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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEC Packet 5.12.2025City of Falcon Heights Environment Commission City Hall 2077 Larpenteur Avenue West AGENDA Monday, May 12, 2025 6:30 p.m. A.CALL TO ORDER: 6:30 p.m. B. ROLL CALL:Beth Mercer-Taylor (Chair) ____ Sophie Nagel ____ John Pellegrini (Vice-Chair) ____ VACANT Adam Keester ____ VACANT Pedro De Filippo Vannucci ____ Staff Liaison Lynch ____ Council Liaison Mielke ____ GreenCorps Member Siebert ____ C.APPROVAL OF AGENDA D.APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.April 14, 2025 E. NEW BUSINESS 1.Sustainability Fair Update – Olivia Siebert 2. Energy Action Plan Update 3.Tree Update – Olivia Siebert 4.GreenCorps Projects Discussion F.INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Staff Liaison Report 2.Council Liaison Report G.ADJOURN Next regular meeting date: June 9, 2025 City of Falcon Heights Environment Commission City Hall 2077 Larpenteur Avenue West Minutes Monday, April 14, 2025 6:30 p.m. A. CALL TO ORDER: 6:30 p.m. B. ROLL CALL: Beth Mercer-Taylor (Chair) _ X __ John Pellegrini (Vice-Chair) _X_ Sophie Nagel __X__ Pedro De Filippo Vannucci _X_ VACANT Adam Keester _X_ VACANT Staff Liaison Lynch _X_ Council Liaison Mielke _A_ GreenCorps Member Siebert _X_ C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Vice-Chair Pellegrini made a motion to approve the agenda. Motion passed by consent. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. February 10, 2025 Vice-Chair Pellegrini made a motion to approve the February 10, 2025 minutes. Motion passed by consent. E. NEW BUSINESS 1. Climate Action Plan Draft – Ted Redmond Ted Redmond of paleBLUEdot gave an overview of the drafted Climate Action Plan. The planning process has taken nine months with over 100 community members involved. There have been two community events and two online community input surveys. A total of five foundational research documents were completed and there were 31 planning team members engaged in the process. The initial survey showed residents are concerned about climate change and have experienced the effects of climate change personally. Ted Redmond explained the different goals and actions to meet those goals and the strategy behind coming up with these goals. Baseline documents were established by paleBLUEdot and example goals/actions that helped to lead the Climate Action Plan team to make changes/remove/add goals as needed and as would be appropriate for Falcon Heights. The next steps for the plan will be for online review of the draft to continue online and there will be an opportunity for input by residents at the Sustainability Fair on April 26. After that it will be finalized and go before City Council for review and adoption. 2. Undergraduate Leadership Program Students – Project Presentation This agenda item was moved from E-1 to E-2. Undergraduates Ethan Cederberg, Janelle Barlan, and Megan Cunningham presented a video they created for a leadership program at the University of Minnesota. The video described different strategies the City could use to incorporate green/eco-friendly housing throughout the City on currently vacant sites. It also described mitigation efforts that would need to be made on different sites, such as the dry cleaning site at 1407 Larpenteur. They spoke about eco-districts and highlighted other similar sites throughout the Twin Cities. 3. Tree Dashboard Update – Olivia Siebert GreenCorps Member Siebert gave an update on the tree dashboard and boulevard tree mapping she has been working on. She has created a GIS map with a Survey123 form for Public Works to input when a new boulevard tree has been planted. It also enables staff to update trees when they are removed. The hope is that another version of this can be created for residents to input their own trees in their yards, outside of the boulevards. 4. Sustainability Fair Update GreenCorps Member Siebert gave an update on the planning for the Sustainability Fair. The volunteer list will be sent out prior to the event so volunteers can confirm their start and end times and chosen stations. She discussed the collaboration with the City of Lauderdale and how the bingo cards will work for residents to receive food scrap bins. She also discussed the parking and traffic flow for the recycling events. 5. SolarAPP+ Discussion Staff Liaison Lynch explained the SolarAPP+ program to the Environment Commission. This is a program that can be incorporated with the City’s existing permitting system to handle building and zoning permits for solar installations. It is a free program for the City and there is state funding available for municipalities who incorporate it. The Environment Commission was interested and advised staff to move forward with talking with City Council about it. F. Information and Announcements 1. Staff Liaison Report – GreenCorps Member Siebert gave an overview of a waste audit that took place at City Hall for staff and the plastic bag recycling initiative that has been ongoing for around two months. 65 lbs of plastic was recently taken to Merrick for recycling. Staff Liaison Lynch reminded Commissioners of the R&E Center tour on April 30 at 3:30 PM in Newport for those interested. She also reminded them about the ongoing tree sale and let them know that Falcon Heights reached steps 4 and 5 of the GreenSteps program again for 2024. 2. Council Liaison Report – None. G. Adjourn Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Next regular meeting date: May 12, 2025 ITEM FOR DISCUSSION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item Sustainability Fair 2025 Description Recap of the Sustainability Fair. It was a success! Budget Impact None. Attachment(s) Sustainability Fair 2025 How To Action(s) Requested Staff requests Environment Commission review the attached document and discuss future events. Meeting Date May 12, 2025 Agenda Item E-1 Attachment Sustainability Fair 2025 How To Submitted By Olivia Siebert, GreenCorps Member Sustainability Fair 2025 I started reaching out to organizations in late December/throughout January. We successfully fit 12 long tables in the Council Chambers forming a large U with a middle aisle of four tables back -to-back. We also had the Falcon Heights Climate Action Plan consultant, Ted Redmond of Pale Blue Dot, set up in the lobby, and the MN Tool Library in the conference room. We reserved the other half of the room for speakers presenting using the Smartboard to display slides. We had two EV owners, Kate Anderson (a GreenCorps member with the City of Coon Rapids) and Todd Holter bring their cars and hand out materials from the American Lung Association. We had our Environment Commissioners sitting at two tables flanking the entrance to the council chambers to welcome residents, hand out materials, and distribute compost buckets. We estimate to have between 20-30 compost buckets remaining in the FH basement. We created BINGO boards to encourage residents to circulate among the tables. We had QR codes for our CAP review and tree sale and other materials from Adopt a Drain at the Environment Commission table. We had nametags and plain table cloths for tabling organizations, and highlighters to mark the BINGO board. We ordered compost buckets from TerraCycle, although Noelle Bakken from Roseville informed me she was able to order ones from EcoSafe for cheaper by contacting Gary Bilbro gary@ecosafe.green. Organizations who attended + contacts: Minnesota Tool Library - "Kate Hersey" kate.hersey@mntoollibrary.org *had multiple staff attend and conducted a tool swap with lots of branding and signs Mississippi Watershed Management Organization - "Mary Yang" MYang@mwmo.org Ramsey County Master Gardeners - "Darren Lochner" dlochner@umn.edu * RC Master Gardeners volunteers were the ones to actually attend Metro Transit - "Cook, Douglas" <Douglas.Cook@metrotransit.org>; "Martinez, Julie" <julie.martinez@metrotransit.org> * Doug was the one to actually attend and respond Monarch Joint Venture - "Rita Morris" rmorris@monarchjointventure.org *different staff member actually attended Solar United Neighbors - "Jasmine Mason" jmason@solarunitedneighbors.org, "John Anderson" janderson@solarunitedneighbors.org, "bking@solarunitedneighbors.org" bking@solarunitedneighbors.org * John attended the fair for sure, maybe another staff member? CERTs - "Bruce" 3p14159pi@comcast.net, "Keely Rau" krau@gpisd.net *Bruce was the Ambassador that attended, Keely at GPI helped coordinate CRWD - "Maricella Xiong" mxiong@capitolregionwd.org *Gave Maricella the information from RCWD because we are also in RCWD’s territory but they could not attend Ramsey County Recycling Ambassadors - "Reynolds, Gabriel" Gabriel.Reynolds@co.ramsey.mn.us *different ambassadors actually attended the event Reuse MN - "Emily Barker" emilybarker@reusemn.org, "Emily Noyes" emilynoyes97@gmail.com/"Emily Noyes" emilyn@reusemn.org * Emily Barker helped me coordinate, Emily Noyes was the board member who attended the fair Gibbs Farm - "Sammy Nelson" sammy@rchs.com *had other staff attend the event, but Sammy is great Home Energy Squad - "Gerardo Roca" groca@mncee.org, "sbootscamp@mncee.org" sbootscamp@mncee.org *Gerardo attended the fair, Stacy helped coordinate (got their information from Marcus Baker/Paolo Speirn at MN CEE who are our PiE facilitators) Bell Museum - "Bea Chihak" chihak@umn.edu, "Nehwoen Luogon-Bojkov" luogo001@umn.edu EV owners: Kate Anderson kanderson@coonrapidsmn.gov (GreenCorps member 2024-2025 – may get a permanent position) Todd Holter "Todd Holter" tholter1@gmail.com (From FB group) Banner/materials from "Lisa.Thurstin " Lisa.Thurstin@lung.org from American Lung Association Speakers: Gregory Goodwine "Goodwine, Gregory" <Gregory.Goodwine@co.ramsey.mn.us> Russ Henry "Russ Henry" <rhenry@givingtreegardens.com> Pete Lindstrom "Peter Lindstrom" <plindstr@umn.edu> Organizations who dropped out last minute due to lack of staffing availability: The Good Acre - "Sarah Hovseth" sarah@thegoodacre.org *Originally corresponded with Nikki SPRWS - "Joshua Cobb" Joshua.Cobb@ci.stpaul.mn.us *Josh reached out to us about attending Falcon Heights events and may attend future events Bicycle Chain - info@bicyclechain.com *They are easier to reach by phone (6514894513) Organizations contacted who declined: Adopt a Drain - info@adopt-a-drain.org *Sofie was super helpful and gave us materials to share, which we picked up from Hamline (still have extra) RCWD - "Kendra Sommerfeld" ksommerfeld@ricecreek.org *Gave us materials, which we had CRWD display at their table Blue Thumb/Metro Blooms – jacqueline@metroblooms.org *note: Lawns to legumes may be ending, and Blue Thumb works closely with CRWD Bees Kneez – based in WI now Mosaic on a Stick – (would want compensation for doing an art activity) mosaiconastick@gmail.com Art Scraps – Cindy at Art Start via contact form (would cost $400) Fix it clinics – will be happening at the Environmental Center in Roseville FMR - jcunningham@fmr.org, wclark@fmr.org Freshwater Society – freshwater@freshwater.org, sthompson@freshwater.org Xcel Energy – combined with HES/CEE Urban EggPlant - order@eggplantsupply.com Bicycle Alliance of MN - ted@bikemn.org, angela@bikemn.org Electrify Everything – requires a city to be a member of the program, which is expensive Bim Bam Boo - tricia@bimbamboopaper.com (Met Tricia at an event and they were interested but did not respond in time to be included) Cooperative Energy Futures – ghosted me completely info@cooperativeenergyfutures.com MN Toy Library – ghosted me completely outreach.mtl.committee@gmail.com We All Need Food and Water – Dawn offered to do a puppet show but that would require space/funding/time "Dawn Pape" dawn@weallneedfoodandwater.org I would suggest reaching out to the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), or another organization that does induction stove demos. I think that would be a good activity, and align with the City’s EAP goals. Parking lot: In the parking lot, I made a bunch of signs and a map to help direct traffic. Having 3-4 volunteers to direct cars was crucial to the success of the traffic flow. The sign designs and maps are in Canva and the shared drive. We partnered with Retold (textiles), Repowered (ewaste) and Shred Right (paper) for the event and had them set up in the parking lot. Barriers and cones were also important for directing traffic. Retold: "Allyson Schwartz" <sales@retoldrecycling.com>; "Amelia Trumble" <amelia@retoldrecycling.com>; "Aidyn Dervaes" <aidyn@retoldrecycling.com>; "Daniel Hutchins" <daniel@retoldrecycling.com> $500 for marketing and $0.30/lb of material Repowered: David Holecek dholecek@getrepowered.org $250/hr for labor and transportation and then $0.38/lb for most material. Shred Right: assistance@shredrightnow.com, 11am-2pm, $333/hr+$150, 2hr minimum We had a great experience with these vendors/their representatives at the event, so I would recommend them again. Volunteers: It was useful to have volunteers there for set up and to assist with the textile collection and paper shredding. It was crucial to have volunteers staffing the commission tables to greet residents and to have 4 people stationed in the parking lot (could get by with 3 if needed). Staff circulated and made sure volunteers had food and water as well as opportunities to run to the restroom. They received a compost bucket if desired as a thank you. A how-to document was given to volunteers at the commission table and is included in the shared drive. We had 17 volunteers in total for the event, filling 25 shifts (we broke the event into two 1.5 hour shifts). The poster was created and circulated in Falcon Heights and Lauderdale, as well as FB posts, email outreach, and featuring it in the print and email newsletters. Lauderdale also had two outdoor posters somewhere. Poster is in Canva and the shared drive. Notes from Adam Keester (who asked everyone their favorite parts when they returned their BINGO) • Extension (I think this means Master Gardeners) • Recycling Ambassadors x2 • Electronics recycling • Watershed district x2 (green cleaners activity) • Monarch Joint Venture x2 • Bee lawn talk from Russ Henry • Bell Museum • Textile Recycling • Gibbs Farm Recycling/drop off was very popular and residents were hoping this event continues. You got this! RECAP MEETING 4.28.2025 • Prior signage – bigger and more signs • “Enter here” for parking – bigger • Textile recycling sign – bigger • Beginning volunteer meeting / 1st shift explain to 2nd shift • Remember about food scrap drop-off • Larger enter here sign off Larpenteur – Directing to ewaste, shredding, food scraps, textiles • Accessible parking was good • TED Talks – Better way to announce, maybe drop last talk, explain to tablers when to send ppl to talks • Volunteer as tabling coordinator – Greeting, helping them bring items in / directing them where to go, checking them in (can be city staff) • Outside person (can be city staff) – circulate outside; floater for volunteers; feeding the truck people • Bingo was good. Remind EC tables about food scraps containers. Highlight that on bingo card. • Advertise event more – possibly posters in business windows • Double check pricing for every outside group – issue with smoke detectors? • No more tablers than we had (we had three pull out at the last minute and that was great) • Traffic directing – three people minimum; vests were good • More cookies • Compostable utensils; signage for waste-sorting – zero waste event? • Some way to show that staff is official – tshirts? Event staff buttons? FOOD – Two cheese/cracker plates (one with meat), veggie tray, granola bars/KIND bars, sparkling water (4 boxes-ish), coffee (cream & sugar), cookies, bananas ITEM FOR DISCUSSION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item Energy Action Plan Update Description GreenCorps Member Siebert has been working throughout the year on the implementation of the City’s Energy Action Plan. With her term coming to an end in August, it is time for a review of where we are at with our work plan and discuss priorities and where assistance will be needed moving forward. Budget Impact None. Attachment(s) Falcon Heights Energy Action Plan – Work Plan Action(s) Requested Staff requests Environment Commission discuss priorities and assistance with implementation. Meeting Date May 12, 2025 Agenda Item E-2 Attachment FH EAP Work Plan Submitted By Hannah Lynch, Community Development Coordinator 2024 2025 2025 2025 2025 2026 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 A Identify school and teacher partnerships and work with those partners to understand classroom needs. B Develop materials and activities that support appropriate energy engagement according to school partners C Ask school library or other entities to host educational events regarding energy efficiency / conservation and renewable energy D Encourage partnering with “EmPowered Schools” program to Neighboring School Districts E Utilize the Minnesota GreenStep School Program to show students that their school is leading the way in energy conservation and reducing environmental impacts A Call for community volunteers by the City B Provide Xcel Energy and supporting energy resources to the volunteers to share with their neighbors / associations C Develop resources for volunteers to share with neighbors (e.g., template emails, National Night Out activities, NextDoor posts, website content, etc.) A Provide renters with information about applicable energy rebates B Raise awareness of assistance programs for those renters who are affected by a higher energy burden or lower-income household A Promote home energy assessments B Showcase residents who have had home energy assessments and made improvements in their home as a result A Create an Energy Action Hub on the City of Falcon Heights’ website to disseminate information about energy resources B Establish partnerships with community organizations and/or Falcon Heights specific publications to bring awareness to residents C Include energy educational resources on the City of Falcon Heights email newsletter A Showcase positive testimonials in the City’s newsletter, blog and articles in local media B Postcard mail out campaign of testimonials from residents to other residents D Postcard mail out campaign of testimonials from business owners to other businesses D Share testimonials at St Paul Chamber of Commerce meetings A Connect with Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative (CTC) to Improve Living Conditions through energy projects for Student Housing B Form partnership with neighboring city councils to coordinate energy equity projects that are mutually beneficial A Create and promote City incentives and/or recognition for energy efficient multi-family buildings B Review and revise City code to remove barriers to more energy efficient multi-family buildings C Support the adoption of standards requiring buildings larger than 5 units to periodically re-invest in energy efficient improvements that have a reasonable payback period D Support incentives for retrofits and redevelopment of existing multi- family buildings to improve energy while respecting the historic integrity of buildings and communities A Be present at community events with resources and tips to encourage businesses and residents to reduce energy consumption B Request that homeowners who have made significant energy efficiency improvements temporarily display an energy conservation yard sign C Publicly acknowledge homeowners and business owners in the City’s email newsletter for energy conservation efforts 3) Partner with the State Fair to Encourage Energy A Draft proposal to partner with State Fair to encourage joint energy projects A Create targeted outreach programs to educate business owners and owners of multi-family buildings about the benefits of electric heating options B Host workshops and informational sessions to highlight benefits of adopting efficient electric heating technologies C Encourage building owners who have already installed air source heat pumps to share their success stories with other building owners through presentations, open houses and business networking events D Assist businesses and workforce to keep up to date on technological advances in building energy. Provide outreach to local businesses to assist in these educational efforts E Recommend energy improvements for rental properties during annual inspections. Provide an opportunity to educate building owners about energy improvements annually, giving updates on electrification technology and available incentives A Draft a proposal for collaboration between the City Council and the University of Minnesota and find a way forward B Advocate for increasing EV charging infrastructure on and off campus C Encourage charging infrastructure on new developments and retrofits, especially multi-family buildings and businesses. Support the continued development of charging infrastructure for Evs 6) Collaborate with Metro Transit A Draft, send and follow up on a request to Metro Transit to have electric buses on Route 121 and on the Rapid Transit A Line 7) Reduce Costs of Home Energy Assessments for Residents A Address economic barriers for residents who may be hard to reach or under-represented in the community and increase home energy assessment visits by promoting free visits A Identify homes and businesses that have already undergone energy projects B Recognize those who would wish to participate in open house tours and set up tour dates for groups to visit C Host a local energy fair in Falcon Heights and encourage citizen and local business participation A Contact and form a collaboration with Solar United Neighbors (SUN) to help residents and businesses bulk buy solar B Pursue grants to assist with the installation of solar panels on homes and businesses. This financial support will make renewable energy a viable option for more residents, reducing the City's overall carbon footprint A Request proposals for solar installations on future municipal buildings B Partner with one or more solar installation companies to recommend to buildings in the City. C Explore grants for installation of onsite solar on businesses and buildings A Encourage subscription and on-site opportunities to residents during events and on the City website B Share incentives for renewable energy options with renters though email and mailing campaigns A Reach out to the University of Minnesota to form a collaboration centered on renewable energy technologies B Partner with the University of Minnesota to help share incentives for renewable energy programs to multi-family building owners, residents and students A Host workshops to educate the community on renewable energy topics and resources while connecting professionals with residents and residents with training options B Support and promote workforce opportunities in renewable energy industry Action Items 2) Solar Arrays on Future Buildings 3) Promote Renewable Subscription and On-site Options for Residents 4) Partner with the University of Minnesota to Encourage Renewable Energy 5) Establish a Reliable Workforce in Renewable Energy Applications Focus Area Strategy 1) Support Energy Improvments 2) Incentivize and Recognize Energy Efficiency Projects 4) Encourage Efficient Electric Heating Technologies 5) Form Climate Action Partnership with U of M 8) Showcase Existing Energy Projects in Homes and Businesses 1) Support a Group-Buy SolarAlleviating energy burden for homeowners and rentersEnhancing Energy Efficiencies in BuildingsEmbracing Clean, Renewable Energy1) Conduct Energy Outreach in Schools 2) Develop Neighborhood Energy Liaisons 3) Increase Access to Renter Resources 4) Promote Home Energy Assessments 5) Provide Accessible Energy Communication 6) Highlight Energy Saving and Clean Energy Testimonials 7) Develop and Sustain Partnerships that Support Community Energy Equity Goals ITEM FOR DISCUSSION Item Resident Backyard Tree Mapping Description Commissioners discussed wanting a survey/map for public use where residents could add trees that are not on city right-of-ways. Budget Impact None. Attachment(s) None. Action(s) Requested Staff requests Environment Commission review the newly created map and test out the survey on their backyard trees. Meeting Date May 12, 2025 Agenda Item E-3 Attachment Recap Submitted By Olivia Siebert, GreenCorps Member ITEM FOR DISCUSSION City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota __________________________ Item GreenCorps projects Description GreenCorps member Siebert will provide an update on the program, and invites ideas from Commissioners about any final projects they hope the city will accomplish before August. Budget Impact None. Attachment(s) None. Action(s) Requested Staff requests Environment Commission discuss priorities and suggest projects. Meeting Date May 12, 2025 Agenda Item E-4 Attachment None. Submitted By Olivia Siebert, GreenCorps Member