Justin Johnston confirmed that the answers to all the State Purchasing Officer's questions have been sent to Steve Rotello, the State Purchasing Officer. Justin is working to set a meeting with the SPO, Justin, and Morgan Johnston to review the current status of this approval.
Illinois is pleased to be named to the 2014 Princeton Review Green College Honor Roll. The Princeton Review tallies information from over 800 schools on sustainability practices and Illinois is one of only 22 to be named to the Honor Roll!
Criteria for the Green College Honor Roll broadly covers three areas: 1) whether the school’s students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, 2) how well the school is preparing its students for employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges, and 3) the school's overall commitment to environmental issues. The survey includes questions about the school's energy use, recycling, food, buildings, and transportation as well as academic offerings and sustainability-related action plans.
Morgan encouraged Bill to ask the SSC for funding to do the design work for a rainwater harvesting system for the Hartley Gardens. He said he will talk with Matt Edmonson to get an estimate of the cost for the project, so he is ready to reqeust funding when the SSC call for inquiries goes out this fall.
There are native plants throughout the Arboretum and in concentrated paces around the ponds - wetland and mezic. There is also a prairie just south of the Polinatarium, maintained by John Marlin and volunteers.
The ODMFL plants have been moved to the Arboretum growth house. Sarah talked with Bill Krudienier and moved the plants to the Arboretum as they continue to grow. Bill met with May Berenbaum and Terry Harkness to discuss the best use of the plants in the Arboretum, within the master plan for the site. It is possible that they will put them near the Pollinatarium and the children's garden.
The Arboretum is very pleased to be able to help and excited about the possibilities for these plants and future endeavors.
Morgan reached out to Felicia Speranske to get a current contact with the ISS for this project. The funding was delayed, arriving in late June, rather than mid May, and this project is waiting for a list of priority locations to begin installation. Morgan also sent an email to Damani Bolden the Illinois Student Senate (ISS) president.
The Sustainability Fellows program was going to include a research fellowship for Professor Gale Fulton to create a stormwater master plan for campus, utilizing green infrastructure. Unfortunately, Professor Fulton took a job at another university. To move forward with the stormwater master plan, the F&S Environmental Compliance department will seek to create a stormwater master plan for campus using student assistants and in-house staff.
Eliana Brown provided the following update.
The annual Light the Night event will take place onThursday, September 12, 2013, from 4pm-7pm or while supplies last. As in past years, the 2013 event will take place at the corners of Lincoln Ave. & Illinois St. as well as Green St. & Wright St. The Campus Area Transportation Study (CATS) education working group voted in June to approve the 2013 date for the event, and also selected a new bike light to be distributed this year. The event is jointly funded by the CATS member agencies (University of Illinois, Cities of Urbana and Champaign, and CU-MTD).
National Renewable Energy Laboratories conducted research into solar land use requirements, but were unable to find a comprehensive evaluation from the literature. NREL created this report to analyze data related to land use in large solar arrays. The paragraph below explains the efficiency of land by type of solar project, and the link takes you directly to the report.
Generation-weighted averages for total area requirements range from about 3 acres/GWh/yr for CSP towers and CPV installations to 5.5 acres/GWh/yr for small 2-axis flat panel PV power plants. Across all solar technologies, the total area generation-weighted average is 3.5 acres/GWh/yr with 40% of power plants within 3 and 4 acres/GWh/yr. For direct-area requirements the generation-weighted average is 2.9 acres/GWh/yr, with 49% of power plants within 2.5 and 3.5 acres/GWh/yr. On a capacity basis, the total-area capacity-weighted average is 8.9 acres/MWac, with 22% of power plants within 8 and 10 acres/MWac. For direct land-use requirements, the capacity-weighted average is 7.3 acre/MWac, with 40% of power plants within 6 and 8 acres/MWac. Other published estimates of solar direct land use generally fall within these ranges.
The third (2014) publication of the map was released in August, 2013. The Office of the Dean of Students provided funding for the printing of 12,000 copies to be distributed across campus during the 2013-2014 school year. To request printed copies for your department or group, please contact the Campus Bicycle Coordinator, Amelia Neptune, at aneptune@illinois.edu.
The Green Infrastructure conference is scheduled for September 17, 2013 at the I Hotel and Conference Center.
The Solar Farm Purchase Agreement is waiting on approval from the State Purchasing Officer (SPO). After the Board of Trustees approval in November 2012, the project went to the SPO's office. It is now under review and Facilities & Services is working to answer any SPO questions.
Scott Tess, with the City of Urbana, has requested a meeting of local sustainability staff to discuss a community-wide energy star challenge.
The Campus Bicycle Shop seeks to hire 2 part-time student employees to assist the Shop Manager. The position would involve duties such as helping members/users of the space with their needs, repairing bicycles, assisting in organizing events, shop organization, teaching bicycle repair, assisting with bicycle-related classes, and other duties as assigned.
The Campus Bicycle Shop – a collaboration between the University of Illinois and The Bicycle Project of Urbana-Champaign – is dedicated to empowering individuals with knowledge about how to repair and maintain bicycles. This is a hands on, educational space meant to provide knowledge and experience about fixing bicycles, not a "drop it off for repair" bike shop. The Campus Shop provides tools, parts, refurbished bikes for sale, educational classes, and dedicated volunteers to help members and the larger community with their bicycle needs. Membership in The Bike Project at Urbana-Champaign is valid at both the Campus Shop and the Downtown Urbana Shop.
Requirements: An interest in or passion for bicycling and sustainable transportation is required. Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).
To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references via email to: jmroedl@illinois.edu. Please include "Student Assistant Position" in the subject line. Please include a copy of weekly class schedule and any other time commitments.
Skills: Previous bicycle repair experience, membership in The Bike Project of Urbana Champaign, and familiarity with the Campus Shop would be preferred but are not required. Familiarity with social media, college campuses, and educational work would be helpful. Preference will also be given to applicants eligible for Federal Work Study.
Dave Thomas, Kishore Rajagopalan, and Luis Rodriguez hosted a meeting with Morgan Johnston,Tracy Osby,and ISTC staff to meet with Orval Yarger and Alan Robinson from Paradigm to discuss opportunities for waste management for campus and other Illinois businesses/organizations.
see file
Facilities and Services has been seeking grant funds for capital improvements related to sustainability since 2006. The grants received are shown on the attached file.
