SC 07-20-2017OA/lib~f!,,;w17
CITY OF CUPERTINO SUSTAINABILITY C:~~ISQ ~N
Environmental Education Center 22221 McClellan Road
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
Thursday July 20, 2017 4:00 PM
MINUTES
The meeting convened at 4:03 pm
Commissioners Present: Angela Chen, Anna Weber, Vignesh Swaminathan, Gary
Latshaw, and Meera Ramanathan (arrived @ 4:11 pm)
Commissioners Absent: None
Staff: Gilee Corral, Sustainability Program Coordinator; Cheri Donnelly, Environmental
Programs Manager
Guests: Joan Chin
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The draft minutes of the June 15, 2017 meeting were amended as follows : Page 2, under
Subject: Sustainability Commission Work Plan, changed "Work with Parks & Rec to
address questions ... " to "Work with Public Works to address questions ... " Page 3, add
under new subcommittees: "Sustainable Schools Subcommittee."
The draft minutes of Jtme 15, 2017 meeting were approved as amended. Motion by
Commissioner Swaminathan, 2nd by Commissioner Weber. Motion passes 4-0-1 with
Commissioner Latshaw abstaining.
POSTPONEMENTS
None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS .
None.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Subject: Sustainability Commission Budget
Commissioner Chen gave an overview of the budget discussion to date and feedback
from staff on the subject. Gilee clarified that the carryover funds from FY 2016/17 are
still under discussion by staff, but the funds allocated to FY 2017 /18 are approved. The
Commission created a budget with the combination of the requested 2016/17 carryover
funds and 2017/18 approved funds, with a focus on education, outreach to the public,
subcommittee projects, and recognition of sustainability actions in the community.
Notes on specific line items:
• Commissioner Conference / Education: each Commissioner will be allocated $150
for the year to cover workshops or conference fees. If multiple Commissioners
are interested in the same conference, the Commissioner(s) working on a
subcommittee related to that conference will get first preference. A list of local
conferences prepared by staff was discussed. Gilee will check if mileage to
conferences is a reimbursable expense for Commissioners.
• Festival booth fees: the Commission intends to table at Fall Festival, Earth Day,
Kids Day, Diwali, and the Cherry Blossom Festival. Gilee will check if Cupertino
Green intends to table at National Night Out.
• Waste audits: Commissioners Weber and Ramanathan met with Cupertino High
and Fremont High and both schools are very interested in establishing a baseline
waste audit. Based on the Commissioners' initial conversations with waste audit
consultants, the cost is estimated at $500 -$600 per school. Commissioner
Ramanathan will follow up with Cheri Donnelly and Lauren Dickinson on
refining the waste audit request and understanding the differences among the
internal vs external audit services and related costs.
Action Item: A motion was made by Commissioner Latshaw to move forward with the
Sustainability Commission Budget and submit the budget for approval in the carryover
funds process. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Swaminathan and passed 5-
0.
2. Subject: Sustainability Commission Work Plan
The following items were added to the draft Work Plan:
August 17th, 2017: Festival planning -Fall Festival & Diwali Festival
September 21 st, 2017: Establish guidelines for green club grants, draft essay contest
suggestions, subcommittee reports on progress on waste audits
October 19 th, 2017: Subcommittee reports on Speaker Series progress, revisit work plan
November 16th, 2017: SVCE presenter re renewable energy portfolio
December 2l51, 2017: Revisit work plan
January 18th, 2018: Environmental Jeopardy Subcommittee reports on progress
February 15th, 2018: Begin Earth Day and Cherry Blossom Festival planning
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March 15th, 2018: Revisit work plan
June 21 st, 2018: Planning for summer festivals, revisit work plan
Notes on specific Work Plan items:
• Fall Festival: September 9th -staff have a table at this event (Environmental
Services and Sustainability sharing a table). Staff will check if they can add a
table for Commissioners to have space.
• Speaker Series: in addition to speakers, the Commission will also consider
showing films (i.e. Before the Flood or Al Gore's new film). Commissioners Chen
and Latshaw will look into the possibility of showing a film near the farmer's
market area.
NEW BUSINESS
None.
STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Commission Reports:
Commissioner Latshaw passed out a letter from the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter to
Foothill-De Anza Community College with regards to the Bloom Energy proposal
discussions .
Staff Updates:
Cheri reported that there is a CIP project underway to refurbish the waste storage bays
for the parks, and if any questions come up on this in the future, she can field them.
Gilee provided an update on several items:
• Sustainability has a new intern for the summer, Dylan Fara, who will be helping
with GreenBiz recertifications and outreach to new businesses .
• Gilee read to the Commission a message that was included in a recent City
Council Items of Interest email regarding the Foothill-De Anza Community
College District's discussions on the proposal from Bloom Energy and the City of
Cupertino's concerns with this proposal.
• The Recology Agreement is scheduled to go to Council in early October.
• Attendance at the recent SVCE commtmity meeting was around 25 people.
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• Legislative advocacy staff are adjusting the AB 262 Letter of Support to prepare it
for submission to the Legislative Action Committee for consideration. Staff will
notify the Commission of the letter's status as the process progresses.
• SunShares, a group discount program for solar panels and electric vehicles,
launches on August 71h. The City has signed on as an outreach partner to
SunShares this year; Gilee will update the Commission on the program as it
progresses.
ADJOURNMENT-5:57 pm.
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