Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION March 17, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Commission was held on Thursday, March 17, 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 Richard Heller Laurie Leibowitz Gloria Threats Jerry Witkovsky Brian Wolkenberg Absent was: Michael Shalen Also present: Joe Pighetti, Earth Works Matthew Miller, Student DHS Andrew Lichterman, Assistant Village Manager Approval of Minutes Commissioner Heller moved to approve the minutes from the February 18, 2016 Sustainability Commission meeting. Commissioner Leibowitz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. Public Comment There was no comment on non-agenda items. Energy Assessment Program Commissioner Wolkenberg spoke with Principal McConnell recently about the energy conservation classroom activity that will be implemented the week leading up to Earth Day. This year’s program will largely remain the same as last year’s activities. Positive feedback was received as the activity successfully got kids involved in the classroom and at home. Consistent questions over the years will also help us evaluate the programs success. Principal McConnell is helping to get the other schools to participate in this activity as well. Commissioner Dorfman noted that revisions have been made to the Sustainability website with the intent of driving students and parents to the website for additional information. The commission was in favor of creating a hash tag to brand the effort - #GreenUpDeerfield. The schools, principals, teachers all have classroom social media accounts that can promote the hashtag. Commissioner Wolkenberg noted the Sustainability Commission March 17, 2016 Page 2 of 4 biggest change this year from last year is that the activities will be conducted district wide, and not just at Kipling. Chairman Anderson thanked the energy subcommittee for their good work. Mr. Wolkenberg will work with the subcommittee to modify the classroom activity and offer any additional website suggestions, noting that the activities will take place at the school April 18-22. ComEd Assessment Commissioner Dorfman reported that he has a scheduled a ComEd energy assessment. He noted that it took over a month to get an appointment scheduled. His assessment will be conducted next week and he will share his experience with the Commission. He noted the assessment will be completed by a ComEd sub contractor. The assessment offers LED light bulb replacement, power strips, programmable thermostats and a water sense showerhead. Chairman Anderson commended Commissioner Dorfman for taking the initiative to participate in the assessment. The Commission looks forward to hearing back next month. Water Assessment Program Commissioner Leibowitz presented the reusable water bottle that was preferred by the water subcommittee. She noted that the bottle has a good design, fits in a cup holder, is bpa free, recyclable, and you don’t have to touch the mouthpiece you drink from to open the bottle. She reminded the Commission the goal of this initiative is to have people drink more tap water instead of bottled water. Chairman Anderson inquired to what extent do people already have similar bottles. He questioned to what extent a reusable water bottle adds to the motivation to drink tap water, and inquired as to the best way to distribute them. He posed the question of if the water bottle is free do they end up in the garbage and alternatively if we charge do people not buy them. Commissioner Heller concurred that it is prudent to ask ourselves if people will actually use the water bottles. Commissioner Leibowitz suggested offering water bottles in exchange for participation in a water taste test. Participants can also be provided with a sticker upon completion of the taste test that might read, “I couldn’t tell the difference.” This will build momentum, similar to the “I Voted” stickers. The Commission deliberated on the activities that would be promoted during the morning of Saturday, April 23 to accompany a paper shredding event and an electronics recycling event. Chairman Anderson summarized the proposal is for the Sustainability Commission to host a booth for a few hours the morning of Saturday April 23, which would include a water taste test in exchange for a water bottle, along with information about the safety of the Village’s water supply and a water fact sheet. Mr. Pighetti of Earthworks suggest that a water taste test might be more successful at Farmers Market when there will be a greater amount of foot traffic. DHS student Matt Miller suggested that the high school could also be a good venue to conduct a taste test. Mr. Pighetti noted the Earthworks Club does plan to conduct a taste test on April 22 at the school during the lunch periods. Commissioner Leibowitz made a motion supporting the Commission’s participation in the April 22 and April 23 programs including an electronics recycling event, paper shredding event, and the Sustainability Commission March 17, 2016 Page 3 of 4 purchase of 500 reusable water bottles. Commissioner Heller seconded the motion. The motion was approved on a roll call vote of 6 – 0. Commissioner Dorfman excused himself from the meeting and was absent during the roll call vote. Greenbean Recycling Machine Deerfield High School Student Matthew Miller made a brief presentation to the Commission summarizing the benefits of the Greenbean reverse vending recycling machine. He noted the unit can be leased by an entity and placed in a popular location to assist with collecting and recycling bottles while also calculating the energy savings associated with diverting the material from a landfill. He had first hand experience with the machine while attending summer school at Harvard’s science center. He reported that he initially tried to lobby for this machine at the high school but school did not have funding available. Chairman Anderson thanked Mr. Miller for his thorough presentation and inquired what his request is of the Commission. Mr. Miller thanked the commission for the opportunity and noted his goal is to bring awareness to the product and evaluate the potential to pursue a reverse vending recycling machine similar to the one identified in his presentation. Chairman Anderson complimented Mr. Miller on his initiative and requested that his presentation be shared with the Commission for further review and consideration. Other Items for Discussion Walgreens Spring Clean up Commissioner Threats reported that Walgreens is hosting spring clean-up programs during earth week, which will include a drug take back program, paper shredding for their campus and electronic recycling open to the public from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Lake Cook Road campus on Thursday, April 21. She noted this year’s electronic recycling vendor doesn’t want to accept TVs. She also reported Walgreens has a prescription drug drop off location at 108 Wilmot Road that is open to the public. Chairman Anderson suggested that the Village promote both the Walgreens electronics recycling and the Village’s electronics recycling events concurrently, further strengthening our partnership. SWALCO - Electronics Mr. Lichterman reminded the group that SWALCO has announced its electronics recycling program will end May1. Arbor Day Mr. Pighetti of Earth Works confirmed the high school will again partner with the Village and host a tree planting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 29, in celebration of Arbor Day. ComEd Street Light Conversion Mr. Lichterman reported that the Village has executed an agreement for ComEd to replace all their street lights in town with LED light fixtures and no cost to the Village. This light conversion will save the Village approximately $7,000 a year in energy costs. The work is expected to be completed by the end of May. Adjournment Sustainability Commission March 17, 2016 Page 4 of 4 There being no further business or discussion, Commission Witkovsky moved to adjourn the meeting. Commission Leibowitz seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm. The next Sustainability Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant Village Manager