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Project Updates

  1. Sustainability Sub-Council Meeting Minutes 3-30-22

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Council
    Sustainable Land Management Committee
    Achieve Zero Waste
    Campus Landscape Master Plan (CLMP)
    Broaden Sustainability Education
    "Don't Waste" with Coca-Cola
    Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS)

    The Sustainability Sub-Council met on 3-30-22 in preparation of the Sustainability Council meeting. The agenda was as follows: 

    • Introductions
    • Sustainable Land Management (for South Farms)
    • Waste Reduction Strategies
    • Updates – Campus Landscape Master Plan, Sustainability Gen Ed requirement
    • STARS report

    The meeting minutes and PowerPoint presentation are attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  3. Interview with Caleb Brooks (NPRE Professor, UIUC Micro-Nuclear Involvement)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Clean Energy Plan

    A document containing the notes from this interview is attached below.

     

    Summary of the Clean Energy Transition Plan Interview:

    Caleb Brooks - NPRE Professor, UIUC Micro-Nuclear Involvement

    On 3/31/22 the team spoke with Dr. Caleb Brook, who is a professor in the nuclear engineering department here at the University. The team spoke to him about the feasibility of using micro-nuclear reactors as a power source for the campus. Dr. Brooks is about to start research to determine these exact questions. In his opinion, campuses will be using micro nuclear reactors to power themselves, but it is going to take eight to ten years to get to that point. The research done with micro nuclear reactors has been more theoretical and not applicable at this time. The team still feels that the university should start saving money now to purchase a nuclear reactor once they are commercially available.

    Attached Files: 

  5. Energy iCAP Team March Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy iCAP Team
    Building-Level Energy Efficiency
    Energy Conservation Efforts

    The Energy iCAP team met on 3/30/2022 to discuss efforts to increase energy efficiency on campus. The primary topic of conversation was a recommendation that some educational program be created for students to learn about the building design process and advocate for energy efficiency in buildings.

    Attached Files: 

  6. iWG Meeting Minutes 3-29-22

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Energy iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Zero Waste Recommendations Summary
    Sustainability Council

    The iWG met on 3-29-22 and discussed the following agenda. The meeting minutes are attached. 

    1. Review from last meeting
      1. Energy008 – will be returned pending completion of planning doc
      2. Energy009 – update from Qu?
    2. New recommendations
      1. ZW005 Water Bottle Survey
      2. ZW006 Water Filter System Tracking
    3. Overview of Sub-Council Agenda
    4. Round the table - updates
    Attached Files: 

  7. iWG Meeting Minutes 2-25-22

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Energy iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Transportation iCAP Team Recommendations Summary
    Zero Waste Recommendations Summary
    Achieve Zero Waste

    The iWG met on 2-25-22 and discussed the Energy008 and Energy009 recommendations, Trans014, and plastic reduction initiatives. Andy Stumpf and Bill Rose, the Energy iCAP Team chairs, joined the meeting to discuss the two Energy recommendations. The meeting minutes are attached. 

    Attached Files: 

  8. Stable-to-Soil Enhancer

    Associated Project(s): 
    Compost at Illini Union
    Reduce Foodwaste

    Landscape Recycling Center sells the product described below:

    Stable-To-Soil Enhancer
     (Formerly Mushroom Compost)
    Up to 35-Gallon Bags/Containers: $7.25 | Bulk: $36/cubic yd



    Light brown and very fine textured material that can retain manure odor for several weeks



    Made from: Hardwood bark, straw material and horse manure from local stables that is composted into a high-quality finished product.



    Applications: Natural fertilizer for non-food crop landscapes. Excellent source of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). In addition, manure returns organic matter and other nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur to the soil, building soil fertility and quality.
     

  9. March 25, 2022 Illini Lights Out Data

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illini Lights Out

    At the March 25 Illini Lights Out event,  4,077 light bulbs were shut off, saving $591.46 in energy costs. This also prevented 4.98 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 82.4 tree seedlings grown for ten years. That's a big impact!

    Illini Lights Out is a certified Green Event! Click this link to learn how to green-certify your own event.

    The next Illini Lights Out of the semester is Friday, April 8th, at 5:30 pm, and you can sign up for that event using this link if you haven't done so already. Earth Month is also right around the corner! Browse all of iSEE's events on this calendar, such as the Trash Pick-up on April 8th, 3:00-4:30 pm. 

  10. Bike Day presentation at National Bike Summit

    Associated Project(s): 
    C-U Bike to Work Day
    Light the Night

    Sarthak Prasad presented the findings from Bike Day 2021 event to the National Bike Summit on March 29, 2022! Bike Day 2021 was organized on September 14, 2021, with the Bike to Work Day event in the morning from 7-10 am and Light the Night event in the late afternoon/evening from 4-7 pm. Please see attached the presentation.

    Attached Files: 

  11. Interview with Cynthia Klein-Banai (Director of Sustainability at UIC)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Clean Energy Plan

    A document containing the notes from this interview is attached below.

     

    Summary of the Clean Energy Transition Plan Interview:

    Cynthia Klein-Banai - Director of Sustainability at UIC

    On 3/28/22, the team corresponded through email with Dr. Cynthia Klein-Banai, who is the Director of Sustainability at UIC. We inquired about the plans for the energy transition at UIC and she provided us with valuable insight on the University’s current initiatives. While the energy situations at UIUC and UIC are different, there is crossover between many aspects.

    Attached Files: 

  12. Competition Review Period Begins

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Race to Zero Waste

    Hello 2022 Campus Race to Zero Waste participants,

     

    I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Thank you for participating in the 2022 Campus Race to Zero Waste; the competition ended this past Saturday, March 26. And the Review Period has begun!

     

    The Review Period is two weeks and will end on Monday, April 11 (end of day).

     

    Please take this two-week period to review your ReTRAC data, update your placeholder data, and make any necessary changes by the April 11 deadline.

     

    IF YOU NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES PLEASE EMAIL CR2ZW@NWF.ORG (or simply respond to this email) AND REQUEST THAT YOUR REPORTS BE RETURNED TO DRAFT.

     

    Once the review period closes, the CR2ZW team will being vetting the top-ranking campuses for each category. If your campus is among the top ranked for a category, please be ready to share your data documentation. The unofficial category reports will be posted online by April 15 (in time for Earth Day), and final announcements will be made by April 28, celebrating the winners, all competition participants, and the overall impact of the competition in waste reduction. Communication of the final results of the competition will include: national press release, blog, template press release for schools to use, email blasts, and social media.

     

    Please reach out with any questions.

     

    Thanks, take care,

    Kristy

  13. Pouring Operations Clarification

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Council

    Jennifer Fraterrigo reached out to Alexa Smith and Aaron Finder asking to have "pouring operations" defined in preparation for her presentation about plastics at the Sustainability Sub-council. Aaron Finder replied explaining that "pouring operations encompass everything outside of the campus vending machine program. This includes but is not limited to Athletics, Housing's dining, catering, and retail locations, Illini Union''s retail locations, and the conference center at the i-Hotel. 

     

  15. This Week in Research

    Associated Project(s): 
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Damien Guironnet is part of a team that is working to "develop plastic that can be recycled perpetually, reducing waste and pollution from single-use plastics." The public-private partnership is one of seven DOE-funded projects to combat plastic waste.

  17. New iSEE Greener Campus Certifications

    Associated Project(s): 
    Certified Greener Campus Programs
    Certified Green Event Program
    Certified Green Chapter Program
    Certified Green Office Program (CGOP)

    Congratulations to the newest recipients of our Greener Campus Certification Programs!

     

    Green Chapter: Alpha Phi, Gold-Certified March 2022 

     

    Green Office: The (In)Secure Landscapes Lab, Gold-Certified February 2022

     

    Green Events: 

    -University of Illinois Foundation -- Board and Donor Relations UIUC London Dinner, Certified March 2022

    -Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club Young Olympians, Certified March 2022

     

    Keep up the great work!

  18. Engagement iCAP Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability iCAP Portal
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach
    Engagement iCAP Team
    Sustainability iCAP Portal

    The Engagement iCAP Team met on Friday, March 25 with Morgan White and Michael McKelvey to discuss the strengths and opportunities for updating the iCAP Portal. Potential recommendations will be clarified at their next meeting, including a How-To page, aesthetic changes, and utilizing analytics. Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Departmental and Unit Funding Available for Utility Conservation Projects

    Associated Project(s): 
    Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

    Departmental or Unit Funding Available for Utility Conservation Projects


    The RLF application form includes step-by-step instructions and examples.
    F&S is accepting new Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) applications for utility conservation projects envisioned by academic, auxiliary, and administrative units. Since 2011, the RLF has supported over $7.5M in transformative projects, allowing colleges, departments, and institutes to modernize their spaces through the following work:

    • LED lighting upgrades
    • Occupancy sensor installations
    • HVAC enhancements
    • Chilled water and steam mechanical system improvements
    • Direct Digital Control transitions 2
    • Building envelope repairs

    To request similar projects or propose other concepts, download the 2022 application form at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/RLF. The file includes step-by-step instructions and additional information. The deadline to submit projects is April 25, and the RLF Committee will begin evaluating proposals in May 2022.

    Project selection will be based on payback period, reduction of greenhouse gases, fund size impact, project coordination, and visibility. Successful RLF projects have nearly doubled the fund to more than $4M through targeted, strategic investments that use the projected savings to deliver annual payback. Approximately $1M in funding is available for this project selection cycle.


    For questions, contact Engineering Specialist Amber Perfetti at fandsrevloanfund@mx.uillinois.edu or 217-244-7708.

  20. Workshop Registration

    Associated Project(s): 
    It's Your MTD Too!

    From: Prasad, Sarthak
    Sent: Friday, March 25, 2022 10:01 AM
    To: Jenvey, Timothy M; Rigdon, Susan Marie; Berg, Mark A; Padfield Narayan, Abigail; Hill, Tori; Tyner, Kaila
    Cc: DeLorenzo, Stacey; White, Morgan; Evan Alvarez; Allison Haines; Puddicombe, Nicholas; Bralts, Elisabeth Jane
    Subject: It's Your MTD Too workshop

    Hello all,

    Thank you so much for registering to attend the “It’s Your MTD Too” workshop! This is just a reminder that the event is today from 12 – 1:30 pm in the room 0060 (in the lower level) at the Siebel Center for Design (1208 S. Fourth St., Champaign, IL).

    We will start off the a short survey and then a presentation, followed by a quick bus ride! I hope to see you all today at the event and I hope this will be a learning experience for you all!

    Thank you so much,
    Sarthak


    Sarthak Prasad
    Sustainable Transportation Assistant
    Facilities & Services
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Phone: 217-300-9575
    Email: sprasad9@illinois.edu

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