Agendas and Minutes

Conservation and Climate Outreach Committee (View All)

Conservation Commission Monthly Meeting 09/24/08

Agenda
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

ASHLAND CONSERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES

7 p.m. – September 24, 2008

Community Development Center

 

 

 

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Chapman at 7:00 pm.

 

Attendees:

Risa Buck, Russ Chapman, Stuart Corns, Ross Finney, Tracy Harding, Jim Hartman and Jim McGinnis were present. 

 

City Council member and Chair: Dave Chapman

Staff representative: Robbin Pearce

 

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Commissioner Buck corrected the Ashland Sanitary did a zero waste presentation not a Earth Day presentation.

 

Chairperson Chapman moved to approve the minutes without objection.

 

Voice Vote: All Ayes.  The motion passed with a unanimous vote.

 

 

PUBLIC FORUM

Hultz Hutchinson was present and Shelley Lotz (applicant for Commission) was present.

 

Becky Brown, 2023 Siskiyou spoke to the Commission regarding a non profit car sharing service organization

 forming in the City of Ashland.  She explained how other similar organizations have successfully developed and worked within other cities/states. 

 

 

ASHLAND SANITARY & RECYCLING UPDATE

http://www.ashlandsanitary.com/

 

Commissioner Buck updated the Commission for the month.

 

Latex Paint Collection

            152 customers dropped off 2/3rds of a 25 yard box.

 

Leaf Bag Program

2nd year Ashland Sanitary will partner with the City of Ashland to help citizens receive a reduction in costs for bags to collect leaves and keep them out of the landfill and storm drains.

 

Talent Harvest Festival

            Made important steps in making less garbage, Master recyclers

            helped, looking forward to consistent improvements for the coming

            years.

 

Hazardous Waste Collection

            October 4th in Grants Pass, homeowners may drop off for free,

            businesses would need to contact  Ashland Sanitary for more

            information.

 

Battery Recycling Program

            Ashland Sanitary is starting an in house pilot battery recycling

            program with a company called Thinkgreen.com to see how well the

            program functions.

 

Next meeting we will be showing a recycling video made by Nick Stevens an SOU graduate.

 

Plastic Bag and Shrink Wrap Collection

            Going well at the recycle center.

 

 

Commercial Compost Program

            There are now 30 participants; our next goal is a total of 40.

 

E-Waste Collection

            Started in June—July collection was 9,603 pounds, August was 8,246

            pounds

 

Home Depoe Florescent Light Recycling

            Trying to research where the light tubes actually end up.

 

Compost Classes

Last class is this Saturday.  Assisting Denny is Chairperson

 Chapman and I would like to mention that we authorize a gift card to

Denny Morelli for such a great job facilitating and teaching the

compost classes.

 

Southern Oregon Plastics Roundup Event

There will be an insert with the billing this month.

September 12-13 from 8am - 4pm

 

North Mountain Park

            Would like to request that the Conservation Commission donate a

            compost bin to use at the park for all their zero waste demonstration

            events.

 

Commissioner Hartman made a motion that the Commission donate a compost bin to the North Mountain  Park for their demonstration events.  Commissioner Harding seconded the motion.

 

Voice Vote: All Ayes.  The motion passed with a unanimous vote.

 

ClearMax Program Update

Commissioner Buck met with Adam Hanks and sent to Counselor 

Chapman the proposal for ClearMax, who  in turn forwarded the

information to the other Councilors.  Adam Hanks reported the 

request would need to go to the Planning Commission who review how

to use public right away. 

 

Educational Marketing

Commissioner Buck is working in collaboration with Department of Environmental Quality, still a work in process.

 

 

OLD BUSINESS

Car Free Day Report

     Commissioner Hartman gave a brief recap of the event.  He

     mentioned around 40 people talked  with Commission members

     and he thought a bigger space for kids was needed.  Different

 

     Commissioners remarked about their experience of the event. 

     Commissioner McGinnis suggested the Conservation “Board”

     include a space for the Commission goals and meeting

     dates/times. 

    

      Commissioner Harding thanked all the members for supporting

      Car Free Day and helping with the event.

 

Conservation Commission Name Change/Charter

     Commissioner McGinnis did research on a number of

     Sustainability Commissions across the Country, but he looked at

     the ones closest in size to Ashland. They include all or some

     aspects of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.  He

     explained that he viewed sustainability as a physical environment

     and everyone subject to the earth we live on and within that we

     have a society that is contained and interacts with our

    environment. Within the social environment is an economic

    environment. He feels this is a good opportunity for this

    Commission to focus itself onto some of these other energy issues

    like renewable energy and/or transportation.

  

    This Commission members discussed their Charter to see if any

    additions were needed.

 

    They decided to put on the agenda for the November/December

     meeting.  Chairperson Chapman asked if Dick could write few

     sentences explaining the goals in the Charter.

 

    Commissioner McGinnis asked if Mary could research minutes for

    documentation that would explain intent of the goals.

 

Sub Committee Reports

     Green Business

        Robbin reported:

           1) The final reports of the original 14 businesses are in

                process

           2) The photos to post on the web site is also in process

           3)  Working on postcards with the logo.

           4)  Green Drinks is this Friday at Standing Stone

           5)  Last walk through were the YMCA, Dagoba and Parks

                Department

 

  This concludes the list of participants for 2008.

 

           Fourth of July Committee

  Commissioner McGinnis is planning a follow up meeting in October

   to the event and also brain storm for next year’s event.              

 

Plastic Bag/Non-Petroleum Dinnerware Committee

    In communicating with the different business, they generally feel if

     something is passed  they will comply.  As of today, there is not a

     city within the State of Oregon that has a passed ordinance to ban

    plastic bags.  Shop and Kart says when their plastic bags are

    done, they will no longer use them.

1)     Ban plastic bags city wide

2)     Charge .10 - .25 cents at the end of checkout

3)     Raise awareness through awareness

4)     Sell durable bags with retail

5)     Require all bags paper or plastic to contain virgin materials

6)     Ask if you would like a bag

 

 

 

Shoppers in the US consume 100 billion plastic bags annually, and energy equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil. 

 

The Commission discussed different options and different programs that could be implemented and decided to draft a letter that the Conservation Commission could support to send to the City Council. 

 

       Education Committee

           Tracy Harding visited the John Muir School providing a huge

           recycle bin.  Also she made a  brochure for them and the

           Willow Wind School.  They are working on becoming a “green

            school”.

 

       Cities for Climate Protection Committee

            Commissioner McGinnis reported they have been meeting on

            a regular basis, added Brad carrier to their team.  Talked

            about holding some public forum in a world café format, to

            collect information, along with city input.

 

            Robbin Pearce reported Larry had received a proposal to be

            host for a spotlight conversation and needs to submit a

           proposal to participate.   The University of Oregon

           has a program that is proposing to replace the ICELI process.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

Leaf Recycle Paper Bag Co-Sponsor

Commissioner Buck described the program between Ashland

Sanitary and the City of Ashland. If more than  50 people participate

in the program; the City would like to know if the Conservation

Commission will help subsidize?  The cap on the bill to the 

Commission would be $500.00.

 

Commissioner Chapman made a motion to allocate up to $500.00 to

subsidize the Leaf/Bag program over  and above the first 50

participants that Public Works is subsidizing.  The motion was

seconded by  Commissioner Harding.

 

Voice Vote: All Ayes.  The motion passed with a

unanimous vote.

 

Commissioner Harding made a motion to pay Denny Morely with a

gift card to the Grange Coop in the  amount of $150.00 for facilitating

the Compost Classes.  The motion was seconded by Commissioner

 Hartman.

 

Voice Vote: All Ayes.  The motion passed with a

unanimous vote.

 

 

 

ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA

Salmon Festival

Budget review for next meeting.

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The next meeting is September 24, 2008.

 

ADJOURNMENT

            Meeting adjourned after 9:10pm

 

 

 

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Community Development office at 541-488-5305 (TTY phone number is 1-800-735-2900).  Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title1).

 


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