2010-06-03 Mayor's Climate Protection Committee AgenCitizens Committee on U.S. Mayors Climate Protection A�2reement
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:
Members: Carolyn Chapel, Wes Gallaugher, Hank Landau
Todd Cloutier, Bob Freeman, Jeremy Grisham, Brian Potter,
Cynthia Pruitt, Laura Spehar, Rebecca Wolfe
City Staff: Mayor Gary Haakenson, Steve Fisher, Sally Lider, Noel Miller,
Rob Chave, Jen Machuga, Jim Stevens, Linda Carl
Meeting�enda
June 3, 2010
1.
Cascade Land Conservancy's Complete Streets program
Wes
2.
Climate Action Plan implementation process
Wes
3.
Sustainability indicators subcommittee
Wes
4.
Miscellaneous
All
5.
Next meeting date — 9 a.m. July 1
Meetln�tNotes
May 6, 2010
1. Reusable bag and poster contest update
Jen reported that the subcommittee met yesterday. There were 41 entries for the poster
contest, and three winners were selected. There are cash prizes for the winners and Nama's
gift certificates for the honorable mentions. The winners have not been officially announced.
Edmonds School District would like to display the winners at the Edmonds Arts Festival. The
committee is deciding what to do with the non -winning posters, such a displaying them at
local stores. Brian suggested sending thank -you notes to teachers who had this as a class
project. A mailer went out to local businesses reminding them of the August 27 deadline for
switching to paper or reusable bags. The committee is looking at ways to have a presence at
summer events.
2. Earth Day event follow-up
Todd reported that approximately 30 people attended. Justus Stewart from ICLEI gave a
presentation, followed by Wes who presented the CAP. The attendees then divided into three
subgroups and came up with three different ideas:
1) Put up informational kiosks in neighborhood centers with information on how to use
transit service.
2) A marketing campaign called "Pick 3" where citizens pledge to accomplish three things
on a list aimed at sustainability and conserving energy.
3) Encouraging homeowners to convert their lawn to something more useful, such as
vegetable gardens, or putting in a rain barrel. The goal is to turn "bad" space into usable,
"good" space.
ClimateProtection/MeetingAgenda06O310.doc
Hank was part of the first group that talked about transportation and neighborhood centers.
He mentioned that a local police officer is retiring soon and plans to start a business
shuttling people locally to and from the Edmonds ferry. Some cities use Flex cars at ferry
docks for local use.
The three groups are now doing their own follow-up. If you're interested in joining a group,
please let Todd know.
3. Miscellaneous
Cynthia attended a green conference in Seattle in which Microsoft's "green guru" was a
speaker.
Hank is working on grants for the bicycle -safety training program for fourth, fifth, and sixth
graders. He has received endorsements from Woodway, Mountlake Terrace, and Edmonds,
which gives them a better chance of getting grants for the Safe Routes to Schools program.
The Cascade Bicycle Club will apply for funds from the Hazel Miller Foundation. REI is
considering a grant, and the Stevens/Swedish merger may offer an opportunity for funding.
Brian will be in Melbourne for a month. If you would like information on what they're doing
in Australia regarding climate issues, please let him know. Cynthia mentioned she would like
information regarding rain -water capture; Rob is interested in messaging. Brian also
mentioned that churches in our area are very involved in the issue but may not be
coordinated in their efforts. He is considering asking his church to coordinate/leverage
efforts on our community.
Jim is using some of the EECBG funds to replace lighting in the Public Works yard. Motion
sensors are included, and the lights will turn off if no motion is detected after a certain
period of time. The lights shouldn't impact residents near the yard. The City also received a
$3,300 grant from PUD. Jim has been driving a Prius around town for a month and is
getting over 50 MPG.
Todd indicated that PUD has a new program called Community Power that has some federal
money for conservation programs. The program is focused on renters (condos and
apartments) and low-income people. Energy -conservation kits are also available from PUD.
Sustainable Edmonds has a "Save Energy Now" program. They received $5K from the City
Council for the program, which will show people how to reduce energy consumption in
their home or business. Ten homes and 10 businesses will be part of the program and will
receive a complete energy audit, followed by suggestions on ways to save money and energy.
The homeowner or business owner will then implement the suggestions and report back.
The goal is to reduce consumption by 10 percent. In the last two months there has already
been a 10-percent reduction, primarily due to the warmer weather, but also to
implementing changes, such as fixing leaks. Four businesses are currently signed up for the
program, and one (Reliable Floor Covering) is in the process of implementing suggestions.
Hank mentioned boat owners and the general practice of heating their boats through the
winter in order to eliminate mildew and keep the pipes from freezing.
Carolyn mentioned an article in the Seattle Times yesterday that included a comment about
Edmonds; she suggested someone from the committee send a response to the writer. On a
recent trip to Bartell's, she looked for recycled products and found that their computer paper
is not recycled. She wrote to Bartell's and received a thoughtful two -page letter from their
president describing the challenges and indicating that they're looking at a different office -
supply vendor.
Wes indicated that the Sightline Institute (an environmental, economic, and social news
media for the Northwest) recently compared US cities and found that Houston was the worst
and New York City the best in energy conservation. American cities consume three times the
energy of European cities. In Babylon, New York, homeowners can receive money upfront to
ClimateProtection/MeetingAgenda060310.doc
retrofit their homes. The City of Olympia has a sustainability action map that is implemented
every time the Council or staff make decisions. Wes reminded the committee that it's our
responsibility to develop realistic target for GHG reduction.
Jen received a PowerPoint presentation by a climate -impact group from the UW; she will
forward it to the group. She will also forward the link regarding the Seattle Times article.
Sally gave kudos to the Earth Day organizers. She worked on the Watershed Fun Fair and the
Native Plant Garden grand opening. About 300 people attended the grand opening,
including several organizations. The event provided plenty of information and fun
entertainment. She thanked Laura Spehar for all her work.
Richard: The annual Seattle Green Fair is looking for volunteers.
Brian indicated that he would like to be involved with the Planning Board's sustainability
indicators subcommittee. Carolyn and Cynthia also expressed interest. The subcommittee
will consist of: Brian, Carolyn, Cynthia, Todd, Wes, Val Stewart (PB), and Steve F.
ClimateProtection/MeetingAgenda06O31 o.doc