Environmental Sustainability Council

Environmental Services Council Meeting Thursday, February 18, 2016 Minutes Call to Order ESC Council Members Present: Ray Arnaudo (Chair), Peter Oppenheimer, Andy Crawford, Sarah Bayldon, Chris McCloud Others Present: Tim Stevens (Chair Emeritus), Kate Walker (Environmental Programs Coordinator & City Staff Liaison), Loren Bruce (City Staff), Bob Loftur-Thun (Falls Church Cable TV) Public Comments – None Approval of Minutes Minutes of the January meeting were reviewed and approved. Discussions • Falls Church Community TV – Bob Loftur-Thun presented information on FCC-TV, which is a “Public Access, Education, and Government (PEG)” cable television station serving the City of Falls Church. The station is in the process of rebuilding, with the goals of increasing the availability of information sources and creating a discussion forum in the community. A new website will be launched next week, and new classes in video production will be available in March. Single-page proposals for programming (such as the Solarize launch meeting) may be submitted to the FCCTV Cable Access Board. ESC members volunteered to assist in publicizing the launch of the new website. • Energy Transition Subcommittee – Tim Stevens reported on the first meeting of the ESC’s new working group on energy, which will be called the Energy Transition Subcommittee (ETS). Tim will Chair the group, which will meet on the first Thursday of each month in the Laurel Room. • City Council Visioning – the City Council will meet to establish their new Vision for the future of the City on Saturday. Ray Arnaudo and Tim Stevens will attend and promote the interests of the ESC and ETS, including the VPIS goals, improved building efficiency standards, continued improvements in waste management and higher sustainability standards for new building construction. • Proposed ESC name change – ESC members voted 5-0 to approve changing the name of the Council from the “Environmental Services Council” to the “Environmental Sustainability Council”. Ray Arnaudo will draft a resolution for the City Council and draft amended by-laws as necessary. Members are invited to contribute. • CFC Environment webpages – Kate Walker presented a brief review of web pages related to ESC activities which she plans to update. ESC members were invited to provide input and look for other pages where updates may be required. Informational Items • Council member items: o Tim Stevens: The Falls Church League of Women voters has organized a screening of “Extreme Realities” with an expert panel discussion to follow on Sunday March 6th (flyers provided). Virginia legislation – no significant environmental initiatives were adopted. Inspection of the Kensington project confirmed that conduit for photovoltaic panel installation and electric vehicle charging had been included as specified in the Voluntary Concessions. o Andy Crawford: The latest DC Department of Energy & the Environment Climate Vulnerability Assessment indicates that what were previously regarded as 100-year weather events are now expected on a 25-to-50 year timeframe. • Staff Items: o Kate Walker: 2016 rain barrel sales are scheduled; installation can reduce stormwater utility fees on residential properties. A recent report for the Tree Commission indicates that although post-development canopy goals for single family homes are being met, the City is losing mature tree canopy. Staff is considering several projects that could be funded by the Dominion Foundation Environmental Grant program – ESC member ideas are welcome. The Habitat Restoration Working Group, which was originally part of the ESC, will present at a future ESC meeting. o Loren Bruce: Campus Redevelopment – MWCOG/Oak Ridge National Laboratory will conduct assessment of geothermal potential on the site. We may also get technical assistance to evaluate the Washington Gas report and model district Energy for the campus. Next Meeting • Thursday, March17, 2016 (City Hall, Dogwood Room) Minutes prepared by Kate Walker