2018-06-07 Mayor's Climate Protection Committee MinuCitizens 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
Climate Protection Committee (CPC)
June 7, 2018 - Meeting Minutes
In Attendance: Steve Fisher, Cynthia Pruitt, Hank Landau, Janice Freeman, Larry
Pierce, David Schaefer, Councilmember Dave Teitzel, Mayor Dave Earling, Dawna
Lahti, Jenn Machuga
Call to Order: The meeting is called to order at 8:45 AM.
Approval of previous meeting minutes: Two amendments were made to the May 3,
2o18 minutes. Cynthia asked to amend the minutes to reflect that the focus of the
2o18 CPC agenda should be education. Janice asked that the minutes be amended to
clarify her wording on compostable materials. Minutes unanimously approved as
amended.
City's Request for Proposal (RFP) as directed by Resolution 1389: Steve related that
the city's recent RFP resulted in 7 submissions and, of those, 3 consulting firms were
chosen to be interviewed. Environmental Science Associates (ESA) based in Seattle
was selected to receive the consultant contract for what is initially called the Climate
Goals project. ESA will review at the Climate Action Plan, make recommendations for
updating the plan, and perform various aspects of a greenhouse gas inventory.
Measures and goals will be outlined and presented. The first consultant briefing with
city staff will happen soon, the date is not yet known.
Steve relayed that the consultant's scope of work includes their presence at up to 3
of this committee's upcoming meetings. ESA will present progress and have the CPC
serve as an advisory group for the project. Hank noted that July 1 was an original
deadline for some of the Resolution 1389's goals. Steve replied that was regarded as
a bit aggressive and the consultant's scope of work timeline is being adjusted
accordingly.
Hank expressed concern that annexations needed to be dealt with. When an
annexation happened or happens there will be a bulk jump in carbon emissions, and a
per -capita metric is likely the best. Mayor Earling responded that the annexation of
Esperance will likely not go forward, so this could be a non -issue. Hank added that it
would still be necessary to consider other annexations occurring after 199o.
Councilmember Teitzel asked for clarification in how the consultant will work toward
the 2025 goals outlined in Resolution 1389, particularly the ioo percent renewable
resources goal. It is mentioned that it may be impossible to meet this goal, since the
local utilities are not reliant on loo percent renewable resources. For instance the
mix of energy sources that PUD uses includes coal, and nuclear, etc. Steve said that
the consultant will look at all of the variables and present the best solutions tailored
for Edmonds which would still work toward the resolution's goals.
Councilmember Teitzel asked about the adjusted timeline of the consultant. Steve
answered that the consultant will likely work through the end of 2o18 and will focus
on what is appropriate for Edmonds.
Single -Use Plastics Ban: Councilmember Teitzel made a presentation to Edmonds
City Council on May 22, 2o18 to consider a resolution supporting a plastic straw,
utensil, and stir stick ban. The Council went ahead and unanimously approved of the
resolution. The presentation was obviously well -received and Councilmember Teitzel
received favorable comments. There is an 18 month period in which to work toward
crafting an ordinance. This gives affected businesses time to exhaust existing plastic
inventories and also provides time for education and outreach to all affected
businesses.
Mayor Earling had concerns of the cost for any of the outreach efforts. Steve said he
was seeking a grant from the Department of Ecology to support most of the work.
Mayor Earling suggested that Steve ask for letters of support from stakeholders for
use in the grant application. Councilmember Teitzel stated that there are many
possible angles from which to approach the educational effort and timeline. He and
Steve asked the CPC members for volunteers in the educational effort.
Hank asked if there were existing business leaders that can be highlighted on this
issue. Councilmember Teitzel mentioned the Cheesemonger's Table, Walnut Street
Coffee, PCC, Taco Time have all embraced the reduction of single -use plastics and
already have met some or all of the resolution's goals. Hank added that these
businesses can also be considered for Sustainable Heroes status.
Steve mentioned that the Washington Hospitality Association was interested in
keeping apprised of this issue. Janice showed the group some of the new
compostable (cardboard) fruit and berry packaging that she got from PCC. She
pointed out certain flaws with the packaging and has relayed her concerns to staff at
PCC. There was a short general discussion among the group about packaging.
CPC Objectives: Cynthia noted that the CPC has made a commitment to education
across various climate -related topics. She asked the group what they wanted to
accomplish this year.
Hank said that the CPC should consider education in public schools as there have
been previous failed attempts to institute curricula, so now is another opportunity to
look into this
Larry said that there are education opportunities at the waste disposal stations.
Often people do not know in which of 3 bins to place their waste. China is no longer
accepting recycling from the US and other countries, citing high levels of
contamination, much of which is due to improper sorting. Larry added that the
University of Washington has excellent displays at the point of disposal and that
people tend to respond better to the pictures or materials on the signage.
Steve reminded the group that at least 3 near -future meetings will be largely taken
up with the ESA consultants. Cynthia stated that the CPC members should consider
more objectives for the next meeting.
Initiative 1631: Hank asked that the CPC endorse Initiative 1631 to the Mayor. Hank
outlined 1-1631, its methods and implementation. A committee will be chosen by the
Governor on how the money raised by 1631 will be used and dispersed. Hank said
that those who endorse the initiative are the most likely to have a seat at that table,
and that an Edmonds endorsement of 1631 could allow Edmonds to have a voice on
that committee or possibly in an advisory role. Cynthia took a poll on members
present of who would endorse 1-1631 to gauge support. Cynthia then asked members
to prepare pro and con materials for the rest of the group.
Committee Reports: Taming Bigfoot: Steve relayed that the follow-up Taming
Bigfoot survey to all active and non -active participants received good feedback and a
report would be compiled and presented before Council sometime this summer.
No other committee reports.
Future Agenda Items: Cynthia mentioned a few future agenda items: Greenhouse
gas emission targets, CPC objectives, Initiative 1631, navigating the city's CPC email,
the single -use plastics ban, and the new Waterfront Center.
Announcements: Janice informed the group that there is a new push for the senior
center (Waterfront Center) to go solar.
Steve said that there would be a Styrofoam recycling collection event in Edmonds on
z Saturdays — June g and July 14.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 A.M.