2007-04-05 Mayor's Climate Protection Committee AgenCitizens Committee on U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
Mission: "-
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
4. Effectively address the future impacts of climate change
Committee Members:
Citizens: Steve Bernheim, Carolyn Chapel, Wes Gallaugher, Wayne Grotheer,
Hank Landau, Ben Hines
City Staff.. Mayor Gary Haakenson, Steve Fisher, Sally Lider, Noel Miller, Linda Carl
Meeting ends
April 5, 2007
1. Mayor's Report on the City Council retreat
2. Staff GHG Committee update/ICLEI baseline
3. Earth Day and National Day of Climate Action
4. Miscellaneous
Meeting Notes
March 1, 2007
Present: Steve Bernheim, Wayne Grotheer, Hank Landau, Ben Hines, Mayor Gary
Haakenson, Steve Fisher, Sally Lider, Noel Miller
Absent: Carolyn Chapel, Wes Gallaugher, Linda Carl
1. Staff GHG committee update
Gary has appointed a staff committee to determine the City's footprint; Steve Fisher is the chair.
After training with ICLEI's software to create a baseline inventory for local government
greenhouse gas analysis, the City has chosen 1999 as the "target date." The committee will take
another month or so to complete its collection of data for the baseline inventory. The ICLLI
software focuses on energy usage, vehicles, wastewater treatment operations, and other City
activities to help establish a basis for setting goals. He provided a hypothetical example of how
the ICLLI software compares and calculates energy consumption based on the available data.
Steve F. reported there have been significant savings at the Water Treatment Plant. He reviewed
plans to promote energy efficiency in City Buildings, particularly in the library, Public Safety
building, and City Hall. He detailed future conservation projects planned for the Senior Center,
Fire stations, and other City operations.
2. Steve Bernheim's draft City Action Plan
Steve observed that nearly all available material divides local action plans into five areas:
improving transportation and reducing gasoline emissions, promoting home and business
efficiency, promulgating "smart growth" laws, reducing energy use by government operations,
and public education programs.
Since it had not been widely distributed, Steve sent a copy of the Mayor's light bulb
proclamation along with a letter identifying local merchants who had changed their bulbs to the
ClimateProtection/MeetingAgenda04 050 7.doc
Chamber of Commerce, which distributed a special announcement to all its members. Several
Chamber members have stopped him in the street to talk about it.
Steve suggested the committee move forward with recommendations of actions that will have to
be taken eventually anyway, regardless of the results of the ICLEI inventory. He presented a "top
ten" list of his own that included adopting anti -idling rules, getting rid of two-stroke engines,
closing lanes to traffic to develop walk- and bike -ways, supporting International Car Free Day
on Saturday, September 22, developing efficiency -oriented building codes instead of mandating
taller ground -floor commercial spaces, recognizing local residents and businesses that make
special contributions and efforts, buying green energy, and building educational alternative
energy demonstration projects.
The mayor said that Sunset Avenue already had a bike lane (the view side of Sunset Avenue is
reserved for idling parked cars) and that individual tenants could choose to lower interior
ceilings heights even though 15-foot ceilings are required in all new downtown construction.
Steve passed around an anti -idling regulation he drafted based on Vancouver, Canada's and he
passed out an information sheet comparing scores of other anti -idling laws from around the
country. He also passed out a proposal that the City support plug-in hybrids.
Once the City decides what to do, Steve said that its decision should be documented in a specific
plan. Steve has begun to draft such a report and handed out excerpts.
Miscellaneous
Gary mentioned the food -scraps disposal program and said that we might publicize that some
way, and that it might not be available in Edmonds right now. Please ask Gary or Steve F. for
detail on this item.
The library saved 50 percent electricity with its replacement HVAC system. Stop lights are being
changed to LED, too.
Ben Hines brought in the book "The Low Carbon Diet." Gary encouraged everyone to order one
at Edmonds Bookstore.
Our next meeting is Thursday, May 3 at 9 a.m.
Climalerrotectioll/MeetingAgenda040607.doc