Environmental Sustainability Board

CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BOARD City Operations Center | 305 Williams St. | Hendersonville, NC 28792 Thursday, May 16, 2024 – 3:30 PM MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 3:37pm APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mary Ellen approved first followed by Grady APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ann approved first followed by Grady NEW BUSINESS Presentation on Native Plantings on City Property Cases where the City considers planting non-natives: downtown street trees, aesthetic reasons, and also planting non-native cultivars such as non-native Dogwoods STAFF LIAISON UPDATE City plastic reduction follow up The board would like to move forward with a formal policy on plastic waste reduction. Council member Simpson mentioned the potential difficulties in having the Apple Festival on board and also if a fee in leu option should be provided in the policy. ESB Annual report Board members are letting Caitlyn know if they have any revision requests City sustainability update The board suggested Caitlyn work on getting a press release submitted on the plan to better promote the plan’s adoption. OLD BUSINESS Hendo EarthFest wrap up Ann will be presenting to City Council members next month on the event’s success which included doubling the amount of exhibitors and bringing roughly 4,000 participants, which almost doubled that of last year. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BOARD – May 16, 2024 Page | 1  Waste Reduction – Sustainability demonstration station update Virginia would like to have July 20th as a ribbon cutting ceremony for the station. Caitlyn is sending out the updated farmers market volunteer sheet to members to volunteer for spots. NEW BUSINESS Wildlife Habitat Certification vs Bee City Moved to next meeting Native plant policy recommendation letter Mary Ellen motioned first followed by Ann to send the letter to the Tree Board for their support. Virginia mentioned potential program to incentivize homeowners to go native as part of this effort. OLD BUSINESS Confirm dates for farmers market and ESB member attendance Addressed earlier on in meeting CITY COUNCIL UPDATE City Council Update Councilwoman Simpson is not liaison with the Tree Board which should help with increased communication amongst what ESB and the Tree Board are doing ADJOURNMENT Virginia motioned to adjourn first followed by Gina The City of Hendersonville is committed to providing accessible facilities, programs and services for all people in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Should you need assistance or an accommodation for this meeting please contact the City Clerk no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting at 697-3005. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BOARD – May 16, 2024 Page | 2