Assess existing courses to identify which courses meet specific requirements in the learning outcomes, and identify gaps for future curriculum development

Course listings for undergraduate and graduate levels were examined to develop an inclusive list of courses related to sustainability.  An online survey of department heads was conducted in Fall 2010 which served to verify the list developed, sought feedback on perceived gaps and desired future offerings, and gained insight about the degree to which the learning outcomes are being addressed (58 departments responded out of 165). The inventory is designed to help students identify courses by several categories, including whether a course fulfills a general education requirement and whether the course is undergraduate and graduate level.  The inventory revealed more than 250 courses and can be found on the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment website. 

The inventory conducted at the time did not distinguish between sustainability related and focused courses.  Sustainability related covers only one aspect of sustainability, i.e., economic, social, or environmental, whereas focused covers all three.

Morgan White send an email to the PWR SWATeam on February 4, 2018 saying,

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Hello PWR SWATeam,

I am sorry I will not be able to attend the meeting on Monday.  Here is a quick update on various efforts underway.

1.    Leah Berti is starting to present the “Use the Bin” speech for various groups at F&S.  She is also helping us get an online tour request form for the Waste Transfer Station and then she will help actually give the tours this spring.
2.    Becky Jonas is going to meet with the facilities contact, Tim Prunkard, for the Hydro building and the Newmark Civil Engineering Building.  She will be mapping recycling and waste bins in the building.  She is also creating an updated online survey for the building occupants that she will give them before making changes to the bin locations.  Then Tim, Becky, and I will meet with the BSW supervisor for those facilities, Ramona Burns, and discuss changes we want to make.  
3.    Linhan Yang is working with Lance Schideman and several other interested people to form a broad solution for keeping food waste out of landfills.
4.    The SSC is working on getting a visit to the Danville landfill (which is where we send most of our trash) this spring.
5.    Marya and Anna are creating an online glove recycling sign-up form and a flyer explaining how the glove recycling storage container works.
6.    Pete Varney and Shaun Patterson have updated the lights and heating at the Waste Transfer Station.  This makes it easier for the workers to pull recycling from the sort line – but remember the first step is for our students, employees, and visitors to use the recycling bins in the first place.  They also will help us with getting more of the new labels.
7.    Ryan Welch, superintendent of grounds, is reviewing the map of dual bin locations for North of Green Street.  I got pricing info from the first installation of the new-style bin, and it was close to $3,000.  That would be about $165K for north of green new bins, and we need to account for removing the old bins as well.  And that’s just part of campus, so the price of this effort will be significant.  I believe it will be well worth it, if campus can find the funds.
8.    The feasibility study for the new baler has made it through the approval process and will be starting in February.

Thanks,
Morgan
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Hi Pete and Shawn—

Here’s what I have from this past week for zero-waste coordination activities: 

• Drafted a glove recycling participant form and forwarded it to Morgan and Anna for comment
• Drafted a glove recycling informational flyer and forwarded it to Morgan and Anna for comment, for information on permissions for using Google satellite images, and for information on F&S/UIUC templates to use for the final format
• Updated the iCAP Portal map of glove recycling locations to include Krannert Art Museum; posted a project update on the site to document the addition
• Continued communication with Rebecca Seymour at the campus Starbuck’s
• Sent Morgan notes from my Jan. 24 call with Carly Rizor at UIC about their experience with Big Belly trash/recycling bins 
• I replied to a request for a meeting with a student organization (Business in Environmental Responsibility) that would like to help with the glove recycling program. I told them I can have a phone call with them during the week or meet in person over the weekend. 

Best regards,
Marya Ryan
Zero Waste Coordinator

The formal site selection committee was formed today to finalize a location for the potential second solar farm.

The 2015 iCAP chapter 8, objective 2 is, "By the end of FY17, develop an administrative mechanism to enable campus units to voluntarily purchase carbon offsets." During FY17, iSEE is executing a campuswide purchase of offsets. A starting inventory of carbon offsets will be put into a Virtual Storeroom, for internal purchases by campus units.  Through this website, units can directly engage in emission reductions, with the benefit of the initial bulk purchase.

The Carbon Credit sales funding has been approved by Director of iSEE Evan DeLucia and Interim Executive Director of F&S Helen Coleman for buying 10,000 additional carbon offsets, to provide the initial inventory for a new Virtual Storeroom for carbon offsets.

Background

If your department is interested in reducing your carbon footprint from air travel (or other things), you can go online to the Virtual Storeroom and purchase (using a CFOP) offsets from iSEE.  iSEE will collect the funds from these sales to replenish the Carbon Offset storeroom inventory when it gets low.

Some campus units (or individual faculty or staff) may wish to voluntarily offset their carbon emissions, for example, from air travel to scholarly meetings. iSEE could work with the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) to develop an administrative mechanism that would allow such units to “buy in” to periodic campuswide purchases of verified offsets.

By the end of FY 17, iSEE helps develop the virtual storeroom which stocks the carbon offsets instead of tangible goods. The carbon offsets will be stored in a virtual storeroom, where units can buy offsets to reduce their carbon emissions for any reason. For example, you can buy them to reduce the carbon emissions of steam, electricity, even university cars, and air travel, which is the main carbon emission source that needs offsets rather than reduction, according to the iCAP. The money what we spend in the virtual storeroom will be collected in a fund that will be used for the purchase of more carbon offsets, when the inventory is low.

Fall 2017 Final Report Submitted to the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) for the Science Policy Workshop.

The Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall Sustainability Living Learning Community Intern, Rachel Daughtridge, called a team meeting with various stakeholders to discuss the process for becoming an official Bee Campus USA.

Red Bison currently works in this area about twice a month when weather permits. A small amount of honeysuckle remains from the beginning of restoration, and herbicide is applied to stumps after cutting. Nearby, along Lincoln Avenue, much of the persimmon has been removed.

Hi Pete and Shawn—

Morgan and I spent a chunk of time together this afternoon so she could catch me up on our latest efforts with the baler feasibility study, styrofoam recycling, glass recycling, and glove recycling. Activity from the past week is as follows: 

• Morgan showed me some web tool resources that will enable me to finish out the glove recycling section of the iCAP portal.
• I reached out to the Sustainable Student Farm and another local farmer to see if they can use the coffee grounds that the campus Starbuck’s is making available. Morgan and I speculated on whether some of the other coffee shop vendors might be interested in a similar setup. If we have some success with Starbuck’s I will follow up with Illini Union Vending. 
• I talked to Carly Rizor at UIC about their experience with the Big Belly bins—and the costs. I shared information verbally with Morgan today. She had a few more questions for me to follow up on, so I will write up notes once I get the additional information. 

Best regards,
Marya Ryan
Zero Waste Coordinator

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.

On December 14, the ECBS SWATeam discussed the semester's final tally results of the Illini Lights Out program. In total, over 20,000 light bulbs were turned off. The team also discussed updates from the recent iCAP working group meeting. The funding from SSC has been secured for the Freezer Challenge. The Green Labs Coordinator position recommendation has been drafted and reviewed by the team. Suggestions were also provided to Yun for his graduate course on campus buildings. 

The PWR SWATeam reviewed the progress made over the course of the semester on various projects and discussed next steps for each. These projects included battery recycling, the rearrangement of outdoor trash and recycling bins, guidelines for the optimal arrangement of indoor bins, expanding SmartWay, and encouraging the use of EPEAT certified products.

The PWR SWATeam discussed the history and future opportunities and mechanisms for battery recycling on campus. They also talked about updates in the rearrangement of outdoor and indoor bins.

The Transportation SWATeam met to discuss a proprosal for the creation and dissemination of a new campus-wide modeshare survey as well as potential options for moving forward with the provision of winter bike storage on campus.