Sustainable BC Committee

City of Battle Creek Sustainable BC Committee 150 N. Kendall St Multi-Purpose Room Battle Creek, MI Wednesday, April 2, 2014 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Kathy Antaya, Susan Anderson, Comm. Andy Helmboldt, Christine Kosmowski Randall Champlin, Tiffany Eichorst, Ken Kohs and Michael Myszka(4:29) Members Absent: Chris Simmons, Devon Gibson, and Becky Spicer Others: Vicki Houser, City Clerk Call to Order: Kathy Antaya called the meeting to order at 4:09 PM. Ms. Antaya noted that a quorum was present. Public Comment: There were no public comments. Approval of Minutes: Ms. Anderson asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes. Seeing no additions or corrections, a motion was made by Randall Champlin, supported by Ken Kohs, to approve the minutes of the February 5, 2014 meeting. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda: Ms. Eichorst requested Sarah Kelly, Recycling Solid Waste Coordinator, Calhoun County, be added to the agenda for membership purposes. Old Business: 1. “Green Purchasing” guide for City departments – Ms. Antaya presented the DEQ Green Purchasing Guidelines, available on the DEQ website, noting they have a large variety of products, including office and kitchen supplies, and municipal project supplies. Mr. Kohs said the City Commission would need to approve a green purchasing policy in the ordinance, stating a Green Purchasing Policy would need to be developed first. Comm. Helmboldt stated the policy should state the goals of a Green Purchasing Policy, letting staff know why it was important, stating it should be clear that although cost was a factor, the policy should look at the environmental benefits also. Ms. Anderson informed the committee that other cities’ ordinances often refer to a technical manual within their policies, noting the manual can be constantly updated. Ms. Kosmowski asked if a Green Policy would fall under the City’s sustainability policy and goals. Ms. Kosmowski also cautioned that a Green Purchasing Policy may be forcing the City how to conduct business. 1  Comm. Helmboldt agreed a separated ordinance may not be necessary if the Green Purchasing Policy could be part of the sustainability policy. Ms. Eichorst expressed her agreement with Comm. Helmboldt, noting benefits other than costs have value. Ms. Antaya presented as an example that some people feel ethanol fuel has benefits, while others are not so favorable, due to costs to implement or other alternatives. Ms. Anderson expressed a concern that any resolution passed would need to be followed, having a way to implement it. Ms. Kosmowski recommended a green policy be put in the Commission’s goals. Comm. Helmboldt recommended the Committee research other municipality’s success with their green policies. Comm. Helmboldt stated the Committee could then make a recommendation to the Commission, determining what goals should be specific and what shouldn’t. Mr. Kohs stated the City Manager would ultimately be responsible for making sure the goals are met, stating what each department would need to do to meet the goals of sustainability. Ms. Antaya recommended the DEQ guide as a start to recommending a policy, noting their recommendations are not musts. Mr. Kohs stated the current City Purchasing Policy is to award the lowest, most responsive, responsible bid. Mr. Kohs suggested the Committee provide educational programs, stating this may have the most impact environmentally. Mr. Myszka noted it would take time to develop a strong concrete policy, stating it would need overall City commitment. Mr. Champlin questioned whether the Committee members knew enough about City needs to make these kinds of recommendations. Ms. Eichorst stated calling other municipalities to learn of their best practices would provide beneficial information in their research. Ms. Antaya recommended Committee members make a list of various industries and municipalities to research to determine if their green policies are successful. Comm. Helmboldt noted the MML has a green purchasing policy the Committee could review. 2. MML Green Communities Challenge Committee members recommended Ms. Eichorst present the Green Communities Challenge certificate to the Mayor at a City Commission meeting. 2  Mr. Kohs recommended the Mayor present the certificate to Ms. Eichorst on behalf of the Sustainable BC Committee. Ms. Kosmowski asked if MML could make the presentation at a City Commission meeting, tying everything up as a statewide effort. Comm. Helmboldt stated he would talk with the Communications Specialist to determine if the designation seal could be used on all City information. 3. 15 X 15 Status Mr. Myszka stated he would relook at the City utilities data, noting the 15 x 15 Policy addressed renewable energy. 4. Recycling in City Offices & Encouraging Residents Ms. Eichorst stated she would follow up with Republic Waste to determine if they provided single stream recycling. Mr. Kohs recommended she talk with Steve Siemens, as he worked on the contract. Comm. Helmboldt recommended the Committee ask different departments what they do to promote recycling. Ms. Antaya requested the City provide more acceptable recyclables information on the City website. 5. Information Flow from Committee to Commission Comm. Helmboldt stated he has made a recommendation that the various City committee minutes be placed on the Commission agenda under Petitions, Communications or Reports. New Business 1. Workgroup Report Ms. Anderson noted most of the work group topics were discussed in the prior agenda items. 2. Green Communities Conference report Ms. Anderson stated she had the report and would provide it to the Committee members. Ms. Anderson said the conference discussed climate change, reduction of greenhouse emissions, land use and other changes taking place that will impact the climate by 2050. Ms. Anderson also discussed a tree planting study completed by students in Ann Arbor, demonstrating the benefits of adding trees to communities. Ms. Anderson stated Battle Creek is designated as a Tree City USA, noting there is funding for additional tree planting. 3. Pierce Cedar Creek’s Sustainability Conference 3  Ms. Kosmowski and Ms. Anderson attended the conference, noting there was a large attendance. Ms. Kosmowski stated there were presentations on renewable energy, wind and solar energy and biomass boilers. 4. Sustainability Plan for the City Ms. Kosmowski stated the challenge for the City Sustainability Plan was to get everyone, staff and community, on board. Ms. Kosmowski discussed an example of a young boy that studied the savings presented by simply changing the font type when printing documents. Ms. Kosmowski stated the ultimate goal was for the City to be sustainable, thus the community to be sustainable, providing a social, economic and environmental balance. Mr. Myszka stated a sustainable plan for a community helps local employers’ Human Resources departments to recruit talented employees, making the community attractive to young people to stay and live in the City. Ms. Anderson recommend the Committee review Grand Rapids’ Master Plan and Sustainability Plan, noting it is also broken down into social issues. 5. New Member Ms. Eichorst recommended Sarah Kelly, Calhoun County Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator to the committee. A motion was made by Kathy Antaya, supported by Ken Kohs, to appoint Sarah Kelley, Calhoun County Solid Waste Recycling Coordinator, as a Sustainable BC Committee member. All yes, none opposed. Motion approved. Commission Comment Ms. Eichorst stated she would contact Waste Management to determine recyclable items, also volunteering to write a letter for the paper and put information on the City website. Mr. Champlain asked if the City was considering dog parks in their sustainability plans, stating this would be a quality of life benefit. Mr. Champlin also recommended the committee focus on events or practices that make a big difference in Battle Creek, focusing on the positive efforts of the community and residents, such as the river clean-up and Recyclerama, very basic efforts that have a positive impact on the community. Mr. Kohs informed the committee that he would be at the Governor’s Conference on May 8th & 9th to hear of green infrastructure. Next Meeting: June 4, 2014 at 4:00 pm. at the Department of Public Works Multi-purpose Room. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:52 PM. 4