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Project Updates

  2. SSC Semesterly Report: Identifying the Campus Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment

    Associated Project(s): 
    Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received a semesterly report for Spring 2021 for the Benefits of a Large-Scale Prairie Experiment project on 9/9/2021. Please see attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  3. SSC Semesterly Report: Foreign Languages Building Garden Renovation

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Roof on Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics Building (formerly called Foreign Language Building)
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received a semesterly report for Spring 2021 for FLB Garden Renovation on 9/11/2021. Please see attached.  

    Attached Files: 

  7. SSC Semesterly Report: Joint Pollinator Garden and Composting Systems to Offset Environmental Impact and Reinforce Responsible Stewardship in Research

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase Pollinator-Friendly Areas
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    SSC received semesterly report for Spring 2021 for Joint Pollinator and Composting Systems project on 9/14/2021. Please see attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  11. UIC interest

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA

    Cynthia Klein-Banai, Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Director of Sustainability at UIC, provided this summary of UIC's interest in Solar Farm 3.0:

    "Rob Roman approached VC Coronado last fall about lending support to their efforts to amend the DUP in order to allow for renewable energy procurement, specifically through a Power Purchase agreement. The evaluation of the project was referred to the Office of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management and to Campus Utilities and Energy Services. It was determined that these groups were not only interested in supporting the amendment but also in participating in the RFP process to procurement 80,000 MWh/yr of renewable electricity through a Power Purchase agreement (aka Solar Farm 3.0) for a project in Illinois. On February 3, 2021, John Coronado, VCAS, Dave Taeyaerts, Associate Director of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management, and Cynthia Klein-Banai, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Sustainability met with Chancellor Amiridis to gain his approval for this. Chancellor Amiridis said he was supportive of both the amendment change and engaging in the RFP process together with UIUC."

  12. Solar Decathlon Project Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Solar Decathlon

     

    From: Majerus, Elizabeth

    Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2021 12:25 PM

    To: White, Morgan

    Cc: Gharpure, Prajakta Milind; Kovitz, Kyle Paige; Low, Khee; Davis, Peter ; Collins, Halie Jean; Kroencke, Janet Lynn

    Subject: Re: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team

     

    Hi Prajakta, Peter, Khee, and Kyle,

    I really loved the work you did on envisioning an energy efficient retorfit and addtion for Uni High's beautiful historic building. Uni will be moving forward in the next five years with a fundraising plan for an expansion and update of our building, and we'd love to be able to consult with some or all of you as we lay that groundwork. 

    Halie, we'd also love to have any current ISD students/staff involved, if there's interest. I'm also CCing our Director of Advancement, Janet Kroenke, who will be in the lead of the fundraising efforts that will make our future building update possible. 

    Please let me know if you'd like to be part of a conversation about drawing on the Uni High Solar Decathalon Design project for our future planning.

    Take care,

    Elizabeth

     

    ___________________ 

     

    Elizabeth Majerus, Ph.D. 

    [She/her] 

    University Laboratory High School

    Provost/VCAA Admin

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    http://www.uni.illinois.edu 

     

    From: White, Morgan

    Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2021 10:00 AM

    To: Majerus, Elizabeth

    Cc: Gharpure, Prajakta Milind; Kovitz, Kyle Paige; Low, Khee; Davis, Peter; Collins, Halie Jean 

    Subject: RE: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team

     

    Hi Elizabeth!

    This is great to hear.  And congratulations on being named the Director.

    I’m copying all the students you named, and the current ISD lead, Halie Collins.  Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with!

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

     

    ======================================

    MORGAN B. WHITE

    Associate Director of F&S for Sustainability

     

    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    1501 S Oak Street (MC-800) | Champaign, IL 61820

    fs.illinois.edu/services/sustainability

     

    From: Majerus, Elizabeth

    Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2021 12:06 PM

    To: White, Morgan 

    Subject: Following up with Solar Decathalon Design Team

     

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I'm interested in following up on the wonderful Solar Decathalon project that the student design team presented on in May 2020. This was something that I had hoped to do during the 2020-21 school year, but the pandemic really shifted my expectations and task list. 

    I wondered if you might have contact information for any of the students who worked on the Uni project. Prajakta Gharpure, Khee Kim Low, Peter Davis, Kyle Kovitz were the students who presented that day.

    We are hoping to stay in our present Uni building, and ideas like those that these students shared are an inspiration for what might be possible in terms of the greater space and updated infrastructure we'll need to sustain our school.

    Thanks for any help you can offer on this.

     

    Take care,

    Elizabeth

  13. Updated list of student projects that need YOU!!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Independent Student Projects
    Rainwater Management
    NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) [ARCHIVED]
    Campus Tree Inventory
    Sustainability Literacy Assessment
    Compost at National Soybean Research Center (NSRC) [ARCHIVED]
    Resilience Commitment
    Resilience iCAP Team

    This is a list of projects that need students to work on.  It will be updated periodically by sustainability staff members, the last update was 9/16/21:

    • The campus MS4 stormwater permit currently has 49 Best Management Practices (BMPs) that have to be completed annually https://fs.illinois.edu/services/safety-and-compliance/about-the-program . One of the 49 BMPs is a Public Education and Outreach requirement to broadcast or publish one stormwater Public Service Announcement (PSA) on social media, radio, television and/or internet. We currently have a couple on our website and would like to keep it up to date with new materials whenever possible.  https://fs.illinois.edu/services/safety-and-compliance/about-the-program/events-and-outreach. Another opportunity is for a Public Participation and Involvement BMP to discuss and provide opportunity for public input on the Storm Water Program (permit BMPs), climate change and environmental justice topics. This could be met by webinars, PSAs, posters, etc. Contact is Betsy Liggett. ~ Morgan
    • Follow through with Facility Liaisons for implementation of recommendations from NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors class: Huff Hall. ~ Meredith
    • Follow through with Facility Liaisons for implementation of recommendations from NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors class: Armory. ~ Meredith
    • Follow through with Facility Liaisons for implementation of recommendations from NRES 285: iCAP Sustainability Ambassadors class: Bevier Hall. ~ Meredith
    • CCNet Website: Work with the Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) leadership team to redesign and publish the CCNet website (old version is online at http://www.champaigncountynet.org/). There is a monthly brown bag sustainability networking event on the Third Thursday of each month, but the website hasn't been updated since 2016. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu. ~ Morgan
    • We are seeking a student volunteer who can do tree identification for a series of trees in the Arboretum, and work with the University Landscape Architect, Brent Lewis, and the Superintendent of Grounds, Ryan Welch, to compare the tree identification to the draft tree inventory. Contact Morgan White at mbwhite at illinois.edu. ~ Morgan
    • Help iSEE develop a Sustainability Literacy Assessment. Contact Meredith Moore, mkm007 at illinois.edu. ~Meredith
    • Help iSEE work with Student Sustainability Committee grant to expand small scale campus composting. Contact Meredith Moore at mkm0078 at illinois.edu. ~ Meredith

    • This project is a collaboration with the Illinois State Section of the American Planning Association; we have been asked to create a community land use and revitalization plan for a small town in Kankakee County.  It is a rural community, predominantly people of color, originally settled by folks leaving the South during the Great Migration.  There are many layers to the story, but it is ultimately a story of environmental equity as The Nature Conservancy and Field Museum have been collaborating with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire land to create the Black Oak Savana nature preserve.  The majority of residents are opposed to this preserve, primarily because land has been purchased via tax sale and foreclosure, therefore taking land out of Black ownership.  This also further burdens remaining property owners because the nature preserve land becomes tax exempt, shifting the property taxes that are no longer paid on nature preserve property to a smaller and smaller portion of land owners.  

      Students interested in this project could assist with GIS analysis and help identify opportunities to balance environmental sustainability goals and land preservation with social and economic sustainability goals and to identify economic opportunities that accomplish all three.  Contact Lacey Rains Lowe at lacey.rains <at> champaignil.gov.

    • Expand on existing statistical analysis with ArcGIS and spreadsheets of potential race/income disparities in provision of street trees, sidewalks, urban heat, parks, bus stops, etc.  Data sets provided. Contact is Scott Tess at srtess <at> urbanaillinois.us.

    • LIVESTOCK FACILITY DECOMMISSIONING at the Imported Swine Research Laboratory - The push to expand the UI Research Park will require decommissioning of the waste lagoons associated with the Imported Swine Research Laboratory (ISRL). This presents an nice opportunity for a class to develop and design a decommissioning plan with associated costs and timeline. Colleen Ruhter is the point of contact, cruhter <at> illinois.edu.

    If you have a project idea, please contact us at sustainability@illinois.edu, or submit it through the iCAP Portal Suggestions page.

  15. EPA's 10th Annual Campus Rainworks Challenge

    Associated Project(s): 
    EPA RainWorks Challenge

     

    “Dear Faculty Members,

    I hope you and your students are enjoying a safe start to the academic year.

    EPA is pleased to launch its 10th annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a green infrastructure design competition for American colleges and universities that seeks to engage with the next generation of environmental professionals and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices. Stormwater pollution is a problem that impacts public health and water quality in communities across the country. The Campus RainWorks Challenge invites today’s students to be part of the solution.

    To learn more about Campus RainWorks check out the official 2021 Campus RainWorks Challenge Competition Brief. The brief contains details on the challenge's design categories, submission requirements, and rules for participation.

    Calendar

    Registration: September 1 – October 1, 2021

    Deadline for Entries: December 10, 2021

    Winners Announced: Spring 2022

    Please share this announcement with college students and faculty in your networks. If you have questions about the Campus RainWorks Challenge please direct them to RainWorks@epa.gov.

    I hope that you and your students will consider participating and help celebrate 10 years of Campus RainWorks.”

    -Matt King

     

     “Good afternoon: several of you were involved in an email chain about establishing a interdisciplinary student chapter of the IAFSM, others were involved in the USEPA Campus Rainworks Challenge in previous years, others have been part of the ISEE Land & Water SWATteam.  I am writing to see if we can coordinate among our disciplines/departments and help interested students put together a team for this challenge. 

    As you know, in 2017 UIUC won this design competition with a team that represented many disciplines across campus.  I strongly believe that our success in 2017 was directly related to the many disciplines/perspectives of the team.  I have forwarded the announcement for this challenge to students in my classes and already have a few that are interested.  I am hoping that this year we can help our students from our different disciplines connect for this challenge. I am willing to serve as a faculty advisor; I think it would be great if we could have advisors representing our different areas.  Please let me know your thoughts/interest in this.

    Thanks for your consideration.”

    -Art Schmidt

     

    “Hey Professor Schmidt,

    Thank you so much for working at this!  Sorry for not responding right away.  We are interested and I just asked the group if they would like to meet with you (web meet) next week.  I figure they will, but it’s nice to ask.  What is your availability?  Did you get much feedback from other campus sectors?  Rolph Pendall seemed very interested.”

    -Brian Chaille (09/14/2021)

     

    “Hi, Brian:

    Really good to hear from you.  I would love to meet and see what can happen. I had about half dozen CEE students express interest.  Eliana Brown said that she would be happy to help.  No response yet from anyone else.  I wonder if some other groups/areas are already doing a team by themselves or more likely my email got buried in all the beginning of semester emails.  I really hope that we can get a cross-disciplinary cohort of students interested in this.  I’ve copied many of the people from the original email in case this did get lost in the shuffle.”

    -Art Schmidt (09/14/2021) 

     

    “Hi all, especially faculty/instructors:

    To back up Prof. Schmidt's comments in his original email, I strongly encourage the CEE students to work together with LA and UP students on the Campus RainWorks Challenge. For obvious reasons, it makes the project stronger, the solutions better, and helps the students gain an experience of the working world and appreciation for the skills, knowledge, and talents across campus. Other disciplines would enhance the project further.

    What's the easiest way for the CEE students to meet potential collaborators outside of their disciplines? Back in 2017 while guest lecturing for LA 452, I invited the CEEs to pitch the project for 5 min and they did the rest. Could be as simple as that. As Art mentions below, that team won first prize. 

    I added Bridgette Moen, current LA 452 instructor, to this email. And Prof. Andrea Faber-Taylor as her students in HORT 344 Biodiversity and Aesthetics may be interested too.”

    -Eliana Brown (09/15/2021)
     

  17. Bike Day 2021 held on September 14, 2021

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day
    Light the Night

    Bike Day 2021 was organized on September 14, 2021! Here are some of the numbers from the events from Bike Day 2021.

    Bike to Work Day:

    • Held in the morning from 7 - 10 am
    • Record-breaking event with 16 welcoming stations in Champaign County, including 9 on-campus
    • Record 802 pre-registrations to attend the event and more than 150 walk-in registrations
    • University Housing provided refreshments to all campus welcoming stations
    • iSEE produced a video highlighting the event

    Light the Night:

    • Held in the evening from 4 - 7 pm
    • Three locations: Alma Mater, Hallene Gateway, and Campus Bike Center
    • 40 volunteers for the event
    • installed nearly 750 light sets (front and rear)

    General feedback was very positive from the campus community members. Several mentioned that holding these events in September felt like a welcoming event and gave the returning and new students an opportunity to explore the campus and community on bike and learn about the bike program at the beginning of school year!

    The Bike Month Planning team and Light the Night Planning teams are considering organizing both of these events in the fall semester going forward.

  18. Green Rooftop Proposal for Newmark Civil Engineering Lab

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Roofs on Campus

    President of "Students for Environmental Concerns", Alec Van Patten, reached out to propose a green rooftop project for a building on campus. Morgan White replied suggesting the Newmark Civil Engineering Lab first floor roof as the building for the project. A meeting to discuss further details was scheduled between Morgan White, Alec Van Patten, Betry Liggett, and Brent Lewis.

    Picture of the Newmark Civil Engineering Lab roof is attached. 

    Attached Files: 

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