Chambana Sun

City of Urbana Sustainability Advisory Commission met Feb. 2

Here is the minutes provided by the commission:

Call to Order, Roll Call, and Declaration of Quorum

Stacy Gloss called the meeting to order, a roll was called and a quorum was present. James Corbin was welcomed as a new commission member.

Approval of Minutes

Morgan White motioned to approve the minutes for the December 1, 2020 meeting. Grace Wilken seconded the motion. Tomas Delgado, Maddy Garbacz, Stacy Gloss, Andrew Stumpf, Morgan White, Grace Wilken and James Corbin voted yes to approve the minutes. The motion passed.

Changes to the Agenda

Grace Wilken asked to add introductions of Commission members to the Agenda.

Public Input

Sarah Nixon came on to share that she has been following the Commission for awhile. She expressed her admiration for the Commission and the work that is done. Ms. Nixon’s public input focused on the application of Urban Farming to combat urban food deserts and address food injustice, as well as support the growing black farming movement.

Introductions

Stacy Gloss opened up introductions of Commission members.

Presentation – Public Works Director Introduction

Tim Cowan, the new Public Works Director introduced himself and answered questions from Commission members.

Staff Report

Community Solar

Staff continues to work with solar developer Nexamp to recruit subscribers to the Urbana community solar project on the closed landfill. Staff will be presenting new and amended easement for Ameren Illinois and Nexamp to install and maintain solar-related equipment on the landfill property.

Landscape Recycling Center (LRC)

Staff is launching a new website for the LRC that will allow staff in the booth to make timely updates regarding product availability, sales, closing, and other news. Staff is also working on some minor improvements to the booth including gutters and siding.

Geothermal

Geothermal Urbana-Champaign has secured 5 contracts for installation and has 21 proposals out for review by property owners. There are eight remaining Geo Power Hours listed at geothermalUC.org.

Green House Gas Inventory

Staff is collecting annual data to create a calendar year 2020 municipal greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

Public Engagement

Staff spoke to the Champaign County Design and Conservation Foundation and the Sierra Club about City sustainability work.

Ucycle

The City of Urbana’s recycling coordinator, Courtney Kwong, is working to make it easier to recycle paint in Illinois. Courtney currently serves as the co-chair of the Illinois Product Stewardship Council (ILPSC) and has been a member of the Council since 2014, serving as chair from 2016- 2018. The ILPSC formed in 2014 with a mission to shift the waste system from one focused on government-funded and ratepayer-financed disposal and recycling, to a shared responsibility with product producers known as product stewardship. The ILPSC is a coalition of public and private entities including local governments, state governments, businesses, environmental groups, NGOs, solid waste agencies, and associations in Illinois.

The ILPSC worked hard to implement amendments to the Electronics Products and Recycling Reuse Act in Illinois, successfully changing the electronics legislation from weight-based goals to convenience standards in 2019 (SB 1417). During the new year, the ILPSC will continue to work with industry associations, such as the American Coatings Association, to pursue paint recycling legislation in Illinois.

Urban Forest

Staff are seeking partners to support public engagement around street tree planting and maintenance. Staff is speaking with University of Illinois Extension Service and Champaign County Design and Conservation Foundation.

Unfinished Business

JEDI goals

Chair Stacy Gloss opened up discussion to revisit the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion goals. Grace Wilken and Morgan White shared their presentation (see attached). Discussion ensued.

Announcements

The Sustainability Advisory Commission has an immediate opening for Commission Member. Interested parties may download the application form at:

https://www.urbanaillinois.us/boards/sustainability-advisory-commission. The next Sustainability Advisory Commission meeting is scheduled for March 2, 2021. With no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m. This meeting was recorded.

http://urbanaillinois.us/sites/default/files/attachments/Approved%20SAC%20Minutes%20Feb%202021.pdf