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Projects Updates for collection: Student Sustainability Committee Funded Projects

  1. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week’s big news was the implementation of a new sign-in system that expedites the process and allows for better tracking of our members’ status (expired or current memberships). The new system scans membership cards, I-cards, and drivers’ licenses, tracks first visits, and requires zero interaction with a keyboard, saving minutes of valuable time and keeps things from bottlenecking at the entrance to the space when people are arriving. While there is a learning curve, those who’re familiar scan and record their visit in about 5 seconds as opposed to the usual 15-30 with our previous system.

    The program is still in development and kinks/concerns are addressed with the developer as they arise. The system does not track names, however, unless you are in our database system already. If that is a problem, as far as the University is concerned, please let me know so I can correct it.

    To the numbers:
    Visitors: 129
    Sales (overall): $2,200.20
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $620Bikes (B-a-B): 3 for $304
    Memberships: 20 for $635
    Tires/Tubes: 40 for $208

    This week I will build bikes, attend a Volunteer Fair on Tuesday, and coordinate/organize for Light The Night. I anticipate continued high visitor numbers, as the weather continues its summer ways.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  2. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste

    Hi Tracy—

    Here are my zero-waste activities from the past week: 

    • Contacted battery recycling locations for updated permissions to post drop-off locations on the iCAP portal and F&S website. Updated the iCAP portal in line with the responses I have received thus far.
    • Sent drafts of glove recycling program materials to Morgan, Anna, KC representatives, and Fisher representatives to review for accuracy and feedback. 
    • Followed up on leads for resources to transport gloves to the trailer at the Physical Plant. 

    Best regards,

    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

  3. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was fine. The student workers are getting into the swing of things. Those that were away for the summer are remembering how everything works and that in turn makes them a more helpful. Our suspension of “First Visit Free” has been received well; most people are amenable to the membership fee, even if they only have a very small repair. Only a couple instances of people complaining and they leave unhappy but on the whole I consider it a success. We’ve had a lot of people who’ve had to wait significantly for stand time even with the membership-required policy. It’s unfortunate, but also speaks to our success and the demand for the space. I’ll count it as a positive and a negative both.

    Visitors for the week: 154

    Last Friday we had a good-sized ride from the CBC totaling about 8 or so people. This time of year is especially well-suited for riding, which I hope translates to more interest.

    Last Tuesday was the first Fix-a-Flat class that Simon and Lily ran. From the both of them, it sounded like a success. This week 12-14 people have signed up, most appear to be grad students (not a bad thing).

    This week I will continue to publicize and talk up LTN as well as print off some basic text fliers for the event to hand out in advance. Funnily enough the younglings with their smartphones have been asking for fliers for the event! I’ll build bikes and organize, per usual, as well.


    Sales (overall): $1,533.10
    Bikes (refurb): 0 for $0 (we have two for sale!)
    Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $143
    Memberships: 24 for $720
    Tire/Tubes: 47 for $283

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  5. Follow up on "parent ID" question

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling

    The "parent" ID number for Call2Recycle should no longer be used. It was used for tracking payment as well as shipping addresses, and continued use could result in battery collection boxes being shipped to the wrong location on campus. Unfortunately, dropping the ID number means that we won't be able to obtain centralized reports of volumes of recycled batteries.

  7. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste

    Hi Tracy—

    This past week, my zero-waste activities were as follows: 

    • I completed mapping where all the outdoor waste bins are. I scanned in the maps, uploaded them to Box.net, and shared the folder with you and Morgan. I also created a spreadsheet with the counts of how many bins are mapped on each sheet and what the totals are.
    • I sent updated battery recycling instructions to Steve Breitweiser to post on the F&S page about battery recycling and posted related updates to the project history on the iCAP portal. 
    • I had a phone call with Shantanu Pai at ISTC regarding glass recycling and glove recycling.
      • For glass recycling, I told him that for now, Housing is willing to provide pickup service to buildings on campus. He mentioned a couple of alternatives, but they would involve the Waste Transfer Station sorting and storing glass. My understanding is that you don’t have any current plans to have the Waste Transfer Station take on that activity.
      • With regard to glove recycling, Joe Pickowitz could pick up gloves at collection sites and transport them to the trailer at the Physical Plant. However, ISTC would need to charge for his time. I will follow up with you and Morgan about whether that is a possibility and if so, how it would be paid for. 

    Best regards,

    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

     

  8. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was a blur! According to our sign-in data, we had 277 visitors. That seems high but numbers don’t lie. We were pretty much all-stands-full within the first half an hour. Unfortunately that means some members have had to wait for stands to work on their build-a-bikes. Nothing we can do about that, unfortunately.

    The numbers:
    Sales (overall): $1,867.60

    Bikes (refurbished): 1 for $180
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $46
    Memberships: 26 for $780
    Tires/tubes: 47 for $244

    This week sees the beginning of the fix-a-flat class that Lily has shepherded into existence (Thanks, Lily!). I already have told people about that to much positive interest. There also is a community ride happening in the middle of the week that I will attend. I will also help with LTN preparations this week. A couple new student workers are starting this week, too, which will be good.

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  9. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste

    Hi Tracy—

    Here’s what I was up to this past week: 

    • I’ve come very close to finishing the maps of the trash bins, with just 3 of the 14 sheets left to wrap up next weekend when I’m back in town again.
    • I talked to Michael Olinger at Housing. They are willing to pick up glass for recycling from the Wounded Vets Center and other buildings when we are ready. I introduced Michael to Nick Osborne at Wounded Vets via email so that Michael can arrange a site visit. Midwest Fiber is charging $80/ton for glass drop-offs. Michael will consult with Dawn Aubrey about what the expectations would be for cost sharing on the part of buildings that Housing picks up glass from. As we work through setting up Wounded Vets, I am writing up a process for setting up buildings with glass recycling so that it can be replicated as we add more buildings.
    • I learned that it’s best if we don’t ask units to use the Call2Recycle site ID when they order battery collection boxes. It could muddy the waters with regard to who is responsible for payment and where the boxes would be shipped. Therefore, the instructions in the iCAP portal are fine as they are. This coming week I will send them to Steve Breitweiser so he can update the F&S page on battery recycling.
    • The potential volunteer for transporting gloves from labs to the trailer referred me to Shantanu Pai. Shantanu had to postpone our call this week, so hopefully, I will learn more from him this coming week about who may be willing to help with transportation. I learned that over the summer, Michael Olinger had sent a trailer load of gloves to Kimberly Clark. 

    Best regards,

    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

     

  10. A Model Program for Reducing Water Waste on Campus

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Conservation
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    As collegians head back to campus this fall it means campus water use will spike, so ISTC has released a video on a model program which dramatically cut water waste with a student-directed behavior change campaign. Loyola University Chicago implemented its “Gallons Saved and Shared” project with the help of a grant from ISTC’s Billion Gallon Challenge. Student interns and volunteers planned and executed fixture upgrades across much of the campus and designed a awareness/behavioral campaign with the expertise of psychology majors. In addition, Robyn Mallett, associate professor of psychology and her colleagues, were able to study the responses to produce scientific insights. A college campus is an ideal setting to build a culture of sustainability that can follow graduates throughout their lives. The experience of “Gallons Saved and Shared” is a model that can be considered to produce conservation results on other campuses, said Aaron N. Durnbaugh, Loyola’s director of sustainability.

  11. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was—according to the visitor numbers—an unprecedentedly busy week. According to our tracker for visitors we had 239 people into the shop last week. I pored over the list of visitors and cut down two duplicate sign-ins from the original 241, but other than that the numbers bear out: we averaged about 50 sign-ins per day. Most must have been those looking for bikes and since we’re sold out, moved on quickly, because the shop never felt unbearably busy.

    Sales: Overall: $1,865.70; refurbished bikes: 3 for $440; B-a-Bs: 3 for $199; memberships: 17 for $510; tires/tubes: for 31 for $147.

    Yesterday was Quad Day. I think it went very well. We handed out bike registration flyers and successfully registered a few people’s bikes thanks to the iPad Lily brought. I will be interested to see how many people show up for registration stickers this week (hopefully a lot). Most people did not realize it was required to register your bike on campus.

    On Friday, Lily, Scott (from Parking), Officer Briggs from UIPD and I had a meeting to discuss theft and removal of abandoned bikes on campus. We will have a follow up meeting at a TBD date to discuss ways to streamline removal of abandoned bikes without advertising that fact to thieves and the like as well as how to better educate students about bike registration and locking technique.

    This week I will build bikes, have volunteers count and sort all the Light The Night light sets, and attend the TBP member meeting. I will brainstorm ways to expedite the registration sticker procurement process here at CBC, as last week we had a long line of people who didn’t understand (despite many announcements) that they could do the majority of the registration process on their phones beforehand.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  12. Battery recycling participation instructions updated in iCAP; F&S page updates pending

    Associated Project(s): 
    Battery Recycling
    Rechargeable Battery Recycling
    Single-Use Battery Recycling

    Instructions for units that want to provide battery recycling have been updated on the appropriate iCAP Portal pages, with a detail regarding the provision of a "parent ID number" to Call2Recycle still pending. Once that detail has been confirmed, iCAP Portal instructions will be updated again if necessary, and instructions on the F&S page will be updated.

  15. Weekly Update for Zero Waste

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste

    Hello Tracy, 

    Here are my zero-waste coordination activities from the past week: 

    • Continued my efforts to find out who in the area can provide glass recycling service. See the attached document for what I’ve learned so far. It looks like we are on track for the time being, as Midwest Fiber has agreed to continue to accept drop-offs from Housing. I have a phone call coming up this week with Michael Olinger at Housing; they may be willing to pick up glass from the Wounded Vets Center and possibly other buildings. I will confirm this when I speak with Michael. 
    • I collated a list of LEED buildings on campuses in Urbana, Champaign, Bloomington, Normal, Springfield, and Decatur. If need be, I will find contacts at the buildings to inquire about how they handle glass recycling. Given that Midwest Fiber is willing to continue the arrangement with Housing, it is unlikely that I will need to follow up. I identified a vendor who carries rectangular recycling bins for glass collection and will continue to look for others who do. I’ve inquired with you and Morgan about whether to coordinate my efforts with iBuy and will do so if appropriate.
    • Updated battery recycling information on the iCAP Portal and uploaded the attached file to the pages for rechargeable and single-use recycling. Contacted Call2Recycle for information about what the U of I parent ID number is used for. Once I find out, I will update the iCAP pages if necessary and will follow up with Steve Breitweiser with updated instructions for the F&S website.
    • Continued developing program materials for the glove recycling program on campus. I had a phone call with Kimberly Clark representatives, who are working on a list of chemicals that gloves may have been used with prior to recycling. Once I have that list and instructions from you regarding the trailer at the Physical Plant, I will forward materials to Anna Barnes so she can create web pages and PDFs to support program implementation.
    • I have contacted a potential volunteer at ISTC who had expressed willingness to help transport gloves from labs and other sites to the trailer. He volunteered over a year ago, when Bart Bartels was still here, so I have reached out to see if he is still willing and able to assist.

    This afternoon, I will continue my work on mapping trash bins around campus and will send you and Morgan as much as I complete today. I plan to fully complete the task over the Labor Day weekend. 

    Best regards,
    Marya Ryan
    Zero Waste Coordinator

     

  18. discussion to add solar PVs at Idea Garden Shed

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar PVs at Idea Garden

    The Idea Garden committee, with the UI Extension, continues discussions about adding rooftop solar to the Arboretum Garden Shed hear the Idea Garden.  Last year, Idea Garden representatives worked with Masters of Energy Systems students to consider potential design plans.  The final scope of the desired solar PV project is still to be determined. One likely option is to use solar to power the light in the shed, and use the existing campus electrical grid to provide other power needs, such as winter heating.

  20. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, most notable thing last week: Everyone was very good about leaving in a timely manner. Two or three times the stands were empty and staff were cleaning up with a solid 10 minutes left for open hours. That was a pleasant surprise.

    The bulk of the LTN lights arrived last week. I will have a volunteer this week get a tally on total units received. Todd, TBP volunteer, came and picked up scrap on short notice, which was very helpful.

    Sales were good. Overall: $1,163.50; 2 refurbished bikes for $310; 3 B-a-Bs for $174; 6 memberships for $180; and 12 tires/tubes (used and new) for $131.

    This week I will build bikes, work on organization, and did I mention building bikes? There has been a strong demand for them. And while I love selling bikes, the retention rate on B-a-Bs is getting better, I think. The majority still abandon them but there have been a considerable number of people who stick with it and express an enjoyment and interest in working on bikes because of it. That’s a win in my book.

    This week I will also meet with Parking and UIPD about abandoned bikes on campus.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

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