Committee for a Better Environment

Approved 031819 Committee for a Better Environment Davis Hall, College Park January 28, 2019 7:00 PM Members Present Absent Suchitra Balachandran X Alan Hew X Todd Larsen X Janis Oppelt X Jordan Schakner X Daniel Walfield X Donna Weene X Guests Present: Cameron Thurston, University of Maryland; Janet McCaslin, City Liaison; Councilman John Rigg; Sheryl DeWalt, Contract Secretary The meeting was called to order at 7:08pm by chair, Ms. Oppelt. 1. The agenda for the January 28, 2019 meeting was reviewed and an additional item was added and name changes for topic presentations. Mr. Walfield made a motion to accept the agenda with the amended changes. Mr. Schakner seconded the motion. All in favor; no opposed. 2. The November 26, 2018 minutes were reviewed. Mr. Larsen made a motion to accept the minutes. Ms. Oppelt seconded the motion. All in favor; no opposed. 3. City activities: a. Ms. McCaslin stated that the CBE budget is currently at $7966.88. b. The Sustainable Maryland report needs to be updated for renewal. It will be discussed at the February 2019 meeting. 4. Councilmember John Rigg thanked CBE for their service and trying to make the Mayor and Council better attuned to environmental issues. Concerns and issues expressed by Councilmember Rigg and the Committee were as follows: a. Solid waste is a big concern of Councilmember Rigg. b. Energy efficiency of new buildings in College Park and working with the developers. c. What is the ideal number of members for CBE? Committee thought 10-15 people. d. Is there adequate geographical representation for the committee covering all College Park neighborhoods? The committee stated it would be helpful, but they do not want to force anyone to be a member. e. Are we doing any work with the environmental studies group at University of Maryland? Briefly spoke about past experiences with Andy Fellows.  f. LED lighting for College Park street lights. Have to work with Pepco. g. Working with like-minded municipalities on best practices. h. There is a level of disconnection between CBE and members of City Council. When letters are sent to City Council or issues raised, CBE is never contacted. CBE should be a resource for Mayor and Council. i. Any other questions, suggestions or follow up can be emailed to Councilmember Rigg: jrigg@collegeparkmd.gov. 5. A reminder that there are still two more Green Awards available for the FY which ends on June 30, 2019. 6. Ms. Oppelt stated that she had been reviewing the SMART/PAYT report and stated it does not seem to be focused enough. She is working on revising sections of the report. Once completed, she will email to the committee for comments and suggestions. 7. Ms. McCaslin stated that the bulk trash report was online. Mr. Schakner did send out the link to all committee members. If you have any comments, please send them to Ms. McCaslin by Friday, February 1. Bulk trash is on the City Council agenda for the February 26, 2019 meeting. 8. Mr. Larsen brought up the idea of potentially partnering with the University of Maryland and doing a door-to-door campaign about recycling and ways to increase rates in College Park. It was suggested that he reach out to Andy Fellows for possible coordination. It was also suggested by Mr. Thurston, we could make this part of Good Neighbor Day which will be held on April 13. 9. The Prince George’s County Litter Reduction mini grant was tabled and will be discussed at the February 2019 meeting. 10. The College Park-University join program on “affordable green” was tabled and will be discussed at the February 2019 meeting. 11. Solar United Neighbors would like to have an informational session about the Prince George’s County solar co-op. It was discussed about having a space to host the session, but CBE will not pay for any refreshments. 12. The next meeting is scheduled for February 25, 2019. Ms. Oppelt made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Larsen seconded the motion. The meeting concluded at 9:00pm. Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary.