Committee for a Better Environment

Committee for a Better Environment Via Teleconferencing through Zoom December 6, 2021 7:00 PM Members Term Expires Present Absent Alexa Bely 6/30/2022 X Dylan Burns (a. 8:00pm) 6/30/2024 X Pablo deOliveria 6/30/2024 X Brendan Hall 6/30/2024 X Alan Hew 6/30/2023 X Todd Larsen 6/30/2023 X Alec Lynde 6/30/2024 X Abigail Muro 6/30/2024 X Nikki Pancho 6/30/2022 X Donnie Scally 6/30/2023 X Don Schmadel (d. 8:40pm) 6/30/2022 X Emily Shohfi 6/30/2022 X Holly Simmons 6/30/2023 X Stacy Teng 6/30/2022 X Cameron Thurston 6/30/2024 X Daniel Walfield 6/30/2023 X Caroline Wick 6/30/2023 X Mitchell Wyllins 6/30/2024 X Also Present: Janet McCaslin, City Liaison; Bethlehem Amdetsyon, UMD; Martha Ainsworth, Prince George’s Sierra Club; Lulia Mehairi; Nirit Vered Rotenberg; Janis Oppelt, Prince George’s Sierra Club; Dawn Delong; Sheryl DeWalt, Contract Secretary The meeting began at 7:18pm by Todd Larsen, chair. 1. The agenda was reviewed, and Mr. Larsen accepted without exception. 2. The October 25, 2021, minutes were reviewed. Mr. Hew motioned to accept the minutes. Ms. Shohfi seconded. Motion carries 10-0-0. 3. City activities: a. The current budget is $2,597.92; $402.08 was spent on supplies for the storm water drain painting. $150 will be set in reserve for additional tree signs. b. City Hall re-opened today. c. Ms. Wick is finalizing the grant application for storm drain paintings. The storm drain in Berwyn will be featured on the cover of Maryland Milestone 2022. d. Mr. Lynde is still working with Hyattsville on the Trolley Trail map. e. The City’s Director of Planning, Terry Schum, will attend the February 2022 CBE meeting to discuss Project Open Space. 4. Bee City activities: a. The No Mow Month resolution will be presented tomorrow night at the City Council meeting. 5. Discussed possible events/activities for Sustainable Maryland certification: a. Spring plant or bulb sale. A suggestion was made to contact Brenda Alexander about potential seeds leftover from the pollinator garden recently planted for Good Neighbor Day. b. Plant Swap 6. Municipal Scene article for January – Salting walkways and driveways – Mr. Lynde. 7. TLB meeting: Neither Mr. Burns nor Ms. Wick were able to attend. Ms. DeWalt will forward via email the draft November TLB minutes. 8. Green award nominations: a. Renee Domogauer – submitted by Ms. Wick. She resides in Calvert Hills. She has organized neighbors to plant flowers in the planters along the trolley trail in Calvert Hills and Old Town. She also organized neighbors to be responsible for picking up trash along the streets of Calvert Hills. She successfully advocated for more trash and recycling bins along the trolley trail. She is working on refurbishing the Little Free Library near the College Park daycare. Mr. Larsen made a motion to accept Ms. Domogauer for a Green Award. Ms. Simmons seconded. Motion carries 10-0-0. b. Catherine Oberfield – submitted by Mr. Larsen. She resides in Berwyn and is a farmer by trade. She runs a food scrap pickup service, Berwyn Compost. After she picks up the food scraps every Monday, she takes what is collected to Prince George’s Organics Composting Facility in Upper Marlboro. She was also featured in an article in the College Park Here & Now. Ms. Wick made a motion to accept Ms. Oberfield for a Green Award. Mr. Schmadel seconded. Motion carries 10-0-0. 9. Martha Ainsworth, Prince George’s Sierra Club Chair, showed the presentation on banning plastics. Some of the highlights mentioned: a. Since 2012, 88% of shoppers are using single use plastic bags. Plastic bags emit greenhouse gases, pollute waterways, and threaten wildlife. b. Only 5% of plastic bags are acceptable for recycling. Reusable bags are encouraged. c. Maryland municipalities cannot tax carry out bags; they can only charge for the bags (both plastic and paper) and that cost goes directly to the store. d. Oceans take in 5-13 million tons of plastic each year. e. Ten states and nearly 500 localities in the US, and more than 120 countries have enacted laws to curb the impact of plastic bag pollution. f. The Prince George’s Sierra Club have done surveys in most of the Maryland counties. When bags are provided free, 75% of shoppers use them and 98% of the bags are plastic.  g. There are 5 cent disposable bag taxes in Howard and Montgomery County. People using reusable bags have doubled in a year. h. Westminster, Maryland has banned plastic bags and Laurel, Maryland will be banning plastic bags effective January 2022. i. A hearing is scheduled for December 15, 2021 with Prince George’s County Council. j. Review website: www.zerowaster.dc.gov/shareabag. k. Members of CBE want to work with the Sierra Club on the banning of plastic bags: Ms. Teng, Mr. Burns, Ms. Wick, Ms. Shohfi, Mr. Scally, Ms. Simmons. 10. The annual report to City Council will be worked on by Mr. Walfield and Mr. Larsen. Suggested event for 2022 is to add the next area of the Permaculture Garden. The residents of Berwyn will need to approve, and Brenda Alexander will need to inquire about funding. A copy will be emailed to CBE and will be discussed at the January 2022 meeting. 11. The next CBE meeting will be on January 24, 2022, at 7:00pm. Instructions will be sent out via email prior to the meeting date. Mr. Walfield motioned to adjourn. Mr. Hew seconded. Motion carries 10-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:54pm. Respectfully submitted by Sheryl DeWalt, contract secretary.