Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainability Commission - 12/12/2023APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2023 7:00 P.M. Heritage Rooms 1&2 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Aaron Poock (Chair), Laura Bishop, Tim Conners, Gretchen Enninga, Cindy Hoffman, Moussa Ousmane, Carolyn Wieland, Michelle Frost, Jim Nehl STUDENT MEMBERS: Rylee Brazil, Sophie Cain, Lucy Dowdal-Osborn, Alyssa Ehler, Lalitha Gunturi, Roshan Gurumurthy, Isaac Hepper, Sabreen Khanikar, Pranav Narayanan, Kate Ropchak, Lilli Timpe, Keerti Tumu CITY STAFF: Jennifer Fierce, Sustainability Coordinator, Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Poock called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Absent was commission member Bishop and student representatives Brazil and Khanikar. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS MOTION: Wieland moved, seconded by Nehl to approve the agenda. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 14 MEETING MOTION: Nehl moved, seconded by Hoffman to approve the minutes from the November 14, 2023 meeting. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. Commissioners Enninga and Conners abstained. IV. REPORTS A. REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. 2024 WORK PLAN Fierce displayed a PowerPoint and summarized the new items in the Work Plan. They included: Sustainability Commission Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 2 1.3 EV Smart City Certification 1.4 Commercial Energy Squad 2.2 Common household fixes training 2.3 Household Hazardous Waste drop off 2.7 Textile recycling drop off or promotion 3.2 Promote eye on water app for water conservation 4.6 Case study of Sustainability Eden Prairie Award winners Fierce noted the final list did not include bag fees to reduce plastic bags. Fierce stated the extensive time and effort to implement that policy was not proportional to their limited environmental impact, and bag fees have a disproportionate effect on those with lower incomes. She estimated she had received 250-300 emails and calls from the public regarding the change in organics recycling billing. Franchise fees for a climate fund were another suggestion at the last meeting. Fierce noted the city last went through the process to increase them in January 2023, and they are used so Eden Prairie residents do not have to pay assessments for street maintenance. She stated there is no interest in revisiting that fee for other uses at this time. Enninga suggested promoting more tree-lined streets and asked if they were allowed and where they could be located. She suggested having resident tree-planting events and a tree-buying service. Fierce stated the public right-of-way cannot have any trees due to utilities, but residents were free to plant trees in their front yards. Conners stated the city already supported buying trees. Nehl stated there was a forestry plan for Eden Prairie, put together by a consultant which laid out best practices. This focused on City property, but the Wild Ones could also be a resource for this. Also, the high school had the environmental club. There was an opportunity to rid Eden Prairie’s parks of buckthorn and replace them with trees. Conners stated the Friends of Eden Prairie were removing the buckthorn. He suggested involving the youth in this endeavor. Poock suggested getting a definition of the right-of-way. Discussion followed on the possible dimensions of the right-of-way. Enninga stated other cities had boulevard trees and asked what it would take to find out how this could be implemented in Eden Prairie. Fierce stated the carbon sequestration and shade benefits of increased tree canopy could be included in the Work Plan in some capacity but would also require input from the Natural Resources department. Connor stated getting residents to put solar panels on their roofs could have more impact, whereas trees shaded roofs and yards. Sustainability Commission Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 3 Frost noted the impact of natural gas on the city’s climate goals and asked what had been suggested to address this. Fierce reminded her the Electrify Everything MN program would be continuing and is specifically made to address fuel switching. She stated she would tweak the Work Plan with these final changes and distribute it to the commission. 2. ELECTRIFY EVERYTHING OUTREACH YEAR END SUMMARY Fierce stated there had been 865 total conversations about electrification across Eden Prairie, Edina, St. Louis Park, and Minneapolis. There had been over 7,400 website visits, 244 newsletter signups, and 35,000 social media impressions (the largest being Tik Tok). She displayed a photo of the heat pump costume. The EV Showcase was the most successful event for tabling in the program. The two workshops in Eden Prairie drew 46 people. The energy advisor service drew four people. None of the federal rebates were currently available but should go live in 2024, hopefully increasing interest. Hoffman suggested bringing these up at the Arbor Day event. Conners agreed the commission should promote the rebates when they became available. Lessons Learned from Year 1: • Overall interest tended to be highest with those environmentally motivated, white, older, well-off homeowners. • There was a wide range of knowledge levels. • Most conversations were about rebates/IRA legislation, insulation, Air Source Heat Pumps, or Heat Pump Water Heaters. • Complexity of home electrification meant a lot of specific questions, and then the energy advisors could advise. Frost asked where the touch points were for renters in multifamily buildings and Fierce replied staff had been thinking about conversations with building owners. Conners stated some cities published energy requirements for renters with the idea that these would be the more attractive rental units. Fierce noted the sustainable building standard for Eden Prairie had been passed, which would help with efficiency in new construction. The larger problems would be retrofitting existing multifamily buildings. Enninga suggested stressing the cost effectiveness of the electrify everything movement as an engagement approach for the public. Fierce Sustainability Commission Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 4 stated there can be cost savings in switching to a heat pump under the right conditions. Most people use natural gas for heating, which is not as simple a switch as LED light retrofits. Heating systems required a specific analysis of the owner’s home, sizing, insulation, etc. Also, residents would need a backup heating source due to Minnesota’s cold climate. Nehl suggested an easier transition may be to heat pump dryers and water heaters. Poock agreed, and added the air source heat pumps can be the victim of bad information on the internet claiming they do not work in cold climates. Fierce said the best course of action was to let people choose their pathways based on their priorities and needs. Everyone is in a different place information and capability-wise. Enninga stressed branding, specifically targeting people with health concerns to remove natural gas, and Fierce mentioned one of the pathways for EEMN is for those concerned with the home health impacts of natural gas. Hoffman suggested utilizing the Eden Prairie Moms Facebook page. [Wieland left at 7:45 p.m.] B. REPORTS FROM CHAIR Poock thanked Michelle and Carolyn for starting the organization of the students groups. Poock would be arriving at 6:30 p.m. before each meeting to meeting with students. C. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION Hoffman stated she read an article last week in Eden Prairie Local News regarding upcycling. Conners announced the Eco Expo would be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024. Discussion followed on having the EV showcase there as well. Poock announced Arbor Day would be held April 26 which may cause a conflict with schedules being the week after the Eco Expo. D. REPORTS FROM STUDENTS Dowdal-Osborn stated she and Lilli Timpe investigated and did not see waste buckets in the school cafeteria for food recycling. There were trash and materials recycling bins but nothing for food. Sustainability Commission Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 5 Timpe stated she had spoken with an Eden Prairie resident who was collecting and recycling plastic bags at the City Hall and at the Community Center. She had secured a grant to put a bench in Eden Prairie. V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. UPCOMING EVENTS VII. NEXT MEETING The next Sustainability Commission meeting will be held Tuesday, January 9, 2024, in the Heritage Rooms 1&2. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Enninga moved, seconded by Frost to adjourn the meeting. MOTION CARRIED 8-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m.