Environmental Sustainability Council

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL (ESC) Thursday, March 15, 2018, Library, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order: Members: Thomas Cash (Vice Chair), Andy Crawford, Andrew Young, Jon Ward, Phillip Skotte, Peter Oppenhemier, Tim Stevens, Katie Deal (student), Cory Firestone Weiss (Chair). City Staff: Kate Walker (Environmental Programs Coordinator), Kerri Oddendino (Planner). City Council Member/Liaison: None. Public: Jennifer Tabola, Nadine Block, Bailey Cash, Jessi Cash 2. End-of-Term Departure from ESC: Phil Skotte addressed the ESC before departing. He advocated for environmentalism to be emphasized as a non-partisan issue. He encouraged outreach to churches in the city which, with their significant land holdings and focus on stewardship, may be interested in sustainability and environmental improvements. 3. Public comments: TJES 4th grader Bailey Cash distributed and presented a letter he had written to the ESC as part of a persuasive writing assignment, on “a few ways to save the environment.” He addressed CO2, plants on buildings, and hydroelectric and wind power. 4. Approval of Minutes: January 18, 2018, minutes were approved without objection (motion by T.Cash, seconded by P.Oppenheimer). Action Item #1: Cory will recirculate the latest version of the proposed Green Building Policy. Summary Notes from February 15 Resiliency / Sustainability panel discussion were approved without objection (motion by T.Cash, seconded by A.Young). 5. Presentation: BikeShare Update. Kerri Oddendino reported that the Phase 1 installation, 11-stations primarily along the City’s commercial corridor, had been delayed until Fall 2018 due to manufacturing and procurement requirements. She provided the ESC a Schedule Update document. She suggested that the ESC could promote BikeShare at the Fall opening and be involved in recommending Phase 2 sites for Fall 2019, which may expand into lower- density residential areas. 6. On-going Business: Student Participation. Citizens for a Better City (CBC) asked if the ESC would accept new student representatives for the 2018-2019 school year. The sentiment was affirmative, with a preference to identify student-selected projects that share common ground with available mentor support. K.Deal reported that Operation Earthwatch participants wanted to be more active outside of meetings, while the ESC was interested in hearing what the schools were doing. 7. On-going Business: Campus & Commercial Development. It was noted that the RFP/RFI included LEED Gold & LEED ND. Fairfax was hosting a “Future of Sustainable Cities” on March 19. After discussion, there was a consensus to attempt organizing a multi-topic ½-day  weekend panel in late April or early May, likely addressing green infrastructure, energy, and possibly alternative financing of resilient / sustainable features. It may be a joint effort with the Tree Commission and/or Citizens Advisory Council on Transportation (CACT). An agenda would be developed at the next ESC meeting (April). Action Item #2: Tim Stevens will seek potential energy-focused panelists. Action Item #3: Cory will reach out to the chair of the Tree Commission. Among other efforts discussed were tours of Best Practices sites (before May 1 when proposals are due). Also discussed were a “What’s Possible” panel and a resiliency Task Force. 8. New Business: Local Motors / Olli EV Tour: T.Cash announced that the ESC had scheduled a tour/Q&A at the Local Motors facility at National Harbor with a review of their “Olli” autonomous electric bus. The event is Friday, May 11, from 10 a.m. until about noon 9. New Business: Comprehensive Plan: It was noted that the City’s Comprehensive Plan chapter on Natural Resources and the Environment was due to be updated, and this would be a topic of the April ESC meeting. (https://www.fallschurchva.gov/412/Comprehensive-Plan) 10. Subcommittee Reports:  Energy Transition Subcommittee (ETS): T.Stevens summarized that ETS was tracking the activities of Arlington County in the areas of: a C-PACE program on which Falls Church could piggyback; LED streetlight retrofits; and using a PPA to procure renewable energy for Arlington’s schools. City staff is tracking NVRC’s efforts towards a virtual PPA for renewable power investments by municipalities. Arlington and other cities are also reviewing the Sierra Club’s “Ready for 100” campaign, under which jurisdictions commit to using 100% renewable energy (for the government or the full jurisdiction) in all energy sectors no later than 2050, with interim benchmarks by 2035. 11. Next Meeting  Thursday, April 19, 2018. TJES Library (Media Room) Abbreviations / Terminology:  LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (https://new.usgbc.org/leed)  LEED ND: LEED for Neighborhood Development (https://www.usgbc.org/articles/getting-know-leed-neighborhood-development)  C-PACE: Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (https://arlington-pace.us/)  PPA: Power Purchase Agreement  NVRC: Northern Virginia Regional Commission