University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment

🚴 Bike to Work TOMORROW! 🚴

🚴🏼‍♀️ September is bike month! 🚴🏼‍♂️

🚲 Ride your bike to campus on Thursday, September 18, and get a free T-shirt!

🚲 Welcome stations featuring drinks and snacks will be available from 7 to 10 a.m., in 17 different Champaign-Urbana locations.

🚲 You must preregister and bring your bicycle to get this year’s shirt.

🚲 For more information, to preregister, or to view the locations: https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6242/33495506

| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment Student Sustainability Committee

🌿✨ Do you have any positive news or updates about sustainability on campus or in the community? We want to hear it! Share your inspiring stories, initiatives, or eco-friendly victories for our campaign: Green Good News 🌍💚 Let's spread the word and celebrate the good that's happening for our planet!

🖇️ https://forms.gle/j7nY1z77mhBy2C7s5

Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS Student Sustainability Committee Facilities & Services University of Illinois College of ACES Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences at Illinois Red Oak Rain Garden

🧡💚 Be Orange, Go Green for Homecoming! 💙🧡
To reduce plastic waste, bring any empty refillable water bottle to Saturday's Illinois Fighting Illini football game and use the "hydration stations" inside Memorial Stadium to fill up!
And remember to "use the bin" and recycle your other bottles & cans! ♻️
💧 You can "Go Green" all semester long by using our map of 700 hydration stations conveniently located across campus:
https://univofillinoisfs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=549357f3c01e49bb9bac8635a7a87c0d

Facilities & Services | Fighting Illini Athletics | Illinois Alumni | University of Illinois Marching Illini | New Student Programs | Student Sustainability Committee | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS
https://youtu.be/Vz1SnHq64XY

Be Orange, Go Green at Illini Athletic Events This short commercial highlights the use of hyrdration stations around the University of Illinois campus, including two that have been added inside Memorial ...

Help the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign save energy this fall with iSEE's Illini Lights Out! 💡

Join us for the the first ILO of the semester at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 to turn of lights in campus buildings for the weekend! 🔦

🔗Sign up to volunteer for 1 or more sessions!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9IsD4m3tEZrGkmKe440S2AskMqlG0mu7H1S9djm7LVGSQjQ/viewform

TODAY at 2 p.m.!! T⬇️⬇️
Tune in to hear Daphne Hulse of Facilities & Services discuss how the U. of I. is moving toward zero waste! 🗑️♻️

Do you ever wonder what happens after you put trash or recyclables in the bin? 🗑️♻️
Learn about campus waste management & recycling, the recent
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center waste audit, and the university's progress toward zero waste at this Sept. 11 talk by Facilities & Services Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse. Attend in-person or via Zoom!
Details ➡️ https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6229/33493027

🔗 Zoom registration: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtf-moqTgsGNRYPJxt3sa2PbkOkjFFrT4v #/registration

Prairie Research Institute | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | Student Sustainability Committee | Illinois Student Engagement | Champaign County Environmental Stewards - CCES |

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has made enormous sustainability progress under the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), the blueprint for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. That includes a 40% reduction in GHG, solar & geothermal installations, a new Environmental Leadership Program, and expanded recycling infrastructure! ♻️
🔷🔸 Now we need your help identifying goals for the next 5 years under iCAP 2025!🔹🔶
Stay tuned for a series of input sessions this fall & learn more in our new video!

Facilities & Services | Student Sustainability Committee | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | Illinois Student Engagement | Gies College of Business | University of Illinois College of ACES | Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois | College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois | Sustainable Design at Illinois | Illinois Sustainable Technology Center | Red Oak Rain Garden | Red Bison | From the Ground Up UIUC | Illinois Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences at Illinois

iCAP 2025 Kickoff The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) outlines a path for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and...

University of Illinois senior Rudy LaFave was the inaugural recipient of iSEE’s Doug and Dawn Sitton Award!! 🌱

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, LaFave was awarded a paid internship with the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), where he worked on lobbying efforts during the General Assembly’s spring session. 💼

LaFave, the President of the Illinois Student Council and Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS), is an Environmental Economics and Policy major, and was a member of iSEE’s 2024 Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) cohort. 🌍

In this Q&A, iSEE talked with LaFave about the internship experience, which he called a perfect fit and "an amazing opportunity" that he would highly recommend to other students.

🔗 https://sustainability.illinois.edu/a-perfect-fit-inaugural-sitton-award-provides-amazing-opportunity-for-illinois-student-leader/

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Illinois Student Council Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS Student Sustainability Committee University of Illinois College of ACES

Do you ever wonder what happens after you put trash or recyclables in the bin? 🗑️♻️
Learn about campus waste management & recycling, the recent
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center waste audit, and the university's progress toward zero waste at this Sept. 11 talk by Facilities & Services Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse. Attend in-person or via Zoom!
Details ➡️ https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6229/33493027

🔗 Zoom registration: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtf-moqTgsGNRYPJxt3sa2PbkOkjFFrT4v #/registration

Prairie Research Institute | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | Student Sustainability Committee | Illinois Student Engagement | Champaign County Environmental Stewards - CCES |

♻️ Make a difference on campus by embracing sustainability! Whether it's cutting down on plastic or saving energy, your actions matter at . 🔶

Check out our video for tips and discover the Illinois Climate Action Plan, volunteer opportunities, and the educational programs offered by iSEE!

▶️ https://youtu.be/poyf4nFEn-0?si=QjyCDGnDv802gpbH

University of Illinois College of ACES Facilities & Services Sustainable Design at Illinois Student Sustainability Committee Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS

Introduction to Sustainability at the University of Illinois This short video is meant to show off some of the initiatives and opportunities that are available for students of the U of I. Highlights include recycling ...

🌍 In “Let the Sun Shine in,” author Gabe Lareau speaks with Esther Ngumbi—an award-winning Professor of Entomology and African American Studies at the University of Illinois, food security advocate, and science communicator. Her accomplishments go far beyond titles.

🌱 Born a farmer in Kenya’s Kwale County, Ngumbi became the first from her village to earn a Ph.D., later founding a school and lab there. At Illinois, she manages a lab specializing in building climate-resilient crops.

📝 Beyond the lab, Ngumbi writes on issues ranging from climate change’s impact on food security to the exclusion of African scientists on the world stage. Lareau captures her journey and joy amidst global challenges.

Read the Q&A 🖇️ https://q.sustainability.illinois.edu/esther-ngumbi/

Integrative Biology at Illinois Student Sustainability Committee Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS Undergraduate Research at Illinois Illinois English

Welcome back, Illini! 🎉

As we kick off another school year, we’re excited to continue our mission of creating a sustainable future. 🌍 🌱

Ready to make an impact? Get involved with iSEE, where you can contribute to campus sustainability efforts and community outreach! ♻️



New Student Programs Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS University of Illinois College of ACES Facilities & Services Student Sustainability Committee University Housing

🔶🔹Welcome new ! 🔸🔷
We loved talking with so many great sustainability advocates today! 💚🧡
📰 Sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on campus sustainability news and events all year long!

➡️ https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/5031776

Starts Here ♻️

Illinois Student Engagement | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | Student Sustainability Committee | Illinois Student Council | Facilities & Services | New Student Programs

📣 The Dump & Run sale is THIS WEEKEND at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Stock Pavilion!
👚🍴🛋️📙👠

☑️ Find affordable furniture, housewares, school supplies, books, clothes & more!
☑️ Promote sustainability by keeping these items out of the landfill!
Details ➡️ https://universityymca.org/news/dump-run-2024

Facilities & Services | University Housing | Sustainable Design at Illinois | Illinois Sustainable Technology Center | New Student Programs | Illinois Student Engagement | Illinois Student Council | Student Sustainability Committee | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | From the Ground Up UIUC

The rain didn't stop the I-Regen and I-FARM teams from demonstrating their latest research at the Farming for the Future Field Day at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Energy Farm! 🌾
More than 50 people stopped by to hear researchers discuss the benefits of robot cover-crop seeding, drone spraying, virtual fencing, and other digital and regenerative ag innovations! 🤖

University of Illinois Extension | University of Illinois College of ACES | National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA | Illinois Crop Sciences | Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering - University of IL

Lunch registration is closed, but you can still stop by the "Farming for the Future" event tomorrow to see the latest in precision farming and sustainable agriculture practices! ⬇️⬇️

Join us next week for I-FARM & I-Regen Field Day! 🚜
Learn how precision farming & practices can lead to a more agricultural future! 🌱
See demos and presentations about cover crops, carbon sequestration, robotic farming systems and more! 🤖

✅ ‘Farming for the Future: Digital & Regenerative Ag Integration’
✅ 8:30 am-1:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 15.
✅ University of Illinois Energy Farm, Urbana

Register by Aug. 12! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3WHhtzJ




University of Illinois Extension | University of Illinois College of ACES | Illinois Crop Sciences | Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering - University of IL | National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA | FarmWeekNow

🧡💙 SHARED FROM University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment

A waste audit of 8 high-use U of I facilities found that:
🗑️ 34% of campus waste was avoidable
🚮 13% came from recyclable materials
🍌 17% was compostable
🧻 23% was some form of paper towels, which could be composted or recycled through a special program

The report by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center | Prairie Research Institute Technical Assistance Program’s Zero Waste Illinois team included 39 recommendations to help campus reach its zero-waste goals!

Student Sustainability Committee provided funding for this effort to help reduce the >5,000 tons of waste landfilled annually by the campus!

Read the full Waste Characterization Audit here: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/WasteAssessment

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business University Housing Illini Union Illinois Campus Recreation

Join us next week for I-FARM & I-Regen Field Day! 🚜
Learn how precision farming & practices can lead to a more agricultural future! 🌱
See demos and presentations about cover crops, carbon sequestration, robotic farming systems and more! 🤖

✅ ‘Farming for the Future: Digital & Regenerative Ag Integration’
✅ 8:30 am-1:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 15.
✅ University of Illinois Energy Farm, Urbana

Register by Aug. 12! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3WHhtzJ




University of Illinois Extension | University of Illinois College of ACES | Illinois Crop Sciences | Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering - University of IL | National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA | FarmWeekNow

In the fall of 2023, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Technical Assistance Program’s Zero Waste Illinois team conducted a waste audit of eight high-usage facilities. 🚮

As part of our research collaboration, the Campus Building Waste Characterization & Opportunity Assessment (full report and executive summary available) identified and measured the types of trash and recycling materials generated at these locations. 🗑️♻️

F&S Zero Waste Coordinator Daphne Hulse said, “ISTC’s important and updated insights give us the ability to turn their work into meaningful results that impact the entire campus. To accomplish our goals, we need to continue exploring how we can make progress by taking all available actions to properly reduce, reuse, and recycle in the places where we study, work, recreate, and live.” 💭

Waste Characterization Audit: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/WasteAssessment

Campus Waste Characterization Results: https://fs.illinois.edu/News/campus-waste-characterization-results/

| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Prairie Research Institute Student Sustainability Committee University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment Illinois Campus Recreation University Housing Gies College of Business Illini Union University of Illinois Campus Instructional Facility

Sign up for the first installment of I-FARM University TOMORROW (Aug. 8 )!

➡️ https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-08-08-enhancing-farm-connectivity-backbone-modern-agriculture

The I-FARM University Learning Series provides a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge technologies and economic strategies shaping modern agriculture.

Webinar attendees will explore various topics to gain valuable insights and practical knowledge for enhancing farm productivity and sustainability.

There is no cost to attend monthly webinars, but registration is required. The first session dives into farm connectivity technology on Aug. 8 at 11 AM.

🔗 Learn more in Explore cutting-edge agricultural technology with I-FARM Learning Series at extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/explore-cutting-edge-agricultural-technology-i-farm-learning-series

🔗 Details and Registration: extension.illinois.edu/events/2024-08-08-enhancing-farm-connectivity-backbone-modern-agriculture

This webinar series is co-sponsored by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Center for Digital Agriculture, Agricultural Safety & Health Program, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment, University of Illinois College of ACES, farmdoc Daily, and Illinois Extension.

Great piece from Karina Atkins of the Chicago Tribune on in Illinois, featuring iSEE Director Madhu Khanna, the SCAPES agrivoltaics project at Sol Systems' Solar Farm 2.0 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Matt Riggs of Riggs Beer Company!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/31/solar-energy-farming/

University of Illinois College of ACES | Illinois Crop Sciences

Instead of competing for land, some farmers and solar developers want to work side by side Innovative farmers and solar developers are exploring how to grow crops and acquire clean energy on the same land, a new practice called agrivoltaics.

🌊 In “Not Waving, Drowning” — the Memoir prizewinner in iSEE's 2023 Janelle Joseph Environmental Writing Contest — author Levi Beckett recounts his harrowing near-death experience with Typhoon Nanmadol while swimming off the coast of Guam in 2022.

🌎 Climate change has intensified the frequency and severity of hurricanes, as the Illinois native learned firsthand. Though restored wetlands can help alleviate the brutality of these storms, a significant reduction in global CO2 and methane emissions is the only way to properly protect humanity from this worldwide onslaught of extreme weather, Beckett writes.

💧 "The damage of climate change already disproportionately affects people of lower income and poorer countries. But no one is immune to a super typhoon, and eventually, if there is not a significant effort to reduce global warming, we’ll all be equal."

🖇️q.sustainability.illinois.edu/not-waving-drowning/

Inspired by Levi Beckett? Enter your best piece of environmental writing in the 2024 Janelle Joseph Writing Contest! You could win a cash prize and be published in Q Magazine! ✍️ ♻️

☑️ Submissions accepted July 1-Sept. 30, 2023
☑️ 1,000 grand prize; $500 category prizes

Details➡️ http://bit.ly/3Bgcv2u

Illinois English Student Sustainability Committee College of Media at Illinois University of Illinois College of ACES University of Illinois Department of Political Science

Too much stuff? 👚🍴👠

📢 Collections start Monday for the annual Dump and Run Sale Aug. 24-25 at the U of I Stock Pavilion! The event keeps 30+ tons of used goods out of landfills each year - and provides bargains for shoppers! ♻️

Info ➡️ https://universityymca.org/dump_and_run/

Facilities & Services University of Illinois College of ACES Illinois Sustainable Technology Center Student Sustainability Committee University Housing

♻️ iSEE Director Madhu Khanna & Associate Director Jeremy Guest will speak at a free online symposium Aug. 15 sponsored by the University of Illinois System's "Illinois Mexican & Mexican-American Student Initiative." The symposium is intended to enhance synergies among researchers in Illinois and Mexico and promote engineering innovation for ! 🇲🇽

Register/details ➡️ https://emails.uofi.uillinois.edu/newsletter/62/1234122462.html

Department of ACE - University of Illinois | University of Illinois College of ACES | The Grainger College of Engineering | Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois |

I-FARM University starts next week! 🤖 🌱

Join "Farm of the Future" experts for monthly webinars on the cutting-edge technologies and economic strategies shaping modern agriculture. The series runs through December and kicks off Thursday, Aug. 8 with a talk on farm connectivity! 🛜

Details/register ➡️ https://i-farm.illinois.edu/i-farm-university-learning-series/

National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA | farmdoc Daily | University of Illinois College of ACES | Siebel School of Computing and Data Science | University of Illinois Extension

iSEE was proud to co-host 250 members of the National Association of Plant Breeders (NAPB) today at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Energy Farm, where SCAPES researchers are growing kale and other vegetables next to solar panels! 🌱 ☀️
The visitors also toured the biomass boiler that burns miscanthus from the Energy Farm to heat the greenhouse - where new varieties of miscanthus are grown! 🔥🌾
iSEE will be back at the Energy Farm TOMORROW (Wednesday, July 24) for 🔶 AGRIVOLTAICS FIELD DAY! 🔷
Join us from 9:30 am to 1 p.m. to learn more about SCAPES & other exciting agrivoltaics research, which combines crops with solar arrays to improve land use & farm incomes!

Details/register➡️ https://scapes.illinois.edu/event/agrivoltaics-field-day/

University of Illinois Extension | University of Illinois College of ACES | Illinois Crop Sciences | Department of ACE - University of Illinois | Facilities & Services

This I-FARM University Learning Series will cover farm connectivity, robotics, 'smart' grazing & more! 🌱🤖
Co-sponsored by iSEE, University of Illinois Extension, National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA, the Center for Digital Agriculture, farmdoc Daily and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Agricultural Safety & Health Program.
Register ➡️ https://i-farm.illinois.edu/i-farm-university-learning-series/

I-FARM UNIVERSITY LEARNING WEBINAR SERIES

Starting Aug. 8, join farmdoc Daily for a new, monthly webinar series that will provide a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge and economic strategies shaping modern . Each session in this free webinar series, led by experts in their respective fields, will offer valuable insights and practical knowledge for enhancing and .

Register here: https://go.illinois.edu/IFARM2024

This free webinar series is co-sponsored by the Center for Digital Agriculture, University of Illinois Agricultural Safety & Health Program, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the for sustainUniversity of Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment, University of Illinois College of ACES and University of Illinois Extension.

🔶🔹It's just over a month until the start of the fall semester! ⏱️
Now is a great time for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergrads to enter the Janelle Joseph Environmental Writing Contest! You could be published in Q Magazine and win a cash prize! 💵 ✍️
Details ➡️ https://q.sustainability.illinois.edu/about/janelle-joseph-environmental-writing-award/

Illinois English | Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois | College of Fine & Applied Arts at Illinois | Sustainable Design at Illinois | Department of ACE - University of Illinois | Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences at Illinois | Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of Illinois | SESE | University of Illinois | Illinois Student Engagement | Students for Environmental Concerns UIUC - SECS | Student Sustainability Committee