Category: UIUC Campus

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Illini Gadget Garage Closing Physical Location for Renovations, Hosting Pop-Up Clinics

This post originally appeared on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) Blog.

 

The Illini Gadget Garage, a collaborative repair center for student and staff owned electronic devices, will be closing its physical location (INHS Storage Building 3) for the summer on Monday, July 11, to allow for renovations associated with making the site compliant with ADA requirements. Renovations should be complete prior to the beginning of the Fall 2016 semester, and there will be a grand opening of the site at that time. Be sure to check the new Illini Gadget Garage web site, as well as its Twitter and Facebook accounts for details of the grand opening later in the summer.

 

We appreciate the ‘test pilots” who have come in this summer to work with us on their devices! To continue to serve the campus community during the renovation process, we will host pop-up clinics at various locations until the physical location is open for the public. Pop-up clinics will continue, even after the physical location is open, to make it more convenient for the campus community to practice sustainability through electronic product stewardship.

 

Two pop-up clinics are scheduled at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC; 1 Hazelwood Drive in Champaign), in the Stephen J. Warner Conference room:

  • Monday, July 11, from noon to 5 pm
  • Monday, July 18, from noon to 5 pm (Note: a Sustainable Electronics Campus Consortium meeting will occur in the conference room from 1:30-2:30 PM; feel free to come early or stay after the meeting to work on your devices!)

If you plan to come to either of these clinics, we suggest you fill out our online diagnostic form ahead of time. This will allow volunteers to do some preliminary research on the problem you’re facing, and make use of your one-on-one time more efficient.

 

If your department, residence hall, or student organization would like to host a pop-up repair clinic, please fill out the “Host a Pop-Up Clinic” form to express your interest. We’ll be in touch to work out the details.

 

Students, faculty, and staff with any degree of technical skill–including none whatsoever–are invited to sign up as Illini Gadget Garage volunteers. We want to empower everyone to feel comfortable with the idea of troubleshooting and repairing the electronics they own, to keep them in service longer and thus, out of the waste stream. Even if you’ve never fixed anything before, you can be part of our process of coming together to solve problems. We also could use help with marketing, social media, arranging pop-up clinics, developing educational programs, and other tasks, so if this project intrigues you, come be part of it! Stop by one of the pop-up clinics, or fill out our contact form and we’ll be in touch.

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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

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It’s Not Mr. Fusion, But It’s A Whiz at Energy Production

Mr. Sewer image
The multi-stage waste-to-biofuel system can make municipal solid waste and wastewater into a renewable power source.

ISTC NEWS

Pairing of Waste Processing and Algae Farming Offers ‘Clean’ Energy 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — “Mr. Sewer” is a multi-stage waste-to-biofuel production system under development by ISTC which can extract 100 percent of energy from a wide variety of wastes.

 

No, it’s not the fabled perpetual motion machine, it combines hydrothermal liquefaction of wastes with algae farming, which captures additional energy from the sun.

 

The best news is it can use a variety of energy-rich materials that are now landfilled. According to Lance Schideman, research scientist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, the optimal location for the Mr. Sewer system is close to a sanitary landfill, a wastewater treatment plant, or both. A video on the energy research is available here.

 

Sewage solids, food wastes, even waste paper are all rich in energy content. This system can remove both organics and nutrients in these sources and turn them into renewable energy resources. Processing of wastewaters is combined with algae farming in a way that amplifies the energy production while cleaning the water for potential reuse applications. The nutrients support algal growth and the algae are then harvested for use in biofuels.

 

Amplified by the sun’s energy and multi-cycle nutrient reuse, an optimized system can harvest three to ten times the energy contained in the wastewater.

 

Calculations based on a commercial-scale demonstration plant on the University of Illinois campus indicate the technology is well-suited to generate fuel/revenue from wastes at the scale of a small city, a military installation, or a large animal feeding operation.

 

Theoretically Mr. Sewer, applied to all U.S. wastewater treatment plants and livestock operations, could produce enough bio-energy to replace all current petroleum imports, according to Schideman.

 

Today the commercial-scale plant is being optimized and a mobile version of the system is being developed.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Tuesday’s White House Water Summit to Focus on Sustainable Solutions

White House Water Summit
The White House Water Summit will be live-streamed from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at https://www.whitehouse.gov/live.

 

Watch out for the White House Water Summit #WHWaterSummit from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, March 22. The event will feature live streaming of a series of lighting talks on the challenges we face and innovative solutions around the nation to help build a sustainable water future.

 

We face plenty of water issues: too much, too little, contamination. The White House Water Summit intends to focus not on individual crises, but collaboratives of different jurisdictions, interests, and science disciplines to come up with long-term strategies for meeting our water needs.

 

The Obama Administration’s Priority Agenda for Enhancing the Climate Resilience of America’s Natural Resources called for federal agencies to work with state and local partners throughout 2015 to develop large-scale management approaches toward climate resilience. Tuesday’s Summit is expected to feature many of the results of that agenda.

 

The Prairie Research Institute is already participating in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative to identify priority wetlands for conservation and restorations. In April, 2015 the Cooperative was cited by the Administration’s Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative as one of four first regional partnerships emblematic of the benefits of this large-scale approach to resource management.

 

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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.

 

Nahid Akram and Hursh Hazari
Nahid Akram (left) and Hursh Hazari (right) are UI graduate students who designed and are building the waste sculpture.

 

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.

 

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

ISTC NEWS

Thomson's 'remedy'
Thomson’s ‘remedy’

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
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!

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Four Ways ISTC Can Help Your Organization Zero-In on Zero Waste

This article was written by Shantanu Pai  for Linked In Pulse.

 

Zero Waste Illinois logo

For over three decades, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s (ISTC) staff of engineers and scientists have provided a variety of cost-effective, sustainable material management services.

 

ISTC has enabled organizations to improve their environmental footprint and achieve zero waste at every step in their operations by being a resource for innovative management and reuse of materials. We conduct waste audits, assist with materials management planning, supply chain optimization, and stakeholder engagement. These services are part of a subset of our technical assistance program which we refer to as Zero Waste Illinois. The technical assistance program is part of ISTC’s mission to help the citizens, businesses, governments, and organizations of Illinois conserve natural resources, prevent pollution, and reduce waste to promote improved human and environmental health. Here are the ways we can help your organization be part of Zero Waste Illinois.

 

Comprehensive Waste Audits

ISTC staff design and help implement site specific waste audits ranging in scope from individual buildings to large communities. By analyzing both material inputs and outputs within a facility, we identify more opportunities to help organizations achieve zero waste.

 

For example, as the result of a waste audit at a mid-sized manufacturing plant in Wheaton, IL, our team was able to make six recommendations which have been implemented. Through our work and a truly energetic internal staff, that facility has achieved 44% reduction of material use through process modifications—”up-stream” changes that make the entire operation more efficient over the long-term, and a new landfill diversion rate of 62%.

Photo of ISTC staff sorting waste

 

Enhanced Materials Management Planning

We help clients identify gaps in, and opportunities to improve, existing waste management processes. Additionally, we can offer solutions for site-specific constraints that prevent greater waste diversion.

 

For example, ISTC has been working with the Forest Preserve of Cook County, the nation’s largest forest preserve district with over 69,000 acres, to create a materials management plan for the entire district. Our efforts have resulted in increased recycling opportunities for District users, novel waste contract language and zero waste guides for event planners and the general public, in English, Spanish and Polish!

Bins at a zero waste event

 

Composting/Anaerobic Digestion Assistance

We conduct business outreach and research to support food waste reduction and diversion efforts. We assist clients with setting up successful compost programs by conducting waste stream assessments, designing signage, and training employees. We are currently researching a growing number of food scrap technology options, including aerobic and anaerobic digestion, and in-vessel composting.

 

Stakeholder Engagement

By partnering with employees, students, and communities, we can help you improve existing waste reduction programs through education and training. We provide advice on communication strategies that lead to lasting behavior change.

 

We recently worked with the University of Illinois, Urbana campus, on multiple recycling and waste reduction initiatives. In the fall of 2014 ISTC managed the Zero Waste football game at Memorial Stadium. With the help of over 150 volunteers and various departments on campus we were able to divert over nine tons of material to composting and recycling facilities.

 

We also assisted in rolling out a campaign to increase recycling at the Quad through improved signage, location assessments, and directed data collection.

 

Begin Your Journey to Zero Waste

Learn more about how our team of professionals might help your organization approach zero waste by visiting our web site to view our recent success stories. Then, sign up for a free site visit. There is no obligation on your part to work with us beyond the free initial visit, and that first conversation may reveal opportunities to achieve greater sustainability within your organization.

 

Have questions? Contact us at istc-zerowaste@illinois.edu.

 

Shantanu Pai is an Assistant Sustainability Researcher at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center with a BS from University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point in Waste and Soil Resources. His research interests include fate and transport of waste materials through market driven initiatives; the role of affluence and directed public policy in solid waste management; and solid waste industry in the developing world.