Mountain Lakes Green Team Meeting Minutes

January 21, 2010

Attendance:  B. Lewis, N. Wright, M. Rosseland, D. Fewell and J. Bay

Team members have begun to research submission requirements behind selected Sustainable Jersey tasks.  The researched tasks were those that have been deemed fairly easily achievable based upon previous work.   The objective is to achieve 150 points by September 2010. 

The following list details a potential 130 points and there is certain to be other low-hanging fruit.

Research was conducted on sustainablejersey.com, the official program site.  Findings were as follows:

Create Green Team                                    10 pts

• Submit the municipal resolution in which the municipality commits to the Sustainable Jersey program
• Provide list of team members
• Demonstrate that the team is active

Action:  Write up meeting minutes and work with Andy Bulfer to place on Borough website

Timing:  By next meeting

Point person:  Jackie

Natural Resources Inventory                  20 pts

• Submit finished document
• Submit documentation that municipality has adopted a policy to regularly update NRI

Action:  EC is currently working on the NRI; when it is presented to BC, we can handle the updating policy

Timing:  June 2010

Point person:  Jackie

Environmental Commission                                           10 pts

• Submit copy of ordinance that established the Commission
• Submit copy of Annual Accomplishments Report

Action:  Search ordinance database; contact EC for copy of their Report

Timing:  By next meeting

Point person:  Jackie

Municipal Carbon Footprint                                            10 pts

• Submit spreadsheet file with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for 3 greenhouse gases from local operations

Action:  Download worksheet and complete it

Timing:  By next meeting

Point person:  Nicole

Green Challenges & Community Programs               10 pts

• Submit documentation showing that 2.5% of Community residents have signed a pledge that they will change their behavior
• Submit samples of educational outreach pieces and/or media accounts
• May conduct maximum of 2 challenges

Action:  Potential participants were discussed:  Garden Club behind a “Plant Native” pledge; DPW behind a “Compost vs. Hire a Landscaper” pledge.  New idea:  “Actually recycle in the schools vs. co-mingling trash”.  Sources of the challenge:  Jr. Nature Club, Mary Wallace and/or Robin Anderson about potential 6^th and 7^th grade involvement.

Timing:  To be determined if we want to pursue this

Point person:  Dave

Community Education and Outreach                           10 pts

• Submit outreach materials documenting a community film, workshop or lecture event
• Identify partners, costs, areas for improvement and next steps

Action:  Work with Marnie to submit LWV Green Café events

Timing:  By March meeting

Point person:  Mary

NOTE:  We had talked about activities that could go against a “School Programs & Partnerships” Action; however, the new brochure no longer lists that possibility.  The website is slated to be updated by January 29 and we can only assume that this category will go away.  Question:  how can we get credit for the Environmental Club’s stream study, the proposed school garden and the biodiversity tree planting project? 

Action:  Investigate areas where these projects can fit on the NEW website in February

Timing:  By next meeting

Point Person:  Dave

Water Conservation Ordinance                                      20 pts

• Submit copy of ordinance
• Demonstrate community education/outreach

Action:  Search the database for the ordinance.  Find copies of H&SA Bulletin (or other materials) that publicize alternate day watering rules

Timing:  By next meeting

Point person:  Mary

Recycling                                                                             20 pts

• Establish a community recycling depot
• Address and photo
• List materials collected
• # tons recycled
• Estimate of # of residents who use it
• Conduct a community paper shredding day
• Estimate of tons shredded
• Submit educational/outreach materials

Action:  Work with DPW to get the tons recycled and # residents.  Follow up with Doug McWillliams about the tons of paper recycled on October 24, 2009.  Search H&SA Bulletin for shredding outreach materials.

Timing:  By next meeting

Point person:  Mary

Waste Reduction                                                                20 pts

• Pay as You Throw ordinance
• Submit description of program including kick off date, rate structure
• Submit samples of educational outreach materials
• Estimate # residents participating

• Adopt Grass Cut it and Leave It Program
• Submit description including kick off date
• Submit samples of educational outreach materials
• Estimate # residents participating

Action:  Search the database for the 2 relevant ordinances; search H&SA Bulletins for educational materials; work with DPW to estimate participation

Timing:  By March meeting

Point person:  Mary

Research Topics for Next Meeting

Municipal Energy Audit:  Nicole

Open Space Plan:  Jackie

Green Historic Preservation:  Mary

Tree & Woodlands Mgmt:  Dave

Find a “home” for school projects:  Dave

Housekeeping:  Ideally, our team will be as self-sufficient as possible to avoid taxing Borough and DPW resources.  To that end, lets all commit to trying to find our own ordinances and resolutions online before calling for help.  Similarly, when the time comes to scan and upload, let’s use our own computers to create PDFs and offer to scan the documents using Borough machines.    

NEXT MEETING:  THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11 AT 3:15 IN BOROUGH HALL

SUBSEQUENT MEETING:  THURSDAY, MARCH 18 AT 3:15 IN BOROUGH HALL