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Project Updates

  1. Zero Waste iCAP Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Achieve Zero Waste

    On Friday, October 22, the Zero Waste iCAP Team met to touch base on the status of last semester's submitted recommendations and potential recommendations that were proposed last semester. The team also held an ideation session to generate new recommendation ideas. Members will be filling out a form to identify their primary initiative interests before next meeting to serve as a starting point for the team's work. Meeting minutes attached.

    Attached Files: 

  2. Natural Water Balance

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Conservation [ARCHIVED]

    Meredith Moore, Sustainability Programs Manager, reached out to Associate Professor Ashlynn Stillwell to ask a question from the AASHE STARS sustainability report (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Sustainability Tracking and Reporting System). The question is: "Has the institution calculated a natural water balance for the campus to assess the sustainability of its water withdrawal?". Professor Stillwell replied explaining that UIUC has not calculated its natural water balance, and proposed ideas on how to it can start doing so. Specifically she said, 

    "First, it seems like a question that is motivated by water scarcity, given the phrasing "sustainability of its water withdrawal". Extraction (withdrawal) of water is not the only way I personally would calculate water sustainability. In our part of the world, runoff volume and the contaminants contained in that runoff are important aspects of sustainability too. 

    Next, to actually calculate the natural water balance, I would think one would write a high-level mass balance around the campus. 'Natural' to me implies 'non-engineered', so at first pass, I would only include natural water flows. However, the question then mentions waer withdrawal, which is a non-natural human interaction with water, which makes me think the engineered water system should be included also. 

    For a high-level water mass balance around campus, it would be similar to any mass balance: IN - OUT = CHANGE IN STORAGE 

    What goes IN? potable water, raw water (?), makeup to chilled water loop, makeup to steam loop, rainfall, runoff from upstream areas, inflowing streams, inflowing groundwater. 

    What goes OUT? waste water, evaporation (from steam and chilled water loops), evapotranspiration, runoff (from rainfall and from overwatering from sprinklers), runoff to downstream areas, surface stream discharge, outflowing groundwater.

    How much is CHANGE IN STORAGE? probably zero at steady state on a sufficiently large timescale."

  3. Resilience Work Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community

    Resilience Work Group Meeting 10/21/2021

    Present: Morgan White, Meredith Moore, Stacy Gloss

    Project Management:

    Stacy will start keeping track of resilience projects in an excel Gantt chart to be able to show high-level progress. Project progress will be tracked as “not begun, just starting, in progress, finishing up, done”

    Stacy showed changes she made to the Resilience box.com folder by adding Objective folders.

    Project Updates: 

    We discussed Vision Zero. Morgan asked Stacy to contact CCRPC, Champaign and Savoy planners for their perspectives on Vision Zero. Stacy presented draft recommendations for the next steps Vision Zero white paper. We discussed these early recommendations and path for sharing the white paper with the iCAP team and with Gina for editing.

    Stacy briefly shared progress on getting an understanding of how the 2010 and 2015 iCAPs intended to create a local offsets program.  

    We discussed an update to the DFA student project.  

     

  6. ECIP Award Winners

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    On October 20, 2021, the 2021 Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) Award Winners were announced at the Campus Sustainability Celebration!

    UIUC is home to a total of 10 winners and honorable mentions, as listed below according to their categories:

    • Occupant Action Category
      • Ice Arena
      • Student Dining and Residential Programs
      • English Building
      • Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE)
    • Energy Advancement Category
      • Stock Pavilion
      • Forbes Natural History Building
      • Levis Faculty Center
      • Early Development Lab
    • Honorable Mentions
      • State Farm Center
      • Bielfeldt Athletic Administrative Building

    See the attached file to read the official announcement of 2021 ECIP Winners, including the locations' % improvements and monetary savings.

    Attached Files: 

  8. Green Infrastructure & Erosion Control Conference

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rainwater Management
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) Climate Action Plan

    The 2021 biennial Champaign County Stormwater Partnership Green Infrastructure and Erosion Control Conference took place on October 20th.

    The following email provides some context and resources with more information about the event.

    The program and the media post for the conference are attached below.

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

    From: Liggett, Betsy Jo 
    Sent: Friday, September 03, 2021 9:59 AM
    To: Stillwell, Brett
    Cc: White, Morgan; Wilcoxen, David B; Ruhter, Colleen; Liggett, Betsy Jo
    Subject: Green Infrastructure & Erosion Control Conference

     

    Good morning Brett!

    I wanted to share an upcoming conference opportunity with you and others in DIA. F&S Safety and Compliance is a member of the Champaign County Stormwater Partnership to help meet goals for our campus stormwater municipality permit. One of the permit Public Education and Outreach goals is to host a biennial stormwater conference. We have several speakers this year one of which is a member from Green Sports Alliance (GSA) who will speak about the GSA program and provide examples of what other organizations/universities have done to meet the program missions.  Green Sports Alliance

     

    Please share with others and join us October 20, 2021 for the free biennial Champaign County Stormwater Partnership Green Infrastructure and Erosion Control Conference. This year the conference will be virtual instead of at the iHotel and Conference Center, however Professional Development Hours are still available. Attendance is limited and you can register at the following link Champaign County Stormwater Conference - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY STORMWATER PARTNERSHIP (ccstormwater.org)

     

    Thank you!

    Betsy

    Attached Files: 

  11. Compiled Campus Rain Work Data

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Infrastructure

    Brent Lewis compiled the following to offer insight into (1) Campus Storm Peak Runoff, (2) Existing Green Infrastructures, and (3) Turf Lawn Irrigation information for campus.

    List of Permeable Paver Installations on Campus:

    Nugent/Ikenberry Complex

     

    Permeable concrete paving and pavers

    Electrical & Computer Engineering

     

    Permeable paver service area & East plaza

    Siebel Center for Design

     

    Permeable paver service area

    Bookstore (MCORE P4)

     

    Permeable paver sidewalks

    ISR

     

    Permeable paver sidewalks

    Hydrosystems / Newmark  

     

    Permeable pavers

    Alma Mater

     

    Permeable pavers

    Henry Administration

     

    Permeable pavers

    Swanlund / John St. 

     

    Permeable pavers

    Japan House Bike Parking

     

    Permeable pavers

    Altgeld Hall (future-2026)

     

    Permeable pavers

    Illini Hall (future-2024)

     

    Permeable pavers

    Coordinated Science Lab (future fall 2021-spring 2022)

     

    Permeable pavers

    State Farm Center

     

    Permeable pavers in the NE parking lot.  (NW lot in planning)

     

     

    List of Underground Retention Facilities & Detention Ponds (On and Off-Campus):

    Football Performance Center

    just south of building 1540, west of Fourth Street and north of Kirby Avenue

    Underground retention

    Ikenberry Commons

    between buildings 0084, 1248, 0079, and 0080

    Underground retention

    IGB

    just west of 1080, at roughly the northwest corner of Gregory Drive and Goodwin Avenue (just east of "Mathews Avenue extended")

    Underground retention

    Siebel Center for Design

    east of 1517, between Fourth Street and Sixth Street, and Peabody and Gregory

    Underground retention

    Stadium Soccer Fields

    northwest corner of Stadium Drive and First Street

    Underground retention

    Siebel Center

    -

    Underground retention

    Noyes

    -

    Underground retention

    Bielfeldt Detention Pond

    west of 0379 against Fourth St in the circle drive

    Detention pond

    Windsor Road Detention Basin

    southwest corner Windsor and First St.

    Detention pond

    South Research Park Detention Pond

    southwest corner St. Mary's and Oak St.

    Detention pond

     

    List of Irrigation Efforts On Campus:

    • We have irrigated fields for both Athletics and Campus Rec. 
    • Athletics’ Bielfeldt and Ubben areas are irrigated
    • The Research Park also has irrigation out there.    
    • The arboretum has irrigation, mainly at the Hartley Garden
    • The President’s House is irrigated
    • The Main Quad is irrigated, as well as the Bardeen Quad and North Quad
    • Beckman Institute is irrigated
    • The landscaped area around the Hallene Gateway is irrigated

  12. Data Regarding EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    EPA RainWorks Challenge
    Rainwater Management

    Yuhze Zhang, leader of the Master plan team in EPA Rainworks Challenge 2021, asked Brent Lewis, UIUC's campus landscape architect, for some data for the challenge. Data asked for includes campus storm peak runoff, existing green infrastructure, turf lawn irrigation.

    More information regarding the data can be found in the email chain attached below.

     

    Another participant of the EPA Rainworks Challenge, Matthew Rodriguez, also requested data.

    This email chain is attached below.

     

    The Water Reuse Handbook is also attached below (attachment from both email chains).

     

    Attached Files: 

  13. Weekly Update: Fixing bike pump; fixing bicycles; student employment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Last Tuesday we had our Green Quad Day event. We had a few people stop by later in the week after talking with them and one potential student application for employment. We were also generously resupplied with clothes for making into rags. (Thanks, Morgan!) The beautiful weather was certainly an added perk.

    On Thursday I picked up the remaining bikes from the warehouse that are worth our time. We’ll get to rehabbing those bikes this week. There are a good 20 – 30 bikes left there that are destined for the scrap heap. Unfortunately, 3 of the 10 bikes didn’t pass even a basic inspection so they’ll be fodder for parts.

    We’re currently very low on used 26” tires. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.

    This week I’ll also get the ball moving on fixing the outdoor pump, which is broken again.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 40
    Sales: $586.50
    Bike (refurb): 1 for $190
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $32

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  14. Campus Landscape Master Plan - Core Planning Committee Charge Letter 2021

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)

    On October 18, 2021, the Campus Landscape Master Plan - Core Planning Committee Charge Letter was sent out to its members.

    In this document, Ehab Kamara, the Interim Executive director of Facilities and Services, outlines the responsibilities of committee members and background information for this project. 

    See the attached file to read the charge letter.

    Attached Files: 

  15. TED Talk: Eco Edition - Sustainable Economy

    Associated Project(s): 
    TED Talk: Eco Edition Series [ARCHIVED]

    Join iSEE for our monthly "TED Talk: Eco-Edition" event! Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk by Kate Raworth, “A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow.” Afterward, iCAP Team Clerk Alexa Smith, a U of I senior, will lead a guided discussion on what makes a sustainable, beneficial economy. Sign up to learn, discuss and connect with peers on an important sustainability topic!

    October 19, 6 pm • Zoom

    Julie Wurth • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    TED Talk: Eco Edition - Sustainable Economy

  16. 2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Facilitate campus-wide sustainability events
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)
    iCAP 2020: Illinois Climate Action Plan

    All are invited to the 2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration and appreciation event! Meet and network with your peer sustainability advocates and hear about exciting campus sustainability progress! Since the event is in person, please be prepared to wear a mask and show your Safer Illinois app or equivalent status. If you can't make it in person, watch the livestream on YouTube! >>>

    October 20, 1–4 pm • National Center for Supercomputing Applications lobby, 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana

    Julie Wurth • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

    2021 Campus Sustainability Celebration!

  17. Update: Green Cleaning Engagement on Campus

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Cleaning Products and Practices

    As of October 16, 2021, F&S Building Services does not have a Green Cleaning Certificate. However, this is not preventing F&S from trying to implement sustainable practices. 

    Right now, F&S Building Services is performing green cleaning practices in the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF) and the new addition to the iHotel Conference Center. This is being done by aligning practices with green cleaning standards to the best ability possible.

    Moving forward, the university is transitioning towards having Housing implement its own green cleaning process. However, efforts are currently delayed due to COVID-19 and ongoing staffing concerns.

  19. Weekly Resilience Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community
    Vision Zero
    Green Jobs
    Rainwater Management

    Resilience Meeting Notes 10/15/2021 for meeting between Stacy Gloss, Meredith Moore, and Morgan White

    1. We discussed ideas for the Design for America RSO project on Environmental Justice.  Stacy will set up a meeting with D for A RSO students to discuss potential project topics and request a 1/2 page - 1 page project idea back to us for approval/revisions. The project might cover an environmental justice topic and be worked on from now through May. We will request that the complete project be designed to be presented in the late Spring, and the results go beyond educational/informational and lead to an initiative of some kind.
    2. Stacy provided a progress update on Resilience iCAP objectives.
      1. Green Certifications Inventory. Stacy will present this for comment at the next resilience ICAP meeting
      2. NGICP exploration
        1. Stacy will submit SSC proposal to support a pilot program for F&S staff to receive NGICP training at Parkland. The project will evaluate the benefits and decide whether to adopt having more or all campus grounds workers take the training later.
        2. Stacy will request Heidi and Eliana present at a (future proposed) joint meeting of the land/water use and resilience committee about the NGICP program and benefits
      3. Coordinated rainwater planning
        1. Morgan said that she recently had a conversation with a director at Sanitary District who asked for campus to become more involved with watershed management through a watershed working group, which is different than MS4 compliance.  
        2. Morgan also requested that Stacy involve Eliana Brown more in coordinated rainwater planning for future meetings
        3. Stacy will attend the stormwater management organization’s conference on Oct. 20.
      4. Sustainability leadership topics – plan for Stacy to present these at next resilience ICAP meeting
      5. Vision Zero Discussion
        1. Stacy will submit a white paper on next steps for Vision Zero on Campus late next week.
        2. Stacy and Sarthak will meet with a professor who supports / advocates for Vision Zero next week. 
        3. We discussed who would need to be involved for approval and planning of a Traffic Garden, Stacy will report back to Sarthak on this subject.

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