Citizens' Environmental Commission

AGENDA Citizen Environmental Commission City Municipal Building Ellwood Conference Room - First Floor 200 South Fourth Street Thursday, April 2, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. I. Welcome II. Public Comments III. News and Announcements IV. Approval of Agenda V. Approval of Minutes from March 5, 2015 VI. Commission Reports a. City Liaison: Jennifer Diedrich b. Cooperative Effort: Melissa Burlingame c. DeKalb County Health Department: Greg Maurice VII. New Business a. Progress on the Sustainability Plan b. Update on City and CEC Website Development c. May Agenda Items VIII. Other Business IX. Date for Next Meeting (Thursday, May 7, 2015—4:30 PM) X. Adjournment  City of DeKalb Citizen Environmental Commission Minutes of March 5, 2015 The meeting was called to order at 4:29pm. Members present: Bill Oleckno, Melissa Burlingame, Nancy Proesel, Ken Koch, Mark Hein, Dan Kenney, Linda Yates, and Sharon Skala. Staff: Jennifer Diedrich. Ex Officio Members: Greg Maurice, DeKalb County Health Department. Approval of Agenda: Melissa Burlingame moved to approve the agenda, and Nancy Proesel seconded the motion. Agenda approved by voice vote 8-0. Approval of Minutes: Sharon Skala moved to approve the February 5, 2014 minutes, seconded by Mark Hein. Minutes were approved, as amended, by voice vote 8-0. 1. Chair Oleckno called the meeting to order and asked if there were any public comment or news. 2. Bill announced that Greg Maurice is the representative from the DeKalb County Health Department. Bill also shared some articles about fossil fuels divestment and the DeKalb bike paths. 3. Dan Kenney announced that he is working with some local citizens to determine possible locations for a food hub. Roughly 25-30 people were in attendance at a March 5th meeting. They will start discussions with Kane County since that county started a feasibility study for a food hub. 4. Under Commission Reports, Jennifer Diedrich reported on questions from the previous meeting: the Waste Management compost pilot program has yet to be explored due to a lack of staff for City of DeKalb; the status of the electrical aggregation contract is that the City of DeKalb has signed a contract with Homefield Energy effective during 2014-2017; and the Public Works Director is not aware of any ordinance prohibiting composting in the City of DeKalb. The City is receiving a grant from Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance for the replacement of traditional light switches with occupancy sensors in buildings all over the city in noncritical lighting environments. They will also receive aerators for faucets. She also reported that there is a volunteer opportunity with NIU faculty member, Emily McKee, who would like to invite professionals in to talk about Environmental Studies from the Humanities and Social Sciences. Mark Hein volunteered to talk in the class about the work that the Citizen Environmental Commission undertakes. 5. Melissa Burlingame reported that the new course, Introduction to Local Sustainable Food Systems, would be offered during the fall semester. She also reported that she is working with students to plan an event (Cultivating STEM) on April 18th to build benches and other structures for the Communiversity Garden located east of Anderson Hall. 6. Ken Koch reported that the DSATS meeting was well attended, especially by bicycling advocates and local engineers. Bill and Ken recommended that Goals 14 and 15 of the Sustainable Master Plan be forwarded for consideration, along with a cover letter. 7. Under Old Business, Bill Oleckno asked about the Sustainability Plan and member preferences as to which goals to pursue this year. Sharon commented that she hopes the commission start with the low-hanging fruit in order to get the ball rolling. Dan reminded the group that the items that have a budget attached need to be selected now. Linda will share the plan, as it relates to idling, with transportation staff at NIU. The commission agreed to request a budget of $2,000 for outreach materials. Melissa updated the tracking sheet with the goals to be pursued this year. 8. Bill Oleckno reported about his conversation with the County Health Department and that they would prefer that the Solid Waste Coordinator serve in the ex- officio role. Greg Maurice, Director for Environmental Health and Safety, will serve in the role until the position is filled. 9. Bill wrote draft biographies for each commission member based on the profiles that were submitted. He asked that any corrections be returned at the April meeting. 10. Dan said that he had emailed City staff about using natural plants to do reclamation work in brownfield areas. The City is open to doing this and they are looking to do this at the Protano property on South Fourth Street. 11. Waste360.com has a daily article email that Mark Hein receives and he shared some of the articles that he found interesting. 12. The date for next meeting will be April 2, 2015 at 4:30pm. 13. Ken Koch moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:43pm. Sharon Skala seconded the motion. Respectfully submitted by Melissa Burlingame Secretary, Environmental Commission