As you’re thinking about classes for Spring 2015, consider adding sustainability to your schedule. Use our August post, “Tips for Greening Your Major,” as a starting point.
Add Sustainability to your Spring 2015 Class Schedule
Pollution Prevention Week – Sept. 15-21
This year marks the 24th anniversary of the federal Pollution Prevention Act, which declares: “pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible.” This week is Pollution Prevention (P2) Week where the EPA features achievements in making pollution prevention a cornerstone of sustainability. Find out more information and how you can participate by visiting the EPA’s P2 Week website.
New ‘Lessons Learned’ Offered on Sustainability Successes
ISTC has posted recent case studies or fact sheets on its website developed by its Technical Assistance Group. They are also available on IDEALS, the University of Illinois’ Institutional repository. They illustrate victories by leading companies and organizations in E3 (Economy, Energy, and Environment), Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award Winners, and zero waste. The organizations featured are: American Standard Circuits, Inc.; Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District; J.L. Clark; The Label Printers Lewis & Clark Community College; The City of Urbana; and ISTC’s Champaign headquarters.
Midwest Biochar Conference Approaches
There is just one more week to register for the Second Midwest Biochar Conference. The Illinois Biochar Group, with the help of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as co-organizers, will present this look at the latest science in biochar Aug. 8 at Champaign’s Hilton Garden Inn. Register by Monday, July 28.
Midwest Biochar Conference
Biochar continues to fascinate researchers as a net-carbon negative fuel source and soil amenity which continues to surprise the scientific community. The Illinois Biochar Group, in conjunction with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center at the University of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as co-organizers, announces the 2014 Midwest Biochar Conference which will be held on August 8, 2014, in Champaign, IL. The conference will feature presentations and posters on the latest in biochar research and plenty of opportunities for discussion with those interested in all aspects of biochar work. The event will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm CST, with a reception following from 4:30 – 6:00 pm.
For more information, submit an abstract, or register for the conference please visit the conference website.
Topics from last year’s conference include:
• Cook stoves
• Large scale biochar production
• Biochar’s effect on soil
• PAHs in Biochar
• Biochar supercapacitors
• Biochar as a filtration or aeration media
Series Focuses on Sustainability at Illinois EPA
Elmo Dowd, Associate Director of the Illinois EPA will speak on “Illinois EPA: Sustainability Practices for Air, Water and Land Protection, at 1 p.m. Friday, March 21 at ISTC. The event is part of the spring ISTC Sustainability Series on the theme “Perspectives on Sustainability in Illinois.”
Illinois EPA is working to incorporate sustainability practices into its policies, programs and services. This presentation will outline the agency’s major program areas and discuss how it is working to help improve the quality of life of communities, enhance local economic vitality and promote stakeholder engagement. The presentation will include information on several projects, including green infrastructure, statewide nutrient reduction, greener cleanups, community methane recovery and environmental justice outreach.
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/317489175.
Lightning Strikes Thursday at the I Hotel
The third Prairie Lightning Symposium will be held Thursday, March 20 at the I Hotel and Conference Center. The symposium features five-minute lighting talks from forty of your colleagues from across the Prairie Research Institute. Like previous symposia in 2011 and 2012 this event is an entertaining opportunity to learn about the diverse research being conducted by one or more of PRI’s Surveys.
The facility opens Thursday morning at 8:30 with a continental breakfast and plenty of coffee. The program gets underway at 9 a.m. sharp. And the afternoon concludes with a reception and hosted poster session starting at 4 p.m., with live music by the Irish folk band SMC.
The Prairie Lightning web page has the 24-page program booklet with complete titles and abstracts, videos of prior years’ talks, and links to social media to help spread the word to friends and colleagues. prairie.illinois.edu/lightning.
Let Go of Your Old Dusty Electronics for Free
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
Registration 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.
Water Research to Contribute to One Billion Gallon Goal
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has announced a call for proposals that will contribute to ISTC’s goal of conserving a total of one billion gallons of water in the state of Illinois.
Projects awarded for FY14 can be focused on methods for reducing water use; treatment of wastewater or other process water for reuse; novel recycling methods; or other significant water-saving measures. Technologies or practices that are easily transferable to other industries or businesses are preferred. Projects that target significant water savings through energy savings will also be considered.
Projects should be able to achieve real measurable water savings/conservation within the time frame of the project or be able to show a very high potential for significant water savings/conservation in the near future. Funded projects will be used as case studies by ISTC to provide information to other entities about sustainable water-saving/conservation practices and technologies.
ISTC administers its Sponsored Research Grant Program to advance the state of knowledge/practice in areas of sustainability, pollution prevention, energy generation and conservation, and environmental issues of importance to the State. ISTC conducts research and technical assistance in the areas of pollution prevention; energy conservation and new energy technologies; biofuels; waste reduction; water quality improvements; and water use and reuse.
There will be approximately $225,000 available for new projects. We anticipate funding three to six projects (maximum grant amount of $75,000). Project period should be one year or less, with earliest starting date of July 1, 2014, and latest completion date of June 30, 2015.
Application will be a two-step process; a 3-page pre-proposal followed by a full proposal. Pre-proposals are due to ISTC by March 11, 2014. Successful pre-proposal applicants will be notified by March 24, 2014, and asked to submit a full proposal by April 25, 2014. Notification of funding will be made by June 3, 2014.