Three Tips on the Road to a Great Governor’s Award Application

TrophyPath2If your organization has done a lot in the name of sustainability – from projects that save money and resources to initiatives that strengthen the people and communities you work for – what are you waiting for? The Governor’s Sustainability Award provides a great opportunity for you to pull all of your sustainability work together into a single document: Your award application!

 

Because sustainability encompasses the triple bottom line – People, Planet, Profit – it can be tough to wrap one’s brain around all that should be included in your application. Our How To Apply page and FAQ’s will help you in that process, but we know that’s a lot to read! Here are three tips to help you cut to the chase, and get started on your application (due May 22).

 

1. Start driving. Get key people on board.

Governor’s Award Applications are typically a team effort, but there is often a single person or small team that drives the process forward. The application drivers can be anyone – from top management to employees who volunteer time on a Green Team. If you’re reading this, you may be the driver!

 

Send a note out to co-workers letting them know you’re preparing a Gov.’s Award application. Here are some key people to get on board early (positions vary by organization):

  • Top Management
  • Facilities/Operations Manager
  • Plant Manager
  • Sustainability Officer/Green Team Lead
  • PR Officer

 

2. Read these two things.

Narrative GuidelinesYou have up to six single-spaced pages to describe your sustainability accomplishments. These guidelines tell you how.

 

Metrics Form InstructionsDownload the Metrics Form (Microsoft Excel format) and read the Instructions tab.

 

3. Check out the sample applications.

The sample applications, available HERE, display best practices from past winners’ applications. Note that a good application typically includes a variety of projects touching on multiple impacts or aspects of sustainability. The project descriptions will also include some detail on how they were conceived and who was involved. We want to hear how your organization went from idea to implementation.

 

 

BONUS TIP: Consider normalizing your data.

Normalized data is reported on a relevant per-unit basis. One of our 2013 award winners, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, tracked their water use in this way before and after implementing water conservation measures in their wash bay. Instead of simply reporting total gallons of water consumed, they reported gallons per vehicle-hour, providing us with a water-use measure that can be compared across years, regardless of how many trips the buses make.  This type of measurement, a normalized metric, is extremely helpful for evaluating your progress – the true impact of a sustainability project.

 

Check out the Illinois Manufacturer Inc. sample application for more normalization examples and talk to your team about what per-unit measures you might use in your application.

 

If you still have questions about the process, contact John Mulrow for more information via e-mail at jmulrow@illinois.edu or call him at 630.586.9168.

Mark Your Calendars for Sustainability Film Festival April 22, 23, & 24

LDcropWith funding from the UI Office of Public Engagement, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is hosting a Sustainability Film Festival during Earth Week on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

Three documentaries will be screened at the Spurlock Museum’s Knight Auditorium on the evenings of April 22, 23, and 24th from 6-7:30 PM: Living Downstream, Terra Blight, and Waste=Food, respectively. Mark your calendars–admittance will be free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 5:30 PM. After each film, a Q&A/discussion will be held with ISTC staff and other relevant experts. Panelists are being confirmed and will be announced as the time of the screenings approaches.

 

The DVDS of the documentaries will be made available after the film series at the Prairie Research Institute Library for professors, students, and members of the general public to check out for use in classes, meetings, and for personal enrichment. The general public will have access to materials either from their local public library via inter-library loan through the University’s participation in the Illinois Heartland Library System, or directly from the Institute library if they have a UIUC Library courtesy card. The DVDs will have downloadable activities and resource lists associated with them to enhance the educational impact of the films.

 

A flyer for the film festival is available at http://istc.illinois.edu/docs/SustainabilityFilmFestFlyer.pdf. The Spurlock Museum is at 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL 61801. The Institute Library is in the Forbes Building, at 1816 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820. Further information on each of the films is available at http://www.livingdownstream.com/, http://www.terrablight.com/, and http://www.icarusfilms.com/new2007/waste.html.  For more information on the series, contact Joy Scrogum at 217-333-8948 or jscrogum@illinois.edu.

 

TerraBlightWasteFood

Let Go of Your Old Dusty Electronics for Free

Recyclemania

ISTC will accept electronic waste for recycling from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18. As part of the national 2014 Recycle Mania Tournament, electronic waste can be dropped off at three locations on the University of Illinois campus. ISTC will feature vehicle drop off collection behind its 1 East Hazelwood Drive facility in the Research Park.

Walk up collection of e-waste will also be accepted at Allen Hall Circle Drive and Ikenberry Commons on Euclid. The event will give citizens a way to get rid of all personal electronic devices that have a plug or run on batteries. Illinois law bans the disposal of e-waste in the state’s landfills.

 

Please note that university-owned inventory cannot be accepted at this event.

 

For more information about the Recycle Mania Tournament, go to www.recyclemania.org. For more information about the local event, contact Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

Registration Open for Green Chemistry Conference

2014-logoRegistration is open for the The Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference: Innovating for Success in Cleveland on April 1–2, 2014.

 

The purpose of this conference is to show how innovations in green chemistry practices drive advances in business, academia, policy, and human health protection in the Great Lakes region, and how integration and collaboration in these areas is crucial for success.

 

The conference will include keynote presentations by John Warner, Warner-Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry; Julie Zimmerman, Center for Green Chemistry and Engineering at Yale; and Dennis McGavis, Global Sustainability Director at Goodyear Tire & Rubber along with plenary sessions, panel sessions, breakout sessions and a poster networking exchange.

 

This conference will be preceded by a half-day Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) meeting and followed by one-day training on the hazard assessment tool, the GreenScreen™ for Safer Chemicals..Separate registration is required for each event. Co-sponsors include the U of I, ISTC, and GLRPPR.

Three Spring Sustainability Seminars Announced

“Perspectives on Sustainability in Illinois,” ISTC’s spring seminar series announced its next three events.

 

Noon- 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 –  “Beyond RFS and MPG: Promoting Cleaner Trucking Services” presented by Warren Lavey – Adjunct Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences as well as the School of Earth, Society, and Environment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Senior Fellow at the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and Senior Regulatory Counsel at the American Clean Skies Foundation. At ISTC, 1 E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.

 

Technologies to cut truck emissions are available and cost-effective, and should be encouraged by a range of government and private actions. In 2013, Chicago approved the expansion of a railroad terminal contingent on retrofitting dozens of trucks with clean diesel filters. Illinois agencies are reforming freight and package delivery purchasing programs to implement the Transportation Sustainability Procurement Program Act of 2013. Similarly, the U.S. General Services Administration is applying new environmental preferences in selecting transportation vendors and tracking their performance.

 

This webinar will be broadcast live and also archived on our website www.istc.illinois.edu for later viewing. If you cannot attend the event at ISTC, you may view the webinar live by registering at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/917343279.

 

Noon- 12:50 p.m. Monday, March 3 – “Under Pressure and in Hot Water: Algae Conversion to Fuels and Chemicals” presented by Phil Savage, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. At 3310 Newmark Civil Engineering Lab: a joint seminar between the Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability (EWES) Program seminar series in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the ISTC Sustainability Seminar Series.

 

Noon- 1 p.m. Friday, March  7 – “The Realities of Energy in Illinois and Beyond” presented by Tom Wolf, Executive Director, Energy Council, Illinois Chamber of Commerce. At ISTC, 1 E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.

 

Energy is used by everyone in the state of Illinois — we all rely on some form of energy or another as we live, work and play in a 21st century society. However, where does this energy come from? What are the challenges and opportunities associated with energy development and transportation? Are renewable energies really the answer? What’s next? Tom Wolf, the executive director of the Chamber’s Energy Council will give a high-level overview of energy issues in Illinois in an effort to ensure policy decisions are based on realty and not fantasy.

 

What do Illinois businesses think about hydraulic fracturing, energy conservation, climate change or exporting oil? This presentation will provide some insights as to the priorities for Illinois businesses when it comes to energy and where it might lead us in the coming years. Plus, it includes references to Princess Leia, Whack-a-Mole, and the 80’s rock icon, Meatloaf (Google him) — so it can’t be all bad, right?

 

This webinar will be broadcast live and also archived on our website www.istc.illinois.edu for later viewing. If you cannot attend the event at ISTC, you may view the webinar live by registering at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/715828607.

UI Projects in Haiti Subject of Jan. 28 Meeting

ISTC will host a meeting of faculty and staff from 2-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 to discuss projects in Haiti.

 

Staff at ISTC have participated for several years in an effort to establish bio-diesel production facility in northeast Haiti. Other campus efforts are also underway and this is an opportunity to share information and potential collaborations.

 

Please contact Nancy Holm (naholm@illinois.edu) if you are interested in attending. The meeting will be at the IL Sustainable Technology Center, One E. Hazelwood Dr., Champaign.

ISTC Invited to Join Pollution Prevention Training by U.S. EPA

Two ISTC professionals were invited to participate in a pilot training program in Chicago organized by the U.S. EPA’s Region 5.

 

Laura Barnes, Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) Executive Director and Resource Librarian presented, “Using GLRPPR to Identify Hazardous Substance Reduction Resources.”

 

Dan Marsch, an environmental engineer in ISTC’s Technical Assistance Program our of Peoria, presented “Green Industrial Performance through Waste Minimization.”

 

There is a trove of useful information from the training on the GLRPPR Blog.

ISTC_Joins_EPA_Pollution_Prevention_Training

Champaign County Electronics Collection Event – October 12, 2013

Pile of abandoned computers and monitors in empty school classroom.http___www.ccrpc

Do you have electronics piling up in your garage or other storage area? Wonder what you can do with them? You are in luck. The Champaign County Electronics Collection event is coming up on October 12, 2013. This is a free drop off for specific items such as: televisions, computers and laptops, computer monitors, keyboards, mice, cables, printers and scanners, radio and stereos, VCRs and DVD Players, mobile phones, office electronics, digital camera, communication devices, microwaves, and gaming systems.  There is a limit of 10 items per resident.  Many recyclers have stopped accepting TVs and computer monitors because of the problem of proper recycling of the CRT (leaded glass) in those units, so this event is a perfect opportunity to get rid of those items now. The event is being held at 3202 Apollo Drive (News-Gazette Distribution Center) in Champaign from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and will be held rain or shine. If you participate in the county’s recycling survey, you could enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SBR5MXB to complete the survey. For more information on the Illinois landfill ban, please see the Illinois IEPA website.

 

There are other businesses that accept electronics during the year including: Goodwill (912 W. Anthony Drive, Champaign, 217.359.8729 and  111 Calvin Street, Savoy, 217.290.1864), Habitat for Humanity ReStore (119 E. University Avenue, Champaign, 217.355.6460), Marco Steel* (302 S. Market Street, Champaign, 217.352.4707), Mack’s Twin City Recycling* (2808 N. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, 217.328.2100), Green Purpose* (807 Pioneer Street, Champaign, 217.954.1450), Best Buy* (2117 N. Prospect Avenue, Champaign, 217.352.8883), Office Depot* (111 Convenience Center, Champaign, 217.373.5202), Staples* ( 2005 N. Prospect Avenue, Champaign, (217.373.8490). There are restriction on items accepted at locations with an asterisk (*), so it is advisable to call first.

Campus-wide Sustainable Electronics Consortium Formed

On Oct. 2, 2013, a group of interested individuals on the U of I campus met to discuss the issues involving the environmental and social impacts of electronics and the current relevant policies, education, and research taking place.  As a major public university that purchases, uses and disposes of thousands of electronics, we have a duty to address these issues and lead by example to “green up our act.”

 

An overview of the issues and what ISTC (through its Sustainable Electronics Initiative) and other entities are doing on campus with regards to electronics involving  education, research, and operations was explained by Joy Scrogum (SEI Co-Coordinator), who led the meeting, as well as possible activities and goals for this campus group. Attendees provided feedback on these suggestions, group structure, and themes for possible future smaller group meetings focusing on those three categories of research, education, and operations. ISTC/SEI will distribute minutes, make arrangements for the themed focus group meetings, and coordinate the sharing of information among those subgroups.

 

The result was a new Sustainable Electronics Campus Consortium which explored ways to address the issue. Present were engineers, faculty, administrators, students and participants from off-campus communities.  Anyone interested in joining the Sustainable Electronics Campus Consortium talks can contact Joy Scrogum to be added to the email list of upcoming meetings and topics or visit the SEI Campus Consortium page.

 

 

Trash Into Treasure: New Advances in Upcycling Electronic Waste

Innovative companies are adding upcycling to their repertoire of materials reuse for electronic waste. Upcycling brings added quality or environmental value to things we throw away. ERS International develops and utilizes new technologies which allow them to obtain maximum recovery value of electronics via electrostatic separation & particle classification. But ERS has also made significant headway in this untapped field of upcycling.  They have discovered how to conjunctionally reuse waste materials from other industries as well – such as natural stone waste.

 

At noon Thursday, Sept. 26, Jeff Mendez, Global Communications Director of ERS International will present “Recycling and Upcycling of Electronic Waste,” in the ISTC’s next “Sustainability in Action” seminar/webinar.  The presentation will be broadcast live from Toronto, Canada and can be viewed at the Stephen J. Warner Conference Room at ISTC (One Hazelwood Dr., Champaign), or at Room  218 Mechanical Engineering Building at U of I (1206 W Green St. in Urbana).

 

The webinar will also be simulcast live by registering at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/198927695.  The presentation will also be archived on the ISTC website www.istc.illinois.edu for later viewing.