Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION February 21, 2013 The Sustainability Commission met in Community Conference Room of the Village at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 21, 2013. In attendance were: Present: Don Anderson, Chairman Laurie Leibowitz Amy Parker Brian Wolkenberg Jerry Witkovsky Absent: Mike Loeffl Glen Schwartz Stephanie Chambers, Deerfield High School Teacher Alex Behn, Earthworks Representative Alexis Lavalliere, Earthworks Representative Also Present: Andrew Lichterman, Assistant to the Village Manager Approval of Minutes A motion to approve the January 10, 2013 meeting minutes was made by Commissioner Parker and seconded by Commissioner Witkovsky. Motion approved; 5-0. Public Comment No one was present for public comment. Deerfield High School Earthworks Update No one from Earthworks was present to provide an update. Don asked Andrew to reach out to the Earthworks teacher to determine their level of interest. Chairman Comments Chairman Anderson reported he views the role of the Chair as facilitating and supporting the desires of the Commission. His ambition is for the Commission to continue as a collaborative and consensus building body that focuses on achieving its objectives and allows everyone the opportunity to speak. He noted the Commission and its members are here to serve the best interest of the Village and this is the philosophy under which to pursue their work. Chairman Anderson suggested the Commission take the time to conduct an objective setting exercise at the next meeting that will set goals for 12 months and 24 months. Chairman Anderson noted the Commission currently has 7 members with 2 vacancies. He would like to encourage businesses to join the Commission. Ideally, the Commission would have a small business member as well as representatives from Walgreens and Takeda. Commissioner Leibowitz reported she would reach out to a local contractor she knows that has expressed interest in joining the commission. Mr. Lichterman reported he has had conversations with the Sustainability Coordinator from Walgreens and she has expressed interest as well. Commissioner Witkovsky recommended that the Commission reach out to the school districts, park district and library and ask them to attend meetings to update the Village on their sustainability initiatives. Chairman Andreson requested Mr. Lichterman to reach out to the other units of government and Commissioner Leibowitz volunteered to reach out to District 109. Commercial Franchising Update Chairman Anderson reported that the first commercial waste franchise business subcommittee meeting was held on January 29. Mr. Lichterman noted the Village, DBR Chamber, SWALCO and business representatives from Whole Foods, Marriott Suites, and CRM Properties were present. Mr. Lichterman reported Takeda was not present but he had conversations with them via telephone. He noted businesses had concerns regarding timing and frequency of pick-ups, responsiveness of the hauler, termination/default options, and pricing. Mr. Lichterman stated the purpose of the meeting was to receive feedback on the commercial franchise RFP before it is issued to the haulers. A second business meeting will be scheduled before the public hearing is set. Electric Vehicle Car Forum Commissioner Parker reported an Electric Vehicle Car Forum Committee, chaired by Trustee Farkas, is planning to host a forum this spring at DHS. Mr. Lichterman noted he anticipates receiving approval from the high school next week but noted they have cautioned that this forum cannot be commercial or promotional in nature. Mr. Lichterman summarized the intent of the event and stressed it will be educational. Commissioner Parker reported the forum will have three panels that will provide information for consumers, private property owners, and the public sector regarding the (1) manufacturers, (2) available infrastructure/vendors/grants and (3) academics findings related to the energy efficiencies and economic benefits of owning an electrical vehicle. Commissioner Parker noted it is worth contemplating how electric vehicles will affect the MFT and the impact this will have in the long term on the funding for roads and bridges. Initial Review of Sustainability Plan Chairman Anderson requested that the group review the Sustainability plan at a later date, once the focus and goals of the group have been set. He did ask for overall comments however. Commissioner Witkovsky noted he would like to see more attention given to the improvements and initiatives that private property owners can undergo on their own. Commissioner Witkovsky distributed information from the Coromandel Homeowner’s Association that provided methods to green your homes. Chairman Anderson concurred with Commissioner Witkovsky that additional resources for homeowner would be great and asked Mr. Lichterman to scan and email the information from Coromandel to the group. Commissioner Parker noted the Commission has been including articles in D-Tales to remind residents about green initiatives the Sustainability Commission has been working on. Chairman Anderson believes these reminders help build support and compliance rather than forces it. Commission Comments Mr. Lichterman reported the Village is exploring an energy demand response program. This would require the Village to operate on generators for a few hours each year in order to reduce their energy consumption and receive revenue based on that reduction. An ancillary review indicated the Village could potentially receive $50,000 over 5 years. It is still being determined if this is feasible and if the Village qualifies for the program. The Commission recommended looking into the program further. Next Meeting Date and Time The next meeting date will be April 11 at 7PM in the Community Conference Room. Adjournment Commissioner Parker made a motion to adjourn and it was seconded by Commissioner Leibowitz. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant to the Village Manager