"Why doesn't the company installing the solar panels at U of I put them over the parking lot? I would provide shade for the cars underneath and would eliminate having to kill whatever would be underneath them in the fields."

The best option for building solar panels is ground-mounted, said Morgan White, the associate director for sustainability at the University of Illinois.

"As part of our Climate Leadership Commitments the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a goal of producing at least 25,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year from on-campus solar," she said. "When we evaluated options for meeting this goal, rooftop solar, solar over parking areas, and ground-mounted solar were all considered. The most cost-effective option is ground-mounted solar, and it also allows for larger-scale installations.

"For a sense of the scale, the two solar farms will be a total of 75 acres, while the largest parking lot on campus is less than 15 acres.

"When installing solar panels over parking areas, there are additional infrastructure and labor costs to raise the solar panels above the ground level. Although we do not currently have any solar over parking areas, Facilities & Services is working with the Parking Department to evaluate potential locations for a pilot installation. We are also continuing to install rooftop solar on individual buildings."

Solar panels are on the following five Urbana campus buildings:

— Business Instructional Facility

— the Activities & Recreation Center

— Wassaja Residence Hall

— University High School Gymnasium

— Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building.

"I'd also like to emphasize that the ground-mounted solar panels do not harm the plants under them. After building the first Solar Farm, we learned that there was an excellent opportunity for growing useful plants under and around the panels," said White. "This is a great opportunity for creating a multi-functional ecosystem, with pollinator supportive plants and protected areas for small animals and insects."

https://www.news-gazette.com/toms-mailbag/toms-mailbag-june-26-2020/article_65ef2976-09b9-526a-848d-1419c905b0ec.html

Tom's Mailbag in the News-Gazette included information about the Solar Farm 2.0 landscape buffer: https://www.news-gazette.com/toms-mailbag/toms-mailbag-june-19-2020/article_ddf7f640-1c32-5024-98b0-74d8f4ecaa7e.html

Curtis Road landscaping

"Curtis Road from Neil Street and First Street in Savoy,  why are they planting several rows of tree and bushes?

The work underway in that location is for a landscaped buffer between the University of Illinois' Solar Farm 2.0 site and the village of Savoy, said Morgan White, associate director for sustainability at the University of Illinois.

"Since the start of the project, the university has incorporated the feedback of nearby residents and businesses in planning aspects to ensure that area is aesthetically pleasing and limits the future visibility of the array directly from Curtis Road," she said. "The buffer was designed by the University Landscape Architect at Facilities & Services, Brent Lewis, and it consists of native trees, shrubs and perennials specifically selected for their aesthetics and pollinator benefits.

"The trees were funded by the Student Sustainability Committee, and the remaining costs were provided by Facilities & Services and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment.

"This extensive buffer planting, along with the 54 acres of native perennials and grasses under the solar panels, will help to establish a diverse pollinator habitat and strengthen ecosystems for local and migratory birds and insects, including butterflies and bees. This effort supports the university's commitment as a 'Bee Campus USA,' proving progress in awareness, native plant landscapes, and safe pest management.

"When completed, the site will also serve as a demonstration for pollinator-friendly solar arrays, following the requirements of the Pollinator Friendly Solar Site Act, of which the university has taken the lead in creating."

                                                          Is Your Office 'Green'? iSEE Can Help You Save Resources, Energy!    

With the campus gearing up for the fall semester, now is the time to think about "greening" your office!

Small steps by everyone help the University of Illinois reduce its overall carbon footprint, and the newly updated iSEE Certified Green Office Program gives employees a way to pitch in. Offices and units choose a sustainability ambassador and take simple steps to cut emissions and waste. By using recycled supplies, turning off lights and other measures, units can earn a gold, silver, or bronze certificate!

Check out the program (link above) or email iseegreenoffice@gmail.com.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, we will be holding an online Farm Stand. We will be still implementing all guidelines and rules, so the pickup will be no contact. Below are the instructions and the link.

The store will be open for orders on Tuesdays only, it will open at 7am until all items sell out or until 7am on Wednesday morning. We will then export all orders and begin to fill them. If you place an order past 7am on Wednesday we will not see it and that order will not be filled. We will have a drive thru pick-up at the SSF on Thursdays, our usual market day, from 12-5. The pick-up location will be at the gate on Lincoln Ave. just south of Windsor Road. Below is a map of where pickup is going to be located. When you arrive you will give your name to one of our employees, they will retrieve your prepackaged order and will put it in your trunk or backseat through an open window. All orders must be prepaid on the website at the time of ordering. We thank you for your support and patience as we figure out our new market system.

Copy and paste this url to get to the online ordering site!

thefarmstand.illinois.edu

Here is a secondary link if the first one doesn’t work:

my.aces.illinois.edu/buy

Sixth annual BeeBlitz

Join us (virtually) on Saturday, June 27, 2020 for the sixth annual BeeBlitz!

Nature lovers and concerned citizens in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio are invited to get outside and snap pictures of honey & bumble bees for BeeBlitz. Then, upload your findings to BeeSpotter, the citizen science project run in collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Entomology and the Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education.

This event is a perfect candidate for social distancing, as you can go out on your own or in small groups; there's no need to gather in large crowds to go bee spotting!

What is BeeBlitz?

The name BeeBlitz is derived from a BioBlitz, an activity in which all of the biodiversity in a specific area is examined, to provide a snapshot in time of the flora and fauna present. During the BeeBlitz, we seek to know what species of honey & bumble bees are seen, and where they are, on this specific day.

We encourage veteran and aspiring bee spotters alike to venture out on a nature walk and participate in the blitz.

What can YOU do?

All you have to do is go outside on June 27, take a few bee photos, and upload them to BeeSpotter. You don't need to upload them immediately; just be sure to select the correct date when uploading. They will automatically be counted as part of the BeeBlitz collection!

Learn how to get started with BeeSpotter!

We also encourage parks, schools, museums, and zoos to publicize the virtual BeeBlitz in their local communities. Helpful resources for publicity include the BeeBlitz flier and the list of Suggested BeeBlitz Gear.

You can help us spread the word about the BeeBlitz by distributing these BeeBlitz announcement fliers to anyone you think might be interested!

Download the general BeeBlitz announcement flier (for Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio)

The construction on the path began in summer 2020 and was completed by the time students returned to campus. The old bike paths, along with hedges, overgrown evergreens, and decorative urns were removed from the area. A new 6 foot wide path was constructed and plans have been made to restore the landscape as needed. The Armory Avenue bike path is now open to use!

This project tied in with the renovation of the entire Armory Ave bike path that connects the bike lane on Armory Ave to the bike lane on Goodwin Ave. This bike path goes through the Gregory Hall, Foellinger Auditorium, Smith Hall, IGB, and Bevier Hall.

Please see attached the final report for this project.

See the previous update for this project.

Good afternoon,

My name is Meredith Moore and I am the Sustainability Programs Coordinator at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) on campus. We are very excited to share the first draft of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) 2020! The iCAP is our University’s comprehensive strategic plan for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This attached document consists of eight key themes (Energy, Transportation, Land & Water, Zero Waste, Education, Engagement, Resilience, and Implementation/Funding), each of which contain actionable objectives to guide our sustainability plans for the next five years and beyond. It includes content and graphs without the design and images which will be incorporated later this summer. We would appreciate your feedback on the iCAP content at this form and invite you to share this information and link with any students, faculty, staff, or community members. We are interested to hear what you like about this document, suggestions for improvement, and any additional comments you would like to share with us.

Your review and feedback of the iCAP is a critical step in the drafting process! We have hosted in-person and virtual public forums to achieve this, and we are now accepting feedback on the draft itself. You can also find the PDF iCAP draft, as well as our feedback form, on our website here, or by using go.illinois.edu/iCAP2020. Please submit all feedback by Friday, June 26. You do not need to read the entire document to provide feedback; if you have a particular interest area, feel free to comment specifically on that topic. Thank you for your time and effort, and we look forward to reviewing your feedback! Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Meredith

--
Meredith Moore
Sustainability Programs Coordinator

Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1101 W. Peabody, Urbana, Suite 338 (NSRC)

217.333.0119 | mkm0078@illinois.edu

sustainability.illinois.edu

Please consider the environment before printing out an email.

The construction drawings for civil and electrical design for the solar farm 2.0 project are being reviewed by F&S, both design review and utilities and energy services, and should be completed in the next two weeks.

RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the May 2020 Buyer's Share amounts by hour, totaling 1892.7 Megawatt hours. See attached file.

Shelby Keye became the first person to register their bicycle on University's new national bike registration system through Project 529!