Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION July 9, 2015 The Sustainability Commission met in Community Conference Room of the Village at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, 2015. In attendance were: Present: Don Anderson, Chairman Daniel Dorfman Richard Heller Laurie Leibowitz Jerry Witkovsky Absent: Michael Shalen Gloria Threats Brian Wolkenberg Also Present: Andrew Lichterman, Assistant to the Village Manager Approval of Minutes Commissioner Heller motioned and Commissioner Dorfman seconded to approve the minutes from the June 4, 2015. The minutes were unanimously approved. Public Comment There was no public comment Energy Assessment Program Chairman Anderson noted that Commissioner Wolkenberg is absent but he had provided his comments via email. Chairman Anderson encouraged the Commission to continue to work with District 109 and find ways to strengthen the energy assessment partnership. It was also suggested to encourage a self-reporting energy savings program, where residents or businesses could pledge to reduce a certain amount of energy over a certain period of time. The Village and School District could potentially participate as well. Commissioner Dorfman reported on his discussions with Energy Impact Illinois (EII) and noted that EII is no longer conducting home audits in Deerfield since they are focusing attention in the City of Chicago. The Commission discussed reaching out to neighboring communities to determine if other energy groups are focusing resources in the area. Commissioner Leibowitz noted that the CONSEG group is hosting a meeting in September. She advised that she would share the information with the Commission to see if anyone could attend. Commissioner Witkovsky expressed concerns that DHS has not partnered with us on the energy or water programs. Mr. Lichterman did remind the group that the EarthWorks Club used to attend all the Commission meetings but in recent years they have not had the staff to devote to evening meetings. Chairman Anderson suggested that we continue to stay focused on District 109 and ensure that the PTO remains actively invested. Chairman Anderson reiterated the importance of connecting specific actions to measurable outcomes. Water Assessment Update Commissioner Witkovsky reported that Coromandel has agreed to complete yearly water (toilet) inspections. Mr. Lichterman reported that at the last meeting he was asked to report on the expected water savings from the WaterSmart program. He noted the expected savings is 5% and suggested that this program is still economically unfeasible. Commissioner Dorfman suggested that information about the plumber program and other water conservation initiatives be promoted to residents while they are having their RPZ (backflow preventers) inspected annually. Mr. Lichterman suggested that the Commission also consider educating the community about the impact of plastic water bottles. He noted that often times bottled water is not any cleaner that the municipal water supply and that plastic bottles require a lot of energy to manufacture and they create a lot of waste. The Commission concurred with further exploring a plastic water bottle educational campaign. Mr. Lichterman will provide information about water bottles to the Commission for review and consideration. Chairman Anderson asked Mr. Lichterman to reach out to the plumbers and inquire if they would be willing to leave information provided by the Village with the customers. Chairman Anderson also asked the Commission to brainstorm possible classroom activities for both water and energy activities in District 109 classrooms. Commissioner Heller inquired if members of our Commission should attend a District 109 Board meeting. Commissioner Leibowitz noted that Commissioner Wolkenberg has been asked to sit on the District’s Green Committee and suggested that this provides a better forum than the Board meetings. Commissioner Dorfman suggested that we also focus on a partnership with the Library since they offer such a vast amount of resources. He suggested partnering with them to host a sustainable lecture. Commissioner Witkovsky concurred and recommended the Park District as a good resource as well. Commissioner Dorfman requested that Mr. Lichterman share a list of government and civic entities with the Commission. Other Items Gas Powered Leaf Blowers Mr. Lichterman reported that the previous sustainability discussions regarding leaf blowers were shared during the last staff meeting and it is the recommendation of staff that leaf blower complaints be handled on a case-by-case basis rather than through greater regulations. Commissioner Witkovsky reported that he had inquired about the impact of banning gas powered leaf blowers with Brickman Landscapers. Brickman Landscapers reported that they could convert their fleet to electric but it is $700 more expensive to purchase the equipment. He also noted that it isn’t quieter than gas but it does generate less pollution. Commissioner Anderson reported that his landscape company stopped working in Highland Park because of ban on gas powered leaf blowers and suggested that other landscape companies did as well. He also reported that a larger landscape company he spoke with noted they do utilize electric blowers but they increased cost by 20% and suggested that the noise is not much less. Commissioner Heller commented that he concurs with the staff recommendation and would prefer to see leaf blower complaints handled on a case-by-case basis. He does not want increased regulations that would cause business problems or landscaper-neighbor disputes. Commissioner Heller made a motion to recommend no legislative action relative to leaf blowers and that issues be reviewed on case-by-case basis. Commissioner Leibowitz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Household Chemical Waste Collection Mr. Lichterman reminded the Commission that SWALCO is hosting the Household Chemical Waste Collection on July 18 at DHS. Chairman Anderson inquired why SWALCO does not have an electronics event on the same day. Mr. Lichterman offered to discuss this possibility with SWALCO. Adjournment Commissioner Heller motioned to adjourn. Commissioner Dorfman seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 PM. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant to the Village Manager