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Project Updates

  2. Tree Campus USA Celebration - Zoom Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Tree Campus Higher Education
    Champaign County Sustainability Network (CCNet) [ARCHIVED]
    Campus Tree Inventory
    Carbon Credit Purchasing Program (C2P2) with Second Nature

    Thank you to everyone who joined us live or watches later on the CCNet Facebook page!  We enjoyed a great turnout for the Tree Campus USA Celebration, with about 35 people on the Zoom call and a reach of 365 on Facebook.

    This event included a review of the five years that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been designated as a Tree Campus USA, by Brent Lewis. Senior in Integrative Biology student, Maddie Smith, presented the results of her diversity analysis for the campus' urban forest, and the F&S Tree Surgeons, Dustin Reifsteck and Sky Drewes, answered tree-related questions.  At the end of the hour, community announcements included Arbor Day and Earth Month events coming up.

    Celebrate National Arbor Day next week on April 24, 2020!

    Links from announcements and presentation

    The event concluded with a round of thanks, and several were captured in the chat log.

    12:56:43     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you to the Grounds Dept!
    12:58:28     From  Samantha Fisher : Thank you for this presentation! I really enjoy your monthly presentations.
    13:00:02     From  Stacy Gloss : Thanks CCNET for a great presentation today. Awesome collaborative effort.  Everyone have a great day!
    13:00:33     From  ekamarah : Thank you everyone for these interesting presentations and conversations. Have a great day.
    13:00:37     From  Brent Lewis : Yes, thank you everyone!
    13:00:49     From  Eliana Brown : Thank you, everyone! Great job!
    13:01:08     From  pattsi : Stay well everyone
    13:01:12     From  Marya Ryan : Yes, great presentations! So glad to reconnect with CCNet after a few years away.
    13:01:24     From  Miranda Vieson : Thanks!
    13:01:25     From  Marcus Ricci : It was a great presentation, with all of the different presenters nicely tying in to the theme. The Q&A was cool.
    13:01:26     From  Jenna Kurtzweil : Thanks, everyone!!
    13:01:26     From  Kate Gardiner : Love CCNet, thanks Morgan!

    Attached Files: 

  8. Update on MTD's transition to clean energy vehicles

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support the MTD Bus System

    We currently have 94 hybrids in our fleet of 111 vehicles, which makes us 85% hybrid. However, we have 11 more hybrids being made right now as replacement vehicles that are supposed to start arriving in the next week. At that point, we’ll have 105 hybrids, making up 95% of the fleet. I know that’s starting now and will certainly be done by the end of the year, but I don’t the exact timeline (I would imagine within a few months we’ll have them all, though).

    We did order the two hydrogen buses that will be arriving later this year and then go into service in 2021. We did design that fueling station to be scalable, because we feel really good about this technology and think it holds a lot of promise for us, so if it does work out, the station was designed to be modified and go from accommodating two buses to six or ten or twelve as easily as possible. So, if funding allows, I would be on the look-out for those. - MTD representative to F&S inquiry in April 2020

  9. Green Office Opportunities!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    Many university employees want to set an example for students by taking environmental action at work, but they aren’t sure where to start. The Certified Green Office Program is designed to identify simple, inexpensive actions you can take in your workspace.

    In its first four years, more than 50 offices and over 1,000 staff and faculty joined the Certified Green Office Program. In the program’s fifth year, we invite you and your office to make a pledge to reduce your use of resources and improve the overall sustainability of your office’s day-to-day practices.

    Small actions make a big difference when many take those small actions. The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) outlines campus plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and we believe everyone can play a part in achieving that goal through their day-to-day actions. With your help, we can reduce the environmental impact of this campus and strengthen its position as a national leader in sustainability.

    Click here for more information about the Certified Green Office Program.

  11. history note from F&S

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase use of EVs and other Alternative Service Vehicles

    F&S has used both GEM (8?) and e-Ride (2) electric service vehicles as well as 8 other small, gas powered Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), 2 each from 4 different manufacturers totaling 8 LSVs. I’ve attached an email that has a link to a story posted on Cars.com about our use. While a variety of vehicles were used they were pretty much all gone in 5-8 years for many reasons including capability, reliability, parts supplies, vendors going out of business and personnel concerns. None in service currently.

     

    From July 2008, by Pete Varney:

    The University did in fact purchase 8 vehicles, we are calling them "mini-trucks."  Chery is one of the OEMs.  We purchased two each of Tiger, Mag Intl, Vantage and Cushman (no longer selling in the US).  The desire is to test their effectiveness as a service vehicle on campus.  We have a large fleet of service vehicles (250+) and the majority of them never travel more that a couple of miles each day and never exceed the campus speed limit, 25 mph.

     

    This has been a long and at sometimes, difficult, project to get rolling, but now includes electric vehicles (E-ride) as well.  All part of the University's goal of conserving energy and increasing sustainability.

    https://www.cars.com/articles/chinese-part-of-mini-truck-mania-1420663272884/

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  14. Edu005 Sustainable Scholars Program - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Education iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Education SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/2/2020: 

    Develop a Sustainable Scholars Program (SSP), on the model of the existing popular and prestigious James Scholar program. Student recipients would enter the program as freshmen, choose a pathway of sustainability-themed courses across campus comparable to a minor, be eligible for priority registration times, and undertake extra honors-level assignments in these courses mentored by their professors-instructors. Oversight of the program to be provided by the Associate Director for Education at iSEE.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Edu005 Sustainable Scholars Program with comments from the Education SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Edu004 Sustainability Unit in ENG100 - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Education iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Education SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/2/2020: 

    Establish a sustainability unit for piloting through ENG100, which provides freshmen with initial exposure to the relationship between sustainability actions and their own course of study. Unit will consist of one week of lesson plans, taught by course undergraduate teaching assistants, including a variety of learning activities and discussions. iSEE will offer training to undergraduate teaching assistants through a short workshop on sustainability, and lesson plans/learning objectives will be developed by iSEE faculty to ensure appropriateness of material. After the pilot period, freshman sustainability units could be extended to additional colleges for incorporation into their own freshman programming.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Edu004 Sustainability Unit in ENG100 with comments from the Education SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  16. Edu003 Sustainability Career Fair - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Education iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Education SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/2/2020: 

    The Sustainability Career Fair working group has the following tiered recommendations, which would grow the general program over three years, with event implementation beginning in the Spring of FY21:

    • Year 1: The Career Center would coordinate with various University colleges’ career fairs in Spring of FY21 to create an integrated Sustainability identity within existing career fairs. Initially, this would primarily target Environmental Sciences and Sustainability majors and minors, but eventually would include a broader base of colleges as we build awareness. In order to quantify the need for developing a Sustainability career fair, we recommend creating assessments in the Fall of FY21. These would determine the job market demand for Sustainability professionals along with establishing desired credentials for job applicants. A second assessment would target students with a Sustainability career focus to better understand their career goals and desired career path (government policy work at the local and State, and Federal level, applied science and coordination work within government, Not-For-Profits, corporations, start-ups, or higher education).
    • Year 2: The Career Center would continue promoting and coordinating a consistent Sustainability identity within individual colleges’ career fairs while adding a modest career fair of interested companies and partners in conjunction with the Fall 2021 ISEE Congress. We recommend starting one paid internship through the Career Center, partnering with ISEE, the LAS Life + Career Design Lab and ACES Career Services to help organize and promote the event. Other student volunteers would assist with planning and day-of event management.
    • Year 3: Grow the Sustainability Career Fair program to include the Year 1 and Year 2 events, and adding a larger stand-alone, comprehensive Campus-wide Sustainability Career Fair in February 2023, involving multiple University colleges (ACES, LAS, Grainger, Gies, FAA, etc.).

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Edu003 Sustainability Career Fair with comments from the Education SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Edu002 Internship Coordinator - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Education iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Education SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/2/2020: 

    The Education SWATeam recommends developing a sustainable communities paid internship program in partnership with local businesses, non-profits, local government agencies, community-based agencies and cultural institutions in Central Illinois. 

     

    The internship program will be designed to build organizational capacity in the Champaign-Urbana / Central Illinois with regard to sustainability and resilience efforts to advance sustainable development and/or climate action goals. This program aims to allow students the flexibility to devise an internship experience that aligns with their specific interests within sustainability. Collaborations between the University and Champaign-Urbana community can be taken advantage of as projects where internships can be generated.

     

    The student interns will be involved in sustainability and community resilience efforts with directed emphasis toward sustainable development goals. Interns will gain real-world, project-based, and pre-professional experience in a workplace setting anywhere from 3 months (summer intern) to 1 year. 

     

    The intern program will also be tasked to provide leadership training as a foundation for real-world, project-based, and pre-professional experiences. Existing campus resources such as leadership development training modules available through Student Union programming should be utilized.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Edu002 Internship Coordinator with comments from the Education SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  18. Edu001 Environmental Leadership Program - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Education iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Education iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Education SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/2/2020: 

    Develop an Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), for undergraduates and Masters’ students. ELP will comprise two week-long intensives, one in Fall and a Washington DC trip during Spring Break, exposing students to environmental governance at local, state, and federal tiers. Also includes pre-professional training, and speaker seminars during the academic year.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Edu001 Environmental Leadership Program with comments from the Eductation SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Res001 Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Resilience iCAP Team Recommendations Summary

    The Resilience SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/3/2020: 

    An update to the Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (CCHMP) will be finalized by June 2020 and it is recommended that the University of Illinois (UI) adopt the CCHMP. Hazard mitigation plans are required for some Federal disaster assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act*. The adoption of the plan requires Chancellor Jones’ signature.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Res001 Champaign County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan with comments from the Resilience SWATeam.

     

    Attached Files: 

  20. Energy004 Energy Conservation Funding - Submitted

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Energy iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)

    The Energy SWATeam made the following recommendation on 4/3/2020: 

    We recommend $10M per year (scalable) of funding for the next 5 years to implement critical projects that work in concert with energy performance contracts (EPC) and/or energy focused capital projects. EPC contracts are fulfilled by specialized, accredited firms known as energy service companies. The university uses EPCs to manage complex projects targeting facilities with high energy use, such as laboratories, maximizing energy efficiency and addressing sizable volumes of deferred maintenance issues along the way. The campus backlog on deferred maintenance is approaching $1 billion.

    Attached is the SWATeam recommendation Energy004 Energy Conservation Funding with comments from the Energy SWATeam.

    Attached Files: 

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