Environmental Sustainability Council

City of Falls Church Environmental Services Council Energy Transition Subcommittee Minutes, Thursday February 4th, 2016 (7:30 – 9:30 p.m.) Call to Order Members Present: Andy Crawford (ESC), Chris McCloud (ESC), Tim Stevens, Nisha Thirumurthy Also Present: Loren Bruce (City Staff, Development Services), Kate Walker (Staff Liaison, Office of the City Manager) Public Comments No public comments were received. Discussion Purpose and Goals of the Subcommittee This was the first meeting of the subcommittee. It was agreed that the group would be called the “Energy Transition Subcommittee”. The primary focus of our activities will be energy; we will also address and provide input to other City groups on issues such as transportation and waste management as they relate to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Our goals for energy in the community include: • reducing energy consumption; • increasing the proportion of energy obtained from renewable sources; • ensuring that City residents and businesses are educated and informed about energy; • incorporating sustainable energy principles into City government through the City’s vision, the Council work plan, the Comprehensive Plan and Code of Ordinances and other policy and procedural documents, and • establishing the City of Falls Church as a leader in community energy management in Virginia. Structure of the Subcommittee The subcommittee will meet on the first Thursday of each month, so that our meetings will be offset by two weeks from our parent group, the Environmental Services Council (ESC). We will meet in the Laurel Room on the third floor of the East Wing of City Hall from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. unless notified otherwise. The subcommittee is required to have oversight from the ESC, a role which can be filled by any participating ESC members. Tim Stevens will Chair the group; Nisha will take particular responsibility for our greenhouse gas inventory; Peter Adriance has expressed an interest in assisting with communications. Other participants are encouraged to consider how they would most like to contribute to our efforts. Future Plans • Greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventory: in order to establish benchmarks to guide future goal-setting and prioritization of subcommittee activities, Nisha will lead the completion of a GHG inventory for the community using data from MWCOG and our local utilities. We will work with data providers to get more detailed input data. Nisha will present the community GHG inventory status at our next meeting. We may invite utility representatives to join us at a future meeting. • EPA Green Power Community: we will support the City’s continued participation in the EPA Green Power Program and Green Power Community. • Solarize: we will provide active support for the planned 2016 Solarize campaign, assisting in communicating with community members and distribution of publicity materials. Subcommittee members will help to identify outreach opportunities for NVRC and LEAP speakers. Chris McCloud will ascertain if his neighbor was a participant in Solarize last year who might be willing to help with outreach for this year’s program. • Information and Outreach: we will devise a communications strategy to reach out to community members to help them identify ways to save energy and seek more renewable energy sources. • Community Energy Plan: we will work towards the creation of a Community Energy Plan, utilizing the work of MWCOG and local jurisdictions to minimize our resource needs. Arlington has already demonstrated great willingness to help in our energy transition efforts. • City Council Work Plan: Tim Stevens will consult with Dan Sze to recommend that the City Council's work plan contains language that authorizes the anticipated energy-related work efforts of the Energy Transition subcommittee. • Campus Redevelopment: Tim Stevens will consult with Dan Sze to determine whether it would be helpful if the subcommittee provides input to the City Council and School Board regarding the incorporation of energy efficiency, sustainability and resilience into requirements for the Campus Redevelopment Project. Suitable language will be discussed at our next meeting. Washington Gas and Light are planning to commission WSP to do a study addressing local energy provision for the site.