HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 1/17/2012 City of Glendale
GLEN1D4,,E Council Sustainability Committee
Minutes
January 17, 2012
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Conference Room B-2
Council Sustainability Committee Members:
Present were Vice Mayor/Chairperson Steve Frate (Sahuaro District),
Councilmember Yvonne Knaack (Barrel District)
City Staff Members:
Present were Marilyn Clark, Jon Froke, Craig Johnson, Stuart Kent, Doug Kukino,
Bob Manginell, Deborah Mazoyer, Jo Miller, Greg Rodzenko, Brad Tarrant
I. Approval of the Minutes of November 15, 2011 Meeting
The minutes of the November 15, 2011 meeting were approved as written.
II. Sustainable Cities Network Presentation
Anne Reichman, Program Manager for the Sustainable Cities Network, Global
Institute of Sustainability, at Arizona State University presented this agenda item.
The presentation provided the following information on the Sustainable Cities
Network.
Arizona State University (ASU) is a leader when it comes to sustainability amongst
universities across the country. It is one of three top priorities for ASU's President
Michael Crow. He has been instrumental in shifting ASU to the New American
University. He is a founding member and co-chair of the American College &
University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which calls upon colleges and
universities to exercise leadership in minimizing global warming emissions. Through
his vision, ASU created the Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS).
In 2004, Julie Ann Wrigley made a generous donation to ASU establishing the first
ever degree granting School of Sustainability in the country. Students can pursue a
bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in sustainability. A minor in sustainability
and concentrations in sustainability are also available to undergraduate students
across the university.
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January 17, 2012
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The school provides education for the next generation of sustainability practitioners,
entrepreneurs, leaders, and policy makers. The global institute cuts across all ASU
departments and programs, which now contains 250 plus sustainability scientists
and scholars.
The Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) is an Outreach & Education program
organized in the summer of 2008 by ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability. The
network is committed to the overall mission and objectives of ASU and GIOS
addressing sustainability challenges both locally and globally. The campuses of
ASU and greater Phoenix are laboratories and demonstration sites for sustainability.
Four cornerstones for change form the foundation of the university's sustainability
strategy: education, research, business practices & global partnerships, and
transformation.
In the beginning, the goals of the Network were relatively simple, connecting local
sustainability professionals with similar interests to share information and to learn
from their experience. SCN was created for a variety of reasons: To enable ASU to
lend their expertise in identifying opportunities, to play a role in local solutions, to
foster community and regional sustainability progress, and to identify sustainability
practices unique to Arizona's desert environment. Participation is voluntary and
free. SCN is a closed network, meaning it is specifically for municipal participants.
The private sector and non-profit organizations are invited to participate on a limited
basis, based on the discussions and topics.
Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability presides over the
Sustainable Cities Network. The Network consists of 25 entities that include valley
cities and towns, Maricopa County, and three tribal communities. SCN has also
engaged 20 plus communities outside the valley, some of which include Tucson,
Flagstaff, and Clarkdale, Arizona. Partnerships have been formed with the Maricopa
Association of Government (MAG) and other Non-Government Organizations such
as Valley Forward and the Sustainable Communities Working Group to name a few.
The Sustainability Cities Network kick-off meeting was held in February of 2009 with
approximately 60 plus participants in attendance. The Network has two regional
meetings a year held in different areas of the valley and state. The next 2012
regional meeting is scheduled for January 25th at the AE England Building in
downtown Phoenix.
The regular Workgroup meetings consist of five functioning Workgroups: Best
Practices, Solar & Energy Efficiency, Water & Wastewater, Green Building, and
Green Infrastructure. The meeting frequency varies by Workgroup preference.
The Workgroups also offer various subworkgroups on specific topics such as Solar
Finance, Solar & Energy Efficiency, and Streetlight & Technologies.
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The Solar Finance Subcommittee focuses on ways to help cities in the Network
finance solar programs. Currently they are developing a Power Purchase
Agreement template that all cities in the Network will be able to apply to their solar
projects.
The Solar & Energy Efficiency (SEE) Workgroup explores methods to expand and
enhance the way jurisdictions generate clean and renewable energy. The goal is to
educate residents on the proper usage of energy, providing them with the best and
correct information available.
The Streetlight and Technology Subcommittee explore new and existing
technologies. They discuss decisions, challenges, and successes of communities
that are actively engaged in field-testing.
The Steering Committee guiding the Sustainable Cities Network includes ten cities.
Doug Kukino, City of Glendale's Environmental Resources Director represented
Glendale on the original Steering Committee. Jo Miller, Glendale's Environmental
Program Manager currently serves on the Steering Committee.
Numerous Glendale staff from Building Safety, Planning, Environmental Resources,
Water Services, Engineering, Economic Development, and Public Works has
participated in meetings and events.
The Glendale Conservation and Sustainable Living staff is active in the Best
Management Practices and Green Infrastructure/Stormwater Workgroups. Jo Miller
co-chairs the Green Infrastructure Workgroup. They are actively discussing urban
issues associated with tree and shade, structural shade, the urban canopy,
stormwater management, and low impact development (LID) techniques. The goal
is to standardize best practices in the area of urban forestry and expand knowledge
of green infrastructure across the valley and state of Arizona. The group began
meeting in August of 2011.
The SCN Centralized Regional Meeting / Regional Tree & Shade Summit (RTS) was
held on March 9, 2011. The guest speakers included national, state, and local
experts, with representatives from various agencies such as US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9, the US Department of Energy, and the
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). More than 225
individuals were in attendance. The summit was funded by a grant through AZ
Forestry Division Urban & Community Forestry Program. Core partners included the
cities of Glendale, Mesa, and Phoenix.
Other partners at the event included Arizona Public Service, Arizona Community
Tree Council, Arizona Landscape Contractors Association, Arizona Nursery
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Association, Bartlett Tree Experts, Davey Resource Group, DLC Resources, and
Salt River Project. The summit awarded eight Arborist Scholarships to selected
municipal applicants valued at $700.
Councilmember, Yvonne Knaack presented opening remarks at the summit on
behalf of the City of Glendale. Glendale was one of three city partners on the grant
that participated in the event. City of Glendale Engineer, Tom Kaczmarowski
provided a presentation on the LID/stormwater attributes associated with Glendale's
new Park & Ride facility. The summit provided valuable training opportunities and
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for planners and arborists. ASU was awarded a
second grant from the AZ Forestry Division Urban & Community Forestry Program
for three days of hands-on training workshops in 2012.
In closing, Ms. Reichman restated the activities and benefits of the Sustainability
Cities Network. She thanked the Committee for the opportunity to present to them
and commended the City for their leadership and on-going support.
Several discussions took place during and after the presentation, none of which
required any follow up or action on the part of staff. Vice Mayor/Chairperson Frate
and Councilmember Knaack thanked Ms. Reichman for her presentation. As this
was an informational item, no motion or vote was called for by the committee.
III. Staff Updates
Jo Miller, Environmental Program Manager gave an update on upcoming 2012
education programs and events that the City has to offer.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:28 a.m.
NEXT MEETING: February 21, 2012
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Conference Room B-2
Respectfully submitted,
A CL
C1-64-t4L
Marilyn ClaN Recording Secretary