ISEIF Surge Series
As the country's only non-utility community of practice working on smart grid education, the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation (ISEIF) and its grantees are forging new pathways toward the energy future. This series draws upon the knowledge of local experts and national thought leaders to explore pressing questions. The next webinar in the series is on
July 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Watch here.
|
The Future of Sustainable Fuels
The third webinar in the Future of Sustainable Fuels, a four-part series offered by ASU LightWorks and LightSpeed Solutions is on
July 28, from 12:15 - 1:45 p.m.
Click here for more information and to register.
|
CURC 2015 Webinar Series
The College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC) is hosting the next webinar in its series on
August 13, from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. The focus of the webinar will be learning from failure: how to reboot and learn from operational bloopers.
Click here for more information and to register.
|
|
 |
|
From the IGEN Administrative Team
|
Greetings,
We hope you all are enjoying a fun summer!
Our administrative team has been busy wrapping up 2014-2015 programs. We are currently in the process of developing programs for 2015-2016. We plan to share these opportunities with you as soon as possible and look forward to continuing to build partnerships across the state.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and we can't wait to work with you in the fall!
Best,
The IGEN Administrative Team
|
 Solar Summit for Publicly Owned Treatment Works in Illinois
On June 25, the Solar Summit for Publicly Owned Treatment Works in Illinois occurred at Joliet Junior College. Thank you to Maria Anna Rafac for hosting the event! IGEN partnered with Elevate Energy and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus as part of the Grow Solar effort in Illinois to coordinate the event with several industry partners, including Central States Water Environment Association, Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Resources Center, Illinois Association of Waste Water Agencies, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, to advance solar by reducing barriers to implementation. Over 50 attendees spent the day learning how to implement solar at their waste water facilities. Due to the success of the summit, it is likely that additional events will be held in other Midwestern states as part of the Grow Solar initiative.
For more information, please contact
Marcia Lochmann.
|
Results from Aggregation Program for Exterior Lighting and Baseline and Enhanced Building Energy Dashboards Program
At the end of May, IGEN completed two programs funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO): Aggregation Program for Exterior Lighting and Baseline and Enhanced Building Energy Dashboards Program. Five Illinois community colleges participated in the Aggregation Program for Exterior Lighting Program, resulting in almost 600,000 kWh savings. Eleven Illinois community colleges participated in the Baseline and Enhanced Building Energy Dashboards program and installed Lucid equipment or worked with their existing dashboard provider. Energy savings data will be collected for one year past the grant period.
The IGEN administrative team is hoping to offer these programs again this year. Please keep an eye out for these program opportunities!
For more information, please contact
Katie Davis.
|
Continuing Smart Power Illinois Campaign
The Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation (ISEIF) launched a campaign to educate Illinois consumers about the rollout of smart grid in the state: Smart Power Illinois. This campaign, beginning with a website created by the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), and social media channels, provides consumers opportunities to learn about the smart grid and smart meters and how to benefit from related programs.
Stay tuned for smart grid-related outreach events at participating colleges, in partnership with our fellow ISEIF grantees, Citizens Utility Board, Elevate Energy, Faith in Place, and Illinois State University's Smart Grid for Schools program.
For more information, please contact
Katie Davis.
|
|
IGEN Career Pathways Success Story
Marina Garcia graduated from College of Lake County with a certificate and Associate's Degree in Sustainable Agriculture. One of the programs that contributed to her success was Career Pathways, which utilizes the NTER Learning System.
Read the full story.
|
Harper College's Welding Technology department joined forces with campus sustainability to expand infrastructure to promote healthy lifestyles and recreational opportunities by installing two student-made bike racks on campus. Read the full story.
|
Joliet Junior College won second place in the nation and $15,000 in the PepsiCo Campus Recycling Challenge for recycling a total of 36,130 beverage containers from October 2014 to March 2015 at the college's Dream Machine. Faculty, staff, and students celebrated the accomplishment with representatives from PepsiCo during a recognition ceremony on May 6.
Read the full story.
|
Kankakee Community College was awarded an Outstanding Recycling Education Partner award at the 2015 Annual IRA/ILCSWMA/SWANA Joint Conference for creating the Sustainable Resource Management Certificate as part of Career Pathways, a TAACCCT grant.
|
Learn more about Oakton Community College's recent efforts, including their enhanced building energy dashboard, waste-related projects, and creation of Monarch butterfly habitat on campus.
Read the full story.
|
Prairie State College
Due to the generous support of Prairie State College's foundation and the fundraising efforts of the Sustainability Club, PSC built a butterfly garden! Volunteers prepared the garden site, built a two-foot high berm, and planted a variety of native plants specifically selected for the site. Read the full story.
|
IGEN Career Pathways Success Story
Waubonsee Community College created the Automotive Recycling course with support from the Career Pathways program. The course takes students through the End-of-Life process, which includes how the vehicles are acquired, environmental best practices when dismantling vehicles, and finding value in parts and scrap metal.
Read the full story.
|
Students from the nationally recognized Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences will begin attending Wilbur Wright College for a summer class centered on urban agriculture, specifically, indoor vertical gardening. This summer is the fourteenth year of the program.
Read the full story.
|
|
|
