Dear SWATeam Chairs,   Last year F&S, in collaboration with iSEE's predecessor, started a new program for Sustainability Faculty Fellows.  The idea was to engage our faculty in addressing sustainability-related issues that directly impact the F&S mission.  F&S generated several potential project ideas, and then an RFP was issued to the campus community; faculty could propose to tackle these projects themselves (with summer salary support) and could also request funding for an RA to support the work.   We're looking into the possibility of running this program again for the next academic year, and I wanted to solicit your (and your team's) suggestions for potential projects that F&S and iSEE could consider including in the RFP.  The ideal project would be one where a particular topic really needs to be studied in more depth to facilitate campus sustainability efforts related to F&S, and where there might be faculty on our campus who could complete such studies in a one-year period.   This is not intended for pure research, but more for applied research, feasibility studies, analysis, etc.   If you and your team have any ideas (even if they're not entirely fleshed out), please let me know.  It would be most helpful to receive your suggestions within the next two weeks.   Thanks very much,   Ben

Earth Week 2014 is going to be a week packed full with environmental education and awareness events! Among these events will be showings of the environmental documentaries, "Living Downstream", "Terra Blight"and "Waste Food".  Interactive events will include DIY Green Supplies where participants will be given recipes to make green cleaning items, Bike Blender + Bike Fix It, as well as a Clothing Swap at the University YMCA. Keep checking back here for a more detailed calendar regarding these exciting events!

From: Lisa Brooks Sent: Monday, March 31, 2014 9:57 PM To: Dempsey, John Garrett Subject: School Composting Project   Jack Dempsey,   My name is Lisa Brooks, and I am a student at UIUC. My class and I are collaborating with the Urbana Environmental Sustainability Division to establish a school composting program throughout Urbana schools. The goal of the program is to lower the amount of food waste in the school while producing rich organic top soil. We are currently in the development phase of the program, and we did some research on the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment. I was wondering if you would be interested in scheduling a time to discuss the details of the project and any suggestions or ideas you might have for how to make our program as effective as possible. If there is anyone else at the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment that could also provide insight into this project that would be greatly appreciated as well. Feel free to contact me at any time if you are interested in discussing this project.   Thank you for your help,   Lisa Brooks

Three student groups presented information about their group, including mission statements, group function on campus, and future plans.

• SSC – Student Sustainability Committee
• Green Observer
• SECS – Students for Environmental Concerns

Some suggestions that have come from our Sustainability committee are: Regardless of which route we take, we should update the Business Travel page, http://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/travel/, to include something about scheduling inter-campus meetings between UIC and UIS or UIUC to accommodate the Amtrak schedule, perhaps with a table with this information:

Inter-campus travel: In order to facilitate sustainable and convenient travel between campuses, meeting organizers are encouraged to schedule meetings around the Amtrak schedule. For Chicago meetings, start after 10:30, end by 3:30; in Springfield start after 10:45, end by 4:30; in Champaign, start after 11:00, end by 6:15 (as of October 2013 Amtrak schedule)

1. We should definitely include the following sustainability drivers:
   1. Economic – less expensive
   2. Environment – reduces emissions and energy consumption
   3. Society – you can work while in transit – benefits office
2. Consideration of video-conferencing. Perhaps even a listing of where facilities are or how people identify them on their campuses.
3. Consult with Scott Speegle.

Thanks,

Cindy

IGBA is reviewing their certification checklist - this is the second version, so creating a 3.0 version.  To add additional credibility to the program they are bringing in outside experts to review the process, look through the checklist, edit it line by line, make suggestions from small changes in wording to large changes like adding, combining the credits, and suggest weighting factors.

1. create a more streamlined and up to date checklist
2. create a smaller more focused checklist

There were 9 sections - now there will be 8.  There is a TAG for each section, plus the certification steering committee looking at the broader picture.  Ryan is the staff representative - no voting rights, organize meetings, and conduit between the groups. 

To become certified a business must complete the required credits and 50% of the program in each section that applies to that business (based on operational control).  The goal of the weighted checklist is to incentivize businesses to choose some of the harder items.  For example in energy, you can upgrade your entire HVAC system for one credit or you can add stickers to light switches for one credit.

Hoping to have the review process completed by fall 2014, with a draft by August. Additional members would be nice - especially from a larger transportation area.  This will be all types of transportation, so Morgan suggested Scott Spegel with Amtrak and Ed Barsoti with the League of Illinois Bicyclists.

Ryan will send the existing checklist and transportation assessment.  He will also highlight the items that only a few businesses have used and provide staff information about the questions businesses have asked about existing items.  Please read those docs and make any changes in Word, with track changes turned on.  Next meeting is last Friday in April.

The University of Illinois has a rich history of partnering with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District to reduce single occupancy vehicles and increase the use of public transit.  This presentation includes a timeline showing the history of the partnership.

Mike Lyon, Karen Greenwalt, and Michael Hites are working with ISEE to implement departmental bike sharing this summer.  We also have a commitment from Assistant Vice President Gloria Keeley to participate along with AITS; many of their employees are at HAB and central campus.

This Feasibility study considers the potential placement of a Photovoltaic array on the roof of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA). The Study was conducted in two phases, the reports of which are included herein. A construction budget of five hundred eighty-five thousand dollars ($585,000), excluding contingencies, was proposed by the Student Sustainability Committee.

FY07 - 13 buildings

• 112 - MEB
• 26 - Altgeld
• 12 - Noyes
• 99 - Undergrad
• 210 - DCL
• 15 - Engineering Hall
• 152 - Hydrosystems
• 67 - Loomis
• 29 - MEL
• 34 - MSEB
• 24 - Newmark
• 13 - Talbot
• 42 - Transportation Bldg

FY08 - 12 buildings

• HARDING BAND BUILDING #4
• ILLINI HALL #65
• OPTICAL PHYSICS BUILDING #165
• ILLINOIS PROGRAM FOR RESEARCH & HUMANITIES #221
• ARCHITECTURE BUILDING #50
• NOBLE HALL #90
• ART & DESIGN #219
• MUSIC BUILDING #39
• FLAGG HALL #89
• UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL #61
• ARMORY #6
• FOELLINGER AUDITORIUM #7

FY14 – CURRENT PROJECT

• #324 Grainger Library
• #174 Engineering Sciences
• #116 Roger Adams Lab
• #336 Animal Sciences
• #197 Turner Hall
• #370 South Studio #5
• #371 South Studio #7

OTHER PROJECTS

• #339 Temple Buell Hall

On February 26, 2014 over 100 volunteers collaborated in a competition at a U of I basketball game to divert as much waste as possible from landfill.  Isolated waste bins were changed into recycling stations with new signs for landfill and recycling.   Fans were educated by volunteers about which bin to use.   After the game, participants collected and recycled as much as possible.  Landfilled and recycled materials were weighed and recorded to indicate a diversion rate of 31.5%.

On March 18, 2014 was the first E-cyclemania event as part of Recyclemania at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.  57 volunteers from numerous student organizations collaborated with Champaign County Bikes.  E-waste was picked up by bike from several building drop-offs points that included Nugent Hall, Daniels Hall, Sherman Hall, The Cohen Center, Orchard Downs, The Bike Shop, and Bousfield Hall.  That material was transported on bike trailers to collection sites located at Allen Hall, Ikenberry Commons, and the ISTC Building in the research park. The event managed to fill two 26 ft. box trucks with electronics for recycling.  The weight of that material will be recorded in the national RecycleMania database.

This Feasibility study considers the potential placement of a Photovoltaic array on the roof of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA). The Study was conducted in two phases, the reports of which are included herein. A construction budget of five hundred eighty-five thousand dollars ($585,000), excluding contingencies, was proposed by the Student Sustainability Committee.

Based on shadow studies, it was determined that placement of a photovoltaic array on the roof of the Great Hall would maximize the potential power gain, as compared to other locations at KCPA. However, structural analyses have shown that the roof structure would require strengthening prior to the application of any new load. Additionally, based on its age, it is recommended that the roofing be replaced prior to the installation of a photovoltaic array. Access to the roof is cumbersome, and is also in need of improvement. The opinion of probable construction cost for this associated work exceeds the five hundred eighty-five thousand dollar ($585,000) construction budget. Without considering these associated projects in the payback analysis, the complexities of constructing a PV array on the roof structure diminish the economical effectiveness of a roof mounted PV array as compared to a ground-mounted system, assuming the ready
availability of real estate.

Based on these findings, it is the recommendation of Hanson Professional Services Inc. (Hanson) that a photovoltaic array not be placed on the roof of the Great Hall at KCPA, and that consideration be given instead to directing the available funds to a location that is more readily suited to its construction.

Ken Buenting, Sharon Ball, Eva Sweeney, Morgan Johnston, and Ryan Wild met to review progress on the LED Exit Sign work.  Ken reported great progress with four buildings complete and one in progress: Grainger, RAL, Animal Sciences Lab, and the Engineering Sciences Building.  They are in Turner Hall now.  Just over $24K has been spent so far through the contractor.  They will move on to the Main Library and the Education Building next.

The current implementation process is as follows:

1. Ryan Wild and Morgan Johnston work with others to identify the priority list of buildings.
2. Eva Sweeney will review records to ascertain whether the fixtures are connected to an emergency generator or will need battery backup.
3. Sharon Ball and team will do the initial count of fixtures.
4. Ken Buenting will direct the hired contractor to replace the existing fixtures and provide data sheets for our records.
5. Eva Sweeney and Ryan Wild will identify additional signage installation needs.
6. Ken will direct the F&S electricians to install the additional signs.

Eva had Ken remove Temple Buell Hall from the list because it is being handled through another project.  Also, through other funding, South studio five and seven were completed.

Hi Andrew, Jane, Scott, Rob, and Stephanie,

At the last Sustainability Practitioners discussion, Jack Dempsey asked about a Regional Climate Action Plan.  After that brief discussion, he talked with campus leadership.  Mike DeLorenzo then talked with the “IAC” about the idea.  Reportedly, Laurel Prussing was enthusiastic and the Champaign City Manager liked the idea and wanted to get a little more info.  I do not know if Bill Volk or Deb at RPC have heard of this yet. 

What I’d like to do is meet with the six of us and talk about this idea.  We can flesh out the idea more, develop a list of pros and cons, and consider the different options for moving forward.  Jane and Andrew, would you please let me know if you can and will participate in this discussion?  Scott, can you confirm that you are the right person to include for Urbana?

Thanks!

Morgan

The call included Jim Martinie and Kathy Young with UA Payables, Cindy Klein-Banai, Stephanie Lage, and Morgan Johnston.  Ben McCall, Shelby Egan, and Ginger Valezquez were unable to join the call.

This discussion was started through a group in Chicago looking at the travel policy with Amtrak.  Unlike with airfare it wasn’t giving a preference for Amtrak.  Also, even a higher class than the coach class Amtrak is much less expensive than driving, and people may be more productive on the train.  Are there options and promotional opportunities.  Payables was going to look at it and provide us with an update. 

Policy is set by the Illinois Higher Education Travel Board and it is very difficult to get them to change.  Ginger is the representative for the UI with the Illinois Higher Education Travel Board.  They prescribe the lodging limitations, per diem amount, and travel policies.  Can do procedures and not policies on our side, but they haven’t had much luck with change requests for increasing per diem or lodging limitations.  Cindy said that this would be a little different because we want to ask them to reimburse less than for car travel.

Probably need to focus on what can be done here and what we do have control over.  Providing some information to Amtrak and train travel under make travel arrangements.  We can update the pages on the OBFS page. Payables was really focused on making procedural changes with the web-page – Kathy would like to work with someone to put the information on the website.  Kathy will submit the information for the changes – Cindy will work with them to help with that, with Stephanie.  Stephanie will bring Gary Miller up to speed about the policy issue, for the Green Governing Coordinating Council.  Morgan will get a contact at IDOT in support of Amtrak travel.

They were able to come up with a preliminary report that identifies the instances that someone has driven and been reimbursed for mileage between Urbana and Chicago.  That report needs a little fine tuning – by departments.  We can count and sum the info by department with the details.  They will look at instances between Chicago and Springfield, as well. 

I called DCEO's contact for this program, and her voicemail said to call Brian Cattamay at 312-355-2019.  I left him a voicemail because it is unclear to me whether the funding is still available for our campus.  I also asked Dawn to take a look at the video and estimate or count the number of green nozzles they could install at Dining Services.

From: Johnston, Morgan B

Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:54 AM
To: 'Amy Liu'
Cc: Burris, Marques Javyn; Bartels, Bart A; Kinley, Kathryn R
Subject: RE: Tap That Signage

Hi Amy,

I think you should ask Marques or Katie for the current account balance for this project (water fountain retrofit).  The CFOP is 1-303692-815100-815184-815RET.  Then, you need to get a vote from the SSC committee to approve the change in scope to reflect the # of glass fillers installed, and give you permission to spend the remaining money on signs.

Once you have SSC permission, then we will talk to the individual facility managers for the buildings, to get their approval of any signage.  At the libraries, for instance, you may be able to put a flyer on their bulletin boards, but not at the actual fountains.

Thanks!

Morgan

There are 48 buildings signed up.  There will be a luncheon on April 21 during Earth Week on campus.  The lunch is for celebrating the participants, and for them to invite potential participants to join us and help expand the program.

From: Dorothy Ann David
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 3:33 PM
To: DeLorenzo, Michael T
Cc: Rob Kowalski; Joan Walls
Subject: Climate Change Plan

Mike - I don't think that I ever followed up on last month's request about our interest in participating in a discussion about a Regional Climate Change Plan.  I have asked Rob Kowalski, Assistant Director of Planning and Development to serve as the City's rep on any group you choose to convene.  I have copied Rob so you have his email address.