iWG meeting minutes August 28, 2015
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The News-Gazette published a story today about the percent of Champaign-Urbana residents that take active transportation to get to work. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2015-08-19/c-u-driving-work-not-s...
“People would like a nice simple story with a guy in a black hat as the bad guy, but it’s complicated,” says May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. --from http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2015/bees-or-not-bees/
The Architecture Review Committee (ARC) got an inquiry about the possiblity of mounting solar vertically on south-facing walls (without windows). This could be a sheer flush-mounted solar PV array immediately against the wall. The PVs would not produce as much energy as a roof-top array, but there could be fewer issues with rooftop penetrations, etc. The ARC noted that there is not a specific policy about this idea yet, and they would willing to work with the idea on installation on a case by case, building by building basis, at least until there is a comprehensive policy in place.
For a given capacity of PV modules, a vertical wall will harvest 78% of the energy that a flat roof would, and 67% of the energy that could be harvested at a 40 degree tilt. While this is not ideal, the costs may be lower and the maintenance and roof loading concerns would not pertain. Two possible candidates are the south wall of NSRC (which has no windows in the "central" part) and the south facade of the Tryon Festival Theater in Krannert, which is actually somewhat tilted
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Several SWATeam recommendations were discussed. Also, an update from the Sustainability Council was provided:
"Review of Council Meeting/Status of iCAP Approval - The Sustainability Council meeting went very well with lots of good discussion. There were not too many serious objections to the iCAP. They would like to see financial information, such as cost-benefit analysis on projects. This information will be included in the study for accelerating our carbon neutrality date. The cover letter from the Chancellor affirming our commitment will include language about the current fiscal climate in Illinois. The Chancellor was keen to be able to reach carbon neutrality by 2035. Other concerns were in regard to the net zero space item and they suggested a space audit be included in the iCAP."
Food waste is the second largest category of municipal solid waste (MSW) sent to landfills in the United States, accounting for approximately 18% of the waste stream. Agricultural and garden wastes comprising of wood and yard trimmings come next in the list, accounting for approximately 15% of the waste stream. At the U of I campus as well, about 100-120 gallons of food waste is generated from one dining hall unit per week. That is roughly 0.5 cubic yards/week currently.
Anaerobic digestion occurs naturally, in the absence of oxygen, as bacteria break down organic materials and produce biogas. The process reduces the amount of material and produces biogas, which can be used as an energy source. This technology is commonly used throughout the United States to break down sewage sludge at wastewater treatment facilities. In the past few years, there has been a movement to start adding food waste to anaerobic digesters already in place at wastewater treatment facilities.
This proposal provides setup costs for a pilot test of an anaerobic digestion process to determine if a full-scale digester prototype is feasible.
Global Arts Performance Initiatives is pleased to present a final proposal for a series of sustainability-themed arts programs in the 2015-16 academic year that serve the educational mission of the Student Sustainability Committee. The principal event of the proposal is Sonified Sustainability Fest – a celebration of ecological music and arts, presented in the lobby, Stage 5 and amphitheater of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
This all ages event, offered admission free to campus and community audiences, will feature live music and interactive art making focused on sustainable practices in the arts, accompanied by an information fair that will provide greater visibility of local projects, programs and organizations working towards a sustainable future. National and local musicians performing on original instruments made from recycled and repurposed materials will be showcased at the fest, as well as in two preceding concerts of the Sudden Sound Concert Series at Krannert Art Museum, all scheduled as part, or promotion of Sustainability Week 2015 and EarthWeek 2016.
F&S sent their response to the iCAP Working Group (iWG) on June 12, 2015, which was then forwarded to the Transportation SWATeam on the same day. The Transportation SWATeam supplanted the Trans004 Fleet Study recommendation with the new Trans007 Campus fleet analysis and Planning recommendation.
See the new SWATeam recommendation Trans007 Campus Fleet Analysis and Planning here.
See Transmittal of SWATeam recommendation Trans004 Fleet Study here.
See iWG assessment of Trans004 Fleet Study here.
Brendan McDonnell is working with F&S to identify the best buildings on campus for rooftop solar. Brendan is a MechSE graduate student working toward an MS in ME with a certificate in Energy Systems Engineering, and this is his summer capstone project. Professor Elif Ertekin is his advisor for the project, and Morgan Johnston is his supervisor at F&S. The files Brendan is collecting are stored in the iSEE Solar box folder at https://uofi.app.box.com/files/0/f/2802975201/iSEE_-_Solar_Working_Group....
Following the completion of iWG assessment for PWR005 Zero Waste Coordinator, the recommendation was forwarded to F&S on May 29, 2015.
See iWG assessment of PWR Zero Waste Coordinator here.
See SWATeam recommendation PWR005 Zero Waste Coordinator here.
Following the completion of iWG assessment, the SWATeam recommendation, PWR004 Purchasing Coordinator, was transmitted to the OBFS department.
See iWG assessment of PWR004 Purchasing Coordinator here.
See SWATeam recommendation PWR004 Purchasing Coordinator here.
The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on May 21, 2015, to discuss and start the assessment for SWATeam recommendation PWR005 Zero Waste Coordinator. Their official comment for the recommendation was:
"F&S should allocate staff time to communicate and implement waste reduction strategies, to meet the commitments of the iCAP."
See SWATeam recommendation PWR005 Zero Waste Coordinator here.
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The PWR SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, "Hire a Zero Waste Coordinator to communicate and implement waste reduction strategies, to meet the commitments of the iCAP."
See attached the SWATeam recommendation, PWR005 Zero Waste Coordinator, complete with comments from all the PWR SWATeam members.
The PWR SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, "Hire a Purchasing Coordinator to facilitate and implement policy changes to reduce waste, to meet the commitments of the iCAP."
See attached the SWATeam recommendation PWR004 Purchasing Coordinator complete with comments from all the PWR SWATeam members.
The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on May 4, 2015, to discuss and assess the SWATeam recommendation, Trans001 TEM_DMI. Their official comment on the recommendation was:
"Revise the TEM system to capture sustainability metrics for travel, such as categorized travel purposes and total miles traveled by each mode, in order to enable future reporting in DMI by unit, funding source, etc. OBFS should work with the Transportation SWATeam and iSEE staff to identify and optimize these metrics."
See attached the iWG assessment complete with official comments from all the iWG members.
See SWATeam recommendation Trans001 TEM_DMI here.
Following completion of the iWG assessment, the recommendation was transmitted to the OBFS department on May 4th, 2015.
See iWG assessment of Trans001 TEM_DMI here.
See SWATeam recommendation Trans001 TEM_DMI here.
The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on April 2, 2015, to discuss and start the assessment of the SWATeam recommendation, Trans002 Parking Survey. The iWG's recommendation was:
"The iWG endorses this recommendation with the stipulation that survey questions should be vetted by the Transportation SWATeam and/or the iWG before the survey is performed."
See attached the iWG assessment complete with official comments from all the SWATeam members.
Following the completion of iWG assessment of Trans002 Parking Survey recommendation, it was forwarded to the Parking department on May 4, 2015.