna and expect to get her review of the trailer instructions I sent to her and Morgan. 

    Morgan, with you on the cc line, I’ll give a heads up that I’ll try to schedule a phone call with you so we can move forward on contacting nonparticipating departments. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

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