2024-03-07 Climate Protection Committee MinutesCity of Edmonds - Mayors Climate Protection Committee ("CPC")
March 7, 2024
Mission of the CPC is to (1) Encourage citizens to be a part of the solution, (2)
Encourage City staff and citizens to conserve current resources, (3) Work with the City
Council to implement ideas, and (4) Effectively address the future impacts of climate
change.
In Attendance:
On -Site (Brackett Meeting Room):
Committee Members: Angela Winzen (Co-chair), Pam Tauer, (Co-chair), Niall
McShane, Cynthia Pruitt, Bill Phipps, Nick Maxwell
City Staff: Tristan Sewell, Thom Sullivan
Citizen: Georgina Armstrong, Gayla Shoemake
City Council: Susan Paine
Zoom:
Committee Members: Steven Cristol, Hank Landau, David Shafer
1. Call to Order, Review of Agenda, & Introductions
a. The meeting was called to order at 11:01 am.
2. February Meeting Minutes
a. The February meeting minutes were approved with changes provided by Niall.
3. Public Comment and CAB Update
a. Georgina provided the following CAB update:
Georgina had a meeting with the mayor a couple of weeks ago and they discussed a possible plan
for making the next Climate 50 meeting productive and touched on exploring and expanding on the
collaborative nature of Climate 50. Just so that everyone here is cognizant of the make-up of Climate
50, it's composed of all the leaders of Edmonds' climate and environmental groups, the Mayor, City
staff, and some council members. The CAB has developed a few committees that are working on the
CAB's 2024 Work Plan, which include Volunteer Recruitment, Communications and Media, and
Organization Planning.
One of the CAB's members, Lu Loree, will be writing an article for MyEdmondsNews, the Beacon, and
The Urbanist, that will educate the community on the various climate groups in Edmonds along with
contact information. She will also be including information on an Edmonds' tree protection group
that the CAB just agreed to form today. The CAB is also beginning to accumulate information on
regional climate non -profits and volunteer groups and how they interact with their municipalities.
The three cities the CAB is covering are Bellingham, Port Townsend, and Bainbridge Island. In
Bellingham, they have a non-profit called Sustainable Connections that focuses on advancing a
regenerative local economy that builds community, strengthens food systems, catalyzes climate
solutions, and expands access to housing in NW Washington. Today, at its meeting, the CAB also
discussed the CPC's Climate Action Week, and thought it might be a good idea if the city puts out a
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survey in order to know what events the community is interested in, as opposed to making that
decision without knowing their level of interest. Also, the CAB was wondering if the CPC would
consider scaling the event back to one or two events since this is the first year it's being offered in
Edmonds. Georgina pointed out how difficult a multi -day event is to plan and organize, and the
window for accomplishing that work is closing fast.
b. Gayla reported that the Interfaith Climate Action group has been very active. Theyjust
completed a 4-week educational event at the Edmonds United Methodist church that
was well attended. In addition, the church has gotten a large grant to fund solar
panels on the roof. A deciding factor on the grant award is that it serves many low-
income people.
c. Susan Paine shared that demographics are very important in receiving a grant award.
d. Pam thanked Gayla and Nick for their very informative climate articles in the past
week. Pam asked to add "Big Red" to the CAB's tree protection committee "save" list.
4. Council Update
a. Susan will reach out to personal contacts at Hazel Miller and Nature Conservancy
regarding potential grants for the digital simulation of sea level rise. Susan needs a
succinct summary of what we want to do. Steve will provide it to her after the
meeting.
b. City Council focus is on a few major projects and the city budget/finances. One big
project is the ADU/DADU code changes. Edmonds needs 1800 ADUs (2 per) by 2040
to meet state legislated goals. Currently, Edmonds processes 80 ADUs permits/year.
c. Discussion ensued about ADU restrictions by lot size and impermeable land and
ground water drainage considerations.
5. Mission Statement Revision
a. Mayor asked that we revise our vision to be one statement.
b. Pam opened the discussion and recommended that we highlight our role in the city's
CAP.
c. Angela asked Hank and Cynthia what were their roles and responsibilities in previous
CPCs.
d. Nick proposed the following mission statement, "Advise the Mayor on how best to
reduce Edmond's global overheating pollution and protect Edmonds from climate
change hazards."
e. Discussion ensued regarding the use of "global overheating pollution" and whether it
was limiting.
f. Steven discussed using the phrase "reduce Edmonds negative impact".
g. Georgina brought forward the point that supporting legislation is one of the most
impactful actions we can take.
h. Angela stated we won't finalize the mission statement today. Pam asked that CPC
members work on the mission statement via email or SharePoint before the next
meeting.
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6. Climate Champions Update
a. Tristan provided an update on the temporary art installation. The artist and city are
working on siting the installation. The artist is in the early phase of design and would
like to meet with the CPC for input. The installation which will be focused on sea level
rise will be interactive, where the community can contribute to and/or take away
something.
b. Angela provided background on the Climate Champions series. Last year, the
inaugural and only event was Earth Fair in April. Funding was provided by the city
council.
c. Angela and Pam met with Tristan and Susan McLaughlin to discuss merging the
Climate Champions series into Climate Action Week targeted for the fall time frame.
There is no more budget for these events; however, the city will be able to provide
venue options in city buildings.
7. Staff Updates
a. Reviewed consultant proposal on draft code updates.
b. Tristan reviewed the use of SharePoint for CPC members.
c. Susan recommended we use SharePoint to rework the new mission statement.
d. Georgina shared that in her review of all CPC minutes, she noted that there were
many times roles and responsibilities were always questioned. Suggested we review
CPC role on Planning Board and Tree Board items that overlap CPC purview.
8. Annual Report to the Council
a. Cynthia provided background from 2010 that the CPC was to deliver a report to City
Council — over the years, sometimes it was "hit or miss".
b. Pam asked Susan for her input on the effectiveness of the report. Susan will provide
her feedback to the CPC via email.
c. Cynthia encouraged the committee to complete the report and submit it to Council
by the end of the month. We want the report to be presented to the Council in
person.
d. Steven recommended we add to the report the work performed on benchmarking of
other cities progress with community engagement.
e. Georgina stated that the CAB is also coordinating with cities that are making regional
efforts.
9. Answering the Mayor's Questions for Success Regarding the CPC's 3 Focus Areas
a. Defer to next month.
10. Proposal to City Council for Signing the Fossil Fuel Non -Proliferation Treaty
a. Defer to next month.
11. Snohomish County Climate Vulnerability Tracking Tool
a. Defer to next month.
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12. April 4th Agenda & Action Items
a. Jeff (city) will deliver an update on the Comprehensive Plan update from the city.
b. Susan will provide CPC feedback on the City Council 2023 report.
c. CPC members will submit refined mission statements and input on the mayor's
questions.
d. Angela will send a calendar update on the special meetings.
e. Tristan will provide 2022 and 2023 heat pump permit data.
f. Tristan will engage the PIO to create a press release for the March 21St special
meeting with Greg Ferguson.
13. Announcements and General Public Comment
a. Bill asked if we should send out a press release for the March 215t meeting. Tristan
can post a public meeting notice, press release need to engage Kelsey.
b. Bill received approval to move forward publishing a series on heat pumps with Pam.
The draft articles will be submitted to the chairs, and then the full CPC for approval.
The meeting adjourned at 12:46pm.
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