2009-05-27 Cities for Climate Protection Minutes

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May 27, 2009Reading Advisory Committee on Cities for Climate Protection Program Committee Notes for May 27, 2009. 7PM (Next Meeting - June 10 at Town Hall) Present were Michele Benson, Gina Snyder, Tracy Sopchak, Ron D'Addario, Dave Williams, Ray Porter, Stephanie Anderberg, and Dee Clark. Meeting opening -Chair Michele Benson opened the meeting. Minutes - The minutes of the previous meeting were not yet available. Friends and Family Day - (6/20) The committee reviewed a draft of the new 1-2-3 Pledge, regarding food choices. Statistics were left off of this year's version as they would be very difficult to estimate and some items have conflicting statistics available. Committee members will continue to refine the draft. We hope to have seeds for our giveaway and Michele created labels to customize them, rather than lose time by requesting custom- imprinted items. The committee discussed wording of specific pledge items and members discussed their staffing availability. HEET - Joan has been through Team Leader training and we are considering trying a HEET program in Reading, possibly at the log cabin. HEET is applying for a grant, possibly to fund more hands-on training and is looking for input on the wording. It's also possible that HEET groups in other towns could get in under the Cambridge HEET insurance and bulk supply orders. We could try to set up a meeting (if HEET is willing) and invite area builders. This could be a good step in identifying "Green Builders", and perhaps Home Depot would be a partner. Michele will try to set up a meeting with Peter. Also, we got information from MCAN on the low-carbon diet program, where teams of 5-8 households meet to work out their carbon footprints and then the teams make changes to try and cut . 5000 pounds of carbon from their footprints. The committee also discussed how last year's pledge, to reduce energy use, seems to be coming along. Townwide, RMLD statistics indicate a 2.5% reduction for residential electricity use since last year. RCAP Updates - None at this time. "What Can You Do" Presentation - Michele handed out drafts of a PowerPoint slideshow, to help us lead talks to any group. We might also be able to post the slideshow on RCTV, with a voiceover Other Business - The committee discussed new efforts that may be possible now that RMLD has an Energy Efficiency Engineer. One likely next step is to have a listing of "green" contractors on the web, and there are opportunities to tie this in with the HEET program. The EEE will also be able to do more hands-on helping of customers. There was a discussion on residential solar similar to the "Passiv-Haus" concept in Germany. Ray brought in an article on local action for climate change. There are also examples of what some other cities are doing.