Great meeting for the Transportation Team, discussing future projects and EV infrastructure possibilities on campus.

Looking forward to the Green Globes and Bike to Earth event!

Work order #11210322 for the Labor Shop to remove the parking blocks on the south-west side of the parking lot E-28 for shipping containers delivery in the gravel lot between the Abbott Chilling Tower and the Personnel Building was completed on 2/3/2025. This task was closed on 3/4/2025 and cost $2,051.81.

Discussed background information regarding Bird Strikes on the UIUC campus such as number of deaths, which buildings/locations on campus cause the largest number of deaths, etc. Further discussed potential solutions and strategies for implementation (including outsourcing, funding, volunteers, etc.) as well as next steps.

Attached is a news article titled Urbana’s Feet Hit the Streets, 1977, covering Urbana’s "Bus, Bike, and Hike Week." This was among the initial initiatives promoting alternative transportation to reduce traffic, pollution, and encourage exercise. The event included a pedestrian parade, free bus rides, a film on automobile impacts, and bike trips across Illinois. Check it out to learn more about Urbana’s historical sustainable mobility efforts.

See attached a newspaper article 'The Bachelors ' (May 14, 1961), which explores the controversy surrounding bicycle paths and features a striking song or poem about a University of Illinois student’s tragic fate on one.

See attached an aerial image from the construction of KCPA, 8/3/1966. An example that showcases the university's leadership in bicycle friendliness in the 50's and 60's.

Staff collected and updated data for the month of January and February on 2/26/25.  

Still slow but have had a few people in looking for bikes or B-a-Bs but no sales on either. With the warmer weather this week, we’ll likely be busier. I’ve got a half dozen bikes to safety check while the weather is cooperating.

Last week and today we made some more headway on the abandoned bike pile. Still coordinating with some other groups to take some of the junky bikes off our hands.

Tonight is the Bike Project Monthly Meeting.

The numbers:

Visitors: 23
Sales: $82
Membership: 1 for $30
Tire/tube: 1 for $6

At this past Friday's Illinii Lights Out event, 3953 light bulbs were shut off that otherwise would have been left on all weekend, saving $601.43 in energy costs. This also prevented 5.8 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from entering the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 660 gallons of gasoline being consumed. That's a huge impact!

The meeting covered several key updates and discussions on sustainability initiatives. The Chair provided updates on the Green Training Program survey, seeking feedback on student engagement strategies. The Vice Chair discussed efforts for a greener campus, including outreach to Greek Life. The Clerk emphasized the importance of in-person meetings and marketing materials. Guest speakers highlighted upcoming events like Sustainapalooza and Illinifest, stressing the logistical challenges and opportunities for student involvement. Discussions included promotional outreach, sustainability projects such as Greener Chapters yard signs and low-maintenance greenery at ISR, and the importance of connecting sustainability efforts across campus. Additionally, engagement team members offered support for these initiatives, and an approved course for next semester was announced. Adam encouraged members to consider speaking at the sustainability film festival.

Following the Department of Pyschology's award of Monarch Level Green Office Certification, the department posted a news update to highlight their accomplishment! 

25 lbs of common milkweed seed was dispersed by F&S Grounds. The attached pdf shows a map of places where this seed was dispersed.

Uneventful over here. Slow and cold. Plodding away at bikes and wheels to have a good supply of both come the busy times. This week I’ll meet some TBP volunteers to clean out the barn more, as it’ll be March soon.

The numbers:

Visitors: 19
Sales: $281.50
Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $100
Memberships: 3 for $90
Tires/tubes: 1 for $4

Dart Container at 1505 E. Main St., Urbana, accepts expanded polystyrene (EPS), more commonly known by its brand name Styrofoam, for recycling. Departments are encouraged to take EPS there to recycle this bulky material. By doing so, we can reduce the volume of waste sent from campus to landfills and avoid the harmful environmental impacts of that practice. There is no charge to drop off EPS at Dart for recycling.

There is currently no central funding source to pay for transportion of EPS to Dart, so departments need to arrange transport independently.

The drop-off location is in a fenced-in area of the Dart parking lot and may be accessed 24 hours a day. Dart accepts foam packaging (except for packaging peanuts), foam cups, foam egg cartons, foam meat trays, foam ice chests, and other foam products that fall within these guidelines:

• Make sure foam has the #6 chasing arrows symbol on it.
• Deposit foam in a clear or translucent bag (large bags are provided at the drop-off site).
• Rinse or wipe foodservice containers free from food.
• Remove straws, lids, tape or any other non-foam material.
• Do not include foam-packaging peanuts.

From fall 2015 until summer 2017, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) ran the Styrecycle program in partnership with Community Resource Inc. (CRI). Ownership of CRI changed in July 2017, and the new owner was not able to continue the program.

The iCAP Education team met on Teams from 4-5 PM on Monday February 10th. First we reviewed materials for the Green Career Forum, then we identified the progress and next steps for establishing the Sustainability Gen-Ed Requirement, then we introduced the possibility of a Suatainability Exit Survey, and lastly we closed by delegating research tasks for the 2025 AASHE stars report. The meeting minutes are attached.

Following is the data for Bike to Work Day 2024

• 1,565 Bike Month t-shirts purchased
• 1,274 registered
• 775 participated/checked in
• 1,132 t-shirts given out
• Leftovers at CCRPC: 413 t-shirts (Adults) and 20 t-shirts (Youth)
  • Youth Small - 10
  • Youth Medium - 10
  • Small - 122
  • Medium - 179
  • Large - 77
  • Extra Large - 26
  • 2XL - 9

F&S, MTD, Urbana, and Champaign are planning to host an event in April 2025 (around Earth Day 04/22) to give away the remaining lights and t-shirts from Bike to Work Day and Light the Night. Additional details are still being discussed internally. 

• Bike to Work Day:
  
  • 1565 Bike Month t-shirts purchased
  • 1274 registered
  • 775 participated/checked in
  • 1132 t-shirts given out
  • Leftovers at CCRPC: 413 t-shirts (Adults) and 20 t-shirts (Youth)
    
    • Youth Small - 10
    • Youth Medium - 10
    • Small - 122
    • Medium - 179
    • Large - 77
    • Extra Large - 26
    • 2XL - 9
• Light the Night: 520 light sets leftover. - https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/leftover-light-count. 

The iCAP Transportation Team had our first meeting of the spring semester on Monday, Feb. 10th.

There were a lot of exciting updates - the 2025 Campus Bike Plan has been published, student's research projects are progressing as they look into systems and infrastructures other universities have in place to encourage active and less environmentally impactful methods of transit, and we are working on finalizing the Campus Transportation Survey to send out in the next couple of weeks.