Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION January 15, 2015 The Sustainability Commission met in Community Conference Room of the Village at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2014. In attendance were: Present: Don Anderson, Chairman Richard Heller Jerry Witkovsky Laurie Leibowitz Daniel Dorfman Absent: Gloria Threats Brian Wolkenberg Michael Shalen Also Present: Andrew Lichterman, Assistant to the Village Manager Approval of Minutes Commissioner Witkovsky motioned and Commissioner Heller seconded to approve the minutes from the November 20, 2014 meeting. The minutes were unanimously approved. Public Comment Mr. Josh Wood, 1265 Oxford Road, was in attendance. Electronics Recycling Chairman Anderson reported that recently the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) was forced to reduce the number of permanent collection sites for electronics from 18 to 6 due to the fact that SWALCO is now required to partially fund the transportation and recycling of the electronics. In the five years prior, under the same law, the Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act, SWALCO did not have to pay for these costs and this led to Lake County developing the most successful electronics recycling program in the State. In 2015 the market has changed and manufacturers are no longer covering all the costs for the transportation and recycling of electronics. SWALCO recently approved a $200,000 expenditure to keep the program running at a reduced rate at 6 remaining sites, one of which being in nearby Highland Park. Mr. Lichterman noted that the Village typically hosts 5 electronic collections each year at the Public Works facility but no program has been offered as of yet. SWACLO will reconsider this program after the first quarter of 2015. Commissioner Leibowitz inquired if SWALCO still intends to host their annual household chemical waste collection. Mr. Lichterman stated he expects the chemical waste collection program to continue and noted that it was cancelled last year due to construction activity at DHS, which is usually where the event is held. Commissioner Dorfman noted that ComEd will remove your refrigerator and pay $30. Mr. Wood noted that the refrigerator needs to be in working condition and ComEd won’t move it from the basement. Mr. Lichterman noted that some retail stores will also accept electronics, but only certain items, so residents are advised to call ahead. Energy Assessment Program Chairman Anderson noted that the energy subcommittee has been meeting and he requested an update. Chairman Anderson inquired if the subcommittee believed we are headed in the right direction with the energy assessment program. Commissioner Dorfman stated the subcommittee recently held a meeting and they discussed recommendations to bring to the full commission; however he recommended waiting for Commissioner Wolkenberg to be in attendance before making the presentation to the full committee. Chairman Anderson concurred and noted they will discuss this at the next meeting. Commissioner Heller expressed his concern with the programs momentum and noted that he wants to ensure the program keeps moving forward. Water Assessment Update Mr. Lichterman recommended getting the subcommittee back together at this time for an evaluation of the program. Commissioner Leibowitz suggested providing the plumbers with questions in advance of the meeting. Commissioner Heller inquired how much water the Village uses and its cost. Mr. Wood inquired if there was new technology that detects water main breaks. Mr. Lichterman noted that he would report back at the next meeting. Green Restaurant Coalition Mr. Lichterman report that the Village is working with several entities to host the first Eco-nomic Restaurant Workshop. The workshop is targeted at restaurants, cafeterias, caterers, school and entities serving food in the area. The intention is to offer valuable insight to the rapidly evolving practices of food composting, energy & water conservation and local food sourcing. Lake Shore Recycling Systems will also be participating in the event and speaking about the commercial solid waste franchise beginning on May 1. The event is free to the public and will be held Monday, March 9 from 9-11 a.m. at Venue One. Mr. Lichterman wanted to inform the Commission of the event and invited them to attend. Chairman Anderson requested that Mr. Lichterman keep the commission informed and continue to share information about the event. Other Items for Discussion Commission Heller distributed the ISO 14001 Checklist requirements to the group. He offered that this could serve as a possible guiding tool for the Commission to follow. Chairman Anderson thanked Mr. Heller for the information and noted that through a goal setting exercise the Commission decided it would focus on water and energy conservation for the next 24 months. Commission Dorfman noted that other codes such as USGBC and LEED also place major points of emphasis on water and energy conservation, which help to reaffirm the importance of the Commission’s goals. Chairman Anderson noted that after sometime, it may be necessary to revisit our goals but at this juncture it’s important that we continue with the path that we have defined. Electricity Aggregation Mr. Lichterman noted that this is the final year of the contract with the Village’s alternative residential electricity supplier, MC Squared, and that the Village will decided shortly whether or not to continue an electricity aggregation program. The ComEd default rate and the alternative supplier rate have continued to converge over the last three years, as was expected. A report is expected to be presented to the Village Board in February regarding the matter. Adjournment Commissioner Heller motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Dorfman seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:29 PM. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant to the Village Manager