Committee for a Better Environment

Approved: 052019 Committee for a Better Environment Davis Hall, College Park April 15, 2019 7:00 PM Members Present Absent Suchitra Balachandran X Alexa Bely X Pablo deOliveria X Matt Dernoga X Oscar Gregory X Alan Hew (7:15pm) X Todd Larsen X Andrea McNamara X Jordan Schakner X Cameron Thurston X Daniel Walfield X Donna Weene X Caroline Wick X Also Present: Mary King, resident; Janet McCaslin, City Liaison; Sheryl DeWalt, Contract Secretary The meeting began at 7:05 p.m. by chair, Mr. Larsen. 1. Mr. Larsen asked each person to introduce themselves and state what interests them in CBE: a. Waste/Trash/Zero Waste b. Greenhouse gases c. Education of residents d. Communication with the community e. Compost pickup f. Climate change g. Energy h. Transportation i. Protecting the water shed/Urban run-off 2. The agenda was reviewed. Ms. McNamara motioned. Mr. Dernoga seconded. All in favor; no opposed to the agenda. 3. The March 18, 2019 minutes were reviewed. Dr. Balachandran motioned. Ms. Wick seconded. All in favor; no opposed. The minutes were approved. 4. City activities:  a. Ms. McCaslin stated that the CBE budget is $7,286.38. Mr. Larsen asked for ideas of what we could spend our budgeted money on for the remainder of the fiscal year which ends on June 30: i. Paint to mark the watershed areas – Ms. Bely will research costs ii. Stickers on sewers iii. Plaques for natural areas iv. Food waste bin v. Other workshops 1. Wildflowers vi. Water quality grant in conjunction with students – Mr. Gregory and Mr. Larsen will email the Prince Georges County grant and ask for parameters. Mr. Hew also stated he spoke to Andy Fellowes about students interested in working on watershed issues. vii. Compost bins/Yard Waste bins – there will be a drawing at the May 11 workshop. viii. Mesh bags 1. Ms. Bely and Ms. McNamara will work on wording for a post card to put into the mesh bags. Several motions were made: Ms. Bely motioned to spend up to $400 maximum on 25 Food Waste bins. Mr. Dernoga seconded. All in favor; no opposed. Mr. Hew motioned to spend up to $350 maximum on mesh bags. Ms. Wick seconded. All in favor; no opposed. Mr. Larsen motioned to spend up to $650 maximum for a Wildflower workshop to include food and beverage, speaker cost, plantings, and raffles. Mr. Dernoga seconded. All in favor; no opposed. b. An organic drop off program began on April 1. You can drop off your items at Davis Hall at the rear left of the parking lot. Beginning in May, you will also be able to drop off items at both of Farmers Markets. Items must be dropped off in a compostable bag or bring in a plastic bucket and drop into the receptacle. No plastic bags. c. Ms. McCaslin is looking for a tip of the month for the May Municipal Scene. If you have any ideas, email to Mr. Larsen and Ms. McCaslin. Tips are due by Friday, April 26. d. Shredding will be done on Saturday, April 20 at Davis Hall. You can also drop off any electronics. e. There is a link on the College Park website for the Mayor’s water challenge. 5. Mr. Larsen reminded the committee of the Green Clean workshop on Saturday, May 11 at City Hall. Ms. Wick and Ms. McCaslin volunteered to help at the event.  6. Solar United Neighbors Solar Cooperative on April 10 had a very low attendance. It was suggested the workshops are better on Saturday mornings. Mr. Larsen stated that the Solar United Neighbors do not work on weeknights. 7. Good Neighbor Day on April 13 went well. The permaculture garden was weeded, mulch and a multitude of new plantings were completed. The only project left is to install signage. 8. Ms. McNamara attended the Tree and Landscape Board meeting. The following information was discussed: a. Tree canopy assessment and tree removal policy will be discussed at the Council meeting on April 16. b. April 26 is National Arbor Day. A tree will be planted at St. Andrews. c. There is a new park at 47th Street d. After discussion, Mr. Gregory and Ms. McNamara agreed to share the CBE position at the TLB meetings and will coordinate with each other on attendance. Ms. Bely motioned to permit Mr. Gregory and Ms. McNamara to share the CBE position on TLB. Ms. Wick seconded. All in favor; no opposed. 9. We are still waiting on translations of the approved CBE brochures into Spanish. 10. Mr. Larsen and Ms. McCaslin registered for the Sustainable Maryland training. They will send out the link and any other CBE member is welcome to complete the free training. The Sustainable Maryland report is due June 30. 11. Mr. Hew is still gathering information on Proteus as a possible Green Award recipient. 12. Reviewed letter written by Mr. Dernoga to present to Mayor and City Council on purchasing a hybrid or electric bus. Dr. Balachandran motioned to send the letter to Mayor and City Council with corrections discussed. Ms. Bely seconded. All in favor; no opposed. 13. The SMART report was tabled until the May meeting due to lack of time. 14. The next meeting is scheduled for May 20, 2019 at 7:00pm in Davis Hall. Ms. McNamara made a motion to adjourn. Dr. Balachandran seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm. Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary.