Members decided when in the year it would be best to carry out the recommendation on Best Managment Practices if it were to be approved and agreed to check the Student Sustainability Committee funding cycle in case this funding is applicable to nitrate monitoring.
The recommendation on unifying Best Management Practices was completed except for comments from members. Logistics and challenges on nitrate runoff reduction were discussed.
Each team shared ideas of the semester and came together to propose a few joint recommendations. Suggested logistics for a water audit were mentioned, as well as nitrate runoff data from the 1990s that would be used as benchmark levels for runoff reduction. Different possible measuring techniques regarding future progress in nitrate reduction were mentioned. Ideas for greener parking lots were introduced, including replanting of trees on Lot E14.
Members reopened a past ALUFS project on best management practices, data on nitrogen runoff, and discussed what might make University Parking more environmentally friendly.
see file
The attached pdf shows the FY16 status update posters for iCAP objectives, shared by each SWATeam at the Campus Sustainability Celebration.”
Dr. Ximing Cai presented the attached presentation to the SWATeam members at the beginning of fall 2017.
In the second meeting of the semester, ALUFS discussed whom to contact to for data on nitrates and what campus could potentially do to encourage local food processing, as well as the challenges to increase the university's local food consumption.
Hello ALUFS SWATeam members,
Thank you again for your willingness to help our campus achieve the Climate Leadership Commitments. There is great value provided by the bi-weekly meetings of student, faculty, and staff representatives evaluating our progress and recommending additional actions campus units could take.
The following is a list of current activities I am aware of, and suggestions I have about useful next steps. I am happy to follow up with you on any of these, as needed.
Thank you very much,
~Morgan
1. Ag Emissions – During the 2015 iCAP process, we included the goal to reevaluate the emissions from ACES and create a new emissions baseline for south farms. This effort was not started, but there is still an opportunity to do such an evaluation. I believe Madhu Khanna and Evan DeLucia would be good resources for this evaluation, and perhaps Ximing could help facilitate it.
2. Best Management Practices (BMPs) - The previous SWATeam considered dropping the Ag Emissions evaluation objective and adding one to encourage use of Best Management Practices for south farms. The BMPs are an important aspect for increasing campus sustainability, and the concept should be extended to include land that is leased out to other farmers within the campus boundaries (if any).
3. Sustainable Plantings – Brent has made progress on the campus plant lists. It would be helpful to have a map of existing native planting areas on campus, in GIS format. We can provide the map of low mow zones as a starting point.
4. Once there is a map, additional locations can be suggested for pollinator pockets, to support monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Such locations can also include spaces that would reduce difficulty for the Grounds crew in riding mowers, such as nooks and crannies on campus, as well as steep slope areas.
5. I suggest you invite Eliana Brown to give an overview of the efforts underway for the Red Oak Rain Garden.
6. The Campus Master Plan is in final review and will be moving toward Board of Trustee approval. The website is at https://masterplan-illinois.com/, but I’m not sure if they will have another review draft for the public.
7. Local Food – great work in Dining! I’m curious what the current percentage is from FY17.
8. We need to look at what we are doing for other campus food areas, such as coffee shops and small cafes. Your team could submit a recommendation about local food for dining in one or more of the non-housing areas.
9. Soil sequestration – Other than prairies and trees, are there sequestration efforts campus should consider?
10. To reduce nitrate in Ag. Runoff, I suggest your team look at applicable recommendations in Nitrate Reduction Plan, and suggest the most promising ones for campus to implement.
11. At one point, we considered woody bioreactors in South Farms – see https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/potential-bioreactor-project. These are still an option, I just didn’t have time to move it forward in 2014.
12. The Now Mow Zones were renamed Low Mow Zones, and there will be a press release and F&S website update to reflect the locations and benefits.
13. Brent Lewis can share an update about the use of more electric equipment for Grounds operations.
14. An updated Tree Inventory has been funded. Brent is working on getting two quotes, so that the purchase order can proceed and the efforts can be started.
The ALUFS SWATeam had its first meeting of the year, during which the scope of the teams' focus was reviewed. Because of the range of topics, the team decided to narrow down its focus for the year, particularly on the university's farm properties, nitrate sampling, and best management practices.
The charge letter was sent to FY18 SWATeam members, noting the SWATeams' responsibilities for the academic year.
see file
See attached agenda for iWG meeting held on May 2nd, 2017.
Water & Stormwater SWATeam and the Agriculture, Land Use, Food & Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam had a joint meeting to discuss shared objectives and project ideas.
Water & Stormwater SWATeam and the Agriculture, Land Use, Food & Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam had a joint meeting to discuss shared objectives and project ideas.
Discussion of upcoming joint meeting with Agriculture, Land Use, Food and Sequestration (ALUF) SWAT. Development of ideas for student projects, including georeferenced inventory for F&S, analysis of green roofs and solar panels, and phoshorus monitoring of stormwater.
Updates and discussion of greywater meter, greywater design standards, cooling tower cycles of concentration, water use dashboard, and student outreach.
see file
see file
The ALUFS SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, "Recommendation to support a plan for a South Campus Afforestation plot by Jay Hayek, Extension Specialist in Forestry / NRES. Project to convert 2+ acres at the corner of Race and Windsor to a forestry tract. Currently, this land is maintained as turf grass. The new plantings would highlight native Illinois oak and hickory trees and be educational for the campus and surrounding population."
See attached the SWATeam recommendation ALUFS003 South Campus Afforestation complete with comments from all the ALUFS SWATeam members.
