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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainability Commission - 06/09/2026Approved Meeting Minutes Eden Prairie Sustainability Commission 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, 2026 City Center – Prairie Room 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES Commission Members: Aaron Poock (Chair), Cindy Hoffman (Vice Chair), Tim Conners, Michelle Frost, Daniel Hendrickson, Alexis Junker, Heike Peters, Moussa Ousmane, Carolyn Wieland City Staff: Jennifer Fierce - Sustainability Coordinator, Kristin Harley – Recording Secretary MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order Chair Poock called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Commission members Conners, Hoffman, Junker, and Frost were absent. II. Approval of Agenda and Other Items of Business MOTION: Conners moved, seconded by Hendrickson, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. Minutes A. Sustainability Commission meeting held Tuesday, May 12, 2026 MOTION: Peters moved, seconded by Ousmane, to approve the minutes of the Sustainability Commission Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Motion carried 5-0. IV. Reports A. Reports from Staff 1. Eden Prairie Sustainability Awards Discussion SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES June 9, 2026 Fierce displayed a PowerPoint and summarized the statistics since 2017 (the inception of the awards). The four award categories have been energy, water, waste, and landscape. Nominations were due in fall, winners were selected in October, and the presentation by the student representatives would be in October or November. There is a reception after the awards. Fierce displayed discussion points from the October 14, 2025 Sustainability Commission meeting: the City posted information regarding nominations from the public, but many residents seemed to be unaware of the awards. There was also a possibility of reviewing the timing/length of the nomination period. The student representatives had suggested the commission members and/or student representatives could research nominees. There was a question as to how to better promote winners and follow up on the award winners. There was also a question of considering a “showcase” versus giving an award. Fierce stated Conners and Frost had let her know they favored keeping some kind of award. Fierce asked for feedback; the commission members could revise this program as they wished. Discussion followed on the discussion points. The commission members decided the program would remain an awards program, with greater involvement of the student representatives. Poock suggested a range of two to four awards instead of a hard number of awards every year. Poock suggested having nominations begin in September with the assistance of the student representatives, with the presentation being moved to December. The City paid for one page in Life on the Prairie. Poock suggested highlighting the winners here was better outreach than a mailer, et cetera. Fierce stated the City Council calendar might prohibit holding the ceremony in December and suggested the second meeting in April as an alternative (which was closer to Earth Day and after Spring Break), with nominations beginning earlier in the year. Nominations would be reviewed in March. She agreed with the number range concept (up to three awards). The student representatives would continue to present the awards. The cake could be replaced with cookies and bars, with sustainable flatware. 2. Eden Prairie Climate Action Plan Update/Adaptation Plan Fierce displayed a PowerPoint and explained the timeline of the update of the Climate Action Plan. June through September 2026 the existing plans, programs and data, et cetera would be reviewed, vulnerabilities assessed, greenhouse gas SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES June 9, 2026 (GHG) data analyzed, goals developed and a report of existing conditions generated. September 2026 through January 2027, GHG reduction scenarios would be forecasted, and strategies and an implementation plan for resilience, adaption, and GHG reduction would be identified. October 2026 through May 2027, pop-up events in coordination with the Comprehensive Plan update would be held, and there would be a web-based survey. February through May 2027, the draft plan would be developed, reviewed (including by this commission) and revised, and finalized for presentation to the City Council. LHB was the consultant assisting with this effort. B. Reports from Commissioners Wieland announced the Hennepin County sports equipment swap would be held Tuesday, June 16 at the Plymouth Community Center from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. She offered to take any donations the commission members had. Hendrickson stated the pollinator and native grasses garden he planted last fall was doing well. V. Upcoming Events A. Electrify Everything Workshops – June 9 & 17, 2026. 6:30 PM - via Zoom VI. Next Meeting A. Tuesday, July 14, 2026 VII. Adjournment MOTION: Wieland moved, seconded by Hendrickson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Poock adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.