Sustainability Committee

Sustainability Committee Minutes Thursday, July 11, 2024 8:00 A.M. VIA ZOOM PURSUANT TO CHAPTERS 113 AND 115 OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES (AS AMENDED IN ORDINANCE 22-28), AND RESOLUTION 22-29, ENACTED ON MARCH 22, 2022 Members Present: Kim Bixenstine, Council Member, Committee Chair Tenille Kaus, Council Member Nancy Moore, Council Member Shanna Keown, Citizen Member Julia Larouche, Citizen Member Others Present: David E. Weiss, Mayor Jeri E. Chaikin, Chief Administrative Officer Joshua Romig, Shaker Heights Public Library Community Engagement Librarian Michael Peters, Sustainability Coordinator The meeting was called to order by Committee Chair Kim Bixenstine at 8:03 A.M. * * * * Approval of the June 13, 2024 Meeting Minutes The draft meeting minutes were presented for approval with the motion moved by Julia Larouche and seconded by Shanna Keown. The acceptance of the minutes was unanimously passed. * * * * Discussion on Professor Coffman’s Soft Cities Presentation Last month Professor Reid Coffman presented his observations on “Soft Cities” or examples of more sustainable design including features such as green roofs in several cities in Europe. The floor was opened to comments and reactions from that presentation and discussion. • Shanna Keown commented on the image of the pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure separated from vehicular traffic and how this would compel her to bike more; Kim Bixenstine noted that Planning Director Joyce Braverman had watched the recording of the presentation. • Josh Romig was asked for his thoughts and appreciated the introduction to the topic and learned of new approaches such as the forested roof. • Nancy Moore indicated how she felt the RTA shelters were good candidates for green roofs. • Tenille Kaus thought it was very interesting and as a bicyclist she hopes we can implement some of these ideas on the Lee Road project.  • Nancy Moore was surprised that the long-term costs of roofs were reduced by the installation of green roofs, and Kim Bixenstine noted how the addition of solar is complementary to green roofs. * * * * Subcommittee Updates Stormwater & Greenspace (Julia Larouche) • Grow Not Mow has planned an October 5th workday for site 2 from 10:00am to 1:00pm; looking for additional CSWD grants to support this work. • Press on the Grown Not Mow efforts was on Cleveland.com. • Discussion at meeting from April event resulted in suggestion to ensure that volunteers have experts advise them on tasks for future events. • Composting at Schools is being funded by the District for the upcoming school year; in process of figuring out logistics and outreach and awareness for the schools. Middle School and High School will be brought on at a later date. • Lomond Community Composting Pilot motion to re-allocate funds from the Sustainability budget to cover costs for the remainder of the year was proposed by Nancy Moore, seconded by Julia Larouche and passed unanimously. The estimate is $3,120 for the remainder of the year. A question on use was asked and over 100 households are currently participating (the neighborhood has roughly 2,000 households). • A potential citywide composting project in 2025 is under discussion and will be presented in the future. Ideas such as combining Schools and public bins to reduce overall costs is being reviewed with Rust Belt Riders. Considerations of how this may be beneficial to the LEED for Cities certification were mentioned along with composting at City facilities like the Fire Station and Library. Library is interested in potentially being a site location for composting. Tenille Kaus asked about how the marketing was done for the Lomond pilot and Michael Peters noted the Shaker Life article, social media posts, City eNews, and backpack mail for all students at the elementary. Julia Larouche also noted the need to keep equity as a lens for designing the program. • Electric lawn equipment program has budget remaining and a fall event on September 21st was suggested (there is also a Library Swap Meet on that day but it’s not considered a conflict). • Some new members have been attending and bring ideas; one is now coordinating a letter to block party organizers about composting and zero waste events. It was noted that residents can collect composting, as long as it fits in their bucket, of food waste only otherwise they should coordinate a commercial pickup with Rust Belt Riders. • A question on pesticides on treelawns was initiated in the subcommittee and the Law Department continues to research this. • The July 2nd planning meeting for the Ludlow School renovation resulted in a discussion of the plans and the board asked for revisions. Energy Subcommittee (Michael Peters) • An update on solar on City buildings was provided. With the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Bill municipalities can benefit from the federal incentives to install solar which helps the economics. In collaboration with the Law Department several options are being reviewed including a power purchase agreement and an outright purchase of the Sustainability Committee July 11, 2024 Page 2 of 3  system(s). Cuyahoga County is organizing a request for proposals on behalf of municipalities and other large organizations within the County and it expected to be released in September. There is no commitment to participate and the City would determine what if any options to pursue. The information is also being shared with the Schools and Library. The Committee was supportive of participating in the County program. The Mayor also mentioned his support especially given that there would be power purchase and outright purchase options. • The Air Quality Monitors have shipped and are expected to arrive soon for a late July installation. Three locations are targeted: Chagrin and Lee, Chagrin and Warrensville, and The Nature Center. All agreed that these are good initial locations. Shaker Youth LEEDs / High School Advisory Group (Shanna Keown) • The subcommittee is on summer vacation. * * * * Chair’s Remarks/Old Business/New Business • Kim Bixenstine noted that her meeting with Superintendent Glasner was very positive and there are many areas for collaboration around sustainability topics. Composting, electric school buses (which he hopes to fully convert to over the next 10 to 20 years), and electric vehicle chargers were all mentioned. They also discussed that the Schools is looking for a sustainability consultant who will be invited to a future meeting. * * * * There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 A.M. The next meeting is scheduled for August 8, 2024 at 8:00am. __________________________________________ Michael Peters Sustainability Coordinator Sustainability Committee July 11, 2024 Page 3 of 3