Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION April 14, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Commission was held on Thursday, April 14, 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 Michael Shalen Gloria Threats Jerry Witkovsky Brian Wolkenberg Absent was: Laurie Leibowitz Also present: Andrew Lichterman, Assistant Village Manager Approval of Minutes Commissioner Shalen moved to approve the minutes from the March 17, 2016 Sustainability Commission meeting. Commissioner Wolkenberg 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 reported the home energy assessment activities for District 109 have been finalized. There are activities for students to complete in the classroom and at home. The intent is for all six District 109 schools to complete the activities during the week of Earth Day. Walgreens will also be hosting an energy conservation seminar at Shepard Middle School and Kipling Elementary, to be scheduled at a later date. Their seminar will include hands-on presentations including a wattage machine and other tools to teach students about the impact of their energy usage. Students will be able to measure/calculate their impact using these tools. Commissioner Dorfman expressed his gratitude to Walgreens and Gloria for helping to engage the community on this initiative. Commissioner Dorfman noted that the long term goal is to have info on Village website (after the redesign) that will allow people to track and log their energy information. This may include asking residents to sign a commitment/pledge to conserve energy. Dorfman inquired if ComEd would be a partner and provide residential usage information, if residents agreed to make this information publicly available. He suggested identifying a community of energy Sustainability Commission April 14, 2016 Page 2 of 3 ambassadors that would be willing to participate. He offered to help draft the necessary legal documents to protect all participants. ComEd Assessment Commissioner Dorfman reported on his poor experience with the ComEd Home Energy Assessment Program. He noted it took over 2 months to schedule the appointment. The appointment was scheduled for 8 a.m. so that he could be in attendance. The ComEd contractor didn’t show up until 1:30 p.m. The contractor lied to Commissioner Dorfman’s wife, when he alleged that Mr. Dorfman gave him permission to conduct the assessment 5 ½ hours later than originally scheduled. This was not true. Ms. Dorfman asked the contractor to leave before any work was completed. Commissioner Dorfman expressed his great disappointment with this program and his experience. Mr. Lichterman will provide feedback to the Village’s ComEd Government Affairs Liaison. The Commission agreed not to promote the program at this time. Chairman Anderson requested having ComEd attend an upcoming meeting to discuss this program and other ComEd issues (e.g. smart meters, rates, LED conversion program, etc). Water Assessment Program Chairman Anderson reported that given the nature of the electronics recycling and paper shredding events scheduled for Earth Day, it may not be the best venue for hosting a water taste test, as originally discussed. He noted the Commission is invited to participate in Earth Day activities on Friday, April 22 at DHS during the lunch periods. The Earth Works Club will be hosting water trivia games, and promoting the reusable water bottles. The water bottles will be sold for $3.00 and proceeds will help support installation of a water bottle refill station in the Village. Chairman Anderson requested the group pick a date in June or July to host a booth at the Farmers market to promote sustainable initiatives. 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. SWALCO - Electronics Mr. Lichterman reminded the group that SWALCO has announced its electronics recycling program will end May 1, however they are hosting a special meeting this evening to determine if the program can be continued. Several municipalities, including Deerfield have provided additional funding in an effort to keep the program available through the end of the year. Arbor Day Plans are confirmed for a tree planting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 29, in celebration of Arbor Day at DHS. Smart Meter Educational Programs Mr. Lichterman reported that the Village is discussing opportunities to host educational programs around Smart Meters. Adjournment 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, May 19, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Sustainability Commission April 14, 2016 Page 3 of 3 Respectfully submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant Village Manager