Mountain Lakes Green Team Meeting Minutes

March 3, 2010

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

Team members updated others on the progress made against key areas of the Sustainable Jersey program.  The next step for many is uploading documentation.  I checked out the process and found a piece entitled "Getting Started Guide" on the left hand side of the home page of sustainablejersey.com.  Whoever logs in first has the honor of choosing our permanent password!  Evidently, we submit and submit and it retains the information until we are ready to submit the entire dossier.  At that time we are “locked out” and await the final word on certification. 

Meeting schedule:  March 24, April 21, May 19 and June 16.  All meetings begin at 3:15pm and are held in the conference room at Borough Hall.

Member Update: 

Nicole Wright Priorities:  30 pts (assuming audit funding not cut; no Forestry Plan)

• Municipal Carbon Footprint: 10 points
• Complete site spreadsheet with scope 1 and 2 emissions

• Status:  Will have completed by next meeting

• Municipal Energy Audit:  One bldg = 20 pts; All Bldgs owned and operated by municipality = 50 pts
• For BPU audits, submit the energy performance summary report from a BPU energy services company, or a statement of energy performance from the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager program.  For non-BPU audits, submit the final report, be sure that it addresses criteria listed on the website.

• For multiple bldg submission, be sure to submit a bldg inventory and categorize bldgs based upon their need for outer shell repairs and their overall energy usage.  See the website.
• Status:  B. Lewis to receive the proposals from potential contractors on March 12; update the team at next meeting.  Will State funding cuts to the Clean Energy Program kill this?

§ Community Forestry Plan & Canopy Goal:  20 pts.

• Submit copy of the 2009 or 2010 NJDEP “Approved Status” letter documenting our community forestry plan and that we have met CORE training requirements, completed a minimum of 8 CEUs and completed an annual accomplishments report for 2009.

• Submit copy of our tree canopy goal as adopted by a Shade Tree Commission or EC including meeting dates and actions taken by the group.
• Status:  Investigate if we have such a plan; speak to Shade Tree and Woodlands to determine if we should try to create one as it is a prerequisite to all other woodlands programs.  Funding is available for these actions.

• Tree Maintenance Plan:  Must have Forestry Plan first
• Tree Hazard and Health Assessment Inventory Projects:  Must have Forestry Plan first

Mary Rosseland Priorities:   45pts (assuming water conservation ordinance is in)

• Pay as You Throw Program:  10pts
• Submit description of program including kick off date, rate structure and list of complimentary waste reduction programs

• Submit samples of educational outreach materials
• Estimate # tons diverted or reduced
• Status:  Ready to be submitted with the possible exception of # tons estimate

• Establish Recycling Depot:  10 pts
• Address, photo and hours of operation of Depot
• List of materials collected
• Estimate # tons of each material recycled
• Estimate # of residents who use it
• Status:  Ready to go with the possible exception of tonnage estimate by recyclable materials vs. totality

§ Conduct Community Paper Shredding Day:  5 pts

• Estimate # tons shredded
• Submit educational outreach materials
• Status:  ready to go

• Water Conservation Ordinance:  Still under development.

• Community Education:  10 pts
• Submit outreach materials documenting the Green Café movie series
• Identify partners, costs, areas for improvement and next steps
• Status:  Mary to speak with Marni re documenting areas of improvement and next steps
• Nicole to search files for an historical calendar of movie listings

Dave Fewell Priorities:  10 pts (assuming we don’t have an approved Forestry Plan)

• Education for Sustainability Programs:  10pts
• Identify authentic learning opportunities in schools that engage students in data collection.

• Submit a brief report about the ongoing stream monitoring program at MLHS.  Describe the project, partners, estimated costs, assess what worked and what could be improved, identify next steps for community outreach/education (mention publishing NRI and presentation to Borough Council).  Submit copy of any materials used in the program.

• Tree Planting Programs:  If we have a met requirements for NJDEP Community Forestry plan.

Jackie Bay Priorities:  40 pts (assuming no Open Space Plan)

• Create Green Team:  10pts
• Submit municipal resolution, list of team members, and demonstrate team activity
• Status:  Get these minutes and list of upcoming meeting dates to Andy Bulfer; submit info.

• Natural Resources Inventory:  20pts
• Submit finished document and documentation that municipality has adopted a policy to regularly update NRI
• Status:  Continue to work on the NRI with EC members; Deadline:  end of June 2010

• Environmental Commission:  10pts
• Submit copy of ordinance that established the commission and Annual Accomplishments Report for 2009
• Status:  Print copy of ordinance and speak to EC Chair about report when she returns 3/18

• Open Space Plan:  10pts
• Submit plan that details municipal goals and policies, open space inventory, needs analysis, resource assessment, action plan, public participation process, GPS maps and documentation verifying that the Plan was incorporated into the Master Plan.
• Work with Ellen to determine if this is doable

POINTS:  125 Out of needed 150

Additional Areas under Consideration:

• Green Challenges and Community Programs:  20 pts
• Submit documentation showing that 2.5% of households or residents have signed a pledge to change their behavior; submit education materials, pledge forms and reasonable verification that target pledge rate has been achieved (w/o submitting actual names).
• Plant Native Pledge from Garden Club?  Nicole to investigate post March 31 next meeting date

• Anti-Idling Pledge?  Mary to approach Robin Anderson to see if her class would like to take this on with our assistance