All, Happy Monday! Last week was a steady busy one. We routinely had peaks of busyness and fallow valleys. We had 97 visitors through the doors, including staff. We grossed $951.50. We sold two bikes for $335; one build-a-bike for $61; and 4 memberships for $120.

Overall, last week I was met with a little more enthusiasm for the space than I regularly receive upon explaining the cost structure and mission of the CBC to new visitors. That was nice. Our for-sale bike count after last week sits at 14 for-sale bikes. I keep trying to grow that number up into the 20s but people keep buying them. That’s not a bad thing, I suppose.

Additionally, the two Departmental Share bikes need parts that are on-order so that project will be delayed, unfortunately.

Our numbers for B-a-Bs last year was quite low and as such I will begin photographing—with permission—all those who complete build-a-bikes and posting them on social media, which will serve two important functions: advertising for CBC and its most education-intensive program; and having a picture of owner and bicycle in the event of a stolen or lost bike.

This week I am going to cull a few more unbuiildable bikes from the pile and concentrate heavily on ramping up the for-sale numbers since this week of cold, snowy weather should keep the shoppers at bay. I will additionally focus on drop-bar bicycles, since I’ve noticed people requesting and looking for those more than the about-town cruisers and flat-bar bikes we have for sale, irrespective of how well-suited they are to campus riding.

Sincerely,

Jake Benjamin

Campus Bike Center Manager

The Office of the Provost approved $75,000 in one-time funding for the next step in the LED Exit Sign retrofit project.  The funding of $75,000 is for LED Exit Sign lighting replacement, additions, and new building surveys.  Material and labor of $70,000 would be used to replace 343 fixtures in 20 buildings at an average rate of $204/fixture.  An additional $5,000 is proposed to survey 50 campus buildings for exit light counts.  That will provide the input necessary for the next phase, once this phase is completed.

The EGEN SWATeam held another bi-weekly meeting. Topics covered include:

• Associate Director for Campus Sustainability Ximing Cai and his vision for iSEE
• Biomass boiler at Energy Farm
• Opportunities for Geothermal on campus

On the agenda at the ECBS SWATeam meeting:

1) Comments needed on Illini Lights Out (ILO) recommendation;

2) Illini Lights Out final planning for 10th of March;

3) Building level energy consumption report;

4) Participation in Earth Hour and Earth week activities on campus;

5) Updates on the Green Labs Coordinator;

6) Planning for a campus walk focused on space utilization.

The iCAP Working Group met and discussed the following agenda items.  Meeting notes are attached.

1. Brief iCAP Portal overview by Morgan
2. Discuss any updates to Water002, Cooling Tower Increase COC
3. Discuss Trans008, Bike Parking in Ramps
4. Discuss updates to Econs004, Green Labs Coordinator
5. Consider issues with recommendation process and view recommendation tracker

Morgan Johnston, Catherine Yee, and Chenxi Jiang met today to discuss the outreach information listed on the iCAP Portal.  Catherine described the Student Sustainability Leadership Council (SSLC) and the Certified Green Office Program (CGOP).  We also discussed the Earth Week efforts and the overall purpose of the SSLC as a networking opportunity for students in sustainability groups.

All, last week we had 114 visitors. We grossed $997.25. We sold two bikes for $210 and six memberships for $180. The new hires are coming along, with only minor hiccups here and there.

Last week Lily and I assisted with the University High School Agora Days class that a Bike Project member was leading.  For Four days last week we went over various bike repair basics, focusing on tires/tubes, minor brake adjustments, chains, and a how-to on bike fitting. The kids were genuinely interested and engaged, and no one minded getting a little dirty. The only downside was the one-hour limit on each day’s class.

Lily and I also met to discuss the implementation of some bike classes for which she so adeptly secured funding.

This week I will get a job posting up for more student workers, as one new hire is MIA and a few others are graduating. I will continue to work on the departmental bike share bikes for F&S as well as bikes for sale here, as our stock isn’t quite as robust as I would like pre-spring rush.

Sincerely,

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

On the agenda at the ECBS SWATeam meeting:

1) Discuss and comment on attached recommendation for institutionalizing Illini Lights Out;

2) Illini Lights Out final planning for 24th of February;

3) Participation in Earth Hour activities on campus;

4) Discussion on what else to accomplish this year.

see file

see file

At the PWR SWATeam meeting on Feb. 22nd, the team discussed the current campus paper policy. The team will work on reviewing and improving the paper policy to ensure all departments are meeting standards for recycled paper content and identifying reasons for lack of participation. 

1) We used total energy use by year in MMBTU (FY08-FY2016) and created a bar chart. Then we converted the MMBTU to BTU, and divided the number by GSF to get the energy use intensity (EUI). We used both bar charts and added them to the presentation for the Lincoln Hall.

2) We made a research to find out what Notable Energy Events occured in the Lincoln Hall:

• FY09 T-12 to T-8 Lighting Retrofit;
• FY11-12 LEED Platinum Renovation;
• FY14 Retrocommissioning;
• FY15 ECIP winner;
• FY16 Illini Lights Out pilot.

3) iCAP Portal projects at Lincoln Hall: https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/place/lincoln-hall

The ECIMN Advisory Board meets on the third Monday of the month from 3-5 pm.  Karen Folk and Eliana Brown will present the Red Oak Rain Garden as a requested site for approval as an official volunteer location for the Master Naturalists.  Once Board approval is granted, Maddy Kangas will work to complete the MOU with F&S, similar to the Idea Garden agreement.

The effort could be set up in three phases: 1. Assessment 2. Renovation 3. Maintenance.