HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2013_01_10Sustainability Council
January 10, 2013
A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at
Brookings City & County Government Center with the following members present: Brooke
Sydow, Norma Nusz Chandler, Donna Hess, Bob McGrath, Jane Hegland, Paul Peterson and
Betty Beer. Absent: Arika Sanders and Ryan Carda. Others present included: Penny Hauffe
from Habitat ReStore, Linda Wilson from Dakota Rural Action, Gary Anderson from SDSU
Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Committee, Todd Langland from the Solid Waste
Department, Shari Thornes and Laurie Carruthers.
Carruthers called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. New member Betty Beer introduced herself
and the Sustainability Council made introductions. A motion was made by Hess, seconded by
Nusz Chandler to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried. A motion was
made by Sydow, seconded by Hess, to approve the November 15, 2012 minutes. All present
voted yes; motion carried.
Nominating Committee Report and Election of Officers. Hess reported the nominations for
Nusz Chandler as Chair and Sydow as Vice-Chair were made and each candidate accepted the
nomination. A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Hegland to close nominations and
appoint Nusz Chandler as Chair and Sydow as Vice-Chair. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Meeting Schedule: Next meeting will be Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 8:30 a.m.
Landfill Recycling Cart Flyer. Todd Langland, Director of the Solid Waste Department,
propositioned the Sustainability Council to collaborate on the release of recycling carts to
Brookings residents. The carts will be delivered on February 27 and will be distributed
beginning March 1 for the next 4 weeks. He requested the Council's assistance in creating an
educational flyer advising the residents what can be put into the recycling container, the
holiday schedule, and the route schedule. If the Council will design the flyer, the Solid Waste
Department will pay for printing. The flyer needs to be approximately 8 1/2 X 11, doubled-
sided and waterproof. The Council would gather the information and work with a designer to
create a flyer.
2012 Annual Report. Hess and McGrath presented the annual report. Revisions were made by
Hess and Carruthers. A motion was made by McGrath to approve the revised report, seconded
by Hess. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Increasing Membership Size Discussion. The Sustainability Council discussed the size of the
current Council and expanding it. The benefits to expanding included more hands on projects,
and members could serve on one sub-committee rather than on multiple. ACTION - Members
agreed to review the current member backgrounds and make any recommendations for areas
of need. The Chair would meet with the Mayor to discuss projects and recommendations. A
motion was made by McGrath to expand to 11 members, seconded by Beer. All present voted
yes; motion carried.
Brookings Sustainability Indicators. Nusz Chandler advised the indicators would be populated
throughout the spring semester with the help of a support person and a class project. Data will
be available to compare to at that time. Steps will be made to obtain the information online,
then meet in person if needed. ACTION - Nusz Chandler and McGrath will introduce the
project to the City directors on January 23. Nusz Chandler and McGrath will then meet to
discuss the County involvement.
Beer made a motion to reconsider Oberlin, Ohio as a comparable city. She visits Oberlin twice a
year and has many contacts there. It is a rural town & gown with a population of 8,210. The
Council discussed the reasons it was not included was the population, and it was not located in
the Midwest. Beer withdrew her motion.
Earth Day Updates. Hegland, Sydow and Hess volunteered to be on the Earth Day sub-
committee. Hegland reported that SDSU is working on a contract with speaker Lisa Taylor.
Taylor works for a non-profit that teaches children about nutrition and economic development
through gardening. Linda Wilson from Dakota Rural Action and Penny Hauffe from Habitat
ReStore are working on an Earth Day event on Saturday, April 20 at the Habitat ReStore. They
would like to collaborate on promotions on Earth Day events. Gary Anderson from the SDSU
Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Committee advised that their committee had not
had a chance to meet yet, but would like to participate in the Earth Day activities. The event
was currently scheduled for Monday, April 22. The Council discussed moving the date to Friday,
April 19 or Sunday, April 21. Thornes and Carruthers would check the availability for McCrory
Gardens Education and Visitor Center and advise the Council. ACTION – The sub-committee
will meet to discuss details and report back to the Council.
Plain Green Update. Hegland advised the 6th Annual Plain Green conference will be September
13, 2013. The Council discussed possible speaker support. Hegland requested any speaker
preferences be provided to her.
Public Education Initiative Update. Mike Lockrem, Director of SDSU’s Marketing and
Communications Department will be assisting with the ad campaign. ACTION - Thornes and
Carruthers will meet with Lockrem and his staff on Tuesday, January 15 and report back to
the Council.
Beer made a suggestion about electric car charging stations along the I-29 corridor as this is a
well traveled area and there is nowhere to charge an electric car. She advised Normal, Illinois
had plug-ins throughout the town. ACTION - Beer and Peterson will research the topic for
discussion at the next meeting.
Announcements Correspondence/Communications/Calendar
• April 22 – Earth Day – Green Fest date may change
• Membership: Members’ terms were staggered with one, two and three terms when the
Council was created on September 15, 2011. Terms for Beer, Hess and Sanders expire on
12/31/13. All are eligible for a full three year term.
• Financial Report: Thornes reported there was an unexpected fee for Green Fest 2012 from
McCrory Gardens Education & Visitor Center that will be paid out of 2012 funds.
Draft February Agenda: Recycling cart flyer, Brookings Sustainability Indicator Project, Earth
Day, Plain Green, public education campaign, electric car charging stations, year-to-date
financials.
Meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers