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Project Updates

  2. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - June 30, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    Done:

    • Demo map (Test site): filter by Collections and Themes (WIP), filters overlay map, map shown full-screen

    Discussion:

    • Discussed various map-related ideas. See TODOs section for some of the outcomes.
    • Continue discussion of Fancy Page Layout (see the 4 mockups in the October 21, 2022 meeting notes)
    • Continue discussion of improving site's aesthetics
    • Question about a TODO: "Collections page: Add image upload option". At a previous meeting we had this TODO, but what was the context? Was it to have a thumbnail for each Collection? Or a banner image?
    • Should we link to "Take Action" project from homepage?
      • Replace map link in Highlights?
      • Need to finish Take Action page content
    • Archiving projects
      • Add "Archived" checkbox?
      • Add "Archived" to Visibility options?
      • Add "Archived" to Project Status options? (probably not - this mixes the status of the project itself with whether we still want it to show up on the site)
      • Remove from nested listings, still publicly available?

    TODO:

    • Main map:
      • Start with only Campus Tour locations shown (for now, start with Reporting Progress theme)
      • Filter by Theme or Collection
      • See CSU's campus map (Sustainability section) for inspiration
      • Smaller markers
      • Remove businesses layer
      • Campus boundary, like ArcGIS Bicycle Map
    • LEED Certification project's sub-project cards show Mechanical Engineering Building: LEED Gold twice (page 1 and page 5)
    • Loading message on page unload shows up sometimes in browser page history (e.g. view iCAP Portal PDF from About page, then click "back") and also when downloading files (e.g. downloading tracking data on Metric: Bicycle Counts at Armory and Sixth or PDFs on other pages)
    • Homepage has extra padding on right side on mobile
    • SSC project embedding: add category filtering options
    • (long term goal) look into importing information from another source, e.g. SSC students without iCAP Portal access can put together info in a structured format for automatic import into iCAP Portal
    • Look into Collection embedding again, à la Drawdown Solutions Library Sammy had found ("Filter by sector or area of action" section)
    • Metric search/display:
      • Theme (via connected Project, i.e. Theme -> Project -> Metric)
      • Most recent updates as of: (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
      • (Internal only) Last updated before (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
    • (Low Priority) Make column headers click-sortable on Projects by Project Status page
    • Fancy project layout mockups - keep tweaking #3 to improve contrast
    • Discuss metrics
      • Metrics with lots of data
      • Consider how to handle old metrics that no longer track new data. Archive somehow?
      • Fun with math (e.g. combining multiple metrics)
      • Calculated Metrics on Dev site

  3. 6-15-23 F&S investigating food truck composting in collaboration with CCES

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Food Truck Certification
    Plan for Organic Waste
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Reduce Foodwaste

    From: Carroll, Cassandra Leah <ccarrol2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2023 9:52 AM
    To: Gloss, Stacy L <sgloss@illinois.edu>; Mahajan, Shreya <shreyam6@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Compost Bin in Urbana

     

    Hi Shreya,

     

    Please also contact Susan Monte at Champaign County Environmental Stewards to collaborate on this work: smonte@ccenvstew.com

     

    Here is their website: https://www.ccenvstew.com/

     

    Cassie

     

    Cassie Carroll

    Marketing & Communications Director

    Smart Energy Design Assistance Center

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    1 St. Mary’s Road, Champaign, IL 61820

    217-300-6477

    ccarrol2@illinois.edu

  7. Restarting Loadman Initiative

    Associated Project(s): 
    Track Waste from Frontload Trucks

    Kenny is going to call, as a side note there have been multiple pan replacements and broken or missing RFID’s on front loads around campus. I think to get a real count on what locations don’t have RFID’d the functioning system will have to go around dumping and it should geolocate as unreadable and with that info we will know the location not tagged or broken.

     

    Thank you,

    Dan

    217.300.8545

     

    From: Richard Boyovich <richard@loadman.com>
    Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 2:57 PM
    To: John Cramer <john@loadman.com>; Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Baarla, Naveen <nbreddy2@illinois.edu>; Larry Santi <larry@loadman.com>
    Subject: Re: Restarting Loadman at UIUC

     

     

    Hello Daphne

     

    If you could get someone to call me from in the cab of said vehicles, I can provide technical assistance without any cost. Not sure what parts were shipped to you for repairs, but I can figure this out quickly once I have someone to speak with. Understand, these systems have very sophisticated troubleshooting features. I can typically know what the issue is in less than 15 minutes. You can give my mobile number out to anyone that works with the front loaders, and I work on Saturdays, no problem. 

     

    Thanks, 

    Richard Boyovich

    Mobile 206-898-7801

     

    From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 12:02:12 PM
    To: John Cramer <john@loadman.com>
    Cc: Baarla, Naveen <nbreddy2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Restarting Loadman at UIUC

     

     

    Hi John,

     

    I work as the zero waste coordinator at the University of Illinois, and I wanted to reach out regarding the Loadman service that we previously used. We had just begun this initiative under Shantanu Pai (who has since left) and as I understand it, things fizzled out after the pandemic hit. We’re very interested in restarting this initiative!

     

    Currently, we have two frontload trucks that have the Loadman equipment. There were parts that had broken, so parts were ordered to replace the broken ones. However, we have not yet installed these pieces. We are thinking that a site visit from Loadman might be helpful in getting everything back up and running again.

     

    Wanted to reach out to you, introduce myself, and see what next steps would be best to take.

     

    Thank you!

     

    Daphne

     

    DAPHNE HULSE (she/her)


    Zero Waste Coordinator
    Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    +1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu


     
    T+oZTVvEYU4VwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==



    Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

     

     

  8. iCAP Portal Admin Meeting - June 16, 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    Done:

    Discussion:

    • Revisit Header Project Layout and Fancy Page Layout
      • Made Header Project Layout public
      • Continue discussion of Fancy Page Layout at next week's meeting, as part of larger aesthetics discussion
    • Discuss Codie's comparative analysis document
      • The document is very helpful for seeing what other universities are doing and how our efforts match up with theirs
    • Question about a TODO: "Collections page: Add image upload option". At a previous meeting we had this TODO, but what was the context? Was it to have a thumbnail for each Collection? Or a banner image?
    • Should we link to "Take Action" project from homepage?
      • Replace map link in Highlights?
      • Need to finish Take Action page content
    • Archiving projects
      • Add "Archived" checkbox?
      • Add "Archived" to Visibility options?
      • Add "Archived" to Project Status options? (probably not - this mixes the status of the project itself with whether we still want it to show up on the site)
      • Remove from nested listings, still publicly available?

    TODO:

    • Main map:
      • Start with only Campus Tour locations shown
      • Filter by Theme or Collection
      • See CSU's campus map (Sustainability section) for inspiration
    • Loading message on page unload shows up sometimes in browser page history (e.g. view iCAP Portal PDF from About page, then click "back")
    • Homepage has extra padding on right side on mobile
    • SSC project embedding: add category filtering options
    • (long term goal) look into importing information from another source, e.g. SSC students without iCAP Portal access can put together info in a structured format for automatic import into iCAP Portal
    • Look into Collection embedding again, à la Drawdown Solutions Library Sammy had found ("Filter by sector or area of action" section)
    • Metric search/display:
      • Theme (via connected Project, i.e. Theme -> Project -> Metric)
      • Most recent updates as of: (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
      • (Internal only) Last updated before (list of years) -> can we query Tracking data?
    • (Low Priority) Make column headers click-sortable on Projects by Project Status page
    • Fancy project layout mockups - keep tweaking #3 to improve contrast
    • Discuss metrics
      • Metrics with lots of data
      • Consider how to handle old metrics that no longer track new data. Archive somehow?
      • Fun with math (e.g. combining multiple metrics)
      • Calculated Metrics on Dev site

  9. Meeting with Parking to discuss timeline

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    Met with Brandon, Cody, Chris, Jeremy, and Toby from the Parking department to discuss the Bicycle Roundup project and the timeline. Gave them an overview of the system that we are using (ArcGIS Field Maps) and what to look for in the maps. Informed them that we have started the tagging process and expect to finish tagging all bicycles by June 16, 2023.

    F&S TDM will tag and identify the abandoned bicycles, then Parking will remove them and transport them to the West Round Barn, and F&S TDM will inventory the bicycles. F&S TDM will organize the bicycle pick up for students in fall semester.

    Following is the expected timeline for this project:

    Start of the Tagging: 6/8/2023

    End of tagging process: 6/16/2023

    Start of the identification of abandoned bicycles: 7/5/2023

    End of the identification of abandoned bicycles:  7/10/2023

    Parking to remove abandoned bicycles (Start): 7/5/2023

    Parking to remove abandoned bicycles (End): 7/14/2023

  10. News Channel ABC20 coverage of Summer Bicycle Roundup

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    News Channel 20 reposted the F&S announcement regarding the summer bicycle roundup on June 13, 2023.

    University announces summer bicycle roundup, remove tags by June 30 to avoid impounding

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WICS) — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is reminding students about their annual summer bicycle roundup. The university's facilities and services department collects unwanted bicycles on campus after the end of the spring semester.

    All bikes left on university property will be tagged with an orange sticker that reads, 'Remove this tag by 6/30/23, or your bicycle will be removed,'" said the university's facilities and services department.

    They say any bicycle found with this sticker after June 30 will be impounded. If you currently have a bike in a campus rack, shelter, or parking location and want to keep your bike, remove the sticker to ensure it doesn't get impounded.

     

    To retrieve a bike that has been removed, you can contact bike@illinois.edu with your bike information. All recovered bikes need to be registered before being returned. Register your bike here.

     

    See the article online here: https://newschannel20.com/newsletter-daily/university-announces-summer-b...

  12. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Feast or famine over here last week. Beginning of the week we were slammed but slow n’ steady by Friday. TBP held their Members’ Meeting last Monday and I attended. Got a unicycle donated as well as a handful of bikes, including some kids bikes.

    Spent 15 minutes on the phone with a gentleman from a rural town outside Bloomington, IL looking for a bike. Really speaks to the need that we’re getting interest from an hour plus drive away. Or maybe my hyper-local bike-only travel mindset makes that distance seem more unreasonable than it is…

    I was a bit more diligent this past week about tracking non-university visits to better reflect how many folks we’re helping.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 33
    Sales: $1,285.17
    Bikes: 3 for $540
    Membership: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 16 for $166.00

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Coordinator

  13. Emergency Ride Home program information: University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Following is some information from University of Wisconsin-Madison regarding their Emergency Ride Home program:

    UW Madison's Emergency Ride Home Program is intended to provide another incentive to employees who opt NOT do drive alone to campus, so it is not available to any employee with an annual (car) parking permit. https://transportation.wisc.edu/commuter-solutions/emergency-ride-home/. They use a voucher based system for their ERH program with an annual budget of $1,600. They have less than 2 dozen people use the ERH program every year and they give 3 vouchers for Lyft to those enrolled in this program. UW Madison still sees a desire for this program, because as they said, “the point is that the rides are free.”

    • How often an employee can use this service in a year?
      • ERH can be used up to three times every six months.
    • How do you fund the ERH program? Do you use your departmental funds or is there another funding source available?
      • ERH is funded through parking revenue
    • How often do employees use this program? What is the annual cost that you have to reimburse (in general)?
      • Annual budget is $1,600
    • does the $1,600 per year budget includes administrative cost?

      • No, but there essentially are not any administrative cost. The program takes very little time and it is folded into my existing duties

    • Who has the administrative responsibility for this program?

      • I do. It is a UW Transportation Services program.

    • I understand that the employees need to not pay the taxi and just provide the driver with the ERH form. Does the taxi company file for reimbursement? How does that system look like?

      • We have a contract with the cab companies and they invoice us and include a copy of the form with the invoice.

    • I am a bit confused about the Lyft option. The website says that users will get 3 codes to use per six months after submitting the form, but how do you ensure that the users are not using this code for personal use?

      • We assume good faith use. To get the Lyft code you click a box that says you agree to our policies. In theory if someone abused the program they might be subject to disciplinary action (or at least a nasty letter and/or being banned from future use).

    • Would you be able to connect me with the Lyft point of contact that you have for the ERH program?
    • Employees only get either 3 codes by Lyft or 3 taxi fares, right?

      • The policy is 3 total rides per 6 months, but it would be possible to cheat that and do both (or use more than 3 cab rides). It is up to me to monitor for abuse. In the 16 years that I have managed the program I have had ONE case of abuse.  We literally goes months sometimes with no one using the program and there’s never more than half a dozen rides in a single month.

  14. Emergency Ride Home program information: Indiana University Bloomington

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Following is some information from Anna Dragovich from Indiana University Bloomington regarding their Emergency Ride Home program:

    • What is the current budget to run this program?
      • It’s not much – maybe $1,000-$2,000/year. I don’t have a set budget – it’s just whatever people use, is what I reimburse. It hasn’t gotten out of hand enough for me to apply any more restrictions than what we already have in place. Surprisingly, not many take advantage of it.
    • I see that you use Chrome River for users to get reimbursement. I seem to recall that your department used to pay for this system. Is this still the case?
      • Yes, this is still the case. We use Chrome River to facilitate that reimbursement. We have the steps outlined here on our website (scroll down a little).
    • How many people are enrolled in this program?
      • ERH is eligible only for people who are enrolled in our commuter program which is about 800.
    • How many people use it?
      • I’ve had only about 10 people use it in the last year.
    • How do you confirm if the users availed this service for a legitimate reason?
      • We have them attest that they used it for legitimate reasons when they submit in Chrome River.
    • Have you evaluated the program recently and whether there is still a desire/demand for ERH now that there are Uber/Lyft and other ride share programs available?
      • We encourage them to use Uber/Lyft and are reimbursing those expenses. A few years ago, they could only use taxi companies in town but with taxi’s going out of business and Uber/Lyft taking their place, we switched.

  15. Zipcar - Young Driver Fee

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support Zipcar in Champaign-Urbana

    ZipCar reached out to the F&S TDM department to inform us about the update to their program on-campus with the additional Young Driver Fee (YDK) for users aged under 25. Following is the email from ZipCar representative and attached is the letter to the University:

    Hi Stacey and Sarthak,

    I wanted to reach out to alert you that we are making a change to our University Zipcar program.  

    Our VP has asked that I provide you with his attached letter.

    A Young Driver Fee will be added to all 25 and under reservations on University Zipcars as outlined below, starting June 19th, 2023.

    Hourly: $1.50 (18-20) & $0.75 (21-24)

    Daily: $12 (18-20) & $6 (21-24)

    Please let me know if you have any questions, and don’t hesitate to call. I understand this is a sudden adjustment.

     

    Attached Files: 

  16. 6-12-23 F&S looking into local composting options for food trucks

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Food Truck Certification
    Plan for Organic Waste
    Reduce Foodwaste
    Achieve Zero Waste

    F&S is looking into local composting options for the green food truck program.

     

    From: Gloss, Stacy L <sgloss@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 12, 2023 2:33 PM
    To: Mahajan, Shreya <shreyam6@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Carroll, Cassandra Leah <ccarrol2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: RE: Compost Bin in Urbana

     

    Hi Shreya,

     

    Here is more information about this program.

     

    https://illinoiscomposts.org/commercial-composting-programs/champaign-county-group-receives-funding-seeks-participants-for-commercial-food-scrap-compost-pilot/

     

    Stacy

     

    From: Mahajan, Shreya <shreyam6@illinois.edu>
    Sent: Monday, June 12, 2023 1:57 PM
    To: Gloss, Stacy L <sgloss@illinois.edu>
    Cc: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>; Carroll, Cassandra Leah <ccarrol2@illinois.edu>
    Subject: Compost Bin in Urbana

     

    Hi Stacy,

     

    From our meeting on July 24, you mentioned that Urbana has a compost bin that is designed to take waste from commercial businesses. I was talking with my team, and it would be great if we implemented a system that collected compostable materials and food waste from food trucks. Would you happen to have more information about this site?

     

    Thanks,

    Shreya Mahajan

  17. F&S announcement - Summer Bicycle Roundup Underway

    Associated Project(s): 
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    Summer Bicycle Roundup

    Sticker Removal Required for Active Bikes

    Summer Bicycle Roundup - Remove the Orange Sticker by June 30 to Avoid Impound

    Each summer, F&S and the Parking Department identify and collect unwanted bicycles on campus after the end of the spring semester.

    All bikes left on university property will be tagged with an orange sticker that reads, "Remove this tag by 6/30/23, or your bicycle will be removed." Any bicycle still displaying the sticker after that date will be impounded. If you presently have a bike in a campus rack, shelter, or parking location, please remember to remove this sticker to ensure your bike is designated as active.

    To retrieve a bike that has been removed, contact bike@illinois.edu with your bicycle information. All recovered bicycles will need to be registered before being returned (https://bike.illinois.edu/register-your-bike/).

  18. 6-12-23 Internal Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Green Sports Alliance (GSA)
    Welcome Celebration Recycling

    On June 12, UIUC sustainability representatives met to discuss the following:

    Attendance: Shreya Mahajan, Thurman Etchison, Marty Kaufmann, Julie Wurth, Steve Breitwieser, Jen Fraterrigo, Bryan Johnson, Daphne Hulse

    In progress: iCAP Zero Waste Recommendations

    • ZW010: Tailgate Recycling:
      • Transmitted to Josh Whitman – approved.
      • Next steps:
        • Meet with iSEE/DIA POC to finalize plans for fall.
        • Meet with Jake Slager to discuss incentives for the event.
        • Meet with relevant groups for after-game pickup (Grange Grove, Stadium seats)
    • ZW011: Recycling Bins at State Farm Center:
      • Transmitted to Josh Whitman and Tim Knox.

    In progress: Welcome Week 2023

    • Friday, August 18: Welcome Celebration Lunch in Lot 31. 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes.
    • Planning a recycling-focused event with the help of outdoor recycling bins from Coca-Cola and student volunteers.
    • Proposed bin: RVAT
      • Length x width x height = 47” x 39” x 40.5” (interior framing). Cannot be collapsed for storage.
      • Wrapping with Don’t Waste messaging can be collapsed for storage.
      • Transported via pallets.
      • Can be used for other outdoor purposes (recycling near Memorial Stadium entrances)
      • Cost: wraps. Jake is working on an estimate based on the quantity available.
    • Students from SECS, SSLC, Project4Less, SSC on campus over the summer
    • Next steps:
      • Where could we store these? How many could we store?

    Exploring: Housing Insider Newsletter - Sustainability Highlight

    • Conceptually similar to “Don’t Waste Wednesdays” approach – sustainability initiatives across different campus units.
    • Housing Marketing Team to determine what is feasible.
      • Chris Axtmen-Barker
    • Dining – plan for advertising sustainability initiatives in the upcoming academic year?

    Completed: Water Bottle Station Inventory

    • Encourage campus community to use reusable bottles across the locations identified.
    • Inventoried state-supported, McKinley, Illini Union/Bookstore, DIA, Housing, KCPA facilities.
    • Clarifying fancy vs simple bottle filler stations in the legend:
      • Include pictures where we post
    Attached Files: 

  20. Solar Farm 3.0 possibilities on UIUC owned land?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Off-campus Solar Farm 3.0 PPA

    Hi Geri and Anita,

     

    At the Sustainability Council, you said there are University-owned lands that could potentially support our Solar Farm 3.0 goals.  I think you said there is one possibility near UIS.  Is there another location, as well?

     

    I’d appreciate a description of the potential sites and locations, so we can talk with the energy consultant about those sites.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -------------------------

     

    The UIS farmland adjacent to that campus could be considered for a solar project.  Decisions pertaining to the development of a solar project at UIS would be done through that campus.  Our UIS contact is Chuck Coderko, Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities and Services. There are approximately 256 total acres of which 235 are tillable acres (in crop production) managed by Ag Property Services   UIF has approximately 75 acres near the UIS campus as well.  UIF farmland is managed by Heartland Bank. 

    From my email exchange with Chuck, “several discussions with Springfield’s City Water Light & Power (CWLP), the sole provider of UIS’s electricity, who owns the lines/power grid. They are investing in solar in other areas of Illinois, and after several meetings, proposed ideas, etc., it appears they are not interested in what UIS would offer, and we would be on our own. But the city’s leadership changed a couple of months ago, and future opportunities may exist. Without CWLP or another partner, we would be generating electricity for the campus. We would also like to include other potential entities we could provide power to (Lincoln Land Community College, etc.), but we haven’t gotten that far.  We are looking for opportunities. As we currently stand, working through a P3 or Energy Service Company would be our most likely scenario, but much feasibility research will need to be done. UIS can’t bank a solar farm alone, and I am leery of levying a multi-million dollar debt on the university.”

     

    Ag Property Services manages farmland for the College of Engineering:

    Reifsteck Farm is located in Champaign County.  There are approximately 247 total acres of which 210 are tillable.  There are research projects on a portion the non-tillable areas. 

    VRO Farm is located in Vermilion County.  There are approximately 320 total acres of which 95 are tillable.  The farmland borders timber/woodland on two sides.  The Illinois Natural History Survey may be conducting research in the timber/woodland. 

     

    If you have additional questions, please let us know.

     

    Thank you,

    Anita Million

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