Joy Scrogum – Page 9

June 27, 2016

Illinois Composting Policy Forum July 11 in Chicago

IFSC Policy forum information

Seven Generations Ahead, the Illinois Environmental Council and the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition (IFSC) invite you to participate in an Illinois Composting Policy Forum on July 11, 2016 from 1 to 3 PM at the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago, IL. This will be the first in a series of four forums exploring the potential policy solutions proposed in IFSC’s 2015 report, Food Scrap Composting Challenges and Solutions in Illinois.

The forum will provide updates on the composting policy and infrastructure work of the IFSC and the Illinois Environmental Council. Attendees will learn about states that have a Universal Recycling Law and the impact of these laws, and will participate in a deep dive discussion of the impact such a law would have in Illinois.

Register online at this link. Funding for this free forum is provided by the Searle Funds of the Chicago Community Trust.

For questions about this forum, please contact admin@sevengenerationsahead.org.

June 5, 2016

Illini Gadget Garage Summer 2016 Hours and Volunteer Opportunities

The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), a project of ISTC, is pleased to announce that the collaborative electronics repair center, the Illini Gadget Garage, will be open over the summer to assist “test pilots” with troubleshooting and repair for your small electronics and appliances with electronic components. Open hours for the summer are:

Tuesdays 11 AM – 2 PM
Wednesdays 5 PM – 8 PM
Fridays 12 PM – 3 PM

The Illini Gadget Garage is housed within the Illinois Natural History Survey Storage Building #3 (SB3); see this Google Map for directions.

Since SB3 is not yet ADA compliant, the space is open only so student staff and volunteers can work with “test pilots” –those who do not require accommodations for accessibility–so that they can gain experience with working with members of the public on troubleshooting and repair. If you require accommodation and would like to work with the Gadget Garage to repair a device, please email staff at illinigadgetgarage@gmail.com to arrange for an appointment in another accessible public space.

We will also be hosting “pop-up clinics” in accessible spaces around campus to better serve the community until our physical location has been renovated for accessibility. Be sure to follow the Gadget Garage on Facebook or Twitter to see announcements of pop-up clinics. If your department, RSO, or residence hall would like to host a pop-up clinic, please fill out our form to indicate your interest.

Whether you’re stopping by SB3 during open hours, or attending a pop-up clinic, you might want to take a few minutes to fill out our diagnostic form. This provides staff with some basic information about your device and the issues you’re experiencing, so they can do a little research ahead of time, hopefully making your one-on-one time more productive.

Whether you’re a student on campus for research or summer classes, or a faculty or staff member that enjoys tinkering, we hope you’ll consider volunteering with us! If you’re interested, fill out our contact form. If you’re technically inclined, your expertise can benefit others in our community! If you’re not at all technically inclined, but interested in sustainability and can help out with social media, networking, writing blogs or resource guides, etc., then you should also consider volunteering. The Gadget Garage is NOT just a project for techies! We want to empower everyone to feel comfortable with maintenance and repair of their devices, and to use and dispose of electronics more responsibly. So join us in this effort!

Tentative Illini Gadget Garage identifying mark

May 6, 2016

Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week

In the US, the beginning of May has people thinking of several celebrations, including Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and even Star Wars Day (May the 4th, as in “May the Fourth Be With You”). But did you know the first week of May is also celebrated annually as International Compost Awareness Week?

Composting allows organic materials, such as food scraps and yard waste, to break down naturally into a nutrient rich resource that can be used in gardening and landscaping in place of commercially available fertilizers. Application of compost reduces erosion, and can help your soil retain water, reducing costs associated with watering and contributing to water conservation. Composting can also reduce waste hauling costs, as well as greenhouse gas emissions associated with the breakdown of organic materials in landfills in the absence of oxygen.

If you’d like to learn more about composting, check out the following resources:

Illinois Food Scrap Coalition: http://illinoiscomposts.org/. Find commercial compost collection services near you, learn about the We Compost recognition program, and resources for businesses, schools, institutions, governments, and more.
US Composting Council: http://compostingcouncil.org/
BioCycle Magazine: https://www.biocycle.net/
UI Extension–Composting in the Home Garden: http://extension.illinois.edu/compost/
Cornell Composting: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/

If you’re a college or university student interested in pursuing research related to composting, check out the CCREF Young Investigator Scholarship.

April 19, 2016

State Electronics Challenge Recognizes the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) as a 2016 Gold Winner

[Champaign, Illinois April 4, 2016] – The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) today received a Gold award for its achievements in the State Electronics Challenge; a comprehensive nationwide environmental sustainability initiative that currently reaches more than 220,000 employees in 47 states. ISTC was recognized for its accomplishments in green procurement, energy and paper conservation, and responsible recycling of electronic office equipment in 2015.

“ISTC’s program is a truly outstanding example of a commitment to environmental leadership,” commented Lynn Rubinstein, State Electronics Challenge Program Manager. “This is the second year in a row that the program has earned a Gold Award.” She added that “ISTC is one of only 12 organizations nationally being recognized this year and the only one in Illinois.”

“We’re really pleased to have received recognition again. Participating in the State Electronics Challenge has provided a great framework for our organization to ensure that we’re making better choices in purchasing as well as continuing efforts to limit impacts in the use and end-of-life management phases,” said Joy Scrogum, Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist and coordinator of ISTC’s Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI).

As a result of these environmental initiatives, in 2015 ISTC saved enough energy to power 6 households per year, avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 8 cars from the road per year, as well as avoiding the generation of more than 50 pounds of hazardous waste – equivalent to the weight of a refrigerator.

ISTC has committed to purchasing computer and imaging equipment that is qualified by the Electronic Procurement Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT®) standard. EPEAT is an internationally recognized system that identifies office equipment that meets specified environmental performance criteria. It also uses power management and requires double-sided printing to decrease energy and paper usage, and ensures that at the end-of-life, equipment is recycled by a third-party certified electronics recycler – Secure Recycling Services & Secure Processors.

“ISTC was the first Illinois organization to participate in the State Electronics Challenge, joining back in 2011. We only began applying for recognition in recent years, after we took the time to write a specific policy that captured what we were already doing to make our electronics-related operations more sustainable, as well as setting forth purchasing standards. The written policy will help us stay on target and continuously improve in the coming years, through revisions as our goals change. ISTC provides technical assistance to organizations and businesses throughout the state, and we’ve been able to point clients and other University of Illinois departments to the SEC checklist and resources as a way of helping them tackle sustainable electronics issues in simple, manageable ways,” Ms. Scrogum stated.

The State Electronics Challenge offers its participants annual opportunities to document their achievements and receive recognition for those accomplishments. In 2015, the reported actions of 31 participants in green purchasing of electronic office equipment, power management, and responsible recycling resulted in a total of more than 1,250 tons of electronics being recycled, which, along with power management and green procurement:

Prevented the release of almost 12,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E). This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from 8,612 passenger cars.
Saved enough energy to supply 7,845 homes per year
Avoided the disposal of hazardous waste equivalent to the weight of 2,120 refrigerators
Avoided the disposal of solid waste – garbage – equivalent to the amount generated by 388 households/year.

A full list of winners and their environmental accomplishments can be found on the State Electronics Challenge website (www.stateelectronicschallenge.net).

“The State Electronics Challenge provides state, tribal, regional and local agencies, as well as schools, colleges and universities and non-profit organizations with a great opportunity to integrate concepts of sustainability and waste reduction into their operations,” added Ms. Rubinstein. “It’s inspiring to see programs such as the one developed and implement by the ISTC to ensure that the highest environmental practices are met through the lifecycle of office equipment.“

The State Electronics Challenge awards were made possible through donations from Samsung, Panasonic, and the R2/RIOS Program.

About ISTC

ISTC is a division of the Prairie Research Institute on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Its mission is to encourage and assist citizens, businesses, and government agencies to prevent pollution, conserve natural resources, and reduce waste to protect human health and the environment of Illinois and beyond. It promotes more sustainable technologies, processes, and practices through an integrated program of research, demonstration projects, technical assistance, and outreach. Learn more at www.istc.illinois.edu.

About the State Electronics Challenge

The State Electronics Challenge assists state, regional, tribal, and local governments to reduce the environmental impact of their office equipment. It annually recognizes the accomplishments of Partner organizations. The Challenge is administered by the Northeast Recycling Council (www.nerc.org). Currently, 157 state, tribal, regional, colleges, schools, universities, and local government agencies, and non-profit organizations, representing more than 212,600 employees, have joined the SEC as Partners. For more information on the SEC, including a list of current Partner organizations, visit www.stateelectronicschallenge.net.

SEC_logo-1

April 7, 2016

Deadline Extended: Apply for the 2016 EPEAT Purchaser Awards by April 27th

The de EPEAT_logo adline has been extended until April 27th to submit applications for the EPEAT Purchaser Awards. The awards recognize excellence in green procurement of electronics. EPEAT Purchasers will earn a star for each product category for which they have a written policy in place that requires the purchase of EPEAT registered electronics.

The EPEAT Purchaser Awards are open to all organizations that purchase EPEAT-registered products and meet the following requirements:

Agree to have your organization as an EPEAT Purchaser. EPEAT Purchasers agree to share their specific EPEAT vendor contract language and to be listed on the EPEAT website. By submitting the EPEAT Purchaser Award Application, you agree to have your organization listed as an EPEAT Purchaser.
Must have an organizational purchasing policy in place for environmentally preferable procurement of electronics (see model policy language)
Must set specifications in contracts with vendors requiring that all electronic products in a specific category (PC/Displays, Imaging Equipment, and Televisions) achieve Bronze registration or higher in the EPEAT system in the country/countries of purchase (see model contract language)
Must report annual purchase volume of EPEAT registered products

Winners will be honored on Monday, May 23, during a ceremony in Washington DC. The Awards ceremony will be co-located with the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) Summit at the Kellogg Conference Center and will take place immediately following the SPLC Pre-Summit Courses. All EPEAT Purchaser Award winners are invited to attend a brief reception before the ceremony, and then to participate in the ceremony itself.

For more information, and to apply, visit the EPEAT web site.

April 6, 2016

Illini Gadget Garage Hosts Pop-up Clinics

The Illini Gadget Garage is a collaborative repair program for student and staff owned electronic devices, funded by the UI Student Sustainability Committee (SSC), and administered by the Sustainable Electronics Initiative at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), the UI School of Art and Design, and the UI Graduate School of Library and Information Science. In a previous post, we discussed the fact that renovations are necessary to bring the Gadget Garage’s planned permanent home into ADA compliance. We’re still working with “test pilot” clients, who don’t require ADA accommodations, at the permanent location (INHS Storage Building 3). In case you haven’t check the Gadget Garage Facebook page or web page recently, Spring 2016 hours are Thursdays from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM and Fridays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

In the meantime, to help ensure that we’re serving all members of our campus community, we’re hosting “pop-up” clinics at various locations across campus. Gadget Garage staff have established a partnership with the residence hall libraries and last week (on March 30 & 31) the first pop-up clinics were held at the PAR and Allen Hall residence hall libraries. Those two residence hall libraries are once again hosting pop-up repair clinics on Wednesday, April 6 and Thursday, April 7th, respectively. Hours for the PAR clinic (Wed.) are 6-8 PM; Allen Hall clinics are 7-9 PM. Stop by for assistance with troubleshooting, diagnosing issues, and minor repair. We’re hoping to have clinics in these two residence hall libraries fairly regularly (not necessarily weekly); ask at the libraries for more information, or monitor the Gadget Garage Facebook page for announcements.

In the meantime, if your campus organization or department is interested in hosting a pop-up clinic, please fill out our form to indicate your interest and provide a bit of basic information. Gadget Garage staff will then follow-up with you for scheduling.

If you’re planning to either attend a pop-up clinic or to stop by the permanent location during open hours, consider filling out our Diagnostic Form to provide information on the device and problem you’re wanting to address. This will give Gadget Garage volunteers some information to help them do a bit of research before you come so they’re better prepared to assist you and use your time efficiently.

If you have other general questions, or would like to become involved with the project as a volunteer, send an email to illinigadgetgarage@gmail.com. You don’t have to be a tinkerer or technologically inclined to assist in the collaborative repair process, plus there are other project tasks to which your skills could be applied (e.g. social media, marketing, recruitment of volunteers, scheduling clinics, writing iFixit repair guides, creating resource guides for common questions/problems, etc.). Plus, although this is primarily a student project, staff and faculty who enjoy repair are also welcome to volunteer and become part of the “fixer” community here on campus! Everyone has their own expertise and strengths, and we’ll all learn from each other as we come together to keep devices in service for as long as possible.

Tentative Illini Gadget Garage identifying mark

March 20, 2016

National Geographic Features Food Waste

The March 2016 edition of National Geographic Magazine includes an article by Elizabeth Royte entitled “How ‘Ugly’ Fruits and Vegetables Can Help Solve World Hunger.” Royte is a well-known science writer who has taken in-depth looks at waste before, most notably in her book Garbage Land, in which she follows the trail of household trash after it leaves the curb, and explores various aspects of waste disposal, as well as our consumption-oriented culture and its consequences.

In this NatGeo article, Royte does a great job outlining the myriad of food waste issues. While 800 million people worldwide go hungry, about a third of the food produced on Earth is wasted–enough to feed 2 billion people. These losses sometimes due to spoilage; confusion over the dates stamped on products by manufacturers; post-harvest loss caused by inadequate storage and infrastructure; consumer disdain for leftovers; and cultures in which portion sizes have grown to an extent that waste inevitably occurs. There are issues of aesthetic standards imposed by retailers as well, which mean that scores of perfectly edible yet visually imperfect examples of fruit and vegetables never even make it to the shelves in grocery stores; they’re rejected before they even have a chance at being sold. And wasted food doesn’t just equal wasted nutrition and money–it’s also wasted resources. The huge amounts of food we waste represents huge investments in water, human labor, and fuel for production. And as waste breaks down in landfills, it releases greenhouse gases. As Royte notes, “If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, after China and the U.S. ”

Royte outlines these sad realities while providing a detailed look at what one activist, Tristram Stuart, does to fight food waste. Stuart is the founder of Feedback, an organization that campaigns against food waste throughout the system of production and consumption. The article takes a particular look at one of the organization’s major campaigns, “Feeding the 5000,” in which feasts are organized in venues around the world to feed 5000 people using food that would otherwise have been wasted. The article highlights other organizations and programs as well, and provides tips for what you can do to reduce your own food waste footprint.

Read the full article at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/03/global-food-waste-statistics/. Check out the Green Lunchroom Challenge, ISTC’s project geared toward preventing and reducing food waste in K-12 schools, for more information on addressing these issues in your community. Consider how ISTC’s Zero Waste Illinois program can assist your organization in identifying waste reduction and management improvement opportunities. And if you’re interested in promoting commercial composting in IL, consider becoming a member of the Illinois Food Scrap Coalition (IFSC).

March 14, 2016

Sculpture to Raise Awareness of Waste Generation, Management During Earth Week

ISTC’s efforts to help the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign achieve zero waste goals and foster a culture of waste reduction will include a unique public education display during Earth Week this spring.

Since 2010, the Urbana-Champaign campus has taken several major steps toward achieving zero waste. The 2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) includes the goal of increasing diversion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) from landfill to 45% by FY20, 60% by FY25, and 80% by FY35, while also increasing the total diversion rate to 90% by FY20 and 95% by FY25. Achieving these goals will require a decrease in the use of non-durable goods, and increases in reuse and recycling of materials.

As part of this continued effort, the University engaged the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to conduct a campus-wide waste characterization study to better understand priorities and opportunities for waste reduction. ISTC, a unit of the Prairie Research Institute, created a methodology for waste stream characterization and evaluation that provides building-level performance measures and achievable recommendations for improvement. A waste stream characterization, aka a waste audit, involves taking the trash from a location, sorting it into categories, and measuring the amounts of each category present. It allows you to know how much paper, recyclable plastic, non-recyclable plastic, food, etc. are being put into the trash. With funding from UI Facilities and Services (F&S), ISTC began conducting waste audits of campus buildings in spring 2013, focusing first on the Henry Administration Building, Swanlund Administration Building, Alice Campbell Alumni Center, and the Illini Union Bookstore. The report summarizing results and recommendations from this initial phase of the project, published in September 2014, is available on the ISTC web site.

The second phase of the campus building characterization effort began in fall 2015, with funding from the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC). As before, this phase of the project included waste audits, conducted at Lincoln Avenue Residence Halls, Roger Adams Laboratory, the Business Instructional Facility, and the Illini Union. The report including the results of those audits and recommendations for waste reduction and improved diversion of materials from landfill is currently being finalized.

This phase of the project includes a public engagement aspect. Graduate student hourly employees Nahid Akram and Hursh Hazari have worked with ISTC staff to design an educational sculpture made of waste materials. Nahid is working on his Master’s degree in Architecture, and Hursh is working his Master’s in Engineering in Energy Systems. Their sculpture will raise awareness of the magnitude of waste generated on campus and in the US, as well as options for waste reduction and responsible disposal. They have designed an I-shaped structure, which will be covered with 20 oz. plastic beverage bottles, fitted into a plastic mesh by screwing their caps on. This in turn will be attached to a wooden skeleton.

Artist rendering of skeleton and completed I-shaped bottle sculpture. — Artist rendering of wooden skeleton (left) and completed I-shaped sculpture with plastic bottles attached (right).

Bottles in mesh — Bottles attached to mesh by their caps in a similar project.

Plastics were chosen for the material used in the sculpture because of their durability, and the ease of working with and transport them, though compostable materials and paper actually are larger portions of the campus waste stream. Supplemental materials (e.g. a poster, video, and/or a digital handout accessible with a QR code) made available with the sculpture will explain the relative size of different categories of waste on campus, provide statistics to relate the number of bottles in the sculpture to waste generation (e.g. this represents the number of bottles disposed of in the US every X number of seconds), and information individuals can use to reduce waste while reusing and recycling more. The “I” shape of the sculpture not only is symbolic of Illinois, but also encourages the viewer to think “what can I do to reduce waste?” and “what role do I play in making our campus more sustainable?” Bottles with caps are being collected for use in the structure from the Waste Transfer Station, UI Housing Food Stores, ISTC, and other locations on campus.

The sculpture will make its debut at the Sonified Sustainability Festival on Saturday, April 16 from 1pm to 5pm at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. This free event, appropriate for all ages and also sponsored by the SSC, will bring together sustainability-minded musicians and artists. The event will also feature live music, information on community and campus programs (including ISTC’s Zero Waste Illinois and Illini Gadget Garage projects), and instruments made from recycled materials. See the event’s Facebook page for more information. The sculpture will remain on display in the Krannert Center lobby throughout Earth Week (until April 23rd).

For more information on the sculpture project, contact Joy Scrogum.

March 9, 2016

Green Lunchroom Challenge Period Extended

The period for the Green Lunchroom Challenge, an ISTC project focused on reducing and preventing food waste at K-12 schools, is being extended. While the end of the Challenge was originally set at April 1, 2016, participants will now have until May 31, 2016 to complete suggested activities and submit required materials to earn points.

With this extension, the Challenge period will roughly correspond to the entire school year. This will allow more time for preparation and submission of materials required to earn points, and for participants to observe relative progress. Activity descriptions and requirements are available at https://www.greenlunchroom.org/activities.cfm.

Challenge results will be announced in June, but at that point, most schools will have adjourned for the summer. Because of this, a presentation of awards (either in person or via an online ceremony, TBD with the winners) will be held in early September 2016 so students, staff, and the community of the winning school and district can participate in a celebration of their accomplishment.

Questions related to the Green Lunchroom Challenge may be addressed to Joy Scrogum.

school kids in cafeteria — Photo: USDA Blog

March 9, 2016

Webinar: Overview of Illinois Green Office Challenge, 3/15

The Illinois Green Office Challenge is a program patterned after the Chicago Green Office Challenge which encourages friendly competition among office buildings to achieve energy and water conservation as well as waste reduction. It aims to make Illinois more livable, sustainable, and prosperous.

Now in its second year, the Challenge is currently recruiting community champions and participants for a sustainability competition that began on March 1, 2016 and will run for six months, culminating with a celebration in September. Winners of the competition will then be recognized at the 2016 Governor’s Awards.

If your organization is interested in participating and would like to learn more, join Bart Bartels of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center for an overview webinar next Tuesday, March 15th, from 9:00 – 10:00 AM CDT. This webinar is being held in conjunction with the IL Green Government Coordinating Council Procurement Subcommittee meeting, but is open to all interested parties. The presentation will be recorded and made available for later viewing on the Challenge web site, www.illinoisgoc.com. Registration is available at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3140381503145799426.

Questions about the Illinois Green Office Challenge may be addressed to Bart Bartels.

Illinois Green Office Challenge