Environmental Sustainability Council

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL (ESC) Thursday, November 21, 2019, City Hall Dogwood Rooms, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order: ESC Members: Andy Young (Vice Chair), Jon Ward, Andy Sakallaris, Jennifer Tabola, Joy Page, Stacey Evers. Student rep: Niharika Sinhvi. City Staff: Kate Walker (ESC Liaison), Doug Fraser (Building Official). Planning Commission Liaison: Tim Stevens. Public: Chris Thompson, Brian Indre, Jason Douglas, Michael Trauberman, Bridget Kraft 2. October 2019 ESC Meeting Minutes: Approved unanimously (4-0). 3. Green Building Policies – Commercial & Residential: Guest speaker Doug Fraser provided his assessment of green building in the City. He felt that the Voluntary Concessions proffered through the Special Exceptions process resulted in commercial building performance comparable to that achieved by Arlington County’s ‘Floor Area Ratio’ incentive approach. While Kate Walker estimated that there were about 35 “green” homes in the City;, Doug said about 10 more have homes satisfied the City’s “Green Home Choice” criteria by having 3rd party certification of environmental performance (e.g., EnergyStar, LEED, EarthCraft) and will be publicly recognized soon. Attendees described various efficiency features they used in remodeling projects. They and Doug cited altruistic motivations beyond merely a specific payback period. Kate noted extensive efficiency resources available at www.energy.gov but wondered if the City or ESC could make info available to residents ahead of remodeling projects or HVAC replacements. Tim Stevens noted a push by the Sierra Club for Virginia to adopt the International Energy Conservation Code, rather than watering down the Energy Efficiency chapter of the International Building Code. Doug preferred this over another Sierra Club suggestion that localities be allowed to adopt more stringent requirements than the Virginia Building Code. Also, the next version of the state Code was expected to require blower-door testing. 4. Subcommittee Report - Energy Transition Subcommittee (ETS): One guest speaker at the November ETS meeting was from EPI Efficiency, which markets electricity from remote independent renewable electricitypower producers to end users. The City can consider this as an alternative to buying power through VEPGA. The other speaker from Community Housing Partners (CHP) noted that statewide criteria for ‘low-income’ meant that few in Falls Church qualified for CHP’s assistance, but CHP was installing insulation in certain units at The Fields housing development.apartment building. 5. Subcommittee Report – Education Task Group (ETG): Kate reported that the theme for the Operation EarthWatch T-shirts this year would be ‘stormwater.’ 6. Staff Liaison Report: Kate reported that the latest draft of the Comprehensive Plan would be considered by the Planning Commission on Monday, Dec. 2, and hopefully finalized for City Council after that. 7. Legislative Agenda: Kate distributed and reviewed a list of legislative priorities from the Northern Virginia Waste Management Board (NVWMB) and asked which ones the ESC would like City Council to prioritize to the General Assembly. Attendees discussed the economics, confusion and psychology surrounding recycling. Kate said City staffer Lonnie Marquetti would attend an upcoming ESC meeting to discuss recycling topics. o ACTION ITEM 1: [Jon Ward, by 11/23] Draft and distribute to the ESC a letter requesting that the City include in its 2020 Legislative Program an emphasis on three of the NVWMB’s priorities: (a) reviewing state laws and programs to adapt to the recent upending of international recycling markets; (b) reducing plastic bag use; and (c) increasing recovery of glass containers. o ACTION ITEM 2: [Stacey Evers, by 12/18 ] Contact Lonnie Marquetti (LMarquetti@fallschurchva.gov, 248-5466) with recycling-related questions for a future ESC meeting, and assist her in researching answers ahead of that meeting. 8. Other Business: ESC Chair Andy Crawford will remain an ESC member but is stepping down as Chair. Vice Chair Andy Young was nominated as Chair and elected unanimously (5-0). Joy Page was nominated as Vice Chair and was elected unanimously (5-0). Andy Young discussed areas in which the ESC may be most effective in 2020. He mentioned working more closely with the Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation; more citizen engagement; and accelerating adoption of energy efficiency measures in City infrastructure. o ACTION ITEM 3: [Andy Young, by 12/12] Distribute to ESC members a draft list of potential focus areas, requesting feedback and further ideas. 9. Next Meeting (proposed) ▪ Wednesday, December 18, 7:30 p.m., City Hall Dogwood Rooms. Joint meeting with Urban Forestry Commission. Abbreviations / Terminology: • LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design • VEPGA: Virginia Energy Purchasing Governmental Association