Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee

Rockland Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee (RESAC) Agenda Date/time: January 3, 2023/5:00-6:30 pm Committee Members: Mary Ellen Eagan, Connie Evans, Sally Levi, Todd Schwendeman, George Terrien, Dave Senzig, Guests: Julie Hashem, Jenny Carter, John Sommo invited Zoom Link (Zoom Only): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5040315241?pwd=eFhHaWJ4ZmhNakRmQ0VIQko4VmlKUT09 Item 1. Welcome 2. Review and vote to approve / See copy of minutes below amend minutes from 12/06/22 3. Minutes today: Dave Senzig 4. Public Comment: 5 minutes 5. Discussion with Julie Hashem *Update on Julie’s upcoming focus related 20 minutes to sustainability, especially re grants. *Focus for Sustainability Coordinator and how we might support/collaborate *Insights re the idea of a municipally held revolving fund for sustainability-related financial assistance *Update on Skowhegan REC sales potential and current gap between municipal usage and solar contract. 6. City Counsel Update: Sally Levy Do we have a liaison? 5 min Set date for first CC quarterly update. 7. Other action quick updates Note sent to Mary Gaudette, Envir. Studies Re: Student involvement with RESAC 5 min. RSU 13 Mentor Proposals Three submitted Carbon foot print study Strategies for Reduction of Fossil Fuel Usage Community Education related to Sustainability 1/6 We get fdbk on mentor proposals 1/11 Revisions deadline 1/17 Students given mentor proposals 1/23 Students select and may contact mentors 8. In the news: 10 min. Urban centers tend to have smaller GHG https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 footprint bc there is less vehicular travel to 2/12/13/climate/climate-footprint-map- work and leisure, houses smaller easier to neighborhood.html?smid=nytcore-ios- heat and less wealth so less consumption. share&referringSource=articleShare We can model from this data. Midcoast Climate, Energy and Green https://www.nrcm.org/programs/sustainab Building Happy Hour, 1/18, Steel House ility/sustainability-toolkits/ 639 Main St., Rockland NYC Scoping plan to achieve Carbon Free Todd sent on 12/19. Controversy re: Economy, 22 member Climate Action eventual dimantlement of gas distribution Council system, are hydrogen/biomass a way of prolonging gas. Should we inform ourselves on this in order to advise. Interest? Consideration of regional sustainability Still trying to locate this again projects and the call for highlighting midcoast community projects. NRC sustainability toolkits https://www.nrcm.org/programs/sustainab ility/sustainability-toolkits/ 9. Contact with John Sommo Todd 542-4142 and other potential members 5 min 10. Continued work and updates on I think this is an overview of the focus we established at our last our 2023 goals: 60 min meeting: 1. Establish collaborative relationship with Sustainability Coordinator 2. Utilize Sustainability Lens for Future Planning Increase presence in CC meetings with quarterly updates on our work 3. Develop Climate Action Plan Commence work on a Climate Action Plan utilizing work of Comprehensive Plan, Maine Can’t Wait and other small town CAPs as a basis – resources required for data collection TBD. 4. Reduce Reliance On Fossil Fuels Develop regular community education related to sustainability, especially updates on resources available to finance HP, Solar panels, EVs etc. Possibly promote a program like “Electrify Rockland – Pathway to a carbon-free economy” 5. Reduce Reliance On Fossil Fuels Explore funding options for expanded EV usage for community / municipal vehicles and solar/HP purchases. 6. Mobility/Transportation Facilitate work to establish detailed Complete Street plan suitable for Rockland with timetables and expanded funding sources. 11. Consideration of regional sustainability projects and the call for highlighting midcoast community projects. 12. Adjourn: 6:30 Topics not to get lost John Sommo 542-4142 bike interest Toby Williamson: Seed money for municipal sustainability fund Borrego solar project Senior citizen tax stabilization Program Rockland Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee (RESAC) MINUTES Date/time: December 6, 2022/5:00-6:30 pm Committee Members: Mary Ellen Eagan, Connie Evans, Sally Levi, Todd Schwendeman, George Terrien, Pending final CC approval) Dave Senzig Guests: None Item 13. Welcome. 14. Review and vote to approve / amend Minutes approved unanimously minutes from 11/01/22 15. Establish plan for taking minutes Sally will serve as secretary today. Minutes will be taken on rotating basis January 2023 Dave February Mary Ellen March Todd April Sally 16. Public Comment: 5 minutes John Somo of Bicycle coalition has offered to help the committee. Will follow up to see if interested in joining or working on bike relate issues. 17. Use of Google Docs Committee agreed to utilize Google docs for editing 18. Consideration of plan for a member to Motion to have committee member attend CC mtg.- Approved attend CC mtg until liaison is Motion to plan for quarterly report to CC-Approved reassigned. 19. Consideration of plan for quarterly Motion to accept Sally to monitor meetings: Approved report from this committee to CC. 20. Update on Sustainability Coord. Sustainability Manager job offered. Waiting for her to formally accept. recruitment: Todd/ Mary Ellen 21. Report on contact with Julie Hashem Connie offered agendas an minutes: No objections and invitation to 1/03/23 mtg, Connie Connie invited Julie to our January meeting From Julie, what grant opportunities are she applying for and what can we do to support. Request from Todd to ask Julie for insight in her 2023 plan for us to dovetail and align with her plan. 22. Report on Senior Citizens Tax Suggestion to help advertise in 2023. Stabilization program Connie Deadline has passed. Is there a start date t advertise? Keeping on our radar for that. Make a google doc list for 2023. 23. Near term grant opportunities that Comments to keep on our radar. align with the CC and Comp Plan. Todd 24. Consideration of Partnership Project Mentor Partnership Proposals (Sharon Klein) Economics 489 (Senior Students at U of Proposals Maine) -Reduce fossil fuels -Developing basis for community - resources, opportunities, help people access -Deadline is 12/12 Motion to approve these proposals. Lindsay Brook Proposal: Committee decided not to go forward with this one because no one to mentor and favored proposals with broader community impact. 25. Consideration of George Terrien’s Request to vote on George’s motion related to acceptance or rejection of current committee/CC request for more aggressive processes related to sustainability did not obtain motion to vote. committee action and confirmation of CC commitment to sustainability. 26. Consideration of Tobey Williamson’s Noted: Received Offer of seed fund. fundraising idea Tobey Williamson, Rockland committee member, loan fund for sustainability during his summer birthday party fundraiser at Steel House. 27. Consideration of 2023 goals: 2023 Setting Goals (broad goals that will take a year and action items) -Establish Priorities (10 topic areas) 1) Utilize Sustainability Lens for Future Planning 2) Develop Climate Action Plan 3) Reduce Reliance On Fossil Fuels 4) Mobility/Transportation 5) Waste Management 6) Increase Food Security and Access to Local Food 7) Housing 8) Land Use 9) Regional Collaboration 10) Quality of Life/Public Health/Pollution The above are the goal areas identified for us to work on in the Comprehensive Plan plus transportation and Waste management. #1 Immediately addressed by monitoring CC agenda and a rep. of this committee present at each meeting to expand our understanding of CC plans and serve in our advisory capacity more proactively. #2 Develop preliminary strategies for moving forward in advance of meeting with Julie Hashem at next meeting. MaryEllen and Connie will work together on this. They will side bar this week. #3. Focus to address mainly by frequent updates to community on related programs and resources and consider suggesting revolving municipal fund to support same. #4 The majority of the committee is interested in focusing on Mobility and Transportation as this year’s focused goal for reduction of reliance on fossil fuels.  Sally, Todd and Dave working on Transportation including Fossil Fuels. -Short term goals and action plan by January’s meeting MaryEllen and Connie will work together on Climate Action Plan. -Short term goals and action plan by January’s meeting All bring 1 idea about communication (besides the paper) 28. Adjourned: 6:38 pm Request for Proposals 2022-2023 This is the link to the explanation of this program and the application process Service Learning Proposal: Systems analysis of strategies for reduction of fossil fuel usage in Rockland, Maine. The City of Rockland has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. Implicit in the achievement of this goal is the reduction of our reliance on fossil fuels. The complexity of the problem of reducing reliance on fossil fuels demands consideration the many factors or systems that contribute to the problem and those that could contribute to the solution. In complex systems, the sources of a problem are interrelated, and their interactions must be considered when designing a solution. Most decisions we make at a household, community or federal level have some impact on our resources and the climate. Conversely, dwindling resources and climate change influence every aspect of our lives. Within the complex arena of mitigating the impact of climate change, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels stands out as an important, though complex goal. The focus of this project is to analyze the multiple strategies for reducing reliance on fossil fuels in the City of Rockland, assess the viability of each in terms of household economics and propose funding/educational/support strategies that would reduce fossil fuel consumption by a given percent over a set number of years. This project will involve consideration of the interrelated issues so as not to create new problems and should attempt to discern the types of support that provide the most leverage for different situations and the long range economic impact of such a project. Service Learning Proposal: Development of community education and resource materials related to sustainability and projection of economic benefit to homeowners and community. Currently there are a great many resources available to advance individual and community sustainability, however they are not readily accessible to the average busy householder. This project entails the development of a series of newspaper articles or weekly short “pieces” and material for programs/talks that facilitate access to the available resources related to enhancing sustainability. Topics might include local, state and federal informational and financial resources for electrification (eg funding for heat pumps) , solarization (eg. group solar buys), weatherization, increased access to local food, composting etc. This project will involve both research and writing skills in addition to projection of economic benefits of the project. #3 George’s request: “Accordingly, I suggest that you ask the committee to act on a motion that declares that we are doing enough, and as decided collectively, that acting aggressively exceeds will or common sense. If, on the other hand, the committee believes that our best course is to go along to get along, pursuing important but largely inconsequential successes at least as compared to the enormity of our need, then I will stand aside, wishing you all my best hope.” #4 Idea from Tobey Williamson Hi Connie, Thanks for your reply and the information on the committee’s plans. So, my idea… I’m turning 50 this summer and am planning a party at the Steelhouse with at least one band. Occurred to me to open it up to the public as a fundraiser. Would like to support Rockland residents in the transition to efficiency and renewables. One idea we kicked around on the Comprehensive Planning Commission was a revolving loan fund… but as Julie mentioned to me, this might be cumbersome to administer and financing may not be what’s keeping people from moving forward, given that there are sources of funds available…and more coming from Federal programs next year. I’m thinking I would set $5000 as a goal for the fundraiser and hope to find a source willing to match that. Might be ambitious, but better to aim high. Would like the funds to somehow fill a gap in financing for climate friendly projects…or perhaps just spur people to finally decide to start doing the work we know needs to be done. Maybe it’s micro-grants of a few hundred dollars tied to hiring an energy auditor or renewable energy consultant…or tied to something else that leads to direct fossil fuel use reduction and cost savings. With a strong recommendation to pay that grant forward once the improvements pay for themselves. Basically a way to call attention to other available incentives, overcomes inertia and gets people moving in the right direction, and then encourages them to share their success with others to keep the ball rolling. I’m definitely open to any ideas and further discussion. Thanks for your consideration. Best, Tobey