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  1. committee meeting, Job Shadowing discussion

    Ed Choklek led a discussion about the Committee moving forward with creating a new Job Shadowing Program for college and university students with USGBC Illinois members in 2014. Tom Shelton shared the results from his Doodle Poll to all Committee members and the preferred months were March, April and October. After some additional discussions, we agreed that late March and October would work best for the campus sustainability professionals since April is a very busy month because of Earth Day activities. Ed Choklek answered questions from several meeting participants based upon their reading and review of information provided on the USGBC Missouri Gateway’s Job Shadowing Program. John Brophy, Paul Matthews and Ed Choklek will meet with USGBC Illinois leadership before our January 20, 2014, Committee Meeting to get approval to move forward with our proposed Job Shadowing Program and to determine resources available from USGBC Illinois to support this new initiative. (Check on using USGBC Illinois Chapter Speakers’ Bureau members and USGBC Illinois Chapter Board of Directors for the 2014 Job Shadowing Program since these groups represent many different business sectors.)

    Attached Files: 
  2. Household Hazardous Waste website

    Dear Community Members,  Alternative options are being explored in an effort to identify more efficient strategies for the collection of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).  To provide an informational hub in the research project’s seven-county area, a website has been created.  The site provides information regarding HHW, collection efforts in each county, collection sites, the project, and finally a collaborative blog to share thoughts with other stakeholders.  At the moment the website is still quite raw and running on a very slow host server, but please look over the content and provide feedback.  In the near future we will hold meetings in each county.   Our hope is that you will share your thoughts about what would work best in your community and the region as a whole.  Those thoughts will be considered in the construction of options for implementation.

    Here is the link to the HHW East Illinois website: http://hhweastillinois.co.nf/

    Thank you for your time and consideration,

    Susan Monte, Champaign County Recycling Coordinator

    Bart Bartels, ISTC Research Assistant

  3. Engineering Design preliminary meeting

    Eva Sweeney, Robert Halverson, and John Summers from F&S Engineering Design Services met with Paul Foote and Morgan Johnston.  They discussed the SSC step two proposal for an EV charging station.  Robert had met with Michelle Wahl and Tom Skaggs from Parking. Eva will be the key electrical engineer for this project.

    There was discussion about a connection from the parking meter to the electric charging station.  The meter could have contacts that would energize the charging station when the parking meter is paid. 

    There was a question whether this proposal is for one or two charging stations which would take two or four parking spaces.  Morgan said she would check with Michelle about the quantity.  It was later clarified that the proposal is for one charging station, which would need two parking spaces.

    Parking will have reduced revenue from the parking spaces.  A departmental space is $1980 per year.  Parking meters are currently charging $1.00/hour.  We need to be able to report on the effectiveness of this program, so we need to track the energy usage.  

    There will be ongoing maintenance costs.  The Engineering design work can help understand these potential costs, once the specific charging station is selected.

    This will go in parking lot B4. It will not be a leased space.

    The SSC request is for $20k.

    According to Robert, Michelle indicated that UA wants a trending report on usage.

  4. UIC sustainability report

    Associated Project(s): 

    UIC's Chancellor's Committee on Sustainability and Energy (CCSE) is tasked with making recommendations to Chancellor Allen-Meares on sustainability and energy related topics to maintain our campus's climate commitments. This fall, the CCSE created their 2013 CCSE Report, which included recommendations relating to campus grounds, transportation, recycling and waste management, energy and utilities, and events and activities.  A copy of this report can be found at http://www.uic.edu/sustainability/reports/CCSE_2013_Report.pdf.

  5. Notes from discussion with Central Stores

    Associated Project(s): 

    Ken Merrill gave an example of paper purchases:

    This year he has purchased 33,500 reams of virgin paper, 1073 reams with 30% recycled content, and 180 with 100% recycled content.  The means for this year 96.4 of the paper purchased through Central Stores has no recycled content. 

    • Computer purchasing commitment for EPEAT products does not exist although some colleges may have one.
    • Vendor Code of Conduct – Ken does not know of one.
    • Environmental Indicators for purchasing – None other than possibly regarding diversity.
    • Uses Life-Cycle Analysis – No
    • Incorporate disposal costs into the product costs – No
    • Minimum recycling standards – No
    • Green Cleaning Products – Yes, everything is green seal certified

    He said he was happy to purchase whatever the units want, but they have to want it.

     

  6. Meeting with Amy Liu

    Met with Amy because she was interested in moving some of the funding from retrofits to education.  I told Amy about some of the education projects I have worked on in the past including a taste testing table.  Amy seemed interested in having a table in the student union starting early next semester.  After the meeting I stopped and talked to Stephanie about groups that might want to join in the effort.  The information was passed on to Amy.  Amy said she would make contact and try to get enough volunteers to run the table for 20 hours per week.  She was also going to try to change the scope of the funding so she could make marketing material. 

  7. Email to students about CCN

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: Foote, Gerard Paul
    Sent: Monday, December 02, 2013 1:19 PM
    To: Mondello, Jessica Rae; Ross, Karoline Jeanne; Myles, Kirsten N; Khan, Nadia; Jones, KeJuan M; Jamal, Sahir S; Anjum, Hiba Sattar; Sheth, Saloni B
    Cc: Johnston, Morgan B; Hochman, Sarah E; Hauger, Kevin J
    Subject: Campus Conservation Nationals Introduction email

    Hello everyone,

    I hope everyone had a great holiday!

    As a follow-up to our initial meeting, I would like to thank you all for your interest in participating in the first ever UIUC CCN competition.

    It is great to find fellow students interested in making a difference in the world, and sustainability in energy conservation is a great place to start.

    This competition is promising to be an Awesome experience!

    Getting started: I would like to schedule a meeting where we discuss the roles needed and create the competition schedule.

    I know these next two weeks are demanding but we need to meet,

    With this in mind;  I  am available most evenings after 5 pm,  Mon and Tue I have prior arrangements but can cancel them if needed.

    Please respond today or Tue with which evenings and times that work or don’t work for you, then I will post the meeting options that meet the majority

    Attached is a sample timeline. Keep  in mind these are recommendations and we may opt to re-arrange to best fit our team’s needs.

    When I met with you there was some question as to the duties in each role participating in the competition, attached is a pdf of sample team position descriptions.

    When responding with meeting times if you already know what role or roles you are interested in please indicate that in your response.  Thank you!

    http://competetoreduce.org/ccn/plan.html This is a link to the competition training webinars, I encourage you to scroll to the bottom and read the CCN Competition Planning Guide and the CCN Data Collection & BuildingOS Guide. These will provide important data for understanding what and how we are going to accomplish CCN, as the competition organization team.

    For those of you that are more ambitious watch the webinars as they are well prepared and explain many facets of the competition in great detail.

    I have downloaded and watched them all!  

    As for an update on the current status of the competition;

    -We have a tentative timeline for collection and competition weeks, however we have been invited to participate in a Big 10 version of the competition as well, this may require us to modify our schedule to match the Big 10 timeline, will update as we progress.

    -The 20 res Halls with metering capability have been identified and I am working with the metering dept. to get training on how to digitally collect this data.

    -Most of the signatures on the CCN registration have been received with 2 remaining this will be completed by Dec 15th 2013.

    Thank you again for your participation and I look forward to working with all of you in creating this Amazing competition at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

    Paul Foote

     

  8. display information

    Associated Project(s): 

    Slides will play on all 3 working digital displays at BIF. Unfortunately, we're having hardware issues with the display facing the Sixth Street entrance. The IlliniEnergy images will take up the entire interactive region of the digital display. However, the images will not take up the space on the footer and right-hand portion of the display, as we already have student groups scheduled to run information on those spaces.

    Images will run through December 20. We would be happy to keep a small number of the slides in the rotation after December 20.

  9. Assist lab store managers with glove recycling

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Bart,

    Please touch base with Seth about KCP glove recycling, to get up to speed on the program they are using at ISTC.  Then work with lab store managers around campus to help them implement the program.  We will need a tracking system to be able to report on campus efforts, so find out if KCP will provide us with annual volumes or if we have to do it ourselves.  You can also touch base with Olof Westerstahl in Corporate Relations to get up to speed on any conversations he has had with KCP.

    Thanks,

    Morgan

  10. Status update

    Associated Project(s): 

    The display ppts have been distributed and can go on as a static display.  We than the Comminication office of our college for moving forward and we will be ready for testing when the students come back Dec 2.

  11. Household Hazardous Waste collection plans

    About this time last year, the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, in collaboration with the Lumpkin Family Foundation and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, embarked on a project to improve Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection options in a seven-county area (see attachment) of East Central Illinois.  Our study area includes Champaign County. This past July, we completed Part 1 of the project--a comprehensive overview of HHW collection activities in Illinois and best management practices.   

    Part 2 is now underway.  We intend to develop recommendations regarding efficient and convenient options for HHW collection within our project study area.    

    We ask for your assistance and invite your input regarding these two questions:

    1. What volunteer groups or interested parties in Champaign County might be interested in supporting or participating in an improved HHW collection program? 

    Participation can include marketing, promotion, collection, or perhaps even using some of the collected products.

    1. Do you know of collection options in your county that are already taking place for the following products: 
    • anti-freeze
    • cell phones
    • compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL)
    • fluorescent tubes and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps
    • lead acid batteries
    • motor oil
    • paint
    • rechargeable batteries
    • transmission fluid
    • unwanted medicines

    We are putting the finishing touches on a website to share HHW collection options in the study area, raise awareness regarding current efforts, and build strategies to improve HHW collection. 

    You will be notified once this website is launched. 

    Each county has its unique aspects, and ask that you share your insights and perspectives to optimize the effectiveness of this collaborative effort. 

    Please respond to this email with any thoughts, ideas, or concerns.  Also, we are happy to meet to discuss potential options at your convenience.  Please forward to anyone that may have an interest.

    All the best,

    Susan Monte, Champaign County Recycling Coordinator

    Champaign County Regional Planning Commission

    direct phone: (217) 819-4105

    email: smonte@ccrpc.org

    Bart Bartels, ISTC Research Assistant

    Champaign County Regional Planning Commission

    direct phone: (217) 819-4060

    email: bbartels@crcpc.org

     

     

    Attached Files: 
  12. Meeting with zero waste coordinator set for Dec. 3

    On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 4:25 PM, Bartels, Bart A <bbartel@illinois.edu> wrote: I am happy to help.  Love the educational aspect.  Taste testing tables can be very successful along with a cost comparison highlighting how much a student can spend on bottled water that doesn't meet the quality standards of tap water.  Count me in. From: Amy Liu [liuaimiwork@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 4:11 PM To: Johnston, Morgan B Cc: David Mischiu; Bartels, Bart A Subject: Re: glass fillers   Thanks Morgan!    Bart, I'm entertaining the idea of collaborative educational events and promotions for Tap That. What is your opinion at this point? And would you be interested in meeting on a day after Thanksgiving break to discuss this? Any insight is appreciated.   Cheers, Amy Liu

  13. Program announced

    On 11/20/13 2:16 PM, Sue Hall wrote:

    Dear Evan
     

    As you may have already heard from colleagues who attended the AASHE 2013 conference this year, Chevrolet has been quietly announcing the fact that it is now making available new funding through its Campus Clean Energy Efficiency Campaign to support US campuses’ clean energy leadership.  ( See http://www.chevrolet.com/culture/article/carbon-footprint-reduction.html )  

    Since the University of Illinois at U-C, based upon your historical GHG performances shared publicly via your AUCPCC reports, has been such a strong leader in this domain, Eban Goodstein, Director of Environmental Policy Center at Bard, who is also one of several Chevy Environmental Advisors on this initiative, also strongly encouraged me to contact you.  Indeed, based on your historical PCC GHG performance, the University of Illinois at U-C may well be eligible for Chevy funding on a campus-wide basis.
     
    As a result, I would be more than glad to set up a time when we could discuss these Chevy funding opportunities further together to explore the fit with your university.  By way of a little further background, the Chevrolet funding is available to campuses whose GHG performance, based on their clean energy leadership, exceeds certain benchmark levels for either their LEED certified buildings or on a campus-wide basis.

     The details regarding these qualification criteria and other frequently asked questions can be found at one of our partner, USGBC’s, web site:
    For LEED buildings:
    http://insight.gbig.org/chevrolet-campus-clean-energy-campaign/
    For Campus-wide:
    http://insight.gbig.org/chevrolet-campus-wide-funding-opportunities/

    I’ve also attached a brief overview summary in case you’d like to circulate this opportunity more readily to your colleagues.
     
    Current pilot projects at Ball State University and Valencia College have confirmed how compelling the business case can be to sell and transfer qualified carbon reductions (2012-14) to Chevy in order to enable campuses to deepen their clean energy leadership still further.


     
    So do let me know when you might be able to join a phone call together to see how this funding might be applicable to your campus.
     

    All the very best

    Sue


     

    Attached Files: 
  14. committee meeting, Job Shadowing discussion

    Ed Choklek and Paul Matthews led a discussion about the Committee moving forward with creating a Job Shadowing Program for college and university students with USGBC Illinois members in 2014. Some of the college and university attendees chimed in with ideas, concerns and suggestions. After further discussion about logistics and timing, Paul Mathews agreed to have Tom Shelton send out a Doodle Poll to all Committee members to try and determine which months would work best for getting student involvement. Ed Choklek agreed to learn more about how the USGBC Missouri Gateway Chapter has done their Job Shadowing Program and will report back to the Committee on December 16. John Brophy and Paul Matthews will approach USGBC Illinois leadership to check on using USGBC Illinois Chapter Speakers’ Bureau members and USGBC Illinois Chapter Board of Directors for the 2014 Job Shadowing Program since these groups represent many different business sectors.

    Attached Files: 
  15. discussion about trailer needs

    Associated Project(s): 

    Craig Grant had an initial meeting with Kevin He from the student biodiesel group yesterday to hear his initial thoughts about building a biodiesel processing facility in a trailer. They have been unable to find another suitable facility for their program since they had to leave the ISTC facility on Hazelwood. They were looking at purchasing a mobile pre-manufactured set-up, but the company has since dropped the trailer systems. They want to construct their own system in a trailer using newer processing technologies, but many of the previous raised issues remain problems for them.

    Attached is a copy of their written “Initial Plan” for this endeavor. After listening to the presentation of the plan, Craig identified a number of significant issues that would need to be addressed to even consider the “trailer option” further. Obvious concerns included the approval of possible sites to park the trailer and operate the plant (including off-loading of WVO and storage of processed Biodiesel as well as glycerin processing for liquid soap). The need to take into consideration the approvals needed to be able to available electrical power supplies and connection methods, environmental precautions, etc. will also be significant criteria to be resolved.

    Attached Files: 
  16. Illinois Wins 2013 Governor's Sustainability Award!

    University of Illinois sustainability staff accepting the Illinois State Governor's Award

    The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) was one of 27 organizations , one of 4 educational institutions (Jefferson Middle School, Lewis & Clark Comm. College, UIC and UIUC) awarded the Governor’s Sustainability Award on October 29, 2013.  The Governor’s Award recognizes organizations for their demonstrated commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices.  Winners are selected through a rigorous process of review and examination.  Illinois was recognized for its efforts in the reduction of energy and water consumption, as well as for waste diversion. 

     

  17. Illinois Earns Gold Recognition from STARS!

    Illinois completed the STARS submission in June 2013. STARS is the most comprehensive sustainability rating system in the country.  The rating system is divided into 4 categories: education and research; operations; planning, administration and engagement; and innovation. STARS rates institutions on 5 levels: platinum, gold, silver, bronze and reporter. Illinois has achieved the Gold Level Recognition, and no institution thus far has achieved Platinum.  

    Attached Files: 

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