Champaign/Urbana – Page 4

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 27, 2016May 22, 2018

Calling All Parks! Get Your Green On

ISTC loves recycling. Last year our Zero Waste Program turned Forest Preserves of Cook County on to a great opportunity with the Keep America Beautiful / Dr. Pepper Snapple Park Recycling Infrastructure Grants. It was a nice boost to a Chicago parks program that had already made sustainability a high art form.

Keep America Beautiful is offering the grants again to parks, athletic fields, nature trails and public beaches. Hurry though! You need to apply by June 10.

Another fabulous KAB opportunty is their Anheuser-Busch Community Restoration Grants Program. When natural disasters affect public areas, this program can assist in restoration.

April 21, 2016April 1, 2021

Now There Is an ‘I’ in Green, Art, and Krannert

“Are you responsible for this?” asked a man hurrying by and pointing to a massive Block-I sculpture in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts lobby. “Great job!”

Architecture and engineering students Hursh Hazari and Nahid Akarm teamed up to create the great Block-I sculpture installed for Earth Week in the lobby at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. — Architecture and engineering students Hursh Hazari (left) and Nahid Akram (right) teamed up to create the great Block-I sculpture installed for Earth Week in the lobby at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

Hursh Hazari and Nahid Akram, first-time artists of monumental found object sculpture, beamed and waved in acknowledgment.

The two are responsible for the Block-I shaped from campus’ own early spring supply of empty beverage bottles. The sculpture is an Earth Week gift of ISTC and the Student Sustainability Committee as an impossible-to-miss reminder of the importance of recycling or repurposing the mountains of waste we produce.

Nahid is in the first year of a master’s of architecture program. His designs for buildings are already built in his native Bangladesh. After completing his undergraduate training at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology he worked at an architectural firm for four years.

Hursh studied polymer science as an undergrad at Dehli Technological University in New Dehli, but his interests turned to renewable solar and wind energy, so he enrolled at the U of I to study power and energy systems. He plans to promote sustainable energy use in India, where unreliable power grids make grassroots wind and solar installations very popular.

Hursh Hazari is an engineering graduate student from India. Nahid Akarm is a graduate student in architecture from Bangladesh. — Hursh Hazari (left) is an engineering graduate student from India. Nahid Akram (right) is a graduate student in architecture from Bangladesh.

Both spotted the job as sculptors on campus’ virtual job board and saw in it work that advanced their professional interests. They needed all of the 20 oz beverage bottles they could sort at the campus Waste Transfer Station for their design. They were washed and disinfected at ISTC and, over the course of three weeks, they were fitted into their new educational configuration.

ISTC’s Zero Waste Illinois program is noting the metrics from the sculpture project as part of their ongoing campus building waste characterization project here at the U of I. ISTC is helping the University meet its Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) goals with waste audits of individual campus buildings – a big step toward becoming a zero waste campus.

The artwork is on display at Krannert through Saturday, April 23. More on the sculpture.

April 20, 2016May 22, 2018

Proper Disposal of Unwanted Drugs Getting Easier

Got Drugs?

dropboxes for unwanted drugs — *Handy, secure dropboxes at Champaign, Urbana and U of I police stations make disposing of unwanted drugs easy.*

Saturday April 30 is National Prescription Take-Back Day in the U.S.A. The Drug Enforcement Administration has organized a network of local law enforcement agencies to accept unwanted or expired human or veterinary drugs and to educate the public about the need to properly dispose of these medications.

Check DEA’s handy collection site locator if you want to drop off your drugs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.

If you live in the Champaign-Urbana area you can use secure dropboxes ANYTIME in the lobbies of the following police departments:

Champaign: 82 E University Ave.

Urbana: 400 S Vine St.

University of Illinois: 1110 W Springfield Ave, Urbana.

Of course the DEA is interested in halting abuse of unused drugs which are often misappropriated from the home medicine cabinets. But a DEA news release makes the alarming understatement that “Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.” To keep unused medications out of the reach of children and pets and also to prevent abuse by others taking the medications, all unused medications should be taken to drop box collection sites. You should keep the medications in their original containers and black out your name and address if on the label before dropping them off.

Information on ISTC’s recent research on the emerging problem is available online. A lot more about proper handling and disposal of drugs and personal care products is provided by IL-IN Sea Grant.

ISTC, IL-IN Sea Grant, and the U of I Extension are now working together to improve pharmaceutical give-back locations state-wide. Scientific studies are revealing the bio-active compounds are having observable consequences when they get into the aquatic environment.

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 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.

February 19, 2016May 22, 2018

Assay of Archaeological Find Reveals Desperate Times for the Sick in 1850

ISTC NEWS

Early American ‘Medicine’ Probed by Archaeometry

Life was hard in 1850. Tuberculosis (consumption) was rampant, and one was likely to be dead by 40. The tubercle bacillus was not discovered until 1882, and was not treatable until the early 1940s. By 1900 more than 80 percent of the U.S. population was infected before age 20.

The bottle recovered by U of I archaeologists — The artifact

A ‘medicine’ bottle discovered by Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) during a dig at Meredosia, Illinois, gives evidence of the desperation they faced. Both ISTC and ISAS are divisions of the Prairie Research Institute.

The contents were analyzed by John Scott, senior analytical chemist at ISTC, revealing a dangerous stew of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Scott presented his findings Feb. 19 during ISAS’s Fourth Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials Symposium at the University of Illinois.

The bottle, labeled “Thomson’s Compound/Syrup of Tar/For Consumption,” came from a the excavation of a house cellar yielding artifacts from the 1840s and 1850s.

News articles and advertisements of the time are replete with testimonials of ‘health’ and ‘vigor’ from drinking the compound. Many patent medicines contained a lot of alcohol, which would have been needed to keep the other ingredients in suspension, Scott suggested.

The analysis showed compounds consistent with coal tar, pine tar, and essential oils suggesting cumin and thyme. All 16 priority PAHs, now

ISTC chemist John Scott — ISTC’s John Scott

regulated by the U.S. EPA as carcinogens, were present. For comparison, Thomson’s remedy measured a priority PAHs content in concentrations almost three-and-a-half times greater than the mean for crude oil.

Many ‘remedies’ of the era also soothed ‘symptoms’ of various maladies by including opium, morphine, heroin, cocaine, chloroform, methamphetamine, or barbiturates.

Scott found strong evidence that the Thomson’s was spiked not just with alcohol, but also with the active compound in marijuana. High resolution mass spectrometer measurements showed no sign of morphine, cocaine or the other drugs, but demonstrated clear peaks indicating THC (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol) – which is found in marijuana.

Material dissolved for laboratory analysis

Nine metals were detected in Thomson’s Compound. Arsenic, lead, and iron exceeded levels now considered acceptable for pharmaceuticals. Manganese was close to that limit.

“We can’t know how much of the Thomson mixture was left in the bottle when it was disposed of,” Scott said. “But even if it evaporated from a full bottle, this was a potent brew.”

The name Thomson was synonymous with medicine throughout much of the 19th century, ever since Samuel Thomson succeed in patenting his system of botanic medicine in 1813. Originally a reaction against orthodox medicine, Thomson sought to demystify healing arts for the average man with remedies of natural herbs and extracts. The lucrative field drew many competitors, knock-off artists, and experimenters. For example, a different ‘Samuel Thomson’ was responsible for the Meredosia artifact!

February 12, 2016July 8, 2020

Sen. Durbin Backs Research to Capture More Carbon from Coal Plants

Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) toured the Abbott Power Plant at the University of Illinois on Jan. 15 for a briefing on Prairie Research Institute (PRI) research to develop next-generation carbon capture technology.

PRI has just released an informative video introduction to the work underway at the Abbott Power Plant.

Durbin featured in project video — *Illinois Senator Dick Durbin spoke about the carbon capture research following a tour of the University of Illinois’ Abbott Power Plant.*

The first-hand look at the project was an “eye opener,” Durbin said. If selected for the federally funded project, the technology would economically extract at least 90 percent of the carbon dioxide following an Abbott Power Plant retrofit. The ramifications for coal-rich Illinois – for jobs, the economy, and keeping utility rates low – could be profound.

“What’s going on here at the Abbott Power Plant is an effort to show that there is an environmentally responsible way to deal with the sources of energy whether they’re coal, natural gas, or oil,” Durbin said after the tour. “We’re working with the university, and the power plant, on an application for a Department of Energy research effort; and their goal, of course, is to take even more of the emissions and turn the pollution into profits and make certain that it doesn’t at least harm the environment in serious ways.”

For many nations around the world where coal is likely to remain the fuel of choice well into this century, the new technology could be a game changer in the challenge to limit global warming. The project includes expert advisory panel representing some of the largest power producers around the world, including China, India, and Brazil, said Kevin O’Brien, director of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and primary investigator for the project.

“We’re living in an era of dramatic change,” Durbin said. “Ten years ago we depended on OPEC oil. Now we’re talking very seriously about climate change and the need to reduce emissions.”

He praised the efforts at the University for keeping the more than 70-year-old plant at the forefront of efficient and effective technologies to deliver both steam and electric power to students and staff. “It still serves the campus today,” Durbin remarked. “The good news is that over the years there have been some dramatic efforts to modernize this plant and to make sure that it not only meets the standards but goes beyond, and sets the standard for new technology and new energy development.”

“So it was good to see this first hand today — to be educated. I will tell you that it came as an eye opener to me. The steam generation and how important it is to the University of Illinois and also very important to generate the kind of electricity that sustains a modern campus in the 21st century.”

The project would put Abbott well beyond existing standards for emissions control. Abbott’s current pollution control technology, consisting of a combination of electrostatic precipitators and a flue gas desulfurization unit (scrubber), remains the “best available control technology” for removing pollutants from the byproducts of coal combustion.

The carbon capture research project also will look ahead to developing new uses for waste carbon dioxide. The project seeks partners interested in forming and building the overall “value chain” for captured CO2 – including members/ suppliers to the coal and power industry, and current and potential end-users of CO2. To learn more about the opportunity, call +1 (630) 472-5016.

February 12, 2016May 22, 2018

Green Your Office, Join the Challenge

Registration is now open for the 2016 Illinois Green Office Challenge (IGOC), a friendly competition to see which Illinois organization can accumulate the most points by conserving energy and water, reducing waste, and saving money.

The competition will launch with a kickoff and informational session at 4:30 – 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), 1 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign.

Last year the Challenge began in the Central Illinois communities of Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering and Research Laboratory in Champaign was the highest scorer in the region. This year offices statewide are encouraged to sign up.

Contestants can start piling up points Tuesday, March 1, as they begin to score points for completing specific sustainability activities at their facilities.

Money-saving ideas and assistance will be provided by ISTC, a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

the challenge helps offices cut water, energy and waste — *Workplaces primarily used for office space are encouraged to join the challenge to cut energy, water and waste.*

The Challenge website provides participants with the information and tools they need to compete and complete activities, and a live leaderboard will track their scores, as well as those of other competitors from across the state. At the end of the Challenge, participants will be acknowledged for their hard work through media, peer recognition, and year-end awards. The Challenge welcomes all public and private buildings that are used primarily for office space.

There is an administrative fee of $50 for registration, but it can be waived if it is a barrier to participation. Questions can be directed to Bart Bartels: bbartel@illinois.edu.

A Peoria-area kickoff is scheduled for Thursday March 3. Additional community meetings and informational workshops will be scheduled as organizations and communities sign up. For complete information, visit the IGOC website at https://www.illinoisgoc.com/.

November 19, 2015September 21, 2018

Take a Good Look at the Bad Old Days, and How Science Saved the Future

The 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) gathered together many of the original leaders of the effort to get a handle on hazardous pollution in the environment.

It was a valuable window into the spirit of the times before 1985 that convinced Illinois lawmakers to create a center for research, industry assistance and public information. Thousands had been killed in Bhopal, Love Canal had blighted whole neighborhoods, the Cuyahoga River had burned, and in Illinois, contamination at Waukegan Harbor and Lake Calumet had brought home to citizens the need for scientific evidence about the threats.

ISTC took the opportunity to tell this story at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Nov. 9. It was a proud moment for the original players who participated in the event, and for ISTC’s parent Prairie Research Institute, and all of their current researchers who continue to drive sustainable economic development in Illinois. Videos on the presentations will be made available soon at http://www.istc.illinois.edu/news/30anniversaryhome.cfm.