ISTC blog – Page 37 – Illinois Sustainable Technology Center • Prairie Research Institute

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.

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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

April 6, 2016

Adding Metrics to your Governor’s Award Application

graphs and charts with a magnifying glass over the charts to look at metrics and data closer Even though metrics are not required for your Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award application, it is still a very good idea to add them to your application. By adding metrics to your application, it allows for application evaluators to truly see the quantitative or qualitative impact that your organization, program or technology have achieved.

Without an understanding of resource use before starting a project, how can you truly understand its impact on your bottom line and resource reduction? A major key to understanding project or program impact is to create a baseline for your project, program or initiative. By creating a baseline, you are creating a road map to tracking the success of an initiative and seeing what resource use looks like before implementing a new program, technology, initiative, or strategy. This is important to tracking the success of your initiatives and can even help when asking for more money or resources for future environmental projects or initiatives.

There are many different types of tools and calculators that can be used to help create an annual baseline, such as ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (tracks energy and water). However, entering use data in a simple Excel spreadsheet can also yield a baseline. Important resources to baseline in your organization or business are energy and water use, waste, chemical use, and purchasing. If you have a fleet, fuel use might also be a good metric to track.

Before you start your project, choose an evaluation timeline – how long are you going to track metrics to see if your project was successful? What information would you need to collect? Remember to keep it simple and hone in on exactly what few metrics will show reduction in resource use. Throughout the duration of the project, continue to track those metrics, even after the initiative or project has been implemented. Then, take time to analyze the data and see if a change has been made in the resources used.

Metrics don’t always need to be quantitative – especially if you are tracking impact of outreach or effect of a program on a particular group of people. Data such as number of people reached with information, or number of people participating in the program can be valuable as well. If you’re working with a group of people, get testimonials on impact of the program in their organization or everyday life. Ask whether the initiative, project or program will or has already affected their future success, or if connections outside of the project, program or initiative were made that otherwise would not have occurred outside of the initiative or project.

The Sample Application section of the website can give you an idea of how to enter in data and metrics into the spreadsheet and talk to your team about what per-unit measures you might use in your application. If you have further questions,

Remember, applications are due May 20. Start your application now!

March 31, 2016

2016 Annual Waste Conference

ISTC will be co-sponsoring the 2016 Annual Waste Conference: Changing Landscape of Waste Management in conjunction with the Air and Waste Management Association Lake Michigan States Section (A&WMA-LMSS).

The conference will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Hilton-Lisle/Naperville. Attendees will learn of the latest information and solutions concerning waste management issues, including regulatory updates from Region 5 States.

A&WMA-LMSS’s conference is designed for everyone in the waste industry. Prominent leaders from government, industry, law, and consulting will provide attendees with information and insights on a wide range of waste topics. There will also be opportunities to network and meet with other professionals who share similar interests.

To register for the conference and access the agenda, visit A&WMA-LMSS’s website.

For questions about the conference, please contact:

Robin Pelsis, LM-A&WMA

11 Pleasant Hill Blvd.

Palatine, IL 60067

Phone: (847) 202-0418

Fax: (847) 202-0427

Email: robin.pelsis@LMAWMA.org

March 30, 2016May 22, 2018

Chicago Wants You for a Greener NFL Draft Town

NFL Draft volunteers — *Volunteer by Saturday, April 9 if you want to help make the NFL Draft in Chicago an environmentally friendly event.*

The NFL Draft (April 28-30) is coming back to Chicago this year and the Chicago Sports Commission is looking for qualified volunteers to support the Green Team! The Green Team will be responsible for ensuring fans are recycling and composting the proper materials so that we are ultimately putting together an extremely environmentally conscious event.

The host city is looking for volunteers to keep the big event green! The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center is already helping the team. Our Zero Waste Program experts will be assisting with waste reduction strategies in Draft Town which includes Grant Park and Congress Plaza.

Please apply HERE by Saturday, April 9 if you are interested in volunteering. The Sports Commission will communicate with all accepted volunteers on how to register for specific shifts by Monday, March 11th. Volunteers will be expected to attend an Orientation/Training session on Monday, April 25th with more details to be provided after accepted volunteers have officially registered for shifts.

Volunteers should love customer service and supporting fans’ needs, they should also love football! Please forward this message to anyone you know who might also be interested. The Sports Commission is looking forward to hearing from you!

Please email volunteer@chicagosportscommission.com with any questions!

March 23, 2016

The Road to a Great IL Governor’s Sustainability Award Application

ground plants like grass and ivery in the shape of a winding path and an image of the gov. sustainability awards plack If 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 Illinois 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 Apply for the Award 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 20). Continue reading “The Road to a Great IL Governor’s Sustainability Award Application”

March 22, 2016May 22, 2018

Prairie Research Institute’s Large-Scale Watersheds Initiative Recognized Today at White House Water Summit

PRI'a Large-Scale Watershed Initiative was highlighted as part of the White House Water Summit. — *PRI’s Large-Scale Watershed Initiative was highlighted as part of the White House Water Summit.*

ISTC NEWS

Initiative Aims to Calculate ‘Value’ of Entire Illinois River Watersheds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The White House Water Summit today highlighted the Resilient Watersheds Initiative of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois in its announcement of new measurable steps being taken across the country to address key water issues.

The White House Water Summit Fact Sheet and the Commitments to Action on Building a Sustainable Water Future report are both available online.

The Resilient Watersheds Initiative seeks to provide a science-based and data-driven approach to promoting resilient, sustainable Illinois watersheds. The interdisciplinary approach includes expertise from the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, other departments across the University, as well as researchers at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center in Alton, Ill.

The initiative will organize available data into a multi-dimensional model of the tangible ecosystem benefits watersheds provide (e.g., water storage and filtration, groundwater recharge, biodiversity) in addition to the value they represent for food, drinking water, swimming, fishing, boating, and tourism, etc.

The concept is called Value-based Landscape Design, which works to create tools that evaluate the potential of every acre of habitat. PRI is already engaged in landscape design projects related to the Lower Fox River and Green Bay ecosystems in Wisconsin, as well as Great Lakes coastal wetlands. This latter project was recognized by the White House in April, 2015 as one of the first four Resilient Lands and Waters Initiatives.

The Resilient Watersheds Initiative has set an ambitious goal of building integrated models of the entire Illinois River watershed. Areas suggested as starting points, due to the vast amount of information already available, include the Spoon River and Kankakee River watersheds.

PRI has for decades conducted extensive studies of Illinois’ fisheries, water quality, water supply, floodplains, wildlife habitat, and invasive species, just to name a few, through research by four of its divisions—the Ill. Natural History Survey, Ill. State Geological Survey, Ill. State Water Survey, and Ill. Sustainable Technology Center. The Watersheds Initiative builds on and integrates these efforts.

“The complexity of natural ecosystems, human impacts on them, and the value they represent to us, transcends boundaries of geography, political borders, and science disciplines,” said Brian Anderson, senior deputy executive director of PRI.

“Illinois watersheds are predominantly working landscapes,” added Laura Kammin, outreach program leader at Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. “A framework that underscores the broad spectrum of values and the tangible benefits watersheds provide, and quantifies how those benefits change with changes in land-uses and practices, will help us make the best informed decisions for future planning.”

A preliminary report “The Resilient Watersheds Initiative: A Value-based Landscape Design Approach to Promote Watershed Resiliency though Collaboration” was drafted in fall 2015 to set the stage for planning and implementation of the initiative in spring 2016. The organization for the initiative is shown in Figure 1 of that document. Please contact Laura Kammin, or Brian Anderson, for additional information.

The White House Summit coincided with World Water Day.

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 18, 2016May 22, 2018

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

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.