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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMTG MINUTES 2017-09-20 rd MINUTES OF THE 3 REGULAR MEETING OF GREENLEAF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABILITY On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, the above meeting for the Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability of the City of Livonia was held in the West Conference Room of the Livonia Department of Public Works,12973 Farmington Road, Building 12, Livonia. Chairperson James Baringhaus opened the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Members present: James Baringhaus Elizabeth Calhoun Heather Douglas John Elkins John Grzebik Paul Sgriccia Members absent: Michael Shesterkin Also present: Jacob Rushlow, Superintendent of DPW Lori Miller, Secretary II at DPW Chris Last, Resident of Livonia 1. Presentation by Michigan DEQ Representative, Elizabeth Garver. Elizabeth Garver, Waste Minimization and Recycling Specialist for the Southeast Michigan District, from the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, was introduced by Commissioner Sgriccia. Ms. Garver works to promote and implement Governor Snyder’s Recycling Initiative by aiding municipalities, non-profit organizations and recycling businesses to help divert waste from landfills. Ms. Garver has been with the DEQ for over ten years and prior to working in recycling, spent eight years as a geologist in the solid waste program. Ms. Garver has experience in solid waste regulatory requirements, groundwater monitoring, environmental remediation and materials management. Ms. Garver gave a detailed presentation on efficiencies in recycling in the State of Michigan. The goal of the DEQ is to double the rate and convenience access to Michigan residents. Ms. Garver indicated Livonia has the highest diverted waste rates in Wayne County in terms of collected recycled materials and diverted materials, in part due to its robust leaf collection/composting program. Ms. Garver indicated the key for success in any recycling program is to make sure operations and education efforts are coordinated. Ms. Garver presented a general overview of the operations of a “MRF”, Material Recovery Facility. Ms. Garver indicated safety at recycling facilities is paramount and gave various examples of how cross-contamination occurs. Ms. Garver indicated that a great resource for any community or organization would be the Recycling Partnership. The Commission inquired if a tour of a MRF may be of benefit to its’ members in their efforts to educate the public at large. Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability rd 3 Regular Meeting of September 20, 2017 Page 2 Ms. Garver encouraged the Commission to reach out to the RRRASOC MRF located at Eight Mile and Evergreen, in the City of Southfield, one of the known facilities where recycle materials are taken by Livonia’s trash hauler. The Commission requested they be provided a full and complete copy of the contract with Livonia’s trash hauler, formerly Rizzo, now under the Green For Life company name. The Commission discussed appropriate measures to avoid cross-contamination and educational tools to get information out to residents. Ms. Garver indicated a material list cross-checked against what the MRF will accept would be a point of reference to start, followed up with meeting representatives of the MRF to help identify top issues to formulate a communication plan, launch a campaign and measure the success of recycling efforts within the community. Ms. Garver informed the Commission of a great resource of useful information and educational tools; the “Recycle Michigan Campaign.” She indicated they have free educational tools and links to educational information that could be printed and distributed, or linked to the Commission’s page on the City’s website. She indicated the Commission could use the free resources of the “Recycle Michigan Campaign” to help promote Public Space Recycling programs or Event Recycling programs throughout the community. Ms. Garver also recommended other resources to use, including the Wayne County App, the Michigan DEQ website and the DEQ guide. Further, Ms. Garver indicated a grant will soon be available within the next few months for recycle cart funding City-wide. Ms. Garver encouraged the Commission to have the City of Livonia apply for the grant funding for recycle carts in the 2018 fiscal year. 2. Michigan Sustainability Conference – Held September 14, 2017. Commissioner Douglas provided an update on the Michigan Sustainability Conference she attended on September 14, 2017. Commissioner Douglas indicated Commissioner Sgriccia was also present at the Conference which was extremely informative. General Motors had several speakers at the event and John Bradburn spoke about “Materials Marketplace”, a means to share and get rid of material that one may not be able to use. This concept creates a circular economy and included items such as home insulation and discarded clothing materials being sewn together to help keep homeless people warm during the cold weather months. Commissioner Sgriccia indicated General Motors is very aggressive in its’ “Zero Waste” marketing campaign and had many speakers at the Michigan Conference. In addition, Commissioner Sgriccia stated a representative from Meijer gave a presentation about “Sustainability – Measures to Improve” and highlighted their organization’s efforts to track refrigeration leaks compared to their competitors and efforts to decrease their footprint on the environment. Meijer’s presentation focused on setting achievable goals. Commissioner Sgriccia suggested the Commission have a brainstorming session to set goals for the future and was hopeful the Commission would look at this matter further. 3. Livonia Environmental Gathering. Chairperson Baringhaus indicated a letter was submitted by a resident to a Councilperson expressing concern for Global Warming and Climate Control and inquired if Town Hall meetings Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability rd 3 Regular Meeting of September 20, 2017 Page 3 could be organized to address and discuss these issues. Chairperson Baringhaus put together a proposal to host such Town Hall meetings and indicated it would be crucial to set the Agenda and date, invite and host speakers who are well-known in their fields, and suggested the forum could be a combination of discussion and interaction between the experts and residents. Chairperson Baringhaus suggested hosting the Town Hall meeting in one of Livonia’s LEED Certified Buildings to demonstrate to the public how effective such a building is for conserving energy. Upon a motion by Grzebik, seconded by Calhoun, it was: #06-17 RESOLVED, that Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability does hereby agree to have continued communication with the Administration to organize and host a Town Hall meeting entitled “Livonia Environmental Gathering” to discuss the broad topic of climate change, at the written suggestion of a resident, forwarded by a Councilmember to Chairperson Baringhaus. A roll call vote was taken on the foregoing resolution with the following result: AYES: Baringhaus, Calhoun, Douglas, Elkins, Grzebik, and Sgriccia. NAYS: None. The resolution was adopted unanimously. 4. Nextdoor for Public Agencies. Chairperson Baringhaus provided an update on the matter and stated it had been presented to Livonia’s Marketing Committee and was well received. The Marketing Committee indicated it would like to speak with other cities who use the application to get feedback and would follow up with a meeting with the Information Systems Department to see how it could be rolled out and implemented. Chairperson Baringhaus indicated it seems to be moving in the right direction and Commissioner Calhoun expressed she had received a notification earlier that day that the Livonia Police Department has joined Nextdoor. 5. 2018 Greenleaf Award. Chairperson Baringhaus expressed the timeline of events for the 2018 Greenleaf Award was discussed at the July meeting. Chairperson Baringhaus stated the Commission needed to make sure the Award was easy to find on the City’s webpage and the nominations could be accepted by email and other social media applications, such as Facebook. Chairperson Baringhaus indicated he would like to see a link on the City’s Home Page for the 2018 Award. Chairperson Baringhaus stated the City has done a great job consolidating the social media outlets and email blasts for those who have signed up and this is a useful tool to get information out to the residents. Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability rd 3 Regular Meeting of September 20, 2017 Page 4 6. Green City Hall Initiative. Chairperson Baringhaus indicated an outline has been provided to Mayor Wright. Chairperson Baringhaus stated he made contact with the chairperson for the Cobo Hall “Green” Committee who provided him with the history of how their Committee was formed. Chairperson Baringhaus reported members from each individual Department at Cobo Hall and representatives from all vendors were asked for their input. The Cobo Hall “Green” Committee canvassed employees for their interest to participate in the certification process. The representative from the Cobo Hall “Green” Committee suggested to Chairperson Baringhaus to have a template in place before getting validation as there are significant costs involved, approximately $3,000 per year or more, to get an organization certified. Chairperson Baringhaus indicated he will get the name of an individual to contact about the certification process and will update the plan so it can be reviewed by the Commission at the November meeting. 7. New Business. Holiday Parade Commissioner Grzebik indicated a Holiday Parade will be part of the City’s Tree Lighting Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, December 3, 2017, and had received confirmation from the Community Resources Department. Commissioner Grzebik indicated the recent Corn Roast was a great event and had worked with Friday Musings to get incredible community involvement at the event. Chairperson Baringhaus stated the Commission had a table set up at the Corn Roast to provide information and samples of good and bad recycle bins. Residents expressed to Chairperson Baringhaus concern about bi-fuel vehicles not being approved at recent Council meetings and young residents expressed great concern about the environment in general. Simple Recycling Secretary Calhoun inquired if DPW had made contact with Simple Recycling. At the May meeting it had been discussed and at that time Director Rohraff indicated he knew someone within that organization and would place a phone call to gather further information. Secretary Calhoun explained the recycling of household materials is free and other communities such as Canton already participate. 8. Approval of Minutes. On a motion by Douglas, seconded by Grzebik, the Minutes of the July 19, 2017 meeting were approved unanimously. On a motion by Grzebik, seconded by Elkins, and unanimously adopted, the meeting of September 20, 2017, was adjourned at 8:49 p.m. Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability rd 3 Regular Meeting of September 20, 2017 Page 5 Next Meeting – November 15, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. West Conference Room, DPW Administration Office JAMES BARINGHAUS, CHAIRPERSON GREENLEAF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABILITY