Sustainability Commission

MEETING MINUTES SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION May 19, 2016 A meeting of the Sustainability Commission was held on Thursday, May 19, 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 Michael Shalen Gloria Threats Absent was: Daniel Dorfman Laurie Leibowitz Brian Wolkenberg Also present: Andrew Lichterman, Assistant Village Manager Approval of Minutes Chairman Anderson reported that no quorum was present. He noted the importance of having a quorum so that the Commission can conduct official business. Approval of the April 14, 2016 Sustainability Commission meeting minutes will be considered at the next meeting. Public Comment There was no comment on non-agenda items. Energy Assessment Program – District 109 Earth Day Activities Chairman Anderson reviewed a summary email that was provided by Commissioner Wolkenberg since he was unable to be in attendance. Commissioner Wolkenberg’s email noted there was positive feedback received from students and facility on the in-class activities that were conducted at Kipling. He noted there is growing interest at Shepard Middle School and all four 7th grade science classes participated in this year’s activities. There is still room to increase District-wide participation. Commissioner Heller echoed Commissioner Wolkenberg’s suggestion to establish a stronger relationship between the Commission and the District with less dependency on Principal McConnell serving as a conduit to all six schools. Chairman Anderson questioned if this is the role of the parents or perhaps the Superintendent. He suggested working to grow the relationship over the summer when the administrators are still working and to communication with all schools earlier next year. Sustainability Commission May 19, 2016 Page 2 of 3 Mr. Lichterman reported that he would provide website analytics at the next meeting so the Commission can determine if students followed the links that were provided on the activity worksheets. Commissioner Threats reported that Walgreens recently held a sustainability presentation for Kipling 5th graders and will host a second hands-on presentation tomorrow for Shepard 6th graders that will highlight Walgreens’ net zero store in Evanston. Water Assessment Program – DHS Earth Day Activities Chairman Anderson reviewed a summary email that was provided by Commissioner Leibowitz since she was unable to be in attendance. She noted that the Earth Works club did a fantastic job facilitating all the activities. They held a tap water taste test and trivia games, and gave out water bottles and t-shirts as prizes. They also gave out handouts regarding water quality and the Village’s anti-idling initiative. Chairman Anderson requested that Commissioner Leibowitz identify a preferred time to attend a Farmers Market to promote water conservation including conducting a taste test and selling water bottles. Chairman Anderson congratulated the energy and water conservation subcommittees on their successful events. Paper Shredding / Electronics Recycling / Arbor Day Recap Mr. Lichterman reported that 220 cars came through the paper shredding event and 34 water bottles were sold. Mayor Rosenthal also held a ribbon cutting to reveal the downtown recycling containers. Both the electronics recycling events hosted by the Village and Walgreens were well attended. Walgreens recycled over 1200 lbs. of electronics throughout all 5 of their locations, 3400 lbs. were collected at the Deerfield location. Chairman Anderson reported that Arbor Day tree planting was also successful. Mayor Rosenthal and the DHS Earth Works Club participated. He looks forward to continuing the tradition again next year. Other Items for Discussion SWALCO - Electronics Mr. Lichterman noted that the SWALCO Board recently voted to continue the electronics collection program for the remainder of the year. He noted that several communities, including Deerfield, contributed resources to keep the remote collection sites open. Clean City Recognition Mr. Lichterman shared a press release naming Deerfield as the number 8 cleanest city in America – and the cleanest in Illinois - by an Expedia independent study. Mayors Monarch Pledge Mr. Lichterman reported that Mayor Rosenthal has taken the National Wildlife Federation Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Accordingly, the Village has identified 8+ specific action steps to help conserve habitat for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators in the Village. Chairman Anderson requested Mr. Lichterman advise on specific tasks the Sustainability Commission can help to accomplish. Commissioner Terms Chairman Anderson reported that Commissioner Wolkenberg has been appointed to a new 3-year term and Commissioner Witkovsky’s term has expired and he will not seek reappointment at this time. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm. Sustainability Commission May 19, 2016 Page 3 of 3 The next Sustainability Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Andrew Lichterman Assistant Village Manager