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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2012_10_25 Sustainability Council October 25, 2012 A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Ryan Carda, Brooke Sydow, Norma Nusz Chandler, Donna Hess, Bob McGrath and Jane Hegland. Absent: Arika Sanders, Justin Fjeldos and Paul Peterson. Shari Thornes was also present. Carda called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Sydow, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was made by Hegland, seconded by Nusz Chandler, to approve the September 20, 2012 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Next meeting: Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 4 p.m. Brookings Sustainability Indicators Review/Update from Sub-Chair Committee Heads The Council discussed means of measurement and made the following changes to the draft indicators. Final action is scheduled in November. Draft Brookings Sustainable Indicators Principle Theme Indicator Regional Economy Economic Growth Growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capital - Growth in per capita GDP from previous year. Regional Economy Economic Growth Net Job Growth - Percent change in total employees Regional Economy Economic Growth Unemployment Rate - Percent of residents who are unemployed Regional Economy Economic Resiliency Economic Section Diversity - Index measuring diversity of the MSA economy through employment by sector Regional Economy Economic Resiliency Poverty - Percent of city residents living in poverty Regional Economy Economic Resiliency Gender Wage Gap - Female earnings as a percentage of male earnings for full-time, year-round workers Regional Economy Municipal Finance Debt Burden per Capita - Outstanding municipal debt per capita Regional Economy Municipal Finance Interest Rate on Municipal bonds - True Interest Cost (TIC) on general obligation (GO) bonds issued by the City of Brooking in a fiscal year Smart Energy Energy Affordability Energy Assistance - Percentage of households applying for energy assistance in the form of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Smart Energy Energy Utilization Household Energy Use - Residential energy use per household per year. Smart Energy Municipal Energy Three highest categories in city expense budget excluding payroll Smart Energy Municipal Energy Renewable Energy Use - Percent of municipal energy use derived from renewable sources Smart Energy Municipal Energy Energy Savings - Energy savings, measured in dollars, from demand reduction and energy efficiency projects in municipal buildings. Smart Resource Use Water Use Total Water Consumption - Residential water consumption per household Smart Resource Use Water Use Groundwater Conservation - Net water withdrawal from local groundwater sources Smart Resource Use Waste & Recycling Trash/Refuse Generation - Average weekly total pounds of solid discards produced per household Smart Resource Use Waste & Recycling Sustainable Materials Management - Percent of city curbside discards diverted to beneficial use instead of landfilling Smart Resource Use Waste & Recycling Building Material Reuse & Recycling - Percent of building and construction material reused or recycled from local deconstruction projects Smart Resource Use Waste & Recycling Hazardous Materials - Percent of residents participating in small business & household hazardous waste disposal Community Design Access To Accessibility Complete Streets - Ratio of miles of sidewalks and bike paths to miles of roads Community Design Access To Accessibility Mixed Use - Average land-use mix factor Community Design Access To Accessibility Quantity of open space - Percent of city that is open space (including parks, schoolyards, and woodlands Community Design Access To Accessibility Access to Open Space - Percent of households within walking distance (1/4 mile) of public open space (including parks and public schoolyards.) Community Design Heritage Historic Preservation - Number of buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places Community Design Smart Development Urban Density - Residents per acre of developed land Green Buildings Efficiency Buildings Green Standards - percent of non-residential buildings that meet Energy Star or LEED standards Green Buildings Efficiency Buildings Percent of residential with geothermal, solar, etc. Green Buildings Efficiency Buildings Percent of new buildings with geothermal, solar, etc. Green Buildings Housing Affordability Affordable Housing - Percent of households living affordable housing Green Buildings Safe and Healthy Buildings Safe Housing - Percent of rental housing inspections that result in housing code violations Healthy Local Food Accessibility Proximity to health foods – percent of residents with low access (more than one mile) to a supermarket or large grocery store in a food desert Healthy Local Food Accessibility Number of food producing greenhouses Healthy Local Food Local Food Community Gardens - Square footage of community and school gardens Healthy Local Food Local Food Farmers Market Attendance - Annual estimated attendees at Brooking's farmers market/produce stands Healthy Local Food Local Food Dollar value of local foods purchased by local institutions Healthy Local Food Healthy Food Healthy Diets - Percent of adults in the county who eat an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables Healthy Local Food Healthy Food Obesity - Percent of adults in the county who are obese Community Knowledge Sense of Place Volunteerism - Volunteer hours precipitate for city initiatives and national service programs Community Knowledge Sense of Place Voter Participation - Voter participation in general elections Community Knowledge Education Education Level: % of high school graduates, % of college graduates, % of upper lever graduates Community Knowledge Education 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency - Percent of 3rd grade students who meet or exceed proficiency standards Community Knowledge Eco-Literacy Sustainability Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior - Percent of residents who are aware of sustainability and have made specific behavioral changes to contribute to sustainability Community Knowledge Sense of Community Number of Church members, number of service club members, and number of clubs Community Knowledge Sense of Community Arts & Cultural festivals or events Reasonable Mobility Affordability True Housing Affordability - Percent of residents paying over 45% of their income on housing and transportation costs Reasonable Mobility Affordability Percent of employer who pays wages at or below poverty level Reasonable Mobility Net Pollution Vehicle Miles Traveled - Average annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita Reasonable Mobility Modal Diversity Walkable Neighborhoods - "Walk Score" derived from the Street Smart Walk Score index Reasonable Mobility Modal Diversity Public Transit Ridership - Number of public transit passenger trips per 1,000 residents Reasonable Mobility Safety Safe Travel Network - Number of collisions on the transportation network per 1,000 residents Healthy Air Outdoor Air Quality EPA Air Quality Index - Percent of monitored days with "Good" air quality Healthy Air Indoor Air Quality Household Radon - Percent of homes tested for radon above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) Healthy Air Air and Human Health Asthma - Annual emergency department (ED) visits for asthma (%/capita) Healthy Air Local Contribution to Climate Change Carbon Dioxide Emissions - Annual carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions in tons Healthy Air Reducing Net Pollution Clean Fleet - Percent of municipal vehicles meeting efficiency standards Clean Water River, Stream, & Watershed Quality Bacterial Concentration - Highest assessed average Escherichia coli (e. coli) concentration within Brookings (colonies per 100 mL of water) Clean Water River, Stream, & Watershed Quality Impaired Stream Segments - miles of impaired streams as a percent of EPA-assessed miles within the county Clean Water River, Stream, & Watershed Quality Chloride Concentration - Highest average chloride concentration in city surface waters (mg/L) Clean Water Groundwater & Drinking Water Quality Drinking Water Contamination - Number of EPA health- based, public drinking water violations from local ground or surface water sources Clean Water Sewer Management Wastewater Discharged - Gallons of wastewater discharged from sanitary sewer overflows Native Plants & Animals Ecological System Health Urban Forest - Diversity of tree species Native Plants & Animals Ecological System Health Municipal Chemical Use - Municipal use of fertilizers, pesticide, herbicide and fungicide in pounds (lbs./ac) Native Plants & Animals Ecological System Health Bird Count - Annual local bird counts Native Plants & Animals Native Lands Prairie and Wetlands - Acres of established and restored prairies and wetlands (percentage) The Council is considering the following comparison communities: Aberdeen, SD; Ames, IA; Dubuque, IA; Grand Forks, ND; Grand Island, NE; LaCrosse, WI; Laramie, WY; Mankato, MN; Normal, IL; Oberlin, OH; Pierre, SD; and St. Cloud, MN. Comparison traits include populations, percentage of college students, manufacturing community, density, sustainability interest, and ag based. Final selection will be made in November. (Carda left at 9:30 a.m. Hegland took over at chair) Report on Growing Sustainable Communities Conference. Nusz Chandler reported on the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference she attended in Dubuque, IA on October 2-3, 2012. Overall, the conference was good. She gained further best practices examples on measuring, promoting, and educating about sustainability. Public Education Update. The Council is developing a public education photo shoots of Brookings leaders promoting various sustainability initiatives. The ads will be used on websites, social media, email and other free venues. The Council reviewed a brainstorming list of individuals and “tag lines” from the last meeting regarding the public education promotion: Mayor Reed-one bulb, BATA-one busload, Moriarty-one apple, Coach Nagy-one pair of shoes, HyVee Manager-one reusable grocery bag, Allyn Frerichs-hug a tree, Historic Preservation Commission members-hug a building, Todd Langland (landfill)-one stream (single stream recycling), Farmer’s Market – Gilkersons, Jim Morgan (Daktronics)-one diode at a time, President Chicoine-one bike, Student’s Association-one bike path, Brookings Municipal Utilities, McCrory Gardens, Children’s Museum, and Manufacturing plants. Mayor Reed has agreed to participate in the photo shoot and will promote CFL light bulbs. President Chicoine has also agreed and will promote biking. The Council decided to focus on these two photos this year and will contact other participants next year. President Chicoine has asked that the Council use Michael L. Lockrem, Director of Marketing & Communications at South Dakota State University, for his photo shoot. The Council will inquire if SDSU would be willing to sponsor the other photos. Earth Day 2013 Event Discussion. The Council will partner with the SDSU Sustainability Council in Earth Day, April 22, 2013 events in the McCrory Gardens Visitor Center. A subcommittee needs to be created to work on this project. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Nusz Chandler, to expend up to $1000 to co-sponsor Lisa Taylor, speaker on Urban Gardening, for the event. Discussion: Hegland and Thornes will prepare contract for execution yet this year. All present voted yes; motion carried. Plain Green 2013 potential sponsorship. The Plain Green organizers will host another event next year on September 13, 2013. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Sydow, to cosponsor a speaker at the 2013 Plain Green conference conditioned on one speaker giving a lecture in Brookings. All present voted yes; motion carried. Announcements Correspondence/Communications/Calendar • December 6 – Mayor’s Holiday Party, McCrory Gardens Visitor Center, 5-7 pm • April 22 – Earth Day Draft November agenda: Brookings Sustainability Indicators - Approval of Indicators & Action plan for distribution, Public Education Update, Appoint Nominating Committee, Appoint Annual Report Subcommittee Meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m. Submitted by Shari Thornes