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  1. archived info - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

    The campus is investigating options for a Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).  There are various potential energy providers, and the costs of such power is currently unknown.  Therefore, the UI is starting with a Request for Information (RFI) which will give campus decision makers an idea of the cost of the wind energy.  Once the information is received, the UI may elect to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP), which would be the first step toward signing a Wind PPA.

  2. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, we had 34 visitors total for last week. We grossed $260.50. We didn’t sell any memberships, nor any bikes (refurbished or B-a-Bs). We did sell $40 worth of tubes, so we’re still keeping people rolling.

    Last week I had two very dedicated volunteers who worked almost all five days during open hours. They were a tremendous help in organizing small parts and culling some of the worn and old parts that really have no value to us and are simply taking up space. We scrapped almost a dozen bad and/or broken bikes, which will nicely clear up space for more usable projects and builds.

    This week I will continue cleaning and building bikes. On Thursday a Bike Project volunteer and I will go to Champaign Public Works to retrieve some bikes they are giving away. I will work on a handout for student workers’ guidelines. But most importantly, on Tuesday we are having a CBC holiday get-together where the student workers will be able to learn about how the CBC fits into TDM/F&S and the larger university plan for sustainability!

     

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  3. EGen004 Electrification Study recommendation - Returned

    Associated Project(s): 
    Explore Options for 100 Percent Clean Campus Energy
    eGen Recommendations Summary
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on December 6, 2016, to discuss the SWATeam recommendation, eGen004 Electrification Study. The iWG agreed to return the recommendation to the eGen SWATeam for further discussion with F&S, iSEE, and other stakeholders.

    See SWATeam recommendation eGen004 Electrification Study here.

  4. Resilience commitment deadlines

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team

    The Resilience Commitment instructions are online at http://secondnature.org/climate-guidance/sustainability-planning-and-climate-action-guide/building-blocks-for-sustainability-planning-and-climate-action/climate-resilience/.   UIUC Chancellor Wilson signed the commitment on Feb. 9, 2016, so we need to have a fully formed Joint-Task Force with the community, actively working by April 9, 2017.  iSEE has identified key contacts who have agreed to participate.  By April 2018, we need to complete an assessment of the town/gown Resilience strengths and weaknesses, and by April 2019 we need to have a written plan for addressing the weaknesses and building on our local strengths. This could then be incorporated in the next iCAP.

  8. ECBS SWATeam meeting minutes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Illini Lights Out
    Green Lab Program
    Fume Hood Shut the Sash Campaign

    At the ECBS SWATeam meeting the report from student capstone project on attitudes toward fume hood energy conservation was discussed. There is a need to sign up the labs for the Freezer Challenge project before January 15, 2017. The last in the fall semester, the Illini Lights Out project is expected on December 9. The Status of Green Labs recommendation was discussed. 

    Attached Files: 

  11. Water001 BIF Greywater Meter recommendation - Submittal

    Associated Project(s): 
    BIF Greywater Pipe System
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater Recommendations Summary

    The Water and Stormwater SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, 

    "Monitoring the water usage in the Business Instructional Facility (BIF). Specifically, both the total water use and the amount of water used by the raw water system should be measured and the data made available to the campus community.

    BIF is unique in that it was constructed with a separate raw water system that conveys non-potable water to be used for purposes such as flushing toilets. While the system is in place inside the building, it was never connected to an outside source of non-potable water. Use of non-potable water for purposes such as toilet flushing, landscape irrigation, cooling, etc. is recognized as a sustainable practice (e.g., Asano et al, 2007; EPA, 2012). Data to quantify the impact this could have on water use at UIUC, however, is largely unavailable. Metering the raw water system at BIF would provide data about the temporal total and non-potable water demand at a typical campus class/office building. These data would be valuable to consider whether such systems should be considered in future campus construction and renovation.

    F&S installed a temporary meter to measure the flow to the raw water system and operated this meter for approximately one month (April – May 2016), so this recommendation has already been demonstrated to be feasible. However, because building usage is highly variable over the course of an academic year, we recommend that this should be a permanent installation. We also recommend that the data be made available to the campus community to encourage consideration of such water reuse options."

    See attached the SWATeam recommendation Water001 BIF Greywater Meter complete with comments from all the Water and Stormwater SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  12. Water002 Cooling Tower Increase COC recommendation - Submittal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater Recommendations Summary

    The Water and Stormwater SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating,

    "We recommend that a small tonnage (< 700 tons cooling capacity) stand-alone cooling tower on campus operating at a water concentration cycle of less than 2.5 be operated using softened water under high pH/high silica conditions to demonstrate near zero blowdown operation."

    See attached the SWATeam recommendation, Water002 Cooling Tower Increase COC, complete with comments from all the Water and Stormwater SWATeam members.

    Attached Files: 

  13. Water003 Design Center Greywater Piping recommendation - Submittal

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater Recommendations Summary

    The Water and Stormwater SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating,

    "We recommend that the Siebel Design Center should be designed to include plumbing to supply non-potable water to be used for toilet flushing. The system could be connected to the potable water supply until such time as a viable non-potable source (e.g., the campus raw-water lines) is available. At that time the non-potable lines could be connected to the non-potable source at a small expense. We also recommend that a meter be installed to monitor the amount of water delivered to the non-potable system and that these data be made available on the Dashboard operated by Facilities and Services."

    See attached the SWATeam recommendation, Water003 Design Center Greywater Piping, complete with comments from all the Water and Stormwater SWATeam members.

    Attached Files: 

  14. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, this past week we did not see a lot of visitors. We totaled 50 visitors for the entire week. We grossed 311.70; we sold one bike; we sold 2 memberships for $60; we sold 6 tubes; and we had one nice volunteer, Jeremy, just stop by to say hello and hang out for a minute.

    Looking at the numbers, we had only a single sale all week at non-member prices. It would appear that those that are still coming to the CBC are familiar and invested in the space. I take that as a good thing.

    This past week I have also cut back on hours for student workers. This happened organically, as a lot of staffers were sick or busy with school, but I plan to retain one staffer per day for the winter and then ramp back up to 2-3 for the warmer months. Winter is a good time for one-on-one training for those staffers who will be returning for the spring.

    Last week I attended the Campus Master Plan public forum on Wednesday.

    This week I plan to build more bikes, organize the shop, attend the Monthly Members’ Meeting for The Bike Project and start the initial work on a Winter Maintenance class, now that it has snowed.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  16. Archived - previous project name and description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utilize Carbon Credits

    Previous project name: Charge True Costs to Campus Users including Carbon Offsets

    Previous project description: Several externalities exist for campus operations and business practices, and these are not fully captured in the every-day cost charged to campus users.  For example, purchasing an item from the iBuy system does not include the cost of disposal for that item in the future.

  17. Funding Tracking System Feature - Retired

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    The original iCAP Portal included a robust Funding tracking system, as described in the attached document. This tracking became too cumbersome and the iCAP Portal Administrators decided to leave the financial tracking to the University’s Banner Financial System instead of working to replicate it in the iCAP Portal.

     

    See the Funding tracking system in the attached files.

    Attached Files: 

  18. December 2nd, 2016 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Indoor Bike Parking

    Meeting Minutes 12-02-16

    -          Lily Wilcox proposes new recommendation to build bike parking cages in new parking decks. Proposal was submitted to iCap Working Group

    -          Concerns:

    o   Will faculty really use this? Most faculty drive to campus; will they use bikes to get from building to building?

    o   Price is $100 per semester per bike. Price seems too high, and we’re not sure it is worth it for a cheap bike. Also, we are not sure if students would be willing to pay that much. We must look at what pricing options we can come up with.

    -          Benefits:

    o   Overall, proposal was very well received by team.

    o   Other universities, such as the University of Wisconsin, have similar bike parking and Lily says they are happy with it.

    o   A survey showed that there is some student interest in $25 permit student pricing.

    o   This would help the problem of abandoned bikes on campus.

    -          Other Comments:

    o   This proposal would focus on new parking decks being built, but it would also be possible to retrofit old ones.

    o   Having shower rooms in the new parking decks would help so people do not have to be sweaty after riding their bike.

     

    Spring meetings: Fridays at 1pm, about once every two weeks.

    Attached Files: 

  19. EGEN SWATeam Meeting (12.2.16)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Rooftop Solar Potential
    Solar Power on Campus
    Explore Options for 100 Percent Clean Campus Energy

    The EGEN SWATeam held their final meeting for the Fall 2016 semester. Topics covered include:

    • Guest presentation by Niharika Kishore regarding rooftop solar on campus
    • Potential recommendations to Working Group
    • Potential solar: greenspace vs. rooftop vs. parking lot cover
    Attached Files: 

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