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  1. Notes about program concept

    To bridge gap

    Academic and operations Sought proposals through CSE  Solar. Largest location study out of town Madhu Viswanathan. Dashboard. Technology is there. Bridge gap from technology to inform students and employees to impact energy use Brian Allen. As we make changes in storm water treatment. At risk of undoing a lot of good work with vector borne diseases. Impacts of green infrastructure on the disease.   

  2. Agriculture Bioprocess Lab

    Associated Project(s): 

    As part of the Lighting Retrofit #5, 436 T-12 fixtures in the Agriculture Bioprocess Lab were replaced with more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 68,289 hours. The simple payback for this project is 3.62 years.

  3. EV club meeting

    Greetings,        This is a reminder notice that our next meeting of the Illinois EV Club will be this Wednesday, 10-16-2013, at the University YMCA at 6 pm.  (Neither Matt Childress, Cara Day nor I were able to host a meeting last Wednesday because of other committments, so we decided to delay our meeting by a week, until this Wednesday.)   Our format for the meeting will be the usual "Open Discussion" format we've used for recent meetings.  During the meeting, there should be plenty of time for any general-purpose questions and discussion among ourselves about anything having to do with the past, present or future of energy-efficient vehicles, so be sure to bring along with you any questions you may have and /or any ideas you may have come up with for additional projects the club could get involved in.  (Club member Richard told me last week that he hopes to bring along a book on EVs that we should find quite interesting.)               -  David Noreen   -----------------------------------   New members and guests are always welcomed and encouraged to attend our meetings! Please help spread the word about our club by forwarding this message to anyone you know who might be interested in high-mileage-per-gallon (or equivalent) vehicles, whether the vehicles be electrics, hybrids, or whatever, and regardless of how many wheels they may or may not have. Also, please encourage them to check out our “Illinois EV Club” page on Facebook, by simply typing “Illinois EV Club” in Facebook’s search box.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/illinoisev/   ------------------------------------   Note: Free parking is available (after 5 pm) in the UI lot that's 1 block due west of the YMCA, on the SW corner of Chalmers and Sixth, so that's another option that's available in addition to the on-street, metered parking near the Y. (As long as you don't mind walking that short block on Chalmers after you've parked in the UI lot.) ------------------------------------   More information about the UI’s “Illinois EV Club”:   1.Please feel free to contact Club President Matt Childress [childrss "at the domain" illinois.edu] for further information and / or to be added to our regular mailing list, if you're not already on it.     2. The club has been mentioned in several area newspaper articles that are listed here:   http://web.archive.org/web/20100708200544/http:/sugarrides.com/index.php...   3. On Google Groups, we have an Illinois EV Discussion Group that has its Archive page here:   http://groups.google.com/group/illinoisEV   so you can check out our past activities and some of the interests of our members.    If you'd like to join this discussion group, email our Club President Matt, and he can add you as a member. (See Item #1 above.)   4. If you like, you can also view the following online videos, which feature members of the club:   (i). Here are 2 videos of Club President Matt Childress and his Twike:   http://www.youtube.com/champaigncountynet#p/u/3/dPlNJLkKleA   http://communitymediaworkshop.org/npcommunicator/?tag=matt-childress   (ii). Here’s more information on Matt’s Twike:   http://web.mac.com/mattchildress/Twike/About_Me.html   (iii). Here’s a video featuring Randy Reisinger discussing the Sugar Rides EV (built by members of the club):   http://www.youtube.com/champaigncountynet#p/u/5/0vfCsMShrGg     --  You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Illinois EV Club" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to illinoisEV+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to illinoisEV@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/illinoisEV. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.  

  4. Every Bike Counts!

    Associated Project(s): 

    The University of Illinois is partnering with Champaign County Bikes to host the first-ever campus-wide bicycle census during Sustainability Week 2013. Volunteers will be dispatched across campus to help count parked bicycles during a one-hour period at 10am on October 23. The findings of the count will help inform future decisions around bicycle infrastructure, parking, and programming on campus. Sign up to volunteer or to learn more at http://go.illinois.edu/BikeCount2013. RSVP on Facebook to help spread the word!

  5. Bikes in parking decks?

    Associated Project(s): 

    Katie, I have not forgotten about this.  I am working on tracking down the “master plan” so to say for the existing parking decks.  Several are in need of repair & we are looking at what to do in the long run.  There is a feasibility study that will take place over the next year or so to determine what to do.   I am still looking into covered parking in the unused corners of parking garage spaces, but I want to wisely invest the $ into something that will last for a long time.   Thank you for your feedback and patience.   From: Johnston, Morgan B  Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 5:08 PM To: Katie Kinley Cc: DeLorenzo, Stacey Subject: RE: Bike Parking   Hi Katie,   Stacey DeLorenzo is the new TDM Coordinator and she is handling the bike parking infrastructure needs.  I think that she would be a good first place to start.  I know that the SSC funded bike parking does not include parking inside the North Campus Parking Deck (NCPD), which is the ECE garage you are thinking of.   I also know that the Parking Department has historically avoided bike parking inside decks/garages, due to safety concerns.  Stacey can talk with the Parking Director, Michelle Wahl, and perhaps you can work together to get Parking to agree to let some be added there…   Stacey, Katie is the SSC Transportation Working Group chair.  So, when we have the ARC’s approval of the new bike racks, she is one who will be copied on the scope change request.   Thanks!! Morgan   ============================ Ms. Morgan B. Johnston Sustainability Coordinator University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Facilities & Services, 115J PPSB, MC-800 1501 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820 217-333-2668 mbjohnst@illinois.edu http://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu     From: Katie Kinley [mailto:krkinley@gmail.com]  Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 4:54 PM To: Johnston, Morgan B Subject: Bike Parking   Hi Morgan,   Who could I ask about whether or not there will be bike parking inside the ECE parking garage??   Thanks,   Katie Kinley

  6. Bicycle Class Request Form Created

    In order to gauge demand in existing and new classes, we have created a Bicycle Class Request Form so that students, employees and community members can request new opportunities to learn more about bicycles. The form link appears when an existing bicycle class registration is already full, so that we can estimate how many additional people tried to register for classes that have reached maximum capacity.  The form can also be used to suggest new bicycle safety or mechanics classes. 

  7. Request for status update from fleet manager

    Associated Project(s): 

    From: "Varney, Peter W" 

    Date: October 4, 2013 at 7:49:39 AM CDT

    To: "Lietz, Amanda M" 

    Subject: Biodiesel project - truck

     

    I was wondering if you could provide an update to the biodiesel project. We haven’t received a delivery in about a year although there has been some intermittent discussion since the last delivery.

     

    My specific interest revolves around the truck that was used for the deliveries and collections. This vehicle has been sitting idle for a year and if it is no longer needed, I would like to transfer it to another department that would find the truck to be useful. We would remove your equipment and put it into storage for a short time.

     

    Please let me know.

     

    Pete Varney, CAFM

    Associate Director for Facilities & Services

    Director of Transportation & Automotive Services 

     

  8. Videos

    Associated Project(s): 

    We are pleased to provide the two animated files discussed at yesterday’s final presentation of the N. Campus Parking Deck Solar Array Conceptualization:

    • Hanno Weber’s ramp-up animation
    • Time lapse showing the construction of a parking garage solar installation

    Please click the following link to access these two items, and feel free to forward the link to colleagues who would be interested but were not at Thursday’s meeting.     https://pepractice.box.com/s/suegtnts53iasbhvvohp

  9. sustainable electronics consortium

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hello sustainable electronics enthusiasts! Thanks to those of you who came to ISTC yesterday for the preliminary group meeting. It’s both inspiring and somewhat daunting to consider the breadth of activities across campus that relate to sustainable electronics in some way, and the number of paths we could pursue to bring about positive change within our University. I’m confident that if we focus our attentions, as discussed yesterday, on topics that smaller groups can meet about and pursue, while also coming together as a larger group periodically to share ideas and insights, we’ll accomplish wonderful things and strengthen the ever growing “culture of sustainability” on campus.

     

    ISTC, through its Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), will continue to coordinate meeting arrangements and information sharing among the smaller subgroups (research, education, and operations for now, though those names and themes are subject to change).  I’ve set up a page on the SEI web site for this campus consortium—see http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/services/campusconsortium.cfm. Through this page we can share meeting minutes, scheduling details, and relevant documents for the subgroups and broader consortium, in one place.

     

    Some of the attendees at yesterday’s meeting expressed interest in having a list of contact information for those who came or had planned to come. I can compile a list of attendee names, email addresses, departments/affiliations, and phone numbers to distribute. If you would prefer not to share your contact info, let me know by October 9.

     

    I’ll be in touch with a few of you directly in the near future to discuss possible presentations for small group meetings. Everyone should watch their email inboxes for notes and Doodles related to subgroup meetings around the topics of research, education, and operations/policy. When meeting dates and times are established, I’ll post those to the web page and send everyone an email notice. We’ll tentatively plan to make the SJW conference room at ISTC available for those initial small group meetings.

     

    If you have colleagues or students who you think should be involved in these efforts, please direct them to the web page listed above or have them contact me to be added to the mailing list. If you are receiving these messages but would like to be removed from the mailing list, just email me to let me know.

     

    Best wishes,

    Joy

     

    Joy Scrogum, M.S.

    Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist

    Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC; www.istc.illinois.edu)

    A division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

    Co-Coordinator, Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI; www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu)

    International Sustainable Electronics Competition (www.ewaste.illinois.edu)

    Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR; www.glrppr.org)

    GLRPPR is a member of the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx; www.p2rx.org)

    217-333-8948

    jscrogum@illinois.edu

     

  10. Meeting about water fountains

    Matt Emmert, Jeff Schrader, Morgan Johnston, Amy Liu, and David Mischiu met to discuss the water fountain glass fillers project.  Mark Warner from the F&S plumbing shop was unable to make it due to a scheduling change. 

    • Do not put a spout on a fountain that is scheduled to be replaced.  
    • If two fountains in one location, put a spout only on the shorter fountains.
    • If the water fountain cannot easily be converted, then skip that fountain.

    1) Undergrad library.  Put them on the west upper level by elevator, lower level by elevator, espresso royale area, and the upper level east side (inside the library, on carpeted area).  F&S should also replace the one noted fountain, outside of the project funding.

    2) Grainger library.  The ones on the first floor are consistently having problems... Just do one per floor, except third floor. F&S should also fix the buttons on the first floor fountains, outside of the project funding.

    3) ACES library. First to fourth floor on south side.

    4) Main Library.  Put one on both in basement, east and west.  First floor center east.  Third floor north side. Put one on the fourth floor south side, after replacing the fountain. 

    Could talk with Sherri Miller at classroom reservations to get high use buildings. Lincoln Hall.  What happens if the spout gets popped off?  Does water shoot out?  

    Wohlers, leave off. Leave Natural Resources Building off.

    David, Amy, and Morgan will meet with facility contacts for the other buildings.  Loomis, Siebel, Armory.  

    Only order the spouts for one building at a time. 

     

     

     

  11. data about our avoided electrical costs

    Associated Project(s): 

    To really understand the cost avoidance from clean energy, campus needs to compare the renewable electricity costs to the specific costs for buying electricity from the grid.  To do that we need to know that AMIL.peic is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MISO Node.

  12. Call for students!!

    The cities of Urbana and Champaign along with several partners are preparing to launch the Urbana-Champaign Energy Star Challenge.  The Challenge is designed to engage businesses in our community to reduce energy consumption in their buildings. The local business will be using a web application to benchmark and track their energy use.  The CSE is seeking student volunteers to help businesses in this endeavor.  Volunteers will be trained to use the app, and will then assist local businesses in the process of using the web application for the Challenge.  Training is expected to occur before Thanksgiving Break.  If you are someone who would like to connect with others in the community and especially local businesses, we want you!  To sign up for this opportunity, please fill out the registration form.

  13. Sustainability Week 2013 website

    sw2013

    2013 Sustainability Week

    In collaboration with many partners the Center for a Sustainable Environment will be hosting the Fourth Annual Sustainability Week on October 21-25, with activities to educate and encourage the campus and community to go green!

    The week will be a celebration of the University's sustainable successes, and educational motivation to make even more progress. And there is something for everyone. Visit UIUC's most sustainable sites, and watch intriguing presentations about environmental ideas.

    Print a schedule At-A-Glance Schedule


    All Week Events:

    iHELP and Share your Soles Shoe Drive 
    Looking to do some good and be green? Donate your gently used shoes at Campus Recreation facilities. The shoes collected will be distributed to local non-profit organizations. You can drop off any and all shoes in the designated bins at the ARC, 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, or CRCE, 1102 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana.

    How does your garden grow? Display depicting how much food can be grown in an area
    The Housing Sustainability Council will mark off an ½ acre area within the quad of Ikenberry Commons. The purpose of marking off the space (spray paint) to to show the size of an ½ acre and to post signs that indicate how much food can be grown in the space. For example,  ½ acre can produce 7,500# of tomatoes. There will be signs showing the amount of produce that can be produced in a relatively small space. Signs will also show how much space/water/feed/energy it would take to produce beef, pork and chicken, respectively.

     

    Monday, October 21:

    11am-2pm: Sustainability Week Kickoff EXPO
    Visit the many exhibits to learn how Illinois is going green and how you can do your part!
    Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), Winter Garden, 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign

    2-3:30pm: Sustainable Student Farm Tour - Registration is required.
    The farm serves as a production farm to supply our residence halls with locally grown, low-input sustainable food. In addition, the farm acts as a living laboratory to connect students, community members, and the state at large with regional, small-scale food systems. We plan to broaden our focus to include the research, education, and outreach missions of the university. 
    Location: The Sustainable Student Farm is located near the intersection of Lincoln and Windsor road.  We will provide transportation to and from the farm. Pickup and dropoff locations are:Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall (LAR), 1005 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana and Ikenberry Dining Hall, 301 E. Gregory Drive, Champaign.

    3:30-5pm: Woody Perennial Polyculture Tour - Registration is required. 
    A Woody Perennial Polyculture (WPP) is an assemblage of plant species that aims to mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems to sustainably produce an agricultural yield while simultaneously restoring ecosystem services. Rather than perpetuating the separation of nature and humans, this system attempts to break down the dichotomy between ecological restoration and agriculture. This concept has grown and evolved out of fields such as agroecology, agroforestry, permaculture, silvopasture, carbon farming, and ecological restoration, but the application of this paradigm to large-scale industrial agriculture is a relatively new idea. The WPP community studied at this research site is an example of such a system that has the potential to become an ecologically sound, agriculturally productive, and economically viable alternative to the corn-soybean rotation (Herbaceous Annual Monoculture) that currently dominates agriculture in the Midwestern U.S.
    Location: The Woody Perennial Polyculture is located near the intersection of Lincoln and Windsor road.  We will provide transportation to and from the farm. Pickup and dropoff locations are:Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall (LAR), (circle drive) 1005 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana and Ikenberry Dining Hall, 301 E. Gregory Drive, Champaign.


    Tuesday, October 22:

    10am-2pm: Global Water Day Events
    Alpha Phi Omega (APO) National Service Fraternity in collaboration with the Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS), Engineers without Borders (EWB) and the Quench Foundation are organizing the Global Water Day on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013. The program will be an amalgamation of events to raise awareness about the quality and scarcity of water in the world. EWB will showcase the student designed sand filters that are used in Guatemala while APO will raise awareness about the water scarcity through their Water Walk. SECS will be demonstrate the problems associated with usage of plasticwater bottles through their water tasting booth. They will also be raising funds through the Print Eco Fundraiser to support individual sustainability projects via the Kiva Microfinance Network.
    Location: Illini Union Anniversary Plaza (Quad Side)
    RSVP Here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1398608493705249/
    Questions? Email Nishant Makhijani at nishant.makhijani19@gmail.com


    6-8:30pm: Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story. Movie, Discussion, and Tour of ISTC Research Labs Registration is required. (print flyer)
    The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, a division of the Prairie Research Institute on the UI campus, presents a free showing of this Emmy Award-winning documentary at 6:30 pm with tours of the ISTC laboratories at 6:00 and 8:00 pm. Farming nurtures humans and nutrients are essential for food, but runoff is contaminating our rivers, lakes and aquifers. Join us to explore the challenges of policies and practices and proposed solutions.The movie traces the development of America's bountiful heartland and its effect on the legendary river. Through beautiful photography and inspiring narrative, the film offers remedies to the river's troubles through fresh ideas and concrete solutions. After the movie, Dr. George Czapar of the Illinois State Water Survey, another division of the Prairie Research Institute, will give a brief presentation on nutrients and water quality issues in Illinois. 
    Website: http://www.istc.illinois.edu/October_22_2013_Event.cfm This event is free and open to the public. One dollar pizza and refreshments will be offered beginning at 6 pm. Free parking is available at the event. Please register for the event if you would like pizza: https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/8252686.
    Illinois Sustainability Technology Center (ISTC), Stephen J. Warner Conference Room, 1 E. Hazelwood Drive, Champaign


    Wednesday, October 23: Campus Sustainability Day

    10am: Waste Transfer Station Tour - Registration is required.
    Take a tour of the UI Waste Transfer Station at our state of the art Material Recover Facility.
    10 E. St. Mary's Road, Champaign

    10am-12pm: Campus-Wide Bicycle Count
    The University of Illinois is partnering with Champaign County Bikes to host the first-ever campus-wide bicycle census during Sustainability Week 2013. Over a hundred volunteers will be dispatched across campus to help count parked bicycles during a one-hour period on October 23. The findings of the count will help inform future decisions around bicycle infrastructure, parking, and programming on campus. Sign up to volunteer or to learn more at http://go.illinois.edu/BikeCount2013.

    11-12n: Center for a Sustainable Environment Director Chat with Students - Registration is required.
    Details to come!
    University YMCA, Lower Level K-1, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign

    12n-1pm: Careers in Sustainability
    Do you have an interest in doing environmental work? Come enjoy lunch for free and hear from professionals who work in the environmental field in areas of science, business, and education. Broaden your network, learn more about others' experiences and find out more about your interests or career! For more information, visit the Career Center.
    Career Center at the Student Arcade Building, Room 143

    12n-4pm: Bike Fix It/Bike Blender Smoothies!
    Bring your bike for the cheapest tune up in town! Tune ups stats at $5.00. In need of a rad refreshment on your way to class? Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) has got you covered! Use your own two legs to blend up a sustainable smoothie on our student-built Bike Blender. Fruit and ice smoothies will be sold for $2.00. All proceeds will benefit the Students for Environmental Concerns. 
    On the Main Quad

    1pm: Energy Farm Tour - Registration is required.
    There will be a tour to the nearby University of Illinois Energy Farm.  Bioenergy crop research and production plantings, including sustainable perennial grasses and broadleaved plants, woody feedstocks, and state-of-the-art environmental monitoring equipment are housed at the 320 acre farm.  We will also tour the 2007 Solar Decathlon house.  Locally produced and sourced goat milk gelato will be available at the farm.
    Location: The Energy Farm is located near the intersection of Curtis and Race road.  We will provide transportation to and from the farm. Pickup and dropoff locations are:Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall (LAR), 1005 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana and Ikenberry Dining Hall, 301 E. Gregory Drive, Champaign.

    3-4:30pm:Exploring Biotreatment of Saline Waters Lecture (print flyer)
    Speakers: Dr. Harry Dankowicz, U of IL Dept. of Mechanical Sciences & Engineering; Dr. Fredrik Grondahl, KTH Division of Industrial Ecology; Srirupa Ganguly, IL Sustainable Technology Center; and Joseph Pechsiri, KTH Division of Industrial Ecology. To begin this event, there will be an introduction about the U of IL Illinois-Sweden Program for Educational and Research Exchange (INSPIRE) which is fostering research and faculty/student collaborations with KTH and other Swedish universities.  Following will be two research presentations on current projects on biotreatment of saline waters at KTH and ISTC.  Others on the U of IL campus working with algae, nutrients, and algal biofuels will also be invited to give brief updates on their work.  Open discussion will follow.  Refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to U of IL faculty, staff, and students as well as the general public.  Any U of IL researchers or students wishing to give a brief update about their related research, please contact Nancy Holm at naholm@illinois.edu.  The event will be held at the Stephen J. Warner Conference Room at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, One. E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.  There is free parking in the circle drive in front of the building or metered parking in the lot ($1 per hour).  Cars with U of IL parking tags from any lot may park in the parking lot.  Bus service is available on the Yellow No. 1 shuttle from campus.  This event is co-sponsored by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (a division of the Prairie Research Institute) and the Center for a Sustainable Environment at the U of IL. 
    Illinois Sustainability Technology Center (ISTC) Stephen J. Warner Conference Room, 1 E. Hazelwood Drive, Champaign

    5-7pm: Sustainability Awards Reception
    Please join us at a reception honoring our Sustainability Fellows and this year's Energy Conservation Incentive Program winners. 
    Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana

     

    Thursday, October 24: National Food Day

    10-11am: Sustainability Meet & Greet Coffee
    At the beginning of Fall 2013, the CSE hosted a week-long series of Meet and Greet Coffees.  These coffees brought together people interested in local sustainability efforts to meet and brainstorm with each other about ongoing or new efforts.  They were a tremendous success, and the participants requested additional meetings.  This is a follow-up Meet and Greet Coffee, and EVERYONE interested in local sustainability is encouraged to come by and say hello.  The point of discussion this day will be “Action: what specific next steps will we take?”  There will also be sign up opportunities for the Center for a Sustainable Environment's newsletter, to volunteer on various actual projects, and to participate on campus green teams.
    Illini Union, Colonial Room, 1401 W. Greet Street, Urbana

    11am-1pm: Tap That - Water Taste Test
    The event involves students doing a blind test between tap water and bottled water. Then we survey which drink they prefer and what difference they can detect. 
    Illini Union Anniversary Plaza (Quad Side)

    11am-5pm: Sustainable Student Farmer's Market
    The farm serves as a production farm to supply our residence halls with locally grown, low-input sustainable food. In addition, the farm acts as a living laboratory to connect students, community members, and the state at large with regional, small-scale food systems. Currently, the farm operates between 45-48 weeks per year, occupying 6 acres for outdoor field production and nearly 10,000 square feet of year round high tunnel production. In addition to selling the majority of our produce to the residence halls, we also market our produce directly to consumers on the quad. Every attempt is made to integrate educational aspects into all activities on the farm.
    Illini Union Anniversary Plaza (Quad Side) 

    Lunch and Dinner Hours: Food Waste Advocacy
    More than 40% of food in America goes to waste. In light of this troubling statistic, service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega will be hosting a series of events in University Housing dining halls to advocate decreasing food waste. Members will explain to students the negative effects that food waste has on the environment and describe ways that everyone can do their part to prevent it.
    University Dining Halls - Ikenberry Commons and Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall 

    12-4pm: Bike Fix It/Bike Blender Smoothies!
    Bring your bike for the cheapest tune up in town! Tune ups stats at $5.00. In need of a rad refreshment on your way to class? Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) has got you covered! Use your own two legs to blend up a sustainable smoothie on our student-built Bike Blender. Fruit and ice smoothies will be sold for $2.00. All proceeds will benefit the Students for Environmental Concerns. 
    On the Main Quad

    6-8pm: Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) Food Day Potluck
    Join Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) as we take part in the nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, sustainably produced eats while raising awareness of local food efforts! If you're able, please bring a potluck dish to share, and come with some info about how it was cooked or purchased locally. Not able to bring something yourself? You can still share in the meal by giving a suggested $2 donation that will go to support local farming efforts. We're also bringing in some very cool guest speakers who'll fill us in on all things food justice - from community gardening to food access issues to what we're eating right here in our dining halls. Come with an open mind and an empty stomach! 
    Red Herring, 1209 W. Oregon, Urbana

    Friday, October 25:

    10-11am: "Choosing the Right Bike" Free Class - Registration is required.
    The Campus Bicycle Shop is offering this free class on choosing the right bike. This class will cover bike styles, sizing, the difference tire sizes make, and how frame geometry affects ride quality. The class will help cyclists understand what bike to purchase, how to go about selecting the right bike, and when to ask for help.
    Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), Multi-purpose Room 7, 201 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign

    3-5pm: Bike Expo at the Campus Bicycle Shop
    The Campus Bicycle Shop is hosting a Bike Expo with representatives from local bicycling organizations and shops. The Campus Bicycle Shop is a collaboration between the University of Illinois and The Bicycle Project of Urbana-Champaign, dedicated to empowering individuals with knowledge about how to repair and maintain bicycles. There will be representatives from Bike@Illinois, Champaign County Bikes, Prairie Cycle Club, BikeFace, and many more.  Students, employees, and community members interested in meeting the amazing people behind our community-wide bicycling movement, should stop by to say hello, gather new information, and join the party.  Snacks will be provided.
    608 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign (Garages behind the Natural Resources Building)

    6:00pm: Homecoming Parade
    Join green RSO's and the Sustainability Week Committee for the parade! You can ride a decorated sustainable bicycle, or walk with our Go Green banner.

     

    We hope you will be able to attend some, if not all, events! 

    Sponsored by: Center for a Sustainable Environment, Energy Biosciences Institute, Students for Environmental Concerns, Facilities and Services, Campus Recreation, Housing, Dining Services, Illini Union, Sustainable Student Farm, University YMCA, Campus Bicycle Shop, The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, and Alpha Phi Omega

  14. Letter to SSC

    Dear Student Sustainability Committee,   As the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator in Facilities & Services, I am writing to introduce myself to the Committee and provide you with an update on the Bicycle Parking Upgrade project, which I have taken over as part of my new role. We have been transitioning the role of TDM Coordinator from Morgan Johnston to me since June, and she has been working to bring me up to speed on the large number of transportation infrastructure projects happening across campus, including bicycle parking upgrades. While we have made progress toward the completion of this project, we are requesting an additional extension to finish the work.   In addition to the delay from the staff transition period, we have taken some time to evaluate our various options to ensure that the upgraded racks provide the long-term solution that was intended by SSC’s funding award. One of the primary challenges with this project is that many of the bike parking locations selected for this project are in need of concrete or pavement upgrades; however, funding is not in the TDM budget to pay for these upgrades. One location, the Art & Design Building, has been completed so far with financial support from the Art & Design Department to re-lay new concrete at that site.  For the majority of the other locations, however, there is no funding available from the departments to repair or replace the cracked and degraded concrete.  This has made us hesitant to install new bicycle racks onto pavement that will need to be replaced in a matter of years.   As a more permanent solution, we are looking at a few alternative configurations of bike racks.  All those we are considering are moveable and can easily be relocated – whether to upgrade the pavement beneath them, to accommodate a construction project, or to permanently relocate a building’s bicycle parking to a more optimal location over time.  We are looking at rack units which can be purchased and also a rack where 5 U-loops would be installed on rails, rather than directly cemented into the ground. While the initial cost of constructing the loops on rails is higher, it is a much more sustainable approach to bike parking given the challenges at these locations, and it is more affordable than replacing the pavement at each location. A rack unit can also be placed on permeable pavement, or even in a gravel/grass location temporarily as needed.  The lifespan of a bike rack unit is significantly higher, and offers much greater flexibility for placement and upkeep of the racks and surrounding landscape. Due to a potential increased initial cost of the racks on rails configuration (if this is what is determined to be the approved configuration), I may be requesting approval to change the scope of the project.  A change of scope is necessary because fewer total bike parking loops may be possible when on racks. Once we have identified a configuration that meets the best need of the users, we will be ready to proceed with the project and do not expect any further delays, but getting to this point has taken longer than originally expected. We anticipate being finished with the installation of these racks before the beginning of the fall semester 2014. Please let me know whether this change in the scope of the project is acceptable to the SSC.  I will keep you informed on the status and look forward to working with you on the best solution for our campus. Facilities & Services is incredibly grateful to the SSC for your ongoing support for sustainable transportation initiatives on campus, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to make the campus more bike-able, walkable, and transit-friendly. If you would like more detail, please contact me.   Thank you,   Stacey DeLorenzo Design Review Coordinator Transportation Demand Management Coordinator University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Facilities Services Office: 217-300-1750 Cell: 217-722-4992        

  15. Meeting with Madhu's team, Morgan, and Mike

    Associated Project(s): 

    Mike Marquissee and Morgan Johnston met with Madhu Viswanathan's team. The students were Doug, Julie, Ophelia, Tim, Colin. Colin is the point person and James scholar.

    They said their goal is to raise awareness with students about the power going to buildings and how we could be more efficient and more sustainable.  They have gathered feedback from some students about the current website (illinienergy.illinois.edu).

    Mike explained that Illinois has had a successful conservation program.  We have hit all the low hanging fruit, including retro commissioning, tightened facility standards, building controls replacements, and better monitoring.  We have already reaped the benefit of those major projects. Next phase is to identify and find ways to influence behvaior change...  How can we make people aware and how can we make people commit to... Get them behind our goals and use the tools?

    Deliverable from Madhu's team would be a website, a display app, and a business plan for implementing the dashboard. First, just getting a website to try it out.  More accessible and understanding.  Tips on how it works.

    The students will learn by doing.  Also a display going in Wohlers or BIF.  Mike brought examples of three versions of similar websites.  Arizona State University uses Lucid and they have an extra section that shows what can be done to reduce energy in a bedroom or an office.  Penn State uses Excelsius and runs their dashboard in flash... It has dials, et cetera.

    Our website uses Html5, soap commands, scrape websites.  F&S can provide the source code for our dashboard to access the source data.  Mike's team hasn't tried it yet, but they know the data is accessible.  Tim and Mike can work together to get the data.

    Morgan noted that the audience needs to include faculty and staff, not just students. Madhu agreed.  They are just starting with the students.

    Doug asked what sort of information should be included on a poster. Morgan said that the Energy Liaison presentations would be good starting points.  They are on the iCAP Portal, which the students had not yet seen.

    The website design has multiple options, which the team will evaluate and suggest best layouts.  Also, the physical display itself will be considered. BIF has a proprietary display. Also the campus has digital signage options. Typically it is a continuous display, rather than interactive.  Mike said F&Sdoes not have the data set up to push it out, but we can give access for it to be pulled out.

    Todd Sweet from the College of Business communications office joined us.  They are looking into developing mobile apps for the college.  One could be an App about energy consumption in BIF and such.  Students are looking at how the website can be designed.  Also what would the display potentially have?  

     

     

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