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  1. Take the Drinking Water Survey!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Drinking Water Survey
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    Take the survey here!

    This survey is the result of a recommendation by the Zero Waste iCAP Team and is intended to gain a better understanding of drinking water behavior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    The survey is broken into eight sections. Section one asks demographic questions, sections two through seven ask you to respond to statements on a 1-5 scale, and the last section asks open ended questions. Please answer as truthfully as possible. The survey should take no more than 5 minutes. 

    Participants will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Illini Bookstore gift card!

    To get involved or share your ideas, please contact sustainability@illinois.edu.  

  4. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - October 21, 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    TODOs:

  5. Energy iCAP Team Recommendations to Improve Energy Efficiency

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Energy iCAP Team

    Below is an email exchange between Tyler Swanson and Karl Helmink:

    Hello Karl,

     

    My name is Tyler Swanson, and I am the clerk for the Energy iCAP Team. I am reaching out to you today to hear your thoughts on a couple of ideas myself and the energy team chairs have had for improving energy efficiency on campus.

     

    First, would it be feasible to recommend a facilities standard that requires any new buildings to be either net-zero or to have the capacity to generate clean energy on sight, such as solar or geothermal? This was thought of as a way to reduce the energy impact of developing new buildings across campus.

     

    Second, would it be feasible to recommend a facilities standard that sets a higher energy standard for new buildings and renovations on campus? I saw that CEJA requires the state of Illinois to create a new stretch code by the end of 2023, and I wondered if there have been any conversations about this at F&S.

     

    Thank you for your time!

     

     

    Sincerely,

     

    Tyler Swanson

    ----------------------------------

    Tyler,

     

    My comments would be that both of these topics have been discussed in the past.

     

    1. The codes set the standard for energy consumption and I think that we still have a campus standard that asks for us to be x% above the code.   It is more cost effective to have a solar farm than to put panels on each new building.  My best thought / suggestion would be to spend say $20 million a year on fixing old buildings (deferred maintenance)  and installing new modern systems and retire say 1960-1980 energy intensive mechanical systems. The net zero buildings are very expensive.  So  in my opinion a better way to spend the money would be to upgrade/ renovate existing structure rather than building new buildings which add to the campus square footage.  Net zero buildings are very expensive and potentially take money away from energy saving deferred maintenance projects like ESCOs.

     

    1. You guys should probably understand the history on this item.  Tom can probably help with that.  Staying with professional codes/standards such as ASHRAE is probably the most viable option at this point. It might be worthwhile inviting Tom to a meeting to discuss the latest on the codes.  There is some history on this subject.

     

     

    Thanks,

     

    karl

  6. Week 3 Check In - Plastic Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Plastic Free Challenge
    Campus Sustainability Month

    Good morning!

    It’s Thursday so you know what that means… time for our weekly check-in! You are almost done with Week 3 of the Plastic Reduction Challenge. There is just over one week left until the end of the challenge. We are sad to realize this, too. We love communicating with you and building our community of sustainability enthusiasts. How have you improved since Week 1? What more do you have to learn?

    During Week 2, we raised our group average to 12.75 points! This number is outstanding! Not only did our group improve from Week 1, but this number reflects largely positive actions by the entire group. This number is equivalent to refusing plastic (+8 points) and picking up litter (+5 points), while also throwing away no plastic. Wow!

    This week, let’s focus on avoiding plastic in the home: the kitchen, the laundry, and the bathroom, specifically. Have you noticed how heavily food products are packaged? Do you know that dryer sheets and cleaning products contribute to plastic waste? The attached weekly tip includes ways to avoid plastic while making and storing food, cleaning, and doing laundry. This week’s tip is a particularly good one to share with friends, roommates, and family members, as well!

    Please remember to submit your  Week 3 Google Form by Monday, October 24. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns at any time. 

    Late to the challenge? No worries! Check out the Box Folder for any materials you may have missed.

    Enjoy the rest of your week and we will talk to you again on Sunday.

     

    Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager

    Emily Dickett and Jenna Schaefer, iSEE Sustainability Interns 

     

    Attached Files: 

  7. Multiple schools (OSU, UMich, Purdue) begin involvement with the creation of the survey

    Associated Project(s): 
    Big Ten & Friends Sustainability
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Thank you Mary and Daphne!  The way that Mary worded the question is great to me! 

     

    Daphne, if it is not too bold of me to ask, I was wondering if there might be opportunities to add more questions to the Survey?  I ask as I was recently emailing with the Michigan folks (copied) and both our institutions are interested in pulling together some waste related benchmarking data, specifically around their individual waste goals and how they measure it (hence the diversion rate calculation question).  I am hoping that there is a way we might be able to collaborate, whether that is collaborating through your current survey or perhaps supplementing the data.  That being said, I know very little about the survey, its timeline, the questions, etc.; thus, a collaboration may not be feasible. If you believe a collaboration might be feasible, I would be happy to coordinate a quick schedule where we could discuss how Purdue staff and/or students could assist.  I am interested to hear your thoughts!

     

    Thank you,

    Tony

     

    From: Leciejewski, Mary <leciejewski.8@osu.edu>
    Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 8:43 AM
    To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Szal, Dominika Patrycja <dszal2@illinois.edu>; Anthony Gillund <agillund@purdue.edu>
    Subject: RE: Big Ten Waste Management Survey: Diversion Rate Calculation

     

    ---- External Email: Use caution with attachments, links, or sharing data ----

     

    Daphne,

     

    Apologies for the delay- I was out of the office last week and am still getting caught up.

     

    Thank you so much for including that question in your survey!

     

    One item might be to ask, “What information do you include in your diversion rate report?”

     

    Ohio State includes the following:

    Landfill tonnage data

    Commingled recycling

    Reused pallets

    Recycled pallets

    Scrap metal

    Landscape waste

    Composted food scraps, biodegradable materials, coffee grounds, and animal bedding from labs

    Biodigested food waste (ex. enviropure systems)

    Donations of furniture and other items

    Motor oil

    Tire Recycling

    Cooking oil recycling

    Donated food

    Mattresses

    Paper shredding

    Batteries

    Recycled toner cartridges

    Donated books

    Reprocessed medical devices

     

    We do not include construction waste or manure from farms. We also do not estimate avoided materials (ex. weights kept out of landfill through projects like implementing hand dryers or reusable containers). Instead, we just assume those numbers will be kept out of the landfill data.

     

    I’m looping in Tony to make sure I got to the hear of his question. Please let me know if you need anything else! Mary

     

    Mary Leciejewski
    Zero Waste Manager

    Pronouns: She/Her/Hers 

    Facilities Operations and Development, Sustainability & Strategic Services
    1130 Service Building Annex | 2578 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210
    (O) 614.292.3637
    fod.osu.edu/sustainability

     

     

     

     

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 11:58 AM
    To: Leciejewski, Mary <leciejewski.8@osu.edu>
    Cc: Szal, Dominika Patrycja <dszal2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Big Ten Waste Management Survey: Diversion Rate Calculation

     

    Hi Mary, It was great to meet with you and the other Big Ten schools last week! Per the request to include the diversion rate calculation as a part of the comprehensive survey, could I inquire about OSU’s process? ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍

     

    Hi Mary,

     

    It was great to meet with you and the other Big Ten schools last week! Per the request to include the diversion rate calculation as a part of the comprehensive survey, could I inquire about OSU’s process?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Daphne

     

    Daphne Hulse (she/her)
    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 |     dlhulse2@illinois.edu
     
     

  10. SLMC report and invitation to present

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Land Management Committee

    Below is an email exchange between Jennifer Fraterrigo and Adam Davis:

    Hi Adam,

     

    Madhu mentioned that you agreed to summarize the work and any future plans of the SLMC in a 1-pg report. Once we have the report, we will post it on the iCAP Portal along with the charge letter:

    https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/sustainable-land-management-committee.

     

    Would you be available to present the accomplishments of the SLMC at the upcoming Sustainability Sub-Council and Council meetings? I am thinking 5 min would be enough to cover the three responsibilities listed in the charge letter and any related developments, but let me know if more time is needed. The Sub-Council will meet from 11:00 – 12:00 on Thurs, Nov 17 and the Sustainability Council will meet from 2:30 – 4:00 on Tues, Dec 13.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

    -------------------------------

    Hi Jen,

     

    I’m happy to speak to these groups; five minutes should be fine. I’ve attached the short summary of committee activity and current follow-up activity.

     

    best,

     

    Adam

    -----------------------------

    I attached the report from Adam. I propose we discuss with Madhu next week during the management meeting before posting to the iCAP portal.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

    Attached Files: 

  11. Weekly Update: Strong Towns, Bike Summit, potentially postponing Working Bikes

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last week was a busy one. We had Strong Towns talk on Tuesday and the Illinois Bike Summit on Wednesday. Got in some good networking, heard some interesting talks/discussions, and got buzzed by two MTD buses on my bike commute there and then one car on my ride back to the Bike Center. Oh, the irony.

    The cooler weather has curtailed our visitors, but we’ve had a few volunteers, too—always nice.

    Grabbed some bikes from the warehouse last week and will continue to do so as I can this week. I have jury duty potentially all this week and next week, which majorly mucks up my plans for setting up with Working Bikes since I can’t plan past day-to-day. Likely will have to bump that to early November unless circumstances change.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 42
    Sales: $266
    Memberships: 3 for $90
    Tires/tubes: 3 for $20

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  12. Campus Sustainability Celebration - 10/17/22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Education iCAP Team
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Land and Water iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    The 2022 Campus Sustainability Celebration was a huge success! Thank you to all who participated! The PowerPoint presentation is attached, and the agenda for the event was as follows:

    • 3-3:15 PM – Welcome
      • Jennifer Fraterrigo, on behalf of Director Madhu Khanna (iSEE)
      • Chancellor Jones
      • Vice Chancellor Susan Martinis (OVCRI)
    • 3:15 – 3:30 PM – Holistic initiatives
      • Plastic reduction (Jen)
      • Clean energy/Solar Farm 3 (Morgan)
      • Greener Campus Program (Meredith)
    • 3:30 – 4:40 PM – iCAP Team presentations
      • Energy
      • Transportation
      • Land and Water
      • Zero Waste
      • Education
      • Engagement
      • Resilience
    • 4:40 – 5 PM – Student groups (SSLC, SSC) – Jack Reicherts and Maiah Caise
      • Closing remarks by Jennifer Fraterrigo (on behalf of Madhu Khanna)
    • 5 – 6 PM – Celebration - refreshments, roundtable forum with each iCAP Team, student tabling session  
    Attached Files: 

  13. Campus Sustainability Month Activities - Oct 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Sustainability Month
    Campus Sustainability Month - Waste Reduction Challenge
    Clean up campus
    Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series
    Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS)

    One of our favorite times of the year is almost here… Campus Sustainability Month! Below is a highlight of major events and programs happening this October, though check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for the full list. This is the perfect time to take action and show your support for environmental consciousness (and the Illinois Climate Action Plan!). I look forward to seeing you across campus!

     

    • Plastic Reduction Challenge: Are you up to the challenge? From October 3–30, we provide the resources and point system to help you track your plastic use each week and find sustainable alternatives. The point system and fillable grid are attached, and additional information will be sent out prior to the start of the challenge. Take part with this fun and interactive community, and earn the chance to win a sustainability prize pack. It is easy to make a positive impact! Sign up here for the challenge.
       
    • Clothing Swap: This is the perfect opportunity to donate your clothing items and update your wardrobe! Join iSEE, SECS, and SSLC for this reduce/reuse event at the Channing Murray Foundation on Tuesday, October 11. Drop off clothes at Channing Murray the day before, or during the event itself from 10AM – 3PM.  All are welcome to drop off and/or participate (it’s free!).
       
    • Green Quad Day: Come check out the variety of student, staff, faculty, and community-led environmental groups on Thursday, October 13 from 11AM – 3PM at the Anniversary Plaza (cement area between the Quad and Union). This is a great opportunity to talk with and learn about the many sustainability efforts on campus. The rain date is October 17. If you are interested in representing your organization at a table, sign up here.
       
    • Water Taste Test: It’s 2022 – why are we still drinking from plastic bottles? Let’s put our tap water to the test and see, blindly, which water we prefer. Check out the iSEE table at Green Quad Day (above) and see if you can taste a difference between bottled water and tap! In the meantime, take our drinking water behavior survey (and win a chance for a $50 gift card).
       
    • Illini Lights Out: Join us to shut off lights in buildings around campus to save energy and reduce the environmental impact of our massive university! Meet at 5:30PM in the lobby of the Foreign Language Building on Friday, October 14 to receive brief instructions before heading out to turn off lights in assigned buildings. Come back to FLB (roughly 6:30) when you are done to turn in your clipboard, get a snack, and pat yourself on the back for helping to save so much energy! Register here, and come by yourself or bring a friend!
       
    • Campus Sustainability Celebration: All are welcome to attend this annual event on Monday, October 17 from 3-6PM at NCSA (auditorium and lobby), 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana. The first two hours will be spent in the Auditorium, where we will hear from campus sustainability leaders and from the iCAP Teams. Following the presentations (5-6 PM), each iCAP Team will have a table in the lobby/atrium area for roundtable discussion, suggestions, and a Q&A. Student environmental groups will have tables set up and together, we will enjoy conversation, light refreshments, and cake!
       
    • Trash Cleanup: Help keep our campus beautiful! On Wednesday, October 19, meet at Alma Mater at 4PM and join us to collect trash and recycling around campus until 5:30PM.
       
    • TED Talk: Eco-Edition Series: Tune in to this edition of iSEE’s ongoing Zoom series on Wednesday, October 26 from 7 – 8PM. Our host this month is Lucy Nifong, a senior in Agricultural and Consumer Economics, iSEE Communications Intern, and Vice Chair Internal of the Student Sustainability Committee. Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk, followed by a guided discussion and roundtable on Campus Sustainability Month! Sign up here.
       
    • Sustainability BINGO: Fill out the iSEE board (attached) for a chance to win prizes! The board (PDF) includes sustainability-related activities and initiatives you can do across campus during Sustainability Month (Oct. 1-31). Make sure you document and let us know which actions you completed using the Google Form to be eligible for the prize drawing.
       
    • Have you gotten your office, event, or Greek chapter certified as Green yet? It’s easy to be sustainable! Get certified and be recognized!

  14. F&S, North American, and Essity introduction

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Cleaning Products and Practices

    Hi Pete, Macie and Daphne!

     

    We were excited last week for you to hear more about the Circularity and paper recycling program that Essity has been utilizing in other areas of the world. Bryan from Essity would like to get his colleague, Mike Kapalko, on a call together to discuss this opportunity further with University of Illinois! Daphne, if Pete and Macie haven’t filled you in, this is an opportunity to use current paper recycling on campus and have it be used to create paper product with Essity. We can inch closer to Zero Waste on campus!

     

    Please let us know if there are dates and times the week of October 31st to set up a Zoom call. Perhaps an hour or so.

     

    Thanks in advance and we are excited to discuss this in more detail and see what next steps would look like!

     

    Regards,

    Zach

     

  15. Week 3 - Check in meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Friendly University Status
    Reduce Bicycle Theft on Campus
    Independent Student Projects

    In this meeting,  potential ideas for secured bicycle parking were discussed as ways to promote awareness among the campus community. A capstone proposal outlining the final objectives and deliverables was drafted and Sarthak helped support this discussion sharing an Excel sheet that has all of the goals, current status, and plans for the future of some mentioned ideas towards achieving the said objectives with challenges that are yet to be tackled. 

    This week, Aparna is going to try to get in touch with the transportation team from other universities that have achieved the Gold BFU status to gather some ideas specific to raising awareness about bike thefts. This would navigate the research better. 

    Aparna is also spending her initial time on the project learning about the Bike registration process and other initiatives that are already ongoing at UIUC to help understand the way forward. She also has access to the iCAP portal to update and document the weekly meetings to keep a track of the project progress.

  17. 10-17-22 Internal Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola

    On October, UIUC sustainability representatives met and discussed the following:

    Attendance: Thurman Etchison, Daphne Hulse, Marty Kaufmann, Shreya Mahajan, Jennifer Fraterrigo, Meredith Moore, Bryan Johnson

    Agenda:

    1. Circular Solutions Audit — thoughts?

    2. Surprise & Delight Activation Reward — thoughts?

    3. Updated the vision + roadmap document with next steps and roles.

      1. iSEE: connect athletics RSOs with sustainability RSOs (Meredith has done this — connected with SSLC).

    4. F&S (Shawn Patterson, Pete Varney, Shreya Mahajan, Daphne Hulse) will meet with Tom Divan, Assistant Athletic Director of State Farm Center Facilities, on 10-20 for a tour of the facility.

      1. Determine the number of entrances attendees will be able to walk through on game day.

      2. Determine the number of Coca-Cola dual bins we will need.

      3. Where might we place a RSO table for the activation reward?

      4. Other things to look out for?

        1. Quantifying what goes to landfill and recycling at past State Farm Center events

        2. Think about food and drink: what will and won’t be recyclable?

    Discussion:

    • Operations and infrastructure-based Circular Solutions Audit
    • ISTC is more about buildings and recycling/waste product
    • Is it necessary? It sounded like the point of contact was already impressed by our WTS.
      • One opportunity is with organics recycling (compost). We don’t have hauling system or compost facility. It’s counterintuitive to transport waste far away. Maybe JT can help us with an analysis of this?
      • Determine with JT a clear process, fine-tune to our needs. Rather than the generic approach that was offered. A lot of the things he usually encounters is not what our problems are.
    • Zero Waste game:
      • Marty thinks that we should try to make sure that they are the forefront of recycling initiatives. Student-led. At the meeting, discuss how to get volunteers for the event.
      • Jen: clarify who is facilitating these discussion and working with who.
      • West Lobby or East Lobby? Confirm with Tom Divan which we will meet at.
      • Quantify what’s going in landfill and recycling at prior events at State Farm Center. That may help us generalize or estimate that process.
      • Determine if plastic cups (our souvenir cups) are recyclable. Think about the vendors and food for the recycling expectations

     

     

  18. RECs & Carbon Offsets for Scope 1, 2, 3 Emissions

    Associated Project(s): 
    Carbon Offsets for Major Users [ARCHIVED]
    Develop Local Carbon Offset Program [ARCHIVED]

    Below is an email from Serena Armendaris with Carbon Solutions Group:

    Hey Morgan,

    My name is Serena Armendaris and I work for a firm called Carbon Solutions Group (CSG). We specialize in environmental credits & projects for ESG claims and have been in the business since 2006. Our Sustainability offerings include:

    • North American Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) 
    • International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs)
    • North American Carbon Offsets (CO2)
    • International Carbon Offsets (CO2)
    • DirtRoad Electric Vehicle Charging - turnkey, revenue-positive electric vehicle infrastructure 
    • DirtRoad ESG - Carbon offsets from our DirtRoad platform - at a ten-year fixed price - an excellent alternative for the recently introduced SEC carbon disclosure rules

    Currently, Reporting Year 2022 Wind RECs are offered @ $1.90/MWh and US Carbon Offsets are @$9.25.

    Do you think anyone on your team might have time for a 15 minute introductory call to discuss further?

    Thanks and regards,

    Attached Files: 

  19. October 14, 2022 Illini Lights Out Data

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illini Lights Out

    At last Friday's Illini Lights Out event, 5,042 light bulbs were shut off that otherwise would have been left on all weekend, saving $767.12 in energy costs. This also prevented 6.16 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from entering the atmosphere, the same as the greenhouse gas emissions from the average vehicle driving 15,300. That's a HUGE impact - this is the most lights shut off since I've become involved with the program in August 2021!

     

    There are two more Illini Lights Out events of the semester:

    • November 11
    • December 2

    Sign up for one or more of them at this link. Stay up to date with other sustainability-related events and news by signing up for the Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) newsletter here! iSEE is also hosting a campus trash pickup this Wednesday the 19th. Meet at Alma Mater at 4p m and bring your friends!

     

    Illini Lights Out addresses objectives 2.2 and 2.2.2 of the iCAP, or Illinois Climate Action Plan, to increase energy efficiency and reduce building-level energy. Find out about other iCAP objectives here and read the entire iCAP here.

     

    Illini Lights Out is a certified Green Event! Click this link to learn how to green-certify your own event.

  20. Week 3 - Plastic Reduction Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    Plastic Free Challenge
    Campus Sustainability Month

    Hello!

    We hope every Illini had a safe, fun homecoming weekend and that everyone is excited about yet another Illini football win! You are officially halfway through the Plastic Reduction Challenge! How does it feel? Meticulously tracking your plastic use for two weeks now calls for celebration. This halfway point is a great time to reflect on what you have learned so far, what resources and new lifestyle changes you have gained, and what it is you’d still like to work on in the remaining two weeks. Please remember to submit your Week 2 Google Form no later than tomorrow, October 17th. 

    This week, in addition to refusing, repurposing, and recycling plastic, we encourage each of you to dedicate time to challenge yourself to commit to a new, environmentally-conscious action. Whether it be having a discussion with a roommate about consumerism or switching to reusable grocery bags, positive point opportunities are a great way to help the environment even further and spread awareness of the detrimental effects of plastic (while, of course, gaining points toward your point total, too).

    Be sure to check out the iSEE Campus Sustainability Month Calendar for opportunities to earn positive points this month. Upcoming this week is the Campus Sustainability Celebration on 10/17 and the Campus Trash Pickup on 10/19!

    Here is the Week 3 Google Form. Please submit this by Monday, October 24. We will check in with you again on Thursday with another weekly tip. As a reminder, at any time throughout the challenge (especially if you have recently joined!), you can revisit emails or resources that have been distributed to the group at this Box Folder. The folder can also be found by scrolling down to “More Information” on the iSEE Plastic Reduction Challenge webpage).

    Keep up the great work, and have a fantastic week!

    Meredith Moore, iSEE Sustainability Programs Manager

    Emily Dickett and Jenna Schaefer, iSEE Sustainability Interns 

    Attached Files: 

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