JOINT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
La Crosse Center – Ballroom B
12:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Jai Johnson, Jeff Bluske, Dale Hexom, Dorothy Lenard, Tom Rauk, Nick Nichols (exc/arr @1:56) and Brad Pfaff (exc/arr @3:16)
MEMBERS EXCUSED: None
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Tim Kabat, Brian Fukuda, Karl Green, Brian Tippetts, Bryan Jostad, Erica Black, Jerry Severson, Kermit King, Larry Kirch, Steve O’Malley, Tim Anderson, Maureen Freedland, Joe Orso (media), Cheryl Stephen
LUNCH AND RETREAT OBJECTIVES (Approx. 12:00-12:30 p.m.)
Lunch was served. Members and staff co-mingled.
INTRODUCTIONS AND BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE / TEAM BUILDING
Introductions were made by committee members and staff, including their educational background and work experience; some also shared their interest in sustainability.
THE NATURAL STEP (TNS) PROGRAM BASICS
Karl Green, UW Extension Community Development Agent, distributed 3” x 5” cards and requested all present to answer the following two questions.
1. What do you hope to accomplish through your work on this sustainability committee?
2. What outcomes are you looking for as a result of The Natural Step process?
The cards were collected and Erica Black wrote the answers on flipcharts that were reviewed later in the retreat.
Karl presented a PowerPoint on “What is The Natural Step?” Discussion and answers as follows:
· The Natural Step is a framework for sustainability
· A set of sustainable objectives is needed to assist in the decision making process
· Avoid creating a new problem while attempting to solve another
· Sustainability is a set of four (4) guiding principles to serve as a guide, and examples of each:
1. Eliminate our community’s contribution to fossil fuel dependence and the wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals
- use of mass transit
- use of renewable energy, e.g. RDF plant (reduce amount in landfill and provide energy)
- alternate fuel for municipal fleets
- incentives for organic agriculture that minimizes phosphorous and petrochemical fertilizers
2. Eliminate our community’s contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances
- healthier building designs
- better landscape designs (less mowing, less watering, and use of chemicals)
- municipal purchasing guidelines to encourage use of low or non-chemical products
3. Eliminate our community’s contribution to encroachment upon nature (e.g. land, water, wildlife, forests, soil, ecosystems)
- Brownfield redevelopment over greenfield development
- open space, forest and habitat preservation
- reduce water usage
- wastewater treatment by certain types of plants; stop heavy metal discharge; use rain
gardens
4. Meet human needs fairly and efficiently
- affordable housing for a diversity of residents
- locally based businesses and food production
- using local waste as a resource
- eco-industrial development
- participatory community planning decision making
Karl displayed a diagram that illustrates what sustainability is: social objectives, economic objectives, and environmental objectives, and where they meet in sustainability in which meets the demands of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
How to implement sustainable practices – A,B,C, D Model:
A. Raising awareness
B. Inventory of present conditions
C. Brainstorm visions and solutions
D. Create an action plan
Swedish eco-sustainability examples:
· Visioning on a local scale
· Using bottom up approach
· Achieving political consensus
· Using holistic or systematic views
· Using across-the-board approach
· Being a good example
· Taking a global perspective
(Break at 1:45 and returned at 2:00)
CURRENT SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS / CITY OF LA CROSSE
Tim Kabat gave an overview and PowerPoint presentation, including a handout, on sustainable initiatives in the La Crosse area:
· Energy consumption, conservation and efficiency
ü RDF plant
ü 61 traffic lights were replaced with LEDS
ü New lighting projects in libraries and fire dept.
ü MTU using waste oil in heat generator for heating a building.
ü Gunderson Lutheran looking at various projects: harnessing methane gas as produced by the Brewery, installing two wind turbines for off-site electric generation credits, lighting projects, plus ongoing research of other projects
Further consideration: focus on energy planning and rebates
· Water use, conservation and efficiency
ü Rain gardens to assist in storm water management: Southside Neighborhood, Three Rivers Waldorf School and Custom Metal Fabricating in the International Business Park
Further consideration: community-wide rain barrel project, water conservation policies, and storm water utility.
· Waste generation and recycling
ü RDF plant
ü Landfill, including demolition and household hazardous materials recycling
ü Municipal recycling
ü Habitat for Humanity Restore (from October 2006-June 2007, 60 tons diverted from the landfill
ü Annual Mississippi River Clean-up
ü Neighbor Day
Further consideration: recycling and e-waste policies, household composting.
· Habitat protection and restoration
ü City has over 1300 acres in parks and green space
ü Mississippi Valley Conservancy has protected over 700 acres
ü Myrick Hixon EcoPark is underway with completion in 2008; it combines Hixon Forest area with Myrick Park/Zoo
ü Boulevard restoration
Further consideration: town and county support for bluffland protection program
· Sustainable agriculture and local foods
ü People’s Food Co-op
ü Farmers’ Markets
ü Community Gardens
ü Community-supported agriculture farms (CSA’s)
Further consideration: campaign for promoting and educating residents to buy local products; need to make products more convenient and accessible.
· Transportation and transit
ü La Crosse area has over 100 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails
ü City ordinance allows electric cars on city streets
ü Kwik Trip looking into providing B-2 biodiesel, E85 and possibly compressed natural gas
ü Honda MotorWerks is national leader in selling pre-owned hybrid autos
ü County has recently purchased 2 hybrid vehicles and Gundersen Lutheran has purchased 4 and also plans to purchase biodiesel bus.
Further consideration: MTU, county and Gundersen Lutheran researching use of B2 and/or B5 biodiesel fuel – issue is storage. Implementation of new transit center and encourage use of mass transit. And land use policies that positively impact transportation.
· Green building and LEED certification
ü New Transit Center should be LEED eligible; it will also have 82 housing units, retail space and a green roof.
ü City also starting to use EPA approved, recycled, PVC-free equipment for public playgrounds.
ü The new Myrick Hixon EcoPark Nature Center is slated to use sustainable building methods as well as being educational to visitors.
ü Gundersen Lutheran new clinic and parking ramp will be LEED certifiable.
Further consideration: continue pursuit of LEED eligibility for new public buildings.
· Affordable housing programs
ü City administers 2 programs – one is housing replacement program with 25 projects completed. The other is housing rehabilitation program which has 3% deferred payment loan of which 1,102 projects completed or in the works.
ü Habitat for Humanity has built 22 homes and 7 additional over next 1½ years.
ü CouleeCap also administers housing programs
Further consideration: ?
· Green and healthy schools
ü La Crosse School District has initiated energy conservation program that saves 26% in energy usage; since 2002, saved over $2 million in energy costs.
ü City and La Crosse School District have completed safe routes to school plans and other schools in the area will be doing the same.
ü Onalaska School District has hired an energy consultant; anticipates savings of $2.5 million over 10 years.
Further consideration: school garden plots and use produce in their school lunch program
· Redevelopment projects
ü Riverside development (removed Cargill, rebuilt area with Logistics Health, CenturyTel, new Transit Center)
ü Gund Brewery Apartments - installed solar panel to provide hot water
Further consideration: ?
· Green purchasing policies
ü City, county and La Crosse School District collaborating on number of items, including purchasing.
ü City and county already purchasing eco-friendly products (cleaning spray, paper towels, toilet paper, and low mercury light bulbs).
Further consideration: continue efforts in joint purchasing.
Some discussion followed. General agreement to pursue public awareness on all of these topics. Steve O’Malley noted County collection of prescription drugs; plus Aramark, as the jail food provider, is going to look into purchasing local; and on January 7th, the architect for the new LEC addition will be making a presentation to the County Board regarding LEED certification and he invited members of the committee and staff to attend.
(Break at 2:50 and returned at 3:00)
THE NATURAL STEP (TNS) PROGRAM BASICS (continuation)
The answers to the two questions as presented at the beginning of the retreat were reviewed and determined if they relate to A,B,C, or D. Questions and answers as follows:
Question #1 - What do you hope to accomplish through your work on this sustainability committee?
A - Raising awareness
ü Understanding of the issues of sustainability and how they are perceived by staff, elected officials, media, public.
ü Raise awareness of staff and elected officials of sustainability and TNS.
ü Get government and public to understand TNS process; clarify difference between “green” and “sustainable”.
Determined “A” as the education component of who and what. Who: elected officials, staff, media and public. What: TNS process and define sustainability.
B - Inventory of present conditions (included in handout by Tim Kabat), plus additional from the
County and others. Identify opportunities at a future meeting.
C - Brainstorm visions and solutions
ü Support for better land use decisions; take steps toward more local energy generation; create a draw for economic development opportunities in the sustainability industry.
ü A series of initiatives/plans to make city/county a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and safe area.
ü A group understanding and cohesion around priorities for advancing sustainability.
ü Help to lead the community toward implementing tangible steps of conservation, alternative energy and lower impact lifestyles.
Vision includes County comp plan and land use; economic development opportunities in sustainable industry (public/private). Need scoring criteria for review of future projects relating to environmental, social, economics, compare cost values, purchasing requirements.
D - Create an action plan
ü Hope to provide collaboration between governmental groups to solve short-term sustainable practices and changes within the city and county: a comprehensive plan for longer term goals.
ü Support for better land use decisions; take steps toward more local energy generation; create a draw for economic development opportunities in the sustainability industry.
ü To satisfy resolution of county/city – looking ordinance and legislative changes to allow for sustainable change – looking to further protection of farmland protection – to develop a way to get everyone off gas and electric water heater tanks –go to on demand.
ü Drafting of a sustainable strategic plan for city and county
ü Change of operations at both city and county toward more sustainable practices
ü A series of initiatives/plans to make city/county a more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and safe area.
ü Hope to get people who are in control to move toward renewable energy mainly solar voltaic and solar hot water.
Three answers were not categorized as A, B, C, or D, those being:
ü Use the knowledge gained as a resource to implement improvement within my organization.
ü A results-oriented group that redefines how the city and county does business.
ü Driving an effective change process to make our community, and by extension, the world a more sustainable place.
Action steps include: writing a strategic plan of long-term sustainability goals, establish scoring system (short-term, long-term and cost); and financial incentives based on environmental impact – value for future generations.
Question #2 - What outcomes are you looking for as a result of The Natural Step process?
A - Raising awareness
ü Instilling environmentally conscious ideals in the citizens.
ü Broad public participation in TNS process; city and county buy-in on sustainability process.
B - Inventory of present conditions (included in handout by Tim Kabat)
C - Brainstorm visions and solutions
ü City/county organization conservation and alternative energy projects/programs; large organization projects; economic development encouraging alternative energy businesses.
ü Hoping The Natural Step will lead to a base way of thinking that over time will make USA a sustainable country.
D - Create an action plan
ü Sustainability that is futuristic and problem solving for protection of the natural environment.
ü Organizational transformation
ü Action/results and culture change
ü How sustainability can be incorporated into existing processes.
Two answers were not categorized as A, B, C, or D, those being:
ü To ensure that plans develop as a result of this process can be implemented and in fact sustained.
ü A process framework for advancing sustainability issues.
STAFF TO RECOMMEND POTENTIAL LOW-HANDING FRUIT PROJECTS
This agenda item was not discussed as a separate topic and will be reviewed at a future committee meeting.
(Break at 4:00 and returned at 4:10)
SUSTAINABILITY MATRIX INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION
Committee Chair Jai Johnson presented a PowerPoint presentation that included a suggested “process planning matrix.” She noted 4 phases of the TNS process: 1) understanding, 2) belief, 3) vision and 4) action. Understanding could include: basic training, convey necessity and demonstrate value. Belief/buy could include explanation of rationale and convince effectiveness. Vision (baseline & long-term goals) includes documentation of existing conditions, envision sustainable future, organize and prioritize, and establish long range goals for 5, 10 and 20 years. Action includes: short-term goals (1 year), develop action plans, execute action plans, measure outcomes, measure impact on indicators, review plan and progress and repeat.
The matrix included: what needs to be done, how will it get done, who will get it done (who leads and who participates. All involved in the community: local government, community organizations, citizens, institutions, and business.
NEXT MEETING AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Tuesday, January 15 at 3:00 p.m.
ü Mission statement
ü Potential low-hanging fruit projects
ü Local government – ideas on education and awareness (first box on the matrix)
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further presentations or business to conduct, Committee Chair Johnson declared the retreat/meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
Disclaimer: The above minutes may be approved, amended or corrected at the next committee meeting.
Cheryl Stephen, Recorder