The Sustainability Council met on April 28, 2021 and discussed the following: 

• iCAP Dashboard
• Post-pandemic Implications for iCAP 
• Student Sustainability Leadership Council
• Engagement001: General Education Board Sustainability Task Committee
• Land Management
• Overview of F&S Energy Management Plan 
• Energy004: ACES Energy Performance Contract 

See PowerPoint attached.

Bicycle Census was organized on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 10-11 am. There were some technical difficulties and light drizzle during the event, due to which we were not able to cover everything on main campus. There were a total of 18 volunteers and we covered 21 map blocks. The remaining blocks will be covered by Sarthak Prasad and others in the next few days. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students transitioned to online classes, and the majority of faculty and staff established alternative work during the spring semester. This census data will provide a unique look at ridership levels during this period and offer important details about the traveling behavior of those remaining on campus.

The volunteers collected information on the number of off-and-on-rack bicycles along with specific bike rack information, including the type, capacity, and how the structures are installed.

Davis McGregor and Sgt. James Carter won the raffle and they will receive Illinois Coffee mugs.

The information collected in this bicycle census will be updated to the F&S database once the new GIS support is hired.

The funnels, straws, and the test tubes all get incinerated, as hazardous waste. The gloves and styrofoam get recycled by Facilities & Services.

The iWG met on April 27, 2021, and discussed the iCAP Team recommendations: ZW002 Join NERC Government Recycling Demand Champions, ZW003 GreenerOffice Delivery Service Enrollment, ZW004 Reusable Dining Containers Program, LW002 Vet Med Parking Re-Design, and LW003 Certified Green Building Certification. See meeting minutes attached. 

All, Not much news from last week. We still aren’t busy-busy. I picked up bikes from the warehouse to scrap. I moved six kids bikes to Urbana on the big bike trailer and got lots of surprised looks, quizzical glances, and a couple thumbs up. Considering the amount of attention that trailer gets, we should look into getting some signage for it.

There’s been some nascent interest in volunteering from a few visitors. That’s been welcome. We also rearranged the workspace, moving the second repair stand next to the first one by the tool wall. They’re still safely separated but not totally annexed to the other side of the shop.
This week is our Friday Ride—last week was a no-show again—and our Quad Fix It Day on Thursday. I’ll be helping with the Bike Census on Wednesday as well.

The numbers:

Visitors: 15
Sales: $627.24
Memberships: 3 for $90
Bikes (refurb): 1 for $140

Thanks!

Jacob Benjamin
Manager, Campus Bike Center

This opportunity is available online. 

TED Talk: Eco-Edition series - Earth Month

In celebration of Earth Month, the next TED Talk: Eco-Edition will focus on environmental activism and individual vs. corporate responsibility for climate change. Participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk by Xiye Bastida: "If you adults won't save the world, we will." All are then invited to participate in a guided discussion hosted by iSEE Communications Intern and ESES student Maria Maring.

April 29, 7–8 PM • Map

Meredith Moore • Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

Happy Friday! I hope you are having a great Earth Week/Earth Month and have been able to attend a few (of the many!) activities this April. The Bike Census Spring 2021 is next Wednesday, April 28, from 10 – 11 AM. Bike Census is a collaborative, community-wide effort between Facilities & Services (F&S) and Champaign County Bikes that began in 2013 as part of ongoing improvement efforts to support the campus’ Bicycle Friendly University status.

If you are available to volunteer next Wednesday morning, please sign up here. There will be a virtual training session beforehand at 9 AM. Two Illinois coffee mugs will be raffled off for student volunteers. I hope you are able to participate and in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Sarthak Prasad (sprasad9@illinois.edu).

On another note, in celebration of Earth Month, the next iSEE TED Talk: Eco-Edition event will focus on environmental activism and individual versus corporate responsibility for climate change. On Thursday, April 29 at 7 PM, participants will view a prerecorded TED Talk presented in July 2020 by Xiye Bastida: "If you adults won't save the world, we will." Afterward, all are invited to participate in a guided discussion hosted by iSEE Communications Intern and ESES student, Maria Maring. Sign up here.

As always, be sure to check out the iSEE Sustainability Calendar for upcoming events and programs and help spread the word. Have a great weekend!

To wrap up Earth Week, President Killeen, Chancellor Jones, and leadership teams sent out the following message:

"The University of Illinois System welcomes President Biden’s publicly announced commitment to action on climate change, a serious and essential statement of the country’s resolve to lead in building a better, more sustainable future.

President Biden’s new plan to, among other things, cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030 also represents a call to the country’s centers of research and innovation for the bold ideas needed to make these goals reality.

The University of Illinois System and its three universities stand ready to help."

Go Illini!

https://massmail.illinois.edu/massmailArchive 

Thank you for a great Earth Week, Illini! Here a few highlights:

• SSC hosted an Environmental Quad Day 
• Climate Strike on the Quad
• Virtual open house for campus solar
• Illini Union Pretzels + Plants and recycling center launch 

The Telecommuting & Commuter Program intern met with supervisor Sarthak Prasad on Friday, April 23rd, 2021 to discuss updates on the program and goals for the upcoming week. Over the past week, they emailed over 10 different universities to fill out the google survey and/or schedule an interview to gain more personal insights and research. They also emailed the updated questionnaire to the IHR department, however, the department had to reschedule the meeting to May 5th. In addition, Audrey has begun creating the final deliverable presentation via PowerPoint for the transportation SWATeam meeting on April 30th. In the coming week, she will reach out again to the universities that have not yet filled out the google survey, and finish the final deliverable presentation.

Attached are the minutes to the Zero Waste SWATeam meeting which took place on April 23, 2021. The meeting agenda was as follows:

• Elimination of thermal paper receipts.
• Education on Waste Management.
• Reduction of water bottle purchases in vending machines.

Potential initiatives which resulted from this conversation:

• Pursue sustainable receipt options to divert receipts from University waste stream.
• RA Training on waste management, with intent to educate students in university housing about sustainability.
• Creating a sustainability training video for buyers through the Purchasing office.
• Recommendation to create F&S standard to modify water fountain installations.
• Recommendation to do a behavioral assessment on water bottle purchasers.
• Recommendation to launch an education campaign for campus members on tap water quality.

The SSC awarded $1,200 for the "Bike Registration Signs". This award will expire on May 14, 2022.

The Solar Array on the I-Hotel and Conference Center is now producing electricity. This is a 149.7 kW Solar Array. This project was completed in December 2020.

The Energy iCAP Team met on April 14th, 2021 with Brian Bundren, a member of the Illinois Space Advisory Committee, about to learn more about how campus space can be managed more efficiently as a way to reduce energy consumption. The University moving from hybrid learning to more in-person instruction and the new IVCB budget model that assigns bills individual colleges for their energy use will have significant impacts on space usage. The team also discussed our recommendation for Green Labs, or ways to integrate sustainability in research labs and reduce their energy consumption. We will also be moving forward with recommending an Energy Planning document to outline steps towards carbon neutrality by 2050. 

Meeting minutes and agenda are attached!

The Resilience iCAP Team met on April 6th, 2021 to brainstorm ideas for public engagement for creating our first Environmental Justice Plan. Members identified important avenues for learning about local intutions on what are relevant barriers to equitable health and safety in our communities. Moving forward, the Biodiversity Plan and EJ Plan will look to possibly engage the Department of Urban Planning and other students who will work on focus group interviews over the summer. The meeting concluded with an overview of the current progress of all Resilience iCAP objectives and future steps.

Meeting minutes and chat log are attached!