Sustainability Commission

Regular Meeting

Deerfield, IL · February 18, 2016

Minutes

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION February 18, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Commission was held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7:00 pm at Deerfield Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, at 7:00 PM in the Community Conference Room 206. Chairman Don Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. In attendance were: Present: Don Anderson, Chairman Richard Heller Laurie Leibowitz Michael Shalen Gloria Threats Jerry Witkovsky Brian Wolkenberg Absent was: Daniel Dorfman Andrew Lichterman Also present: Lisa Johnson, Earth Works Jeri Cotton, Secretary Approval of Minutes Commissioner Witkovsky moved to approve the minutes from the January 21, 2016 Sustainability Commission meeting. Commissioner Shalen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Public Comment There were no public comments on non-agenda items. Energy Assessment Program Commissioner Wolkenberg spoke with Principal O’Connell regarding getting together with faculty at Kipling and leading green programming at Kipling School. The next step would be for the group to meet and discuss content and program ideas. Commissioner Wolkenberg will schedule the meeting. He hopes to have both take-home and in-school components along with a friendly competition between classrooms. Commissioner Threats spoke with her manager at Walgreens and they would be interested in participating, but want to know what would be involved. Commissioner Wolkenberg described what they did last year and indicated they want to expand the program through additional schools/families as well as commercial involvement. The Commission can define what they believe makes sense. Commissioner Threats explained Walgreens hosts group tours at their Net Zero store in Evanston. Their Nottingham location has a green initiative with the schools as well. Commissioner Wolkenberg noted the program Sustainability Commission February 18, 2016 Page 2 of 3 can be implemented for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. He would like to implement the program the week of Earth Day. Commissioner Threats indicated Walgreens has already targeted April 20 – 22 for corporate programming. Commissioner Leibowitz noted the Village was also looking at activities on Earth Day. Commissioner Threats explained they have several locations that want to participate in a shredding event, but was unsure if it would be open to the public. Previously, Walgreens worked with SWALCO. They are also looking at working with E-Waste. Commissioner Leibowitz noted the Commission was looking at having a shredding day on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Action – Commissioner Wolkenberg and Commissioner Dorfman will meet with Principal O’Connell and faculty. They will also have conversations about possible support from Walgreens. Water Assessment Program Ch. Anderson explained Assistant Village Manager Lichterman sent some information about the five refilling stations at Deerfield High School. Four of the refilling stations electronically count the number of refills. The number of water bottles saved from landfills in a month was 7,286. Commissioner Leibowitz spoke with Mr. Lichterman about options for an Earth Day celebration. They spoke about an event in the downtown that would include shredding on Saturday, April 23, 2016. They also spoke about a blind taste-test comparing various types of bottled water to tap water and having people rate their experience. The questionnaire would include questions regarding whether they would use tap water and that they would sign a pledge. They would also have a fact sheet that would compare costs, talk about the ratings for Deerfield water and the environmental impacts of using bottled water. Deerfield’s water is strictly regulated by the EPA whereas bottled water is regulated loosely by the FDA. The program would educate consumers, give people the opportunity to taste test water and sign a pledge. Commissioner Leibowitz is looking for someone to donate reusable water bottles. Commissioner Heller suggested asking people to taste three types of water, with two of them being the same. By providing three samples, you would be able to determine whether people could tell the difference between tap water and bottled water. Commissioner Leibowitz discussed complimentary ideas for Earth Day, including distributing a sheet from SWALCO stating what items can be recycled and having a composter on display along with a fact sheet on composting. Commissioner Leibowitz believes this would start the education process on composting. Commissioner Anderson asked if the Commissioner would be in favor of the “water challenge” if they did not have water bottles. Commissioner Leibowitz believes handing out water bottles would be better, but she would not want to pass on the opportunity to educate consumers about the benefits. She believes they would need a few hundred water bottles. Ms. Threats will see what Walgreens may be able to do. Commissioner Wolkenberg believes capturing the names from people that sign the pledge will help build sustainability ambassadors in the Village. Ch. Anderson suggested focusing on just two things, rather than overloading residents. He was uncomfortable with the pledge, even though he wants to measure response. Ch. Anderson believes requiring the pledge to be signed may be a deterrent as people may perceive the Village as “big brother- ish.” He thinks both the water and paper shredding are good initiatives for Earth Day. The commissioners believe the paper shredding event will be a draw. Commissioner Wolkenberg noted some residents would not want to sign the pledge, but may be interested in being informed. Commissioner Sustainability Commission February 18, 2016 Page 3 of 3 Heller would be in favor of distributing water bottles to participants. He believes it would be positive reinforcement. Commissioner Threats added it would be an extension of the event. The commissioners discussed replacing the pledge with a voluntary list for residents interested in receiving information about sustainability in Deerfield. Commissioner Leibowitz and Commissioner Witkovsky will work with Mr. Lichterman to pursue a booth, signage, literature and water bottles. Commissioner Leibowitz asked for volunteers to sit at the table. She explained the location and timing would be determined, based on the size and availability of the shredding truck. Ch. Anderson believes it is important that the Commission have a strong presence at the event. Commissioner Heller moved to hold the water challenge, a shredding event and have a flyer available with what can be recycled. The water bottles, booth, location, timing, promotion and volunteer sign up will be finalized at a later date. Commissioner Shalen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Other Items for Discussion Prescription Drug Disposal Program Ch. Anderson explained the Village regularly highlights the prescription drug disposal program. He shared the numbers from 2014 and 2015 and believes the program has been a success. Commissioner Threats explained Walgreens will have their own drug disposal initiative and distributed a press release. She explained 500 stores will install a safe medication disposal kiosk. They will also make naloxone available to reverse the effects of overdose. Commissioner Threats noted Walgreens will hold a drug disposal event at the Walgreens corporate campus on Earth Day. Adjournment There being no further business or discussion, Commission Witkovsky moved to adjourn the meeting. Commission Heller seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 8:03 pm. The next Sustainability Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Jeri Cotton Secretary

Agenda

AGENDA SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION February 18, 2016 7:00 P.M. COMMUNITY CONFERENCE ROOM 206 1. Consideration of Minutes of January 21, 2016 2. Public Comment 3. Energy Assessment Program 4. Water Assessment Program 5. Other Items for Discussion a. Possible Earth Day Events – Saturday, April 23 b. Prescription Drug Disposal Program 6. Next Meeting Date and Time – March 17 MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION January 21, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Commission was held on Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 7:00 pm at Deerfield Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, at 7:00 PM in the Community Conference Room 206. Chairman Don Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. In attendance were: Present: Don Anderson, Chairman Daniel Dorfman Laurie Leibowitz Michael Shalen Brian Wolkenberg Absent was: Richard Heller Gloria Threats Jerry Witkovsky Also present: Jeri Cotton, Secretary Approval of Minutes Commissioner Wolkenberg moved to approve the minutes from the December 17, 2015 Sustainability Commission meeting. Commissioner Shalen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote with Commissioner Shalen abstaining. Public Comment There were no public comments on non-agenda items. Energy Assessment Program Ch. Anderson explained the Commission was updated at the December 17 2015 meeting, and there were several action items. Commissioner Wolkenberg reached out to Principal McConnell but has not heard back from him. He is awaiting information from the District 109 meeting. Commissioner Wolkenberg spoke about identifying a business/industry partner with successful energy conservation efforts to speak to the school. Commissioner Dorfman would be willing to assist in contacting Commissioner Threats regarding Walgreens. Water Assessment Program a. Draft Tap Water Resource Documents Commissioner Leibowitz met with representatives from EarthWorks, the assistant principal from DHS, and Assistant Village Manager Lichterman about the “Take the Pledge – Drink Tap Water!” program. Commissioner Leibowitz showed a draft “Pledge” and recommended creating a link to the “Pledge”. She Sustainability Commission January 21, 2016 Page 2 of 3 also provided some resource materials including a link to the Deerfield Sustainability Commission website. She believes having people sign a pledge would be better than other possibilities. Commissioner Leibowitz noted the school has five water fountains for refillable bottles. Four of the fountains have counters. The school will create a baseline to determine if more people are refilling bottles. Commissioner Leibowitz explained the school wants to add more recycling. She suggested they contact SWALCO for recycling signage. She reported they were excited about being part of the water initiative. Commission Leibowitz noted the school expressed concern about the $5 cost of the bottles, but pointed out the school bookstore could sell the bottles. She noted this will be a Deerfield-wide initiative. Commissioner Dorfman asked if the bottle would have a logo. Commissioner Leibowitz showed a sample image. She will follow up with the school in a couple weeks if she has not heard back from them. Commissioner Leibowitz will also work with Mr. Lichterman to get the bottles donated. Commissioner Leibowitz reported a representative from EarthWorks would like to be involved with the Commission. She asked that Mr. Lichterman follow up on this. Review of Commercial and Residential Recycling Rates Ch. Anderson explained there are six communities in Lake County that have a commercial recycling franchise. Two communities have had them for four years. The Village has an 11.8% recycle rate. Grayslake and Highland Park have had commercial recycling for four years; the Village’s 11.8% rate is good for the first year. Ch. Anderson noted Whole Foods was able to opt-out. Mr. Dorfman questioned the participation rate. Ch. Anderson believes it is the percentage of businesses that use recycling bins, but that information is not collected by our hauler. The commercial franchise hauler thought Deerfield’s rate was good for the first year. Commissioner Shalen indicated the rate is the amount recycled versus the amount of discarded trash. Ch. Anderson shared the residential information for both waste and recycling. Deerfield’s residential recycling rate (tons recycled/tons recycled + tons landfilled) is 32%. By comparison, Deerfield is #4 in Lake County out of the 44 participating communities measured in the documents. Deerfield is #9 in total waste generated. Ch. Anderson discussed the report on Household Chemical Waste. The Village annually hosts a drop-off location at the high school and attendance continues to grow. The HCW program will continue. The commissioners discussed disposal of prescription drugs. Other Items for Discussion Commission Leibowitz asked that Lisa Johnson, head of EarthWorks, be included in the Commission’s distribution. Her email address is ljohnson@dist113.org. At the next meeting, Ch. Anderson asked Mr. Lichterman to discuss the Village’s communication plans for prescription drug disposal and recycling. Adjournment Sustainability Commission January 21, 2016 Page 3 of 3 There being no further business or discussion, Commission Shalen moved to adjourn the meeting. Commission Wolkenberg seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 7:37 pm. The next Sustainability Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Jeri Cotton Secretary THE VILLAGE OFDEERFIELD SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Why drink Deerfield tap water? T A K E T H E P L E D G E - D R I N K T A P W A T E R ! Deerfield tap water is safe. The Village gets its water from Lake Michigan, IT’S SAFE among the cleanest fresh water sources in the na on. Village water meets or exceeds strict EPA regula ons and is tested mul ple mes per week IT’S INEXPENSIVE using the newest technology available to oﬀer faster results. According to the Environmental Working Group, bo led water is not necessarily safer than tap water and is o en sourced from municipal supplies. Water quali- IT TASTES GREAT ty reports from bo led water manufacturers are o en unavailable due to li le oversight by the FDA on the bo led water industry. On the other hand, the Village produces a water quality report annually. IT’S THE Deerfield tap water is a bargain – less than half a penny per gallon com- ENVIRONMENTALLY pared to an average of $1.70 per gallon for a 24 pack of 16.8 ounce FRIENDLY CHOICE bo les, 312 mes as expensive! Tap water is the environmentally friendly choice. Millions of barrels of oil are used to produce plas c bo les and about 75% end up in a landfill, Sign a pledge to choose about 1 million tons per year na onwide. Transporta on creates addi- tap water over bottled onal environmental costs. water whenever possible and get a dishwater safe reusable water bottle for only $5. INFORTMATION First name: Proudly use your bottle Last Name: at work, home and school while saving Email: money and helping the environment. Zip Code: PLEDGE I pledge to: THE VILLAGE OF DEERFIELD Choose tap water over bottled water whenever possible 850 Waukegan Road Deerfield, IL 60015 Fill a reusable bottle with tap water Support policies that promote clean, affordable tap water for all Phone: 847-945-500 Fax: 847-945-0214 E-mail: alichterman@deerfield.il.ius Encourage your friends and neighbors to join you in a pledge to drink tap water.