The recommendation was submitted to the NRES unit on March 2, 2018, by Morgan White. Jay Hayek, Extension Forestry Specialist in NRES, will be planting 2 acres of trees at the southwest corner of Race Street and Windsor Road.  The trees were purchased by the Champaign County Rotary Club.  There will be a wide variety of native oak and hickory species that come in 3 gallon containers and range in height from 3-6 feet.  The Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) plan to assist with planting the trees, when they are delivered in early April.

See iWG ALUFS003 Assessment

See SWATeam ALUFS003 Recommendation

The ALUFS SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, "A committee of ACES faculty, farm personnel, and iSEE members will develop a comprehensive and cooperative management plan for all non-research agricultural land on the UIUC South farms that promotes sustainable practices and implements current best management practices. The plan should account for crop rotations, soil management, nutrient application, and pest management. This strategy must consider the needs and wishes of the departments that rely on the productivity of this land for financial return. The plan should offer detailed recommendations, costs of implementation, and estimated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from adopted practices. The committee should include faculty with expertise in biogeochemistry as well as staff responsible for agricultural production."

See attached the SWATeam recommendation ALUFS004 South Farm Management Plan complete with comments from all the ALUFS SWATeam members.

RailSplitter Wind Farm provided the February 2018 Buyer's Share amounts by hour, totalling 2,382.9 Megawatt hours, see attached file.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) shared iSEE’s Seed Funding program in the newsletter this week.

The SSC is excited to announce that we have a brand new funding option available! We know that getting funding for a project within the same semester, especially for students, has been a challenge – so we will now offer Micro Grants as a solution to this issue. These grants are for student-led projects costing up to $500, and after approval the funding will be available within a month.

Applications for Micro Grants can be submitted at any time – they do not adhere to our typical funding cycle schedule. Furthermore, Micro Grant projects will not require the students applying to have a faculty or staff advisor, which will also make it easier for student groups to acquire funding from the SSC. Otherwise, the rules and restrictions for Micro Grants projects are just about the same as those for normal SSC projects. For a full list of these rules and restrictions, more information can be found here.

We are thrilled to be able to increase opportunities for students to take advantage of the sustainability fees they pay, and for sustainability around campus to increase in turn. Micro Grants will also allow the SSC to expand our outreach and remain as one of the top green fund practices in higher education. Be sure to help us spread the word, and if you have an idea for a Micro Grant project, don’t hesitate to apply.

All, last week was ever-so-slightly on the busy side of things. Friday in particular. Alana dropped off shirts (thanks!) so all CBC staff will now have nice new Campus Rec t-shirts. I finished constructing the shelving behind the tool wall so now I need to buy some paint for them. The majority vote on colors is: Pink and yellow. Neither color muted, either. Loud ones.

Last week I emailed all of the owners of expired build-a-bike tags here at CBC to alert them to their expiration. Two or three have come to update their tags in the last week. This week I’ll cull the remaining abandoned ones and either finish them as Shop Builds or return them to the available stock.

This week is the Bike Project Members’ Meeting (tonight). The weather is looking to be warmer all week, so I’ll staff accordingly. Hopefully warm weather means selling some bikes. I’ll build bikes, too.

The numbers:
Sales: $186
Memberships: 4 for $120
Visitors: 32

Sincerely,

• Jake Benjamin
  Campus Bike Center Manager

Frank Holcomb is working on investigating geothermal options for campus.

Free To Ride, a documentary produced by The Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute, highlights the relentless spirit of community leaders from across Dayton, Ohio who overcame a suburban contingent fearfully opposed to the expansion of public transit along a commercial corridor, and the system of checks and balances that allowed justice and reason to prevail.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/95444875

This event is free and open to the public. Join us on March 7th at 4pm in room 112 at the Transportation Building.

Event Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1554444197965701/

On February 21, 2018, the Student Sustainability Committee held a full committee meeting. During this meeting, the SFAC presentation, working group presentations, SLLC collaboration, & upcoming events were discussed.