On Thursday and Friday, September 23 and Spetember 24, 2021, Sutapa and Sarthak met to edit the Survey Questionnaire of the Walkability Audit. The Deficiency Report parameters were finalized during this meeting. The creation of the Volunteer training manual process is scheduled to start after this meeting.

The draft documents mentioned above have been sent to the members involved in the Walkability study for their inputs. The inputs are expected to be received by Oct 11, 2021.

Next week, Thursday September 30th, a common meeting is scheduled and open to all members of the project to discuss the progress.

From: Yi, Yun Kyu

To: McFall, D

Cc: White, Morgan

Recipients: dmcfall at illinois.edu; mbwhite at illinois.edu

Hi Damon,

It was good to meet you today.

Just to follow up with you about visiting the Mech. Building. I am wondering in general Tuesday between 2-5 pm works for your schedule.

My class is in between this time and it will be great for students to see some of the new technologies.

If you can let me know if Tuesday afternoon is something that works for your schedule, I will talk with my student to set possible dates to visit.

Many thanks

Yun

Yun Kyu Yi, PhD

Assistant Professor

School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

M232 Temple Buell Hall, 611 E Lorado Taft Drive, MC-621, Champaign, IL 61820

phone: (217) 300-4886 | fax: (217) 244-2900 |

Founder and Lead Investigator,

The Responsive Architecture Lab (RAL) at the Illinois School of Architecture, 20a Architecture Building, 608 East Lorado Taft Drive, MC-621, Champaign, IL 61820 https://go.illinois.edu/ral

Please see attached the list of avenues used to promote Bike Day 2021

The Illinois Energy Association's annual Solar House Tour will feature several Champaign County homeowners, including iSEE affiliate Scott Willenbrock. The event will take place from 10 AM - 3 PM on Saturday, September 25th, 2021. Get excited, because the event will also include in-person tours, outside viewings, and Zoom recordings. 

For more details, visit the Illinois Solar Education Association website!

Project Phoenix is an Illinois student initiative to give high school students a platform to highlight their fashion design interests and create their own upcycled clothing brands! The group offers one- to two-hour weekend workshops to teach Champaign-Urbana high school students applicable fashion and graphic design skills and provide opportunities in business and enterpreneurship. U of I students can sign up now to be a Project Fellow! The deadline for applications is Oct. 1.

For more details about the Project Fellow position, read Phoenix's Fall 2021 project description document.

Are you an eco-warrior with a passion for prose? Each summer, University of Illinois undergraduates are invited to submit their best environmental writing for a chance to be published in Q Magazine and win a cash prize! The Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing was created in 2020 through the generosity of donor Janelle Joseph. Our inaugural contest winners covered topics ranging from the degradation of the coal industry and life in a “burn zone” to sustainable fashion and the future of lawns. Read more about the 2020 winning entries!

Submit in one of these five categories:

• Feature — In-depth, research-based piece on a topic of your choice (Example: “Burn Zone” by Andy Sima; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Grand Prizewinner) 
• Memoir — Write about an experience that YOU had with nature, and what it meant to you (Example: “Solastalgia” by Maria Maring; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
• Op-Ed — Your research-backed take on a current environmental “hot topic” (Example: “End to Greenwashing?” by Jennifer Coronel; Volume 3.2, 2020 JJ Environmental Writing Contest Category Prizewinner) 
• Q&A — Interview an environmental researcher or activist
• “@ Illinois” — Submit a piece in any of the above genres spotlighting innovative environmental research, activism, or stewardship at the University of Illinois. 

iSEE's Janelle Joseph Prize for Environmental Writing is open to Illinois undergrads and includes a $1,000 grand prize as well as $500 prizes in five categories: Feature; Memoir; Op-Ed; Q&A; and "At Illinois." Entries can be 1,000 to 2,000 words and must be submitted by Sept. 30, 2021. 

Visit Q Magazine's website for more details.

And, make sure to email submissions or questions to qmagazineillinois@gmail.com!

Join us for the latest edition of iSEE's popular Zoom series, which will focus on "Sustainable Decision-Making." Participants will watch a prerecorded TED Talk by Catherine Mohr, "The Tradeoffs of Building Green," then join in a thought-provoking discussion led by Ann-Perry Witmer, research scientist at the Grainger College of Engineering Applied Research Institute and lecturer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 at 6 PM CST.

Register for the virtual TED Talk online!

Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) is leading a climate strike on Friday to demand action on climate change! Participants will meet at the Alma Mater statue, march around the Quad and down Green Street, then reconvene for speeches at the Alma Mater. The event ties in with a Global Climate Strike organized by the youth-led group Fridays for Future to demand intersectional climate justice.

The strike will take place on Friday, September 29th, 2021 at Noon.

See the iSEE website for more details!

The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy guides state efforts to improve water quality at home and downstream by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in our lakes, streams, and rivers. The strategy lays out a comprehensive suite of best management practices for reducing nutrient loads from wastewater treatment plants and urban and agricultural runoff.

The Illinois NLRS 2021 Biennial Report is the third report to provide the public with updates on the implementation of the Illinois NLRS, including a 2019-20 overview of the efforts and investments made in reducing nutrient loss to Illinois waterways from source sectors: agriculture, point sources, and urban stormwater.

See the attached file to read the Biennial Report 2021 Executive Summary. 

Or, visit the Illinois EPA website to read the full report!

Community Solar

"What is the status of the city of Urbana’s community solar array at the old city landfill known as Solar Star Urbana Landfill LLC affiliated with Nexamp? Will the subscription to the community solar project begin this year?"

The project, which will generate approximately 5.2 MW of clean energy for the Ameren grid, is scheduled to be completed around the middle of next month, said Keith Hevenor, communications manager for Nexamp, a firm that has developed community solar energy projects in Illinois, Maine, New York, Maryland, Georgia and Massachusetts.

"At that point, the final landscaping, which includes a native pollinator seed mix for vegetation, will be applied," said Hevenor. "As soon as final testing and utility interconnection are completed, subscribers will begin seeing the credits on their Ameren bills, likely before the end of the year.

"The Solar Star Urbana Landfill project is part of the Illinois Solar for All program, so participation in the program is reserved for qualified low and moderate income (LMI) residents. In the program, there are no enrollment fees, no credit checks and no cancellation fees. We still have space available for the project and individuals can visit https://ilsfa.nexamp.com/ameren to learn more and see if they qualify."

"... Fifty-one (51) teams have entered the competition. There are a total of 126 students working in teams ranging from one to five members per team.

The first deliverable is due by Oct. 15, as explained on the competition webpage: Reimagine Our Future Undergraduate Sustainability Competition
For this first deliverable you must complete the questionnaire available on the competition website to tell us more about your project’s specialist advisor and what advice you got from her or him. You can connect with a specialist indicated on the competition webpage or you may select someone else whom you deem to be a specialist for your chosen sustainability topic.

You will find many helpful Resources on the competition webpage.
For instance, you will benefit by attending the three ideation workshops that will be held at the Siebel Center for Design. The first ideation workshop is on Thursday 23 Sept from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Although registration for this first workshop has already closed, you could still enter by completing this registration form...

Kind regards

Leon Liebenberg
on behalf of the Competition Organizing Team, with fellow team members: Prof. Robert McKim, Prof. Warren Lavey, Prof. Michelle Wander, Mr. Peter Davis, and Mr. Shreyas Venkatarathinam"

-Leon Liebenberg (09/21/2021)