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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-11-10_07_00_PM-EEC_MembersAgenda Energy and Environment Commission City Of Edina, Minnesota City Hall, Community Room 4801 W 50th Street, Edina MN 55424 Thursday, November 10, 2016 7:00 PM I.Call To Order II.Roll Call III.Approval Of Meeting Agenda IV.Approval Of Meeting Minutes A.October Meeting Minutes V.Community Comment During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share relevant issues or concerns. Individuals must limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit the number of speakers on the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Generally speaking, items that are elsewhere on tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment. Individuals should not expect the Chair or Board/Commission Members to respond to their comments tonight. Instead, the Board/Commission might refer the matter to sta% for consideration at a future meeting. VI.Reports/Recommendations A.iMatter Climate Action Plan Resolution B.Study and Report: Packaging C.Working Group Updates VII.Correspondence And Petitions VIII.Chair And Member Comments A.The Nature Conservancy Report IX.Sta* Comments A.Q3 Report: Partners in Energy Action Plan X.Adjournment The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing ampli0cation, an interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: IV.A. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: Minutes From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator Item Activity: Subject:October Meeting Minutes Action CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: Approve meeting minutes from October. INTRODUCTION: ATTACHMENTS: Description October EEC Meeting Minutes Draft Minutes☒ Approved Minutes☐ Approved Date: Minutes City Of Edina, Minnesota Energy and Environment Commission Edina City Hall Community Room Thursday, October 13, 2016, 7:00 PM I. Call To Order Chair Zarrin called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. II. Roll Call Answering Roll Call were Burmeister, Glahn, Horan, Jackson, Kim, Kostuch, Madhok, Manser, Mohanty, Satterlee, Seeley, Waddick and Chair Zarrin. Late: Kim at 7:06pm Absent: Staff Present: Tara Brown, Rebecca Foster, Sulekha Mohamed, III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda Motion made by Member Zarrin to approve the Meeting Agenda. Motion seconded by Member Glahn. Motion carried. IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes Motion made by Chair Zarrin to approve the September 22, 2016 minutes. Motion seconded by Member Burmeister. Motion carried. V. Special Recognitions And Presentations • Dr. Lester Shen shared a presentation on “How to change Behavior.” He discussed the Fogg Behavior Model, motivational tools, abilities and triggers to engage residents and businesses in energy conservation. VI. Community Comment • “iMatter” – “We The Youth of Edina, MN” o iMatter is a vision for the path forward, backed by powerful tools and resources. It calls upon young activists to secure commitments from local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels that ensure a healthy planet for ours and all future generations. 1. Yun Gin Quang – 12th grader who currently lives in 10300 Wyoming Avenue South Draft Minutes☒ Approved Minutes☐ Approved Date: a. “If our environment is destroyed, we will never get restored. We cannot wait any longer for change, we the youth cannot deal with the consequences.” 2. Joanna Kim – 11th grader (EEC student committee member) who is Vernn Avenue South a. Personally got drawn into the Environmental crisis because of her love for the environment b. iMatter has A-F grading system that endorse climate report card & call for immediate action to protest out future from the Climate Crisis c. Edina’s Report Card: for Zero Emissions Plan (D); Renewable Energy (C); Waste (B); Carbon Removal (C); Youth Involvement (Plus ½ grade bonus) 3. Andrew Hall 10th grader who currently lives in 4505 West 44th street a. Overall grade that Edina has been given is a C b. Edina has does greenhouse inventory which is very good in helping create an action plan i. Although Edina doesn’t have a current climate action plan c. Edina’s grade in waste helps because Edina does have a curbside wasting plan, which is helpful. d. Edina does have 2 youth commissioners’ EEC members, so that helps with Edina’s overall grade 4. Garn Madhok lives in 4924 Interlocking Court a. Passionate about climate change because it’s fair for the youth, but they’re not the only students/youth the only youth care about the environment b. They have collected over 125 signatures and iMatter petition from middle school and high school. They are hoping to gather more student signatures as well as signatures from other organizations from the city and adults in their lives c. They are asking EEC to work on this matter 5. Allison Russell 12th grader in Edina High School lives in 6112 Ashcroft Avenue a. She has a deep concern surrounding our state environment b. As we approach the 10-year mark of EEC; we need to do more c. They need a climate action plan and they need EEC’s help and participation 6. Larry Kraft from St. Louis Park a. He is a volunteer and mentor with the iMatter group and Involved in the energy program in St. Louis Park i. Fantastic feedback from the group ii. “The youth could be your window for behavior change in Edina.” b. Larry encourages everyone in EEC to view iMatter as a solution to see actual behavior change in our youth and generations that follow c. The report card that students presented was a product of students and government collaborations. That’s how Andrew gathered information Draft Minutes☒ Approved Minutes☐ Approved Date: d. Specific programs- they mentioned that there’s a specific science behind it. The students tried to be very subjective with the data they presented. 7. Chair Zarrin recommended the group review their data and share with City Council. VII. Reports/Recommendation A. 2016 Work Plan Updates City Operations Energy Efficiency Subcommittee • No update. Water Quality Working Group • Worked with the City to put out information on community fall cleanup. • Working on library display cases and trying to set up by putting up information/posters in the first week of November • Hoping to highlight local business doing good work with recognition in Star Tribune or local newspaper • Adapt a drain- keeping an eye on local draining Motion made by Chair Zarrin to add Richard Manser to the working group. Motion seconded by Member Mohanty. Motion carried. Business Energy Efficiency Working Group • Hoping to sit down with Mayor Hovland and Tara Brown in the upcoming weeks to discuss business energy • Tara created a tool from CEE and modify clusters of information from apartments, business, and overall message to all the business • We are going to be in touch with Chamber of Commerce and 50th & France business to discuss community outreach • Edina Urban Vision Symposium – discussed to see if the City of Edina wants to go beyond their own energy code. Tara noted the City can only ask for requirements above code if the city is providing money for the building. Motion made by Glahn to remove Marshall Silberstein from the working group. Motion seconded by Member Chair Zarrin. Motion carried. Residential Energy Efficiency Working Group • Discussed how to get more people into the Residential group • Also getting people out to the Open Street event a few weeks ago • Spend with iMatter group discussing youth drive of their incentive and our incentives. How to get the students to get more involved Draft Minutes☒ Approved Minutes☐ Approved Date: Education and Outreach Working Group • Communicating with Tara regarding the film series and the budget we have for our incoming 2017 year • As soon as they are confident to get sponsorships to help the films, Education and Outreach Working Group will roll out the schedule Student Environment Leadership Council (Subcommittee) • Worked with iMatter to bring their presentation to EEC meeting on October 13th • Future plans to look into the student consumption and what they can do • Plan to attend other meetings in other local schools • Define motivational tools to reach out to the youth via school newspaper Member Kim excused herself from the meeting at 8:36pm. Member Madhok excused herself from the meeting at 8:36pm. Recycling, Solid Waste and Organics Working Group • All chair meeting and commissioners went around discussing work plans in the upcoming future • With the regard to comprehensive plans, council will be asking more input in the future. There is no timeline yet since they are working on the plan throughout next year. • The City and Council do value the input of Recycling Solid Waste and Organics Working Group VIII. Correspondence And Petitions • None. IX. Chair And Member Comments A. Attendance report and roster X. Staff Comments A. Staff Comments • Liaison Brown presented PiE Q3 Report that shared the strategies and planning for our three goals in Facilities, Business, and Residential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions • Chair Zarrin requested an additional meeting to bring all chair working groups related to PiE together to review overlaps. XI. Adjournment Draft Minutes☒ Approved Minutes☐ Approved Date: Motion made by Member Zarrin to adjourn the October 13, 2016 meeting at 9:05p.m. Motion seconded by Chair Mohanty. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Sulekha Mohamed Executive Assistant Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: VI.A. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: Report and Recommendation From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator Item Activity: Subject:iMatter Climate Action Plan Resolution Action CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: Vote on draft resolution for Council's consideration. INTRODUCTION: ATTACHMENTS: Description iMatter Youth Climate Report Card iMatter Detailed Report iMatter Climate Inheritance Resolution WE, THE YOUTH OF Edina MN endorse this Climate Report Card & call for immediate action to protect our future from the Climate Crisis. SCHOOL OR GROUP NAME: Edina CLIMATE REPORT CARD ZERO EMISSIONS PLAN D- Rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the most important thing we can do to address the climate crisis . RENEWABLE ENERGY C Electricity generation caused 32% of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 (source: EPA), the largest of any source. WASTE B Reducing the amount of waste we generate and recycling more of it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases from landfills. Waste reduction is also an indirect indicator that we're reducing the amount of completely new stuff we're buying. Production of new stuff can generate a lot of greenhouse gases. CARBON REMOVAL C Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere will reduce the impacts of climate change. YOUTH INVOLVEMEMT Plus 1/2 grade The youngest generation will be most impacted by the climate crisis and should be involved when policies are be ing put in place. A city gets a half grade increase if they have youth involved in advising on or developing climate related policies OVERALL GRADE C RATIONALE FOR GRADES (see the Detailed Report for specifics) ZERO EMISSIONS PLAN 50% Weighting While Edina has not done a Climate Action Plan, it gets some credit because its levels of greenhouse gas emissions are known. RENEWABLE ENERGY 20% Weighting The percent of Edina's electricity that comes from renewable sources is unknown, so the state average has been used, and the max base grade is a C. Edina received 21.31% of its energy from renewable sources in 2014. This is above the national average. Edina's renewable energy percentage changed by -0.48 percentage point(s) from 2013 to 2014. This did not change the grade. WASTE 20% Weighting Waste created per person in Edina is decreasing which results in a better grade. The portion of Edina's waste that is being recycled or composted is increasing which results in a better grade. CARBON REMOVAL 10% Weighting Edina has a program that will contribute to removing carbon from the atmosphere. Therefore the grade starts at a C. YOUTH INVOLVEMEMT Possible +1/2 grade Edina has youth formally involved in the process of creating and executing climate related policies and actions . Edina Detail Report -1- For Edina MN Climate Report Card 1 Report Card Background Working from the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, iMatter developed a Report Card based on the areas a city can impact, and data that is generally publicly available. An A-F grading system evaluates a city's action (or inaction) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels needed to end the climate crisis. Actions taken to improve Report Card grades should focus a city on the right things and at the right levels to make meaningful progress on the climate crisis. And because youth will have to deal with the effects of the climate crisis more than older generations, youth opinion matters. Youth should be involved when policies are being put in place, both so they have a voice, and so they can participate in local solutions. Youth can be partners with local government in creating the will for community change. 1.1 Basis for Report Card Report Card grades are based on real data, the presence of programs with appropriate goals, and concrete actions. To determine appropriate goals, the science from pre-eminent climate scientist, Dr. Jim Hansen, was used. Dr. Hansen, formerly of NASA, led a team that wrote a paper at the end of 2013, which gives a prescription for avoiding the worst consequences of climate change. His team makes the point that we need to keep temperatures roughly within the range of temperatures that led to the rise of human civilization. To do this required a reduction in global emissions of 6% per year starting immediately (meaning 2014/2015) and that we simultaneously take carbon out of the atmosphere with things like reforestation and better soil management. This recipe guides the Report Card grading system. You can find Dr. Hansen's paper here, and a non-technical summary of it here. 1.2 Report Card Sections There are five sections of the report card that are combined into an overall grade. The Report Card itself describes why each of these sections is important. At a high level, for each section, here is what is rewarded: Edina Detail Report -2-  Zero Emissions Climate Action Plan: When the city's Climate Action Plan gets to net zero human emissions (by 2040 is an A, 2050 a C).  Renewable Energy: When the percent of renewables used to generate a city's electricity is more than the national average, and the percentage is rising.  Waste: When the amount of waste per person is decreasing and the percent of that waste that is recycled or composted is increasing.  Carbon Removal: When there is some kind of a program that will result in more carbon being removed from the atmosphere.  Youth Involvement: A bonus area that rewards a city 1/2 grade for having youth involved in advising on or setting climate change related policies and plans. The sections are combined into an overall grade. Weightings are based on the U.S averages for the impact of each area on a typical community's greenhouse gas footprint. Sample grades with weightings Grade Weighting Zero Emissions Climate Action Plan C 50% Renewable Energy % B 20% Waste (Generated/Recycled/Composted) C 20% Carbon Removal D 10% Youth Involvement +½ grade Overall grade B- Note: The "Carbon Removal" grade is slightly underweighted compared to an overall U.S impact, but this is because much of the U.S. impact will likely come from areas that may be outside typical city boundaries (e.g., national forests, croplands, etc.) Detail on grade calculations is shown in each grade description section. You can also find a generic description here. 1.3 Advisors In addition to using the leading climate science, some of the most knowledgeable people and organizations on community climate change initiatives have been consulted to develop the Report Card. The following is our list of Advisors.  David Allaway, Policy and Program Analyst, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality  Brian Holland, Director of Climate Programs, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability USA  Paul Kroening, Supervising Environmentalist, Waste Reduction and Recycling Unit, Hennepin County, MN Edina Detail Report -3-  Hunter Lovins, President, Natural Capitalism Solutions  Matt McRae, Climate and Energy Analyst, City of Eugene, Oregon  Eli Yewdall, Senior Program Officer, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA  Martha Campbell, Sr. Associate - Communities, Rocky Mountain Institute  Kaitlyn Bunker, Ph.D., Associate, Rocky Mountain Institute  Ryan Griffin, Managing Consultant, See the Forest, LLC The Report Card has also already been endorsed by the following organizations to encourage its use by U.S. communities.  Project Drawdown  Natural Capitalism Solutions  Moms Clean Air Force  Green Schools 2 Overall Grade for Edina = C 3 Individual Grade Descriptions 3.1 Zero Emissions Plan: D- It's good that Edina has done or is planning on doing a Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The next step to an improved grade is a Climate Action Plan. Climate Action Plan information entered: Link to Greenhouse Gas Inventory (if entered): http://www.regionalindicatorsmn.com/ Link to Climate Action Plan (if entered): Link to Annual Report (if entered): 3.2 Renewable Energy: C Edina's renewable energy percentage is unknown, so the state average has been used. The maximum base grade that can be received when a state average is used is a C. If the city can get this data, then the maximum base grade would be an A. Edina Detail Report -4- Edina received 21.31% of its energy from renewable sources in 2014 and 21.79% in 2013. In 2014 this differs from the national average by 7.84 percentage point(s). The grade is as follows:  F, 5% or more below the national average (includes 5% below)  D-, 5%-2% below the national average (includes 2% below)  D, 2% below to 3% over the national average (includes 3% above)  C-, 3% to 7% above the national average  C, 7% or more above the national average (includes 7% above) Edina's renewable energy percentage changed by -0.48 percentage point(s) from 2013 to 2014.This did not change the grade. This is the formula used: If a city's percentage increases by at least 0.5% year over year, the grade is increased 1/3 level, if it decreases by 0.5% or more year over year, the grade is decreased 1/3 level. If a city's percentage increases more than 2% year over year, it moves up a whole grade, unless it is already at A, in which case it moves up to A+. Renewable energy data came from, if entered: Used the state average for MN. Though it was learned that the city government has a small amount of renewable energy. From Ross Bintner - Water Resources Engineer - Note that the City owns a 40Kw solar panel rig on City Hall. National renewable percentages for reference: 2014: 13.47 2012: 12.46 2013: 13.09 2011: 12.71 3.3 Waste: B There are two main factors to the Waste grade: 1. Waste Created per person. Waste created or generated equals the waste disposed (in a landfill or burned) plus the waste recovered (recycled or composted). Higher grades are received the more this is reduced. 2. Recovery rate: This is the percent of the total waste created that is either recycled or composted. It is calculated by dividing the total weight of materials recycled and composted by the total amount of waste generated in a year. Higher grades are received the more this is increased. Here is the data calculated for Edina:  Waste Created per person (tons) in 2015: 0.1172  Waste Created per person (tons) in 2014: 0.11788 Edina Detail Report -5-  Change in Waste Created per person from 2014 to 2015: -0.57686%  Recovery rate in 2015: 75.6303%  Recovery rate in 2014: 75.5274%  Recovery rate change from 2014 to 2015: 0.1029 percentage points Edina Detail Report -6- Waste grades are calculated using the following table: Recovery Rate = Total Recycling & Composting / Total Waste Generated Grading is based on the percent increase or decrease in the rate (e.g. going from 10% recovery rate to 12% is a 2% increase.) But when 50% overall recovery rate has been reached, then the lowest set of grades a community can receive is column 4 (and 70% is column 5.) Waste Created per person Grading is based on the annual percent increase or decrease in the weight of waste per person 1% or more decrease 0-1% decrease 0-1% increase 1-3% increase or Greater than 50% RR More than 3% increase or Greater than 70% RR 2% or more increase F D- D C- C 0-2% increase (includes 0) D- D C- C B- 0-2.5% decrease D C- C B- B 2.5-5% decrease C- C B- B A- 5% or more decrease C B- B A- A When a city reaches 70% recovery rate, if they increase their recovery rate by more than 1.5% in a year, then their score is increased 1/3 level (i.e. A- to A, A to A+) Edina has a curbside recycling program, which is good. If it did not, then grades would be reduced by at least 1/3 level. Edina could increase its grade by 1/3 level if it had a curbside organics recycling program. Waste related data entered: Total waste (tons) in 2015: 5950 Total waste (tons) in 2014: 5925 Population in 2015: 50766 Population in 2014: 50261 Recycling tons in 2015: 4500 Recycling tons in 2014: 4475 Composting tons in 2015: Composting tons in 2014: Where waste data came from (if entered): Solvei Wilmot, Environmental Health Specialist and Recycling Coordinator. City of Edina Data. Composting service was deemed not an official program. Edina operations with an open hauling system for waste, and does now know the total amount of waste generated. The numbers used were the estimate of 200 pounds per household per year, with a total of 14,500 households in Edina. This is a total of 1450 tons of non Edina Detail Report -7- recycled waste. It was learned that Vierkant disposal collected 479 tonnes of organic and yard waste in 2015, but it would be necessary to get the data from the year before as well to impact the grade. These numbers result in quite a high Recovery Rate, which is great, but their accuracy should probably be verified. 3.4 Carbon Removal: C Edina has a program that will contribute to removing carbon from the atmosphere. Therefore the grade starts at a C. As there do not appear to be metrics associated with the program, the grade remains at a C. If Edina would add metrics to the program, and if those metrics would result in an increase in carbon storage capacity, even if those metrics are not specifically carbon related, then the grade will rise to a B. (For example, a program that measured an increase in biomass of trees would increase carbon storage capacity even though the metrics of the program was not specifically measuring carbon storage capacity.) Edina's grade could be increased by 1/3 level if carbon storage capacity was included in the program's metrics. Link to Program used in this section (if provided): https://www.municode.com/library/mn/edina/ordinances/code_of_ordinance s?nodeId=704690 3.5 Youth Involvement: Plus 1/2 grade Edina has a climate change related Youth Council or Youth Group of some sort participating in, or advising on setting up policy, or has youth on a climate change related group or task force. Therefore, Edina's overall Climate Report Card grade is increased by ½ level. Link to Youth Climate Group (or Climate Group with youth participation) if provided: Edina Energy and Environment Commission (2 student commissioners): http://www.ci.edina.mn.us/?section=boards_energyandenvironment Edina Detail Report -8- Background Information and Resources 4 Zero Emissions Climate Action Plan Edina Grade = D- Rapidly reducing emissions is the most important thing we can do to address the climate crisis, so a Climate Action Plan that gets to net zero emissions is the most heavily weighted grade in the Report Card. Zero emissions, or at least net zero emissions is the goal. This means completely cutting a city's carbon pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Studies have shown (here's one) that it is doable. By saying "net zero," it leaves a bit of practical wiggle room for some continued but drastically reduced emissions, as long as they're balanced out by natural factors that remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere (the Carbon Removal part of the Report Card), or possibly by purchasing a small amount of carbon offsets. 4.1 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Edina has done a Greenhouse Gas Inventory, great! 4.2 Climate Action Plan Edinadoes not have a Climate Action Plan. Hundreds of cities now do. Here are examples of Climate Action Plans  Eugene, OR - note that Appendix 7 of the plan is a Greenhouse Gas Inventory.  Minneapolis, MN - Greenhouse gas inventory  Minneapolis, MN - Climate Action Plan  Burlington, VT – Climate Action Plan  The EPA website has links to many greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans.  In the Carbonn database, affiliated with ICLEI, many cities report the targets for their Climate Action Plans, and sometimes their progress.  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has an excellent set of tools and case studies on developing a climate action plan. Edina Detail Report -9- 16 communities were recently recognized by the US White House as Climate Action Champions for leadership on climate change. One of the 16, Montpelier, VT, has launched Net Zero Montpelier in an effort to become the first carbon neutral capital city in the US by 2030. Measuring-Up-2015, a report by ICLEI and the World Wildlife Federation, explores Climate Action plans in 4 of the 34 US cities who have recently pledged to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. Here you can find case studies for Atlanta, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Portland. 4.2.1 Goods produced outside Edina Most inventories of greenhouse gas emissions count only emissions generated from sources inside a community. But by purchasing goods and services, a community's citizens contribute to emissions around the world, in the places where those goods or services are produced. Calculating emissions from goods and services produced outside the community is difficult and the approaches for doing so are newer and require more estimation. But it is good for a community and its citizens to be thinking about these emissions as well. Therefore a city gets some extra credit for thinking about this in their Climate Action Plan or trying to calculate it in their Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This is important, because in 2006 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculated that 42% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from the provision of food or goods (see chart below). And in most cities, a large portion of the food and goods come from outside the city. Also, 90% or more of the greenhouse gas impact of food and products happens before they are purchased. Recycling and waste management alone Edina Detail Report -10- will not solve this problem. We must think creatively about what we buy and eat and how we can positively influence others. The good news is that technological and cultural innovations are already positioning us for reduced consumption in a still thriving economy. "The Sharing Economy", as has been coined, could greatly reduce unnecessary personal ownership. Technology has enabled peer-to-peer connections in everything from sharing a car or a bike to seldom used tools. The National League of Cities recently published a report on how city government can embrace and foster the sharing economy. 4.3 Annual Report on Climate Action Plan While creating an annual report is no small task, the benefits can be monumental. The first of these benefits is that the annual report is a clear and consistent internal accountability mechanism. It is not about only highlighting accomplishments, but also illustrating where things didn't go as planned or opportunities still exist to improve. This level of transparency may not come easy, but many cities have been successful at creating annual reports and using them as a vehicle to engage their populations environmentally. For example, the Annual Report on the San Ramon, CA, Climate Action Plan, covered everything from overall emissions reductions to new development plans, to land use and transportation strategies. 4.4 Climate Recovery Ordinance A Climate Recovery Ordinance is basically a Climate Action Plan that has been made into a law. Eugene, Oregon is an example of a place where this has happened. Here is the press release from iMatter partner Our Children's Trust on the ordinance. Here is the ordinance itself. 5 Renewable Energy Edina Grade = C While typically included within a city's Climate Action Plan, electricity generation caused 32% of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 (source: EPA), the largest of any source. That's why it's included as a separate grading item. Finding renewable energy data Edina Detail Report -11- While state data has been used to calculate a Renewable Energy score on the Edina Climate Report Card, it is not ideal. If Edina city governmentdoesn't know, utility companies can provide the percent renewable electricity in the local portfolio. Many states have set Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) that will mandate that this percent hit a certain target by a certain year. Regional differences often cause cities' renewable percentage to vary within the same state. Understanding the state RPS and how the state is tracking against it is a good start. Some states have set much more aggressive standards than others. Hawaii, for example is leading the nation with a 70% renewable target by 2030 and 100% renewable by 2040. 5.1 Renewable Energy Definition Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale* such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Another way of thinking about it is that renewable resources are not depleted though their use. For the Report Card, we use the US Energy Information Administration's (US EIA) classification system for defining what is renewable energy. They include the following in their renewable energy figures:  Hydroelectric Power  Geothermal  Solar  Wind  Biomass (includes biofuels, wood, waste) The source of our national data also comes from the US EIA. * - Note that on very long timescales (millions and millions of years, fossil fuels are technically replenishable. But not in any way that is useful to humanity. 5.2 Edina Compared to National Renewable Energy Average According to the data input, Edina's renewable energy is 7% or more above the national average. Great job! 6 Waste Edina Grade = B Reducing the amount of waste we generate and recycling more of it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from landfills. Edina Detail Report -12- Waste reduction is also an indirect indicator that we're reducing the amount of completely new stuff we're buying. Buying lots of new stuff can significantly increase the greenhouse gases generated in the production of that stuff. This is often referred to as "Materials" or "Materials and Waste." Reduction of waste has three main impacts on greenhouse gases. 1. Reduced amounts of waste in a landfill, especially food waste, reduce the amount of greenhouse gases (methane) given off by the landfill (according to the EPA, waste in landfills generates 2% of our greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.). 2. The production and transport of the food and products (materials) we buy is estimated to cause 42% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (see "Background note on greenhouse gas emissions" below). Less overall waste created likely would mean we are buying less stuff that causes greenhouse gases when it is produced and delivered to the market. 3. More recycling typically reduces greenhouse gases, because it generally requires a lot less greenhouse gases to recycle materials than to create new materials. The EPA has estimated that moving to 100% recycling would result in a decrease in our national greenhouse gas emissions of 6%. More and more cities and towns are adopting aggressive zero waste initiatives.  Here are 10 major US cities with zero waste goals  Three other lesser known cities with zero waste goals  Info about SF, NY, and some international cities with zero waste goals  Small cities solve big problems - a good USA Today article from last year. 7 Carbon Removal Edina Grade = C Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere will reduce the impacts of climate change. Carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas, can be removed from the atmosphere and stored in trees, forests, plants, and soil, mostly through photosynthesis - the process by which carbon is stored in plants and oxygen is released into the atmosphere. 7.1 Trees Urban forestry is a popular method of carbon sequestration within city limits. Maintaining a healthy tree canopy has myriad benefits in addition to reducing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and positively impacting climate change. There are some terrific free tools available to cities. Edina Detail Report -13-  iTree, peer-reviewed software created by the USDA Forest Service, provides urban forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools through a combination of tree inventory and use of satellite analysis. iTree provides a way to regularly count trees and concretely assess the benefits they provide.  EarthDefine is building the largest collection of high-resolution land cover information for the contiguous United States. This dataset currently covers over 233 million acres and is continuously expanding. In St. Louis Park, MN, using the above two tools, the city forestry department uses a combination of a physical street tree inventory, biomass from LIDAR satellite images, and a Geographic Information System (GIS) Asset Management database for its trees. While the number of trees important, it is their overall biomass that largely determines their carbon removal capabilities. Policies could be put in place that set targets for biomass with language on carbon removal. They could also include language to preserve trees in parks and redevelopment zones, and implement a more robust replanting policy. Atlanta, like many cities, has a formal policy requiring a permit for tree removal on private property, and ensuring that replanting happens. Burlington, VT has a policy for the city to plant 588 trees per year. See pages 18 and 23 of the Burlington Climate Action Plan for more information, including a great description on the many benefits of effectively managing trees. 7.2 Soil Here is a great article by Judith Schwartz, author or the book Cows Save the Planet and Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth that describes how better managing soil can play a significant role in addressing the climate crisis. 8 Other great resources for cities Note that all materials linked to are either publicly available and/or have been provided with the consent of the creating organization.  Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has an excellent new Community Resource Guide that provides a blueprint to launch a community energy transformation. Additional resources from RMI include: o A strategy presentation supporting the climate action plan of Fort Collins, CO. o A spreadsheet of specific tactics for Fort Collins o This page has links to the full set of community resources available from Rocky Mountain Institute. Edina Detail Report -14-  Redstone Strategy Group is a leading advisor to private foundations and non-profits around the world, and created this excellent report for Menlo Spark, an organization looking to lead Menlo Park, CA, to climate neutrality by 2025.  Natural Capitalism Solutions created a Climate Protection Manual for Cities that takes cities through the steps needed to conduct a greenhouse gas inventory, create a climate action plan, and measure results. Climate Inheritance Resolution A Resolution expressing the commitment of the <city> City Council to protect the children and grandchildren of this community from the risks of climate destruction. WHEREAS, 195 countries, including the United States and every country that is a member of the United Nations, reached an agreement in Paris, France on December 12, 2015, that recognizes the risk to our children’s and grandchildren’s future from climate change; WHEREAS, the greatest burden resulting from an inadequate response to the climate crisis will be carried by the youngest generation, and all who follow; WHEREAS, the risks from an inadequate response are potentially devastating, and include economic and environmental disruptions many of which are already being felt such as more severe storms, longer and hotter heat waves, worsening flood and drought cycles, growing invasive species and insect problems, accelerated species extinction rates, rising sea levels, increased wildfires, and a dramatic increase in refugees from climate impacted lands, <if applicable, include or change this list to reflect the specific threats to your community>; WHEREAS, leading climate scientists1 have indicated that further delay in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions will rapidly push humanity past the point where disastrous consequences can be avoided; WHEREAS, numerous governmental and non-governmental bodies across the nation and the world have already adopted climate action plans to immediately and rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also stopping them entirely within 25 years; WHEREAS, youth of <city> have brought this Council a Youth Climate Report Card highlighting the gap between what we are doing today and actions that would be necessary to protect their future; WHEREAS, youth of <city> have indicated a willingness to work with this Council on such actions, we, therefore, declare it: RESOLVED, that <city> City Council commits to working constructively, using ingenuity, innovation, and courageous determination to complete or update a <city> Climate Action Plan 1 Hansen J, Kharecha P, Sato M, Masson-Delmotte V, Ackerman F, Beerling DJ, et al. (2013) Assessing “Dangerous Climate Change”: Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People, Future Generations and Nature. PLoS ONE 8(12): e81648. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081648 for consideration that significantly reduces <city>’s greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would protect our community’s children and grandchildren from the risk of climate destruction BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that <city> City Council commits to start the <city> Climate Action Plan creation or modification process within <(30 days)>, and to complete it as soon as possible BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a mechanism will be created to for the ongoing inclusion of young people in the process of creating and executing climate related policies and actions. CERTIFICATION The foregoing resolution was adopted by __________________ in ______________ on ________________ with a quorum present. Signed by: ________________________________ Attest: ____________________________________ Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: VI.B. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: Report and Recommendation From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator Item Activity: Subject:Study and Report: Packaging Discussion, Information CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: Council requested a Charge 1: Study and Report on packaging policies. Commissioner Horan took lead on report. Staff liaison has put together the attached report to send to Council. ATTACHMENTS: Description Study and Report: Packaging Minneapolis packaging ordinance St Louis Park Zero Waste Packaging Ordinance 1 The MPCA Guide can be found online at: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-p2s1-06.pdf 2 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-p2s1-06.pdf 3 Polystyrene bans are also in place at the local level in other states including Florida, Maine, Oregon and Massachusetts. Date: November 7, 2016 To: City Council From: Energy and Environment Commission Subject: Study and report on proposal to band Styrofoam food packaging materials in Edina. Action Requested : The Energy and Environment Commission is seeking Edina City Council’s input on how they would like to proceed. Background: With Zero Waste and Environmental Packaging ordinances being enacted in surrounding communities and across the nation, the Edina City Council asked the Edina Energy and Environmental Commission (EEC) to research and report on a proposal to ban polystyrene food packaging in materials. This report outlines the EEC’s findings. The Edina Energy and Environmental Commission (EEC) researched national and regional trends relating to bans, Zero Waste and Environmental Packaging ordinances. The extent of the movement towards bans, restrictions, and ordinances is best summarized in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Guide1 which outlines goals, considerations, resources, and policies on product bans and restrictions. Through our research we found bans were not as productive as packaging ordinances. Packaging Ordinances are driven by waste reduction goals and can be flexible if new data or market change. In this report, you will find information regarding polystrene bans and the considerations around packaging ordinances. Assessment: Polystrene Bans Currently, the MPCA does not have a blanket position on policies to prohibit or restrict any single-use consumer packaging products at the city, county or state level.2 However, the MPCA report shows that there are 65 city or county ordinances in California that ban the use of polystyrene food containers for food vendors, restaurants and at government facilities.3 Additionally, Haiti has a (poorly enforced) ban on polystyrene containers, and Guyana plans to Page 2 ban import and use of expanded polystyrene foam in 2016. Table 1 below, also from the MPCA guide, outlines the rational and impact of comparable ordinances in Cities throughout the United States: Table 1 Polystyr ene contain ers City Ordinance/ Policy Enacted Rationale Impact Ordinance Amherst, MA Prohibits food establishments and City facility users from dispensing prepared foods in expanded polystyrene Novemb er, 2012 (effectiv e January 1 2014) Reduce waste that is not recyclable; To protect health, safety of residents from styrene. Information on the impact of this policy is not readily available https://www.amherst ma.gov/Docum entCenter/View/2481 8 Seattle ,WA Ban on polystyrene foam food containers and packing material. The ban applies to all food service businesses, including restaurants, grocery stores, delis, coffee shops and institutional cafeterias. January 2009 Reduce amount of waste and negative environmental impacts to bird population. Seattle aspires to be a zero waste city, and this ban was part of this policy objective. Information on the impact of this policy is not readily available http://clerk.seattle.go v/~scripts/nph- brs.exe?s3=&s4=1227 51&s5=&s1=&s 2=&S6=&Sect4=AND &l=0&Sect2=THE SON&Sect3=PLURON &Sect5=CBORY &Sect6=HITOFF&d= ORDF&p=1&u=% 2F~public%2Fcbor1.h tm&r=1&f=G Page 3 4 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-p2s1-06.pdf Minneapolis, MN Requires all takeout food containers to be recyclable, reusable, returnable or compostable (rigid and expanded polystyrene are not included on the list of plastics meeting the requirements). Covered food establishments must have recycling and composting programs. April 2015 To promote reusable, refillable, recyclable or compostable food and beverage packaging. Information on the impact of this policy is not readily available http://www.ci.minnea polis.mn.us/w ww/groups/public/@ health/docume nts/webcontent/wcms 1p-130775.pdf New York, NY Ban on single-use expanded polystyrene foam, including packing peanuts. January 2015 Reduce waste that is not recyclable. None; ordinance under appeal after judge struck it down, saying that EPS is recyclable. No ordinance in effect currently. Lifecycle Considerations and Trade-offs One of the primary concerns identified by the EEC in regards to a polystyrene food packaging ban is the need to consider the complete life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle inventory (LCI) of a product in order to determine its true impact on the environment. The lifecycle of a product includes the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing of the product, transportation, use, and disposal. Lifecycle assessments are very complex and the results may vary depending on bias of the sponsoring institute and the quality of the data. We have listed a few LCA/LCI studies in the resources tab for an in-depth look. The impacts articulated therein outline the trade-offs that will result from the replacement materials. Some impacts of particular interest to the commission were in relation to take-out food packaging. The MPCA report reads, “a ban on polystyrene containers will result in an increase in the products that replaces it – another type of plastic, paper with plastic lining, or compostable containers. Some specific alternative products may be manufactured in such a way to decrease life cycle impacts compared to polystyrene. Though more of the alternatives may be recyclable, they are also likely to weigh more than polystyrene, so waste generation tonnage may go up along with recycling rates. Switches to compostable products are beneficial only if there are prevalent organics collections programs in place.”4 Trade-offs were also found by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. “Polystyrene used less energy and Page 4 5 https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-p2s1-06.pdf chemical inputs and resulted in fewer emissions than other packaging types (e.g. paper), but caused more solid waste by volume. In terms of toxics, styrene, from which polystyrene is made, is a likely carcinogen; on the other hand, most types of packaging plastics leach chemicals that can interfere with human hormone activity”5 Policies will have trade-offs because of environmental impacts of different product materials or because of how a policy affects citizen behaviors. Instead of looking at outright bans, The Edina City Council should explore a policy that holistically supports our environmental goals to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Waste and greenhouse gas reductions were what drove our neighboring cities to enact packaging ordinances. The rest of this report looks at the law, economics, arguments and considerations for a packaging ordinance. Statute and goals driving a packaging ordinance A packaging ordinance in the City of Edina would support our solid waste and greenhouse gas reduction goals. • Waste – Our current rate and use of materials is not sustainable. For this and many other reasons, the Waste Management Act and The Landfill Abatement Act requires that the state’s waste management system move away from landfill disposal and adopt a hierarchy for solid waste processing in order of preference: reduce, reuse, recycle, organics recycling, landfill. Page 5 To assist businesses and the public in minimizing waste, additional statues and goals have been developed: o Business - As of January 1, 2016, the Minnesota legislature expanded the recycling requirements to businesses. Businesses in the seven-county metro area that contract for four cubic yards or more of trash per week must recycle three materials. o Residential - Counties have been required to amend their solid waste master plans in order to meet these goals of waste prevention, recovery and landfill abatement. Hennepin County’s Master Plan includes the following goals to be attained by 2030 for residential waste collection: Increase recycling from 41% to 54-60%; Increase organics recycling from 3% to 9-15%; Decrease landfill disposal from 19% to 9%. • Greenhouse gas reduction – Food waste is a significant contributor to our greenhouse Page 6 6 https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/reducing_wasted_food_pkg_tool.pdf 7 https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/execsum.pdf gas emissions.6 Food and its packaging containers account for almost 45% of materials landfilled in the United States. Using packaging that is easily recycled, composted or reusable not only reduces solid waste generation, but also reduces negative environmental impacts by using less energy and raw materials and emits less greenhouse gas (GHG). In an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, which examined the relationship between municipal solid waste (MSW) management and Climate Change, it states that: o Source reduction, in general, represents an opportunity to reduce GHG emissions in a significant way. For many materials, the reduction in energy-related CO2 emissions from the raw material acquisition and manufacturing process, and the absence of emissions from waste management, combine to reduce GHG emissions more than other options do. o For most materials, recycling represents the second best opportunity to reduce GHG emissions. For these materials, recycling reduces energy-related CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process (although not as dramatically as source reduction) and avoids emissions from waste management. Paper recycling increases the sequestration of forest carbon. o Composting is a management option for food discards and yard trimmings. The net GHG emissions from composting are lower than landfilling for food discards (composting avoids CO2emissions), and higher than landfilling for yard trimmings (landfilling is credited with the carbon storage that results from incomplete decomposition of yard trimmings). Overall, given the uncertainty in the analysis, the emission factors for composting or combusting these materials are similar.7 The economics behind a packaging ordinance When looking at reducing waste, there are economic benefits to selecting materials that can have another life, materials that are recyclable and compostable. Understanding the materials that have another life, recyclable or compostable, and a market in Minnesota is important to factor in when selecting the materials for a packaging ordinance. The following is a brief overview of the different resins that have economic value and are sorted and collected in Minnesota MRFs: PET Resin #1 Roughly 75 percent of recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles go to domestic markets. Although Minnesota does not have a PET reclaimer it does have companies that purchase recycled PET flakes and pellets. The out-of-state reclaimers are not at capacity for PET, therefore, any increase of PET recovered from Minnesota would be in demand at these national and regional reclamation operations. Page 7 8 St Louis Park Council Votes Unanimously in Support of Zero Waste Packaging Ordinance Seth Rowe for the Sun Sailor, published December 15, 2015, http://sailor.mnsun.com/2015/12/15/st-louis-park-council-votes-unanimously-in-support- of-zero-waste-packaging-ordinance/ HDPE Resin #2 Approximately 80% of HDPE (High-density polyethylene) stays in domestic markets. Unlike PET Minnesota does have in-state reclaimers for HDPE. Currently Minnesota’s reclaimers need to purchase HDPE from out-of-state to meet their demand of recycled HDPE. Any increase in HDPE recovery will decrease Minnesota’s need to purchase out-of-state HDPE. Resin #3-#7 These resins are generally packed together at MRF as pre-picked rigid grade. This grade generally needs to be sent somewhere else to be further sorted, the majority being exported to China. Included in this category is rigid Polystyrene (resin #6). Currently, Polystyrene, both rigid #6 or food service foam are difficult to recycle economically. Therefore, there are not strong after markets for these plastics. However, in the last few years, there have been companies around the nation that have begun to sort and resell these mixed resins to reclaimers, but until these end markets grow, the demand for rigid #6 is not significant in Minnesota. Resin #7 These resins can include Polylactic Acid (PLA) Polylactic Acid is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester. It is made with renewable resources such as corn starch, tapioca, or sugar cane and is used in compostable products. Stakeholder engagement The Recycling Solid Waste and Organics working group (RSWO) met with many stakeholders to learn more about Zero Waste and Environmental Packaging ordinances. These events and meetings kicked off in November of 2015 and continued through 2016. Through the discussions and articles, the arguments against the Minneapolis and St. Louis Park ordinances mainly came from the chemical and restaurant industry. Letters and/or Representatives from DOW Chemical Company and the American Chemistry Council came in to argue that both the City of Minneapolis’ and St. Louis Park’s ordinance should include polystyrene as a recyclable and acceptable packaging option. They also argue that polystyrene is recycled in other states, but if it continues to be rejected as a recyclable material in Minnesota it will be difficult to create the “robust markets” that the Minneapolis and St. Louis Park ordinances require. The St. Louis Park City Council’s rejected the “arguments from industry representatives opposed to an ordinance aimed at banning food packaging the city deems to be unable to be recycled, composted or reused.”8 An additional concern from the Minnesota Restaurant Association is mainly concerned with performance and price of the acceptable packaging options. There were many positive responses from some business/restaurant owners/managers. Some Page 8 business owners, have multiple locations and have already made the switch because they are already under the Minneapolis ordinance. Some know their customers want it and are doing it anyway with compostable products because they already compost. Additionally, businesses see it as a way to reduce their waste and hopefully reduce their costs in hauling. Lastly, businesses shared that transitioning to the new products was not difficult. Below is an in-depth listing of the meetings and information shared. 1. Minneapolis Packaging Ordinance – EEC Commissioners met with Minneapolis staff to understand the work that went into drafting their ordinance; including their process, research and lessons learned. 2. Compostable serve ware – EEC Commissioners met with Simon Hefty from Litin Eco to understand the state of the compostable serve ware market. Simon has been in the compostable products business for over ten years. He was used as the “expert” on compostable products for both Minneapolis and St. Louis Park 3. Minnesota Restaurant Association – On March 2, 2016, Solvei Wilmot, Health and Recycling Coordinator; Melissa Seeley, EEC Commissioner; Michelle Horan, EEC Commissioner met with Dan McElroy, Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Restaurant. Dan shared businesses concerns: the quality hot and cold cup packaging and potential cost increase of packaging. Additionally, franchise owners need to hold to national pricing and will be unable to pass on any pricing increase to customer. 4. Public Meetings – EEC held two public, stakeholder meeting to get input from businesses and the public. a. January 27, 2016, Stake holders meeting – In attendance: Solvei Wilmot; Michelle Horan; Lauren Satterlee, EEC Commissioner; Melissa Seeley, and Simon Hefty. No businesses attended. b. March 2, 2016, Stake Holders meeting 2 – In Attendance: Solvei Wilmot; Michelle Horan; Lauren Satterlee; Melissa Seeley, Simon Hefty. Businesses in attendance: Dave Fashant, Fairview Southdale Hospital; Bill Chrysler, Edina Country Club; Eric Wold, Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop, owner; Jordan Hamilton, Hello Pizza. Below are the comments: i. Fairview Southdale Hospital - Wanted to be on record to let Edina know that he hoped we did NOT exempt hospitals from our ordinance. Current waste composition: 40 yard dumpster of MSW picked up 4 times/week; 40 yard dumpster of recycling picked up 2 times/week; 40 yard construction & demolition; and organic collection with Barthold’s Farms (food for animals) 1. They currently have a 30% recycling rate (single sort). They contract with Sodexo for food service. They are working with them to ban polystyrene foam. 2. They are changing to a full organics program with Aspen as the Page 9 hauler. Started a food to hogs program 12-15 years ago capturing food from the kitchen during prep. 3. Concerns: Space on the loading dock for an additional dumpster. Although they support a ban of polystyrene foam for food containers, Fairview does not want the ordinance to ban all polystyrene foam. They have unique situations with vendors/products that currently require foam. ii. Edina Country Club – They currently collect recycling and have had a food to hogs program for 3 years. The food to hogs program covers kitchen food prep and leftover food from dining operations. The only polystyrene foam they currently use is cups out on the golf course. 1. Concerns: Additional costs related to an organics program. He was made aware of grant money and assistance available from Hennepin County. Asked about education of club members. Wondered if ECC would be responsible for contamination/compliance with all three waste streams. Additional costs regarding compostable cups members would use on the course. iii. Hello Pizza – When they first opened they had every intention of having all compostable products. They have no objections to the proposed ordinance. Currently they use compostable cups. 1. The obstacle: Their loading dock is shared among three restaurants and two of the restaurants are not interested in collecting organics. 2. Once they are able to incorporate organics collection the only MSW they foresee is straws and items brought in by customers from outside the restaurant. iv. Neighborhood Ice Cream - Currently serve everything in polystyrene foam and only collect MSW. Any recyclables collected are taken home by the manager. They share a loading dock with other tenants and there is currently only one 4 yard container for MSW collected once per week. The manager came to collect information and is willing to make the switch. Considering reusable wares versus compostable. They were also made aware of available assistance from Hennepin County 5. Convention Grill – EEC Commissioner met with the owners who have eight other restaurants many in Minneapolis and has already switched packaging for those establishments. 6. St. Louis Park ‘Zero Waste’ Ordinance – EEC Commissioners met with St. Louis Park staff to understand their process and decision making that lead to the passage of the ordinance. a. EEC Commissioners also attended the St. Louis Park’s Packaging Fair to see the Page 10 communication and resources provided to businesses. Businesses attending were receptive to the ordinance change and resources available from Hennepin County 7. DART Container Corporation – Solvei Wilmot, Michelle Horan, Sarah Clarke, DART Lobbyist DART, and AnnMarie Treglia, from DART (phone) were in attendance. DART made the argument that Polystyrene, both rigid and expanded, are recyclable materials, and there are places in the states where it is currently being recycled. Their request is to include polystyrene products as an acceptable packaging option in Edina's proposed Acceptable Packaging Ordinance, because polystyrene is recyclable. Their argument is valid, however, currently, in the state of MN, there is not a strong market for polystyrene, and therefore, it is not recyclable here. When markets grow and there is demand for polystyrene, due to the wording of the ordinance, the adjustment to add polystyrene can be made. 8. Organic Processing Facility Tour – Members of the Energy and Environment Commission’s Recycling, Solid Waste and Organic Workgroup toured Full Circle Organics processing facility, Hennepin County’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station where commercial organic material is collected and Mdewakanton Sioux’s Organic processing facility. Members learned the challenges of managing yard waste compostable materials with organic materials and the laws that have requirements for management of those items. In addition, the members visited with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the requirements a compost and organic processing facility must meet. Next Steps: In summary, the MPCA is supportive of policies that result in net prevention of waste, conserve natural resources, lower life cycle pollution and emissions, and push management of wastes to their highest and best uses. By creating a preferred packaging ordinance, Edina would be leading the way in improving both Minnesota’s economy and environment with the following direct and indirect affect: • It would support Edina businesses in complying with the new recycling business legislation; • It would increase the amount of recyclable materials being diverted from the waste stream and landfills; • It would increase the amount of recovered materials going into the markets and Minnesota’s economy. Attached is the Minneapolis and St Louis Park’s packaging ordinances. The Energy and Environment Commission is seeking Edina City Council’s input on how they would like to proceed. Page 11 1 2014-Or-_____ AN ORDINANCE of the CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS By A. Johnson Amending Title 10, Chapter 204 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances relating to Food Code: Environmental Preservation: Environmentally Acceptable Packaging. The City Council of the City of Minneapolis do ordain as follows: Section 1. That Section 204.10 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.10. Legislative purpose. The city council finds that discarded packaging from foods and beverages prepared for immediate consumption constitutes a significant and growing portion of the waste in Minneapolis' waste stream. Regulation of food and beverage packaging, therefore, is a necessary part of any effort to encourage a recyclable and compostable waste stream, thereby reducing the disposal of solid waste and the economic and environmental costs of waste management for the citizens of Minneapolis and others working or doing business in Minneapolis. The council further finds that plastic packaging is rapidly replacing other packaging material, and that most some plastic packaging used for foods and beverages is nondegradable nonreusable, nonreturnable, and nonrecyclable and noncompostable. The council also finds that the two (2) main processes used to dispose of discarded nondegradable nonreusable, nonreturnable, and nonrecyclable and noncompostable plastic food and beverage packaging, are land filling and incineration, both of which should be minimized for environmental reasons. The council therefore finds that the minimization of nondegradable nonreusable, nonreturnable, and nonrecyclable and noncompostable food and beverage packaging originating at retail food establishments and at events providing food and/or beverages within the City of Minneapolis is necessary and desirable in order to minimizereduce the city's waste stream, so as to reduce the volume of landfilled waste, to minimize toxic by-products of incineration,, to make the waste stream less damaging to the environment, and to make our city and neighboring communities more environmentally sound places to live. Section 2. That Section 204.20 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.20. Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the meanings as defined in this section: 2 (a) Packaging shall mean and include food or beverage cans, glass bottles, or plastic bottles or containers used to package food and beverage products for distribution including glasses, cups, plates, serving trays, and to-go containers; but shall specifically exclude foods pre-packaged by the manufacturer, producer or distributor; plastic knives, forks and spoons sold or intended for use as utensils; and plastic films less than ten (10) mils in thickness. (b) Environmentally acceptable packaging shall mean and include any of the following: (1) Reusable and Rreturnable packaging: Food or beverage containers or packages, such as, but not limited to, soft drink bottles water bottles, growlers, and milk containers and bulk product packaging that are capable of being refilled at a retail location or returned to the distributor, such as, but not limited to, dairies and soft drink bottlers, for reuse at least once as a container for the same food or beverage; (2) Recyclable packaging: Packaging that is separable from solid waste by the generator or during collection for the purpose of recycling including glass bottles, aluminum cans and plastic food and beverage packaging that have robust recycling markets. For the purposes of this chapter, environmentally preferable plastic packaging includes the following plastic types: a. Polyethylene Terephthalate (#1 PET or PETE); b. High Density Polyethylene (#2 HDPE); and c. Polypropylene (#5 PP). (3) Compostable packaging: Packaging that is separable from solid waste by the generator or during collection for the purpose of composting. Compostable packaging must be made of paper, certified compostable plastics that meet ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868 for compostability or other cellulose-based packaging capable of being decomposed through composting or anaerobic digestion. (c) Food establishment, as used in this chapter, means a "food establishment" as defined in section 188.10 186.50 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances. Section 3. That Section 204.30 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.30. Prohibitions and duties. (a) No person owning, operating or conducting a food establishment or any person or organization providing free food or beverage products within the City of Minneapolis pursuant to a permit or license, or in a manner which would require a permit or license, shall do or allow to be done any of the following within the city: Sell or convey at retail or possess with the intent to sell or convey at retail any food or beverage intended for immediate consumption contained, at any time at or before the time or point of sale, in packaging which is not environmentally acceptable packaging. The presence on the premises of the food establishment of packaging which is not environmentally acceptable packaging shall constitute a rebuttable presumption of intent to sell or convey at retail, or to provide to retail customers 3 packaging which is not environmentally acceptable packaging; provided, however, that this subparagraph shall not apply to manufacturers, brokers or warehouse operators, who conduct or transact no retail food or beverage business. (b) Packaging used to contain food or beverages intended for immediate consumption consumed at the point of sale shall be considered environmentally acceptable packaging only when the food establishment provides consumers with an opportunity to recycle and/or appropriately manage compostable plastics and utilizes a qualified recycling and/or organics management system. A qualified recycling system shall have the following elements: (1) A qualified recycling system shall have the following elements: a.(1) A clear and verifiable process for separating recyclable packaging from discarded solid waste; and b.(2) Collection and delivery of recyclable packaging to a recycling facility for processing in the same or at least similar manner as recyclable packaging collected in a municipally approved recycling program. (2) A qualified organics management system shall have the following elements: a. A clear and verifiable process for separating organic materials from discarded solid waste; and b. Collection and delivery of organic materials to a food to people, food to animals, organics composting or anaerobic digestion facility in the same manner or at least similar manner as organic materials collected in a municipally approved organics management program. Section 4. That Section 204.40 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.40. Enforcement. The environmental health division of the health department shall have the duty and the authority to enforce the provisions of this chapter. The license official shall also have authority to enforce the provisions of this chapter. Section 5. That Section 204.50 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.50. Rules and regulations. The environmental health division may, upon notice and hearing, promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and protect the health of the public, including the development of exemptions under section 204.70 for packaging for which there is no reasonable commercially available alternative. In promulgating such rules, the director division shall consider the legislative purposes provided in section 204.10 of this chapter and shall consult with the operators of affected food establishments. 4 Section 6. That Section 204.60 of the above-entitled ordinance be and is hereby repealed: 204.60. Advisory committee on environmentally acceptable packaging. (a) The city council shall, by resolution, establish an advisory committee on environmentally acceptable packaging. The resolution shall provide for the membership, manner of appointment, the committee's charge and its duration. The membership shall be drawn from affected governmental units, business and industry, trade associations, general business organizations, consumer groups, environmental groups and others as determined in the resolution. The advisory committee shall include a member designated by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners from outside the City of Minneapolis and a member designated by the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities. The charge of the committee shall include the following: (b) Advising the environmental health division on implementation issues. Section 7. That Section 204.80 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.80. Penalties. Each violation of any provision of this chapter or of lawful regulations promulgated under section 204.50 hereof shall be a petty misdemeanor, for which the maximum fine shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) punishable as an administrative offense pursuant to Chapter 2 of this Code. Each day on which a violation occurs constitutes a separate violation. Section 8. That Section 204.110 of the above-entitled ordinance be amended to read as follows: 204.110. Effective date. This ordinance shall take effect April 22, 1991 2015. ORDINANCE NO. 2485-15 ORDINANCE TO INCREASE TRADITIONAL RECYCLING AND ORGANICS RECYCLING OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE PACKAGING AND TO-GO CONTAINERS THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS PARK DOES ORDAIN: CHAPTER 12 – Environment and Public Health Division VI. ZERO WASTE PACKAGING 12-201. - Legislative purpose. The city council (council) adopted the strategic direction in March 2007 stating that the city is committed to being a leader in environmental stewardship and will increase environmental consciousness and responsibility in all areas of city business. As such, the council finds that discarded packaging from foods and beverages prepared for immediate consumption constitutes a portion of the waste stream in St. Louis Park that could be diverted for reuse, recycling, or organics recycling. Regulation of food and beverage packaging, therefore, is a necessary part of any effort to encourage a recyclable and compostable waste stream, thereby reducing the disposal of solid waste and the economic and environmental costs of waste management for the citizens of St. Louis Park and others working or doing business in St. Louis Park. The council also finds that the two (2) main processes used to dispose of discarded nonreusable, nonreturnable, nonrecyclable and noncompostable food and beverage packaging are land filling and incineration, both of which should be minimized for environmental reasons. The council therefore finds that the minimization of nonreusable, nonreturnable, nonrecyclable and noncompostable food and beverage packaging originating at retail food establishments and at events providing food and/or beverages within the city of St. Louis Park is necessary and desirable in order to minimize the city's waste stream and maximize recycling and organics recycling, so as to reduce the volume of landfilled waste, to minimize toxic by-products of incineration, and to make our city and neighboring communities more environmentally sound places to live. 12.202. - Definitions. As used in this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the meanings as defined in this section: (a) “Distributor” shall mean a business that distributes food and beverages but who conduct no retail food or beverage transactions. (b) “Food establishment”, as used in this chapter, shall mean a "food establishment" as defined by Chapter 3.3.1 Hennepin County Code of Ordinances. (c) “Mobile use-food establishment”, as used in this chapter, shall mean “mobile use-food” as defined in Chapter 36-142(g)(5) of the City Code of Ordinances, as a vehicle or cart used to prepare and serve food and/or beverages in individual portions in a ready-to- consume state. Mobile use-food does not include the sale of groceries or vegetables and fruits not prepared for immediate consumption at the vehicle. Ordinance No. 2485-15 -2- (d) “Packaging” shall mean and include food or beverage cans, bottles or containers used to package food and beverage products for distribution including glasses, cups, plates, serving trays, and to-go containers. The following exclusions apply: foods pre-packaged by the manufacturer, producer or distributor; plastic knives, forks and spoons sold or intended for use as utensils; and plastic films less than ten (10) mils in thickness. (e) “Violation” shall mean any time a food establishment is found by the city to be non- compliant with one or more section(s) of this chapter. (f) “Zero waste packaging” shall mean and include any of the following: (1) “Reusable and returnable packaging”: Food or beverage containers or packages, such as, but not limited to, water bottles, growlers, milk containers and bulk product packaging that are capable of being refilled at a retail location or returned to the distributor for reuse at least once as a container for the same food or beverage; (2) “Recyclable packaging”: Packaging that is separable from solid waste during collection for the purpose of recycling including, but not limited to, glass bottles, aluminum cans and plastic food and beverage packaging. Recyclable packaging must be accepted by the local material recovery facilities receiving and processing the materials and have existing robust recycling markets as determined by the Public Works Division by rule promulgated pursuant to section 12.205. (3) “Compostable packaging”: Packaging that is separable from solid waste during collection for the purpose of composting. Compostable packaging must be made of unlined paper (unless lining is certified compostable), certified compostable plastic that meet ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868 or other material accepted by the commercial compost or anaerobic digestion facility receiving and processing the materials. 12.203. - Prohibitions and duties. (a) No person owning, operating or conducting a food establishment or any person or organization providing free food or beverage products within the city of St. Louis Park pursuant to a Hennepin County permit or license, or in a manner which would require a permit or license, shall do or allow to be done any of the following within the city: (1) Sell or convey at retail or possess with the intent to sell or convey at retail any food or beverage intended for immediate consumption contained, at any time at or before the time or point of sale, in packaging which is not zero waste packaging. The presence on the premises of the food establishment of packaging which is not zero waste packaging shall constitute a rebuttable presumption of intent to sell or convey at retail, or to provide to retail customers packaging which is not zero waste packaging; provided, however, that this subparagraph shall not apply to manufacturers, brokers or warehouse operators, who conduct or transact no retail food or beverage business. (b) Packaging used to contain food or beverages intended for immediate consumption shall be considered zero waste packaging only when the food establishment provides consumers with an on-site opportunity to recycle and/or appropriately manage compostable packaging and compostable plastics and utilizes a qualified recycling and/or organics management system. (1) A qualified recycling system shall have the following elements: Ordinance No. 2485-15 -3- a. A clear and verifiable process for separating recyclable packaging from discarded solid waste; and b. Collection and delivery of recyclable packaging to a recycling facility for processing in the same or at least similar manner as recyclable packaging collected in a city approved recycling program. (2) A qualified organics recycling system shall have the following elements: a. A clear and verifiable process for separating organic materials from discarded solid waste; and b. Collection and delivery of organic materials to an organics composting or anaerobic digestion facility in the same manner or at least similar manner as organic materials collected in a municipally approved organics management program. (3) A food establishment that does not have dine-in seating for consumers, except a mobile use-food establishment, is exempt from the requirement to provide consumers with an on-site opportunity to recycle and/or manage compostable packaging/compostable plastics as defined in Sec 12-203(b). 12.204. – Violations and Enforcement. (a) When a violation of this chapter has occurred, the food establishment shall be subject to the penalties set forth below. (b) A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor. (c) Violations of this chapter shall be punishable as an administrative offense pursuant to City Code Ordinance 2420-12, Section 1-14 Administrative Penalties, as follows: (1) A warning notice in writing for the first violation; (2) A fine of $100 for the second violation; (3) Repeat subsequent violations within 24 months, a fine double the amount of the fine imposed for the previous violation, up to a maximum of $2,000. For example if there were four occurrences of a violation that carried a $100 fine: first is $0 (warning); second is $100, third is $200, forth is $400). (d) At the time a violation occurs, the food establishment will be given 14 calendar days to take corrective action before a subsequent fine is issued. (e) The administrative offenses provided for in this chapter shall be in addition to any other legal or equitable remedy available to the city for city code violations. 12.205. - Rules and regulations. The Public Works Division may, upon notice and hearing, promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and protect the health of the public, including the development of list of recyclable and compostable packaging that meets definitions under section 12.202 and development of exemptions under section 12.206 for packaging for which there is no reasonable commercially available alternative. In promulgating such rules, the division shall consider the legislative purposes provided in section 12.201 of this chapter and shall Ordinance No. 2485-15 -4- consult with the operators of affected food establishments, local material recovery facilities and local commercial composting facilities. The Public Works Division rules and regulations shall be approved by council annually. 12.206. - Exemptions. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, this chapter shall not apply to: (a) Any packaging which is not zero waste packaging, but for which there is no commercially available alternative as determined by the Public Works Division by rule promulgated pursuant to section 12.205. In determining whether there are commercially available alternatives, the Public Works Division will consider whether there is availability of zero waste packaging for affected products. Every rule creating an exemption under this paragraph will be reviewed annually by the Public Works Division to determine whether current conditions continue to warrant the exemption. 12.207. - Severability. If any part or provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person, entity, or circumstances shall be adjudged unconstitutional or invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such judgment shall be confined in its operation to the part, provision or application which is directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered, and shall not affect or impair the validity of the remainder of this chapter or the application thereof to other persons, entities, or circumstances. 12.208. - Effective date. This ordinance shall take effect January 1, 2017. Secs. 12-209--12-250. Reserved. First Reading December 7, 2015 Second Reading December 21, 2015 Date of Publication December 31, 2015 Date Ordinance takes effect January 1, 2017 Reviewed for Administration Adopted by the City Council December 21, 2015 City Manager Mayor Attest: Approved as to Form and Execution: City Clerk City Attorney Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: VI.C. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: Other From:Working Group Chairs Item Activity: Subject:Working Group Updates Information CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: Working Group share updates ATTACHMENTS: Description 2016.10 BEEG WG Minutes City of Edina Business Energy Efficiency and Conservation Working Group Minutes of November 1, 2106 Meeting Community Room, Edina City Hall 7:00 p.m. Chair Carolyn Jackson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present: Chair Jackson, Paul Hussian, Bill Sierks. Absent: Michelle Horan, Amy Ma There being no changes to the minutes or the agenda, the group (“BEEG”) reviewed the survey Xcel sent out to its customers in Edina that have individual sales reps. Then we talked about filling out the tools on the shared documents. As we discussed that, Carolyn reviewed the meeting she, Tara Brown and Sarah Zarrin had with Mayor Hovland on Friday, October 28. At that meeting, the Mayor suggested a number of names of Edina business people who would be approachable about working on energy reduction. Paul will contact Jane Anderson Knudsvig about possibly joining BEEG and at least suggesting the names of contacts at Edina large office buildings. As we get those names, we will populate the contact info on the spreadsheet. Carolyn then shared a checklist she found on energystar.gov for businesses to plan energy reduction. It is a simple list which she recommends as a tool to approach businesses. The list is attached. We talked about the resources available through the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Bill Sierks said that a company in St. Paul, Eutectics, has resources for companies as well. He is going to follow up with them and see whether the City of Edina would qualify for a grant for business outreach. He will also research the case studies available on Xcel’s website. We then discussed having an event with 20 to 25 business leaders to lead the outreach to the business community. Carolyn will talk with the EEC about whether this would be an appropriate part of the April event. We briefly discussed adding to our business outreach a question about whether they considered LEED certification steps when building a new building or remodeling. Carolyn reported briefly her contacts with the Edina Country Club and Christ Presbyterian Church. The meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: VIII.A. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: From:Sarah Zarrin, EEC Chair Item Activity: Subject:The Nature Conservancy Report CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: The Nature Conservancy has lots of academic information and research behind their publications. They recently published TSC’s Planting Healthy Trees report and launched a website to help individuals engage in this topic. Date: November 10, 2016 Agenda Item #: IX.A. To:Energy and Environment Commission Item Type: Other From:Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator Item Activity: Subject:Q3 Report: Partners in Energy Action Plan Information CITY OF EDINA 4801 West 50th Street Edina, MN 55424 www.edinamn.gov ACTION REQUESTED: INTRODUCTION: Attached is the report that Tara presented at the last meeting. ATTACHMENTS: Description PiE Q3 Report The CITY of EDINA PiE Q3 2016 Report Tara Brown, Sustainability Coordinator October 2016 The CITY of EDINA PiE Facilities Q3 2016 Report Facilities Measured & Inventoried •Complete Brainstorm Session Begin •Spring 2016 VFA Tool Training •November 2016 Final Brainstorm Session •December 2016 Final List of Energy Savings Projects •February 2017 Strategy 1: Implement recommended energy use reduction projects from building study. Goal: Within 18 months lower the cities greenhouse gas emissions by 7%, 1.34 million kWh Strategy 2: Negotiate renewable purchase for municipal electricity. -Researching other cities financial mechanisms to support sustainable projects -Researching options with Xcel -Propose options for renewable purchasing to Subcommittee in January Other projects Timeline Xcel street light relamp to LED Q3 & Q4 2016 McKinstry lighting relamp recommendations Inventorying lights in October & November Receiving rebate and kW reports in December Potential savings: Working with GPI to identify operations manual & other energy reduction tools Initial meeting in October Scoping in November Building Study Milestones & Timeline Other renewable work: - Leasing space for Edina Solar Garden (2017) - Sourcing 18 blocks of 200kW solar The CITY of EDINA PiE Residential Q3 2016 Report Energy Action Plan Goal (per PiE) •750 homes take energy savings action each year, saving 562,000 kWh annually (avg 734kWh/home). And, doubling the amount of subscribers to Windsource and the amount subscribed (675 new subscribers, 534 kWh per month) Strategy (per PiE) •Strategy 1: Create challenges for key segments to act •Strategy 2: Foster neighborhood outreach and leadership •Strategy 3: Leverage outreach event for Windsource sign ups Plan (Q4 2016) •Identify key segments to engage. Build challenges around segments’ motivations •Identify key neighborhood influencers to host parties •Windsource to provide 2017 plans and discuss opportunities to amplify the message Act (2017) •Launch challenges •Influencers to host parties •Amplify messaging, continue to serve up in other communication and events www.EdinaMN.gov 3 The CITY of EDINA PiE Residential Q3 2016 Report Planning Project Phase Q4 www.EdinaMN.gov 4 Information gathering •Review archetypes/segments and identify key influencers •Identify tools and actions homeowners can take •Quantify annual kWh savings per action Brainstorm Challenge •Ideate different activities, triggers to act, rewards, and communication points per segment • Quantify ROI for each challenge •Identify influencers •Select top segments to engage Create Proposed Plan •Build initial draft of challenges per segment •Identify goals and measurements of success •Develop a timeline •Identify owners Gather feedback from residents •Share plans with a few neighbors and EEC •Update plan based on feedback Initiate Action Kick-off challenges Below are the detailed steps within the Plan phase mentioned in the previous slide. The CITY of EDINA PiE Business Q3 2016 Report: Energy Action Plan Goal (per PiE) •Reduce and/or off-set through renewable energy 2% of electricity usage annually or by 7.3m kWh in the first year or 5,140 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Strategy (per PiE) •Strategy 1: Engage the top business energy users to take action on GHG through offsets and reductions •Strategy 2: Target small to medium business, such as restaurants and retail with recognition programs •Strategy 3: Assess policy options to support GHG reduction for Edina businesses Plan (Q4 2016) •Identify businesses. Understand their needs and current actions •Identify key groups/localities and understand needs Act (2017) •TBD Engage based on initial conversations •Host a learning session through 50th & France Association (Q1 2017) Recap (2018) •Annual report from Xcel. Follow-up with businesses based upon agreed timelines. www.EdinaMN.gov 5 Utilize policy work identified by CEE and other PiE cities. Review city, business and residential needs The CITY of EDINA PiE Business: Planning Project Phase www.EdinaMN.gov 6 Information gathering •Gather usage % and premise count by sector •Create a database of top 400 users •Qualitative and quantitative information on sector engagement and outcomes Survey Users •Utilize business list to survey business engagement •Ask about key strategies, benefits, past actions, potential future actions •Complete by Oct 31st Create Proposed Plan •Build initial draft of engagement and support (i.e. Medical office Event, Country Club Challenge) Based on survey responses, identify top key tools, partners, and financial needs •Identify best ways to engage (i.e. CoC) Gather feedback from sectors Host a few roundtables to gather feedback on initial engagement plan Identify businesses that can be advocates or champions Inform website updates Initiate Action Kick-off the next phase of the project. Below are the detailed steps within the Plan phase mentioned in the previous slide.