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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConservation Commission - 07/10/2018 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CONSERVATION COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY,JULY 10, 2018 7:00 PM—CITY CENTER Prairie Room, 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS: Lori Tritz (Chair), Cindy Hoffman, Anna Anderson, Michael Bennett, Daniel Katzenberger, Kate Lohnes, Nate Pischke, Ashley Young, Lena Zakharova CITY STAFF: Senior Planner Beth Novak-Krebs, Planning Division, Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary STUDENT MEMBERS: Abhishek Aravalli, Elizabeth Arnold, Hayden Bunn, Sophia Truempi I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Tritz called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Absent were commission members Zakharova, Katzenberger, Pischke and Young. Carlee Kjeldahl, Sustainability Support Specialist for Eden Prairie,joined the meeting. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Anderson to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Anderson to approve the minutes. Motion carried 5-0. IV. REPORTS A. REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. REVIEW INVENTORY OF PRINTED MATERIAL FOR EVENTS Novak-Krebs stated City staff and Tritz reviewed the material for the commission's four focus areas to have copy-ready materials in place for events. The commission had current handouts. She displayed PDFs of the Pledge Cards, except the water pledge. Conservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2018 Page 2 Tritz urged the commission members to provide comments and edits before the next meeting, and Novak-Krebs offered to email the materials. Discussion followed on using the Dropbox feature. Tritz stated the goal was to have an event-in-a-box resource. Another goal was to become more "paperless," with paper being used to provide takeaway information to or gain a commitment from residents. Discussion followed on access to lists of engaged citizens produced at these events, to tap as a resource or to follow up on or offer a prize, and to show metrics to the City Council. Novak-Krebs replied there was a Sustainable Eden Prairie list and offered to research the possibility of using these lists. Hoffman mentioned her experience at the Basilica Block Party, in which participants in sustainable activities made a promise to follow up with action and take of picture to post as proof. Tritz replied she would love to see the Eden Prairie website used for something like this; inventorying the materials was the first step for greater engagement. Discussion followed on the possibility of also using social media with this list. Tritz asked each group to be responsible for its respective pledge card, and asked the commission as a whole to decide what its committed next steps would be for follow through (rebates, etc.). Novak-Krebs replied the takeaway for energy could be a lightbulb with additional information, following the template of the seed packets with links the commission provided at events. Lohnes observed the pledge cards will be left with City staff and the resident did not have a copy or reminder of what was signed. Bennett suggested a doubled card with one being a tear-off, and Anderson suggested a tear-off contact section. Discussion followed on the idea of a tear-off model. Anderson suggested a sign-up via Wad. Hoffman gave an example of how this would work. Anderson offered to look into Google forms. Bennet suggested having a clipboard with a general pledge with checkboxes that is signed, and having pledge cards for the residents to take home. Lohnes suggested Survey Monkey could work. Hoffman suggested a Sustainable Eden Prairie Twitter account, and Anderson suggested simply using a hashtag. Discussion followed on how hashtags worked across social media platforms. Novak-Krebs suggested having this conversation with Joyce Lorenz of the Communications Department, and Tritz agreed. Discussion followed on the format of an acknowledgement email. Novak-Krebs reminded the commission members there was no water pledge card. Tritz and Hoffman offered to meet separately regarding this. Each focus area should have panels, a handout with resources, a hands-on activity, and a pledge card and a takeaway. Anderson observed this Conservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2018 Page 3 seemed to be a lot of activity for a two-minute interaction with residents at an event, and urge the commission to set a priority. Discussion followed on suggestions for streamlining. Anderson asked for the commission's goals at each event. Novak-Krebs asked if the goal of the pledge cards was to change behavior. Discussion followed on educational goals versus behavior change versus vendor-seeking (such as at the Home and Garden Show). Anderson stated she wondered about the measurable goals of the commission. Lohnes suggested the commission's goals at each event should line up with what the City's goals are. Anderson asked if there was a statement of measurable goals for each focus area, and Novak-Krebs replied there was not, aside from the Energy Action Plan. She replied the Sustainable Eden prairie group is working on establishing measurable goals. . Anderson asked what the commission's role was in the Energy Action Plan, and Novak-Krebs replied encouraging residents to sign up for the Wind Source and Home Energy Audit, etc. She added Eden Prairie residents were quite knowledgeable on sustainability and progress was being made. Tritz noted she heard the need for education in the meetings she attended, and Lohnes stated education without a call to action represented a missed opportunity. Tritz agreed, and summarized hands-on resources for each focus area that could be emphasized over quizzes. Hoffman asked if the quizzes could be put on the website instead. Novak- Krebs suggested a"Did You Know That...?" instead of a quiz. Anderson replied the quiz was also a game, therefore interactive. Tritz noted the quiz was a way to engage residents,but was probably best with pollinators, rather than with waste which had a game. Bennett stated the important point was how to mesh these different activities/takeaways together. Discussion followed on the table configuration of the Open House. Lohnes suggested bags on recycled materials, and Bennet replied there were inexpensive bags that could be pre-printed. Novak-Krebs offered to look into this. Bennett suggested having Xcel and/or Partners In Energy to partner with the commission at the Open House and help sign up residents for the Home Energy Audit. Tritz also suggested having CUB come to read energy bills. Discussion followed on a substitute for the energy pledge card. Novak-Krebs displayed the water and pollinator quizzes. Hoffman noted the need for a quiz could vary from event to event; if a quiz was not used the point was to address the main points during the hands-on activity, or give the quiz to an adult while children engaged with the hand-on. Tritz noted she wanted to have the quiz on hand whether or not they were actually used. Hoffman agreed. Tritz stated the water pledge card and information takeaway still needed to be created. Conservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2018 Page 4 2. DISCUSS CITYWIDE OPEN HOUSE Tritz stated all four focus areas would be represented. Novak-Krebs suggested enlisting the help of the Tree Huggers group. 3. UPDATE ON SUSTAINABILITY SUPPORT SPECIALIST Carlee Kjeldahl introduced herself and summarized her role at the City. 4. NATIONAL NIGHT OUT—WIND SOURCE FLIERS Novak-Krebs asked if any commission members were attending National Night Out if they would be willing to hand out flyers on Wind Source. 5. DISCUSS CONGREGATION OUTREACH Novak-Krebs stated Elena was looking for follow up on what Young was doing, and Young was not present. Tritz stated she had attended the Pax Christi meeting. Immanuel Lutheran was working on waste and recycling and had goals for solar in the next year or two. There would be another meeting in a few weeks. Tritz added members at the meeting thought Fire Station#2 was looking weedy, and she suggested a"prairie in progress" sign to emphasize this was an intentional green space. Novak-Krebs replied the City was aware of this, and there must be a realization that prairie restoration takes time. Anderson noted there were small plaques marking native plants at the Edina Golf Course. 6. UPDATE ON SMART IRRIGATION CONTROLLERS Novak-Krebs stated that Carol Lundgren had contacted Woodbury about the irrigation controller program they have. Carol had some concerns about the program. Also, a money giveback through the Watershed District for not using over a certain amount of water would be launched next year. Tritz urged this program be combined with the [one above] for the Arbor Day event. Hoffman suggested the message emphasize Eden Prairie was following the example of other cities that have already implemented this. Discussion followed on how to communicate this. B. REPORTS FROM CHAIR Conservation Commission Minutes July 10, 2018 Page 5 Tritz asked the next steps for the Sustainable Eden Prairie curriculum, and Novak-Krebs replied Joyce Lorenz would put together a template, and Carol Lundgren and Novak-Krebs would set up a review schedule. C. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION 1. WATER GROUP UPDATE 2. WASTE GROUP UPDATE Bennett noted with China cutting off a major vendor,recycling was going to become more of an issue in the nation, making education even more crucial. Anderson suggested focusing on the top five offenders, or five or six "Do This...Not This" items, rather than on the 30 items on Bennett's list. Lohnes agreed, saying recycling could become complicated due to the diversity of material. Bennett noted the single-sort, adopted to make the process simpler, contributed to great contamination. Tritz suggested introducing the message of small ways to not produce waste in the first place. 3. LANDSCAPE/POLLINATOR GROUP UPDATE 4. ENERGY GROUP UPDATE D. REPORTS FROM STUDENTS V. OTHER BUSINESS VI. UPCOMING EVENTS VII. NEXT MEETING The next Conservation Commission meeting will be held Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 7:00 p.m. in Prairie Rooms A & B. VIII. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Bennett moved, seconded by Anderson to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:44 p.m.