Environmental Sustainability Council

Minutes Falls Church Environmental Services Council Thursday, June 18, 2015 (7:30 - 9:30 p.m.) Dogwood Room, City Hall ESC Council Members Present: Ray Arnaudo (Chairman), Peter Adriance (Vice Chairman), Peter Oppenheimer, Andy Crawford, Sarah Bayldon, Chris McCloud Others Present: Tim Stevens (Chairman Emeritus), Joe Lerch (Virginia Municipal League), Sandy Tarpinian, Shawn Rodock, Cory Weiss, Chris McGough (City Staff Liaison) Call to Order Minutes of May meeting approved. Public Comments - None New Business Presentation by Joe Lerch, Director of Environmental Policy, Virginia Municipal League (VML). VML is an association of Virginia's independent cities and represents their interests at the Virginia General Assembly. Lerch discussed the evolution of Virginia's stormwater program and how State agencies and municipalities can better work together, especially in light of substantial compliance costs. Lerch also identified likely upcoming legislative issues, including efforts to streamline the State's stormwater program, dealing with sea level rise, and engaging with a regional greenhouse gas initiative. Presentation by Sandy Tarpinian on the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) backyard healthy habitat certification program (www.nwf.org/community). The NWF program seeks to provide green corridors or pathways for migrating birds and butterflies. Tarpinian announced that the program has successfully completed its objective in the City. Tarpinian will now put together the City's certification package and submit it to the NWF. The ESC discussed several ideas of how the success could be celebrated, including with a ceremony at Cherry Hill Park, an article in the Falls Church News Press, and a presentation at a City Council meeting. Presentation by Andy Crawford on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts. Crawford presented a "way forward" for the ESC to get more involved with GHG reduction efforts, based in part on the the April 2015 Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) 5 Goals Report, which set an interim goal by 2020 of achieving a 20% reduction of GHG emissions from a 2008 baseline of 12.9 metric tons per person, and a long-term goal by 2050 of a 75% reduction of GHG emissions from the 2008 baseline. Crawford suggested that the ESC could bolster the City's efforts to reduce GHG emissions by, among other things, lobbying to reinstitute the Climate Task Force, submitting for City Council's consideration a draft resolution on sustainability, energy efficiency and climate change, and beginning an effort to strategize how to develop a community energy plan. One result of the ensuing ESC discussion was that Crawford agreed to draft a letter to Chris McGough's director, in part to signal the importance of identifying some staff resources to help with these issues. Old Business Solarize Update - Tim Stevens provided an update on the Solarize initiative, which ends on June 30. Approximately 175 City residents have signed up for the assessment, and can continue to do so through the end of the month. Stevens reported that the Tree Commission had some concerns with promotion of solar power due to potential tension with increasing the City's tree canopy, but he adequately addressed those concerns when he presented to a Tree Commission meeting on June 17. Division of Work Activities - ESC briefly revisited its efforts to more equitably allocate work associated with its portfolio of issues among its members. Peter Oppenheimer agreed to recirculate the draft list of issue allocations, and the Chairman exhorted all members to respond. Informational Items Chris McGough provided a briefing on a pilot food waste composting program at the Farmers Market, modeled on one that Alexandria has undertaken. Costs of such a program are low (approx. $250/month). Individuals would return food wastes to the Farmers Market in bucket/containers with lockable lids. Next Meeting Thursday, July 16, 2015 (City Hall, Dogwood Room)