SURE. WELL, WELCOME, EVERYONE, THIS EVENING. [1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER] [00:00:03] THANKS FOR JOINING US. I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OR THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF MERIDIAN FOR OCTOBER 5TH, 2022. IT'S 7 P.M. AND MY AGENDA JUST DISAPPEARED. LUCKILY, THIS ONE IS HERE. SINCE WE HAVEN'T MET IN SOME TIME. I WAS HOPING JUST FOR THE SAKE OF CAMARADERIE AND REACQUAINTING OUR TELEVISION AUDIENCE WITH WHO WE ARE, WE MIGHT DO AN EXTENDED KIND OF ROLL CALL. I'LL START. I'M BILL MCCONNELL. I'VE BEEN ON AND OFF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SINCE I GOT TO THE TOWNSHIP IN 2005 AND HAVE SERVED A COUPLE OF TERMS AS CHAIR AND AM LIAISON TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. I'M NED JACKSON AND I'VE BEEN ON AND OFF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SINCE PERFORMING 2020, 2000 OR SO. I DON'T KNOW, AND I'VE SERVED A COUPLE OF ROUNDS AS CHAIR AND I'M A CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. THAT'S PLENTY. ALL RIGHT. I'M TOM FRAIZER. I'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION, I THINK, AROUND TWO YEARS NOW, GIVE OR TAKE. ALSO SERVE ON THE GREEN TEAM AND SORT OF RECENTLY RETIRED FROM THE MICHIGAN TOWNSHIPS ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU. I'M ANNA COLBY. I HAVE BEEN NOW, LET'S SEE. HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN ON THE COMMISSION? [LAUGHTER] LESS THAN TWO YEARS MORE THAN ONE. I DO FOOD POLICY PROGRAM EVALUATION, POLICY RESEARCH AND CONSULTING, MY DAY JOB. SO GLAD, VAL. I'M VAL LAFFERTY, I'M RETIRED. MY PREVIOUS LIFE WAS APPRAISER AND ATTORNEY. MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, I WAS ON THE MERIDIAN PLANNING COMMISSION, AS WELL AS THE OLD CABLE COMMISSION, AND I'M WORKING ON THE WELL, THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING, WHICH IS A KIND OF A SUBSET AS WELL AS THE ENERGY TEAM. SO YEAH, I'M JOHN SARVER AND I'VE BEEN ON IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE NOW AND NOT AS LONG AS BILL AND NED, BUT I'M ALSO ON THE ENERGY TEAM AS A VOLUNTEER. I'M ELLA [INAUDIBLE]. THIS IS MY FIRST MEETING HERE. HOPEFULLY I'LL BE THE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE, BUT I'M A PRESIDENT OF EARTH CLUB, SO HERE, JUST TO CHECK OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. WELCOME. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU. WELL, I THINK WE FIGURED OUT EARLIER THAT THAT CONSTITUTES A QUORUM SO WE CAN GET ON WITH THAT. OUR FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS PUBLIC REMARKS. SEEING NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, THEY CANNOT MAKE REMARKS. SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE AGENDA. [3. CHANGES TO/APPROVAL OF AGENDA] [INAUDIBLE] YOU WANT TO MOVE ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA. SO MOVED. SECOND. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY OBJECTION? HEARING NONE. AGENDA IS APPROVED AS CIRCULATED. HOW ABOUT THE MINUTES? [4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES] WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES? SO MOVE. I'LL SECOND IT. THANK YOU, JOHN. ANY DISCUSSION OF THE MINUTES? THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PHRASES I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IN THE PARAGRAPH UNDER ENERGY. IT JUST I THINK SOMETHING DIDN'T GET DELETED IN THE EDITING. IT SAYS THE STATISTICS ON GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS WERE MISUSED WITH REDUCTIONS AS SEVERAL MAJOR. ANYWAY, IT WAS CONFUSING, AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT. WE ARTICULATED TO SAY WHAT IT MEANT TO SAY WHATEVER THAT WAS. WHERE ARE WE IN [INAUDIBLE]. IT'S UNDER THE. IT'S THREE PARAGRAPHS DOWN WHATEVER. UNDER THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN UPDATES UNDER THE ENERGY HEADER IT SAYS SARVER MENTIONED THE STATISTICS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTIONS WERE DISUSED. DISCUSSED [LAUGHTER]. I'M SURE I SAID IT WAS DISCUSSED RIGHT, EXACTLY. SO BUT THEN THE PHRASING KEEPS ON BEING CONFUSING. SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANTED TO SEE THAT PARAGRAPH REVIEWED AND I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT LEROY CAN DO THAT WITHOUT OUR FURTHER HELP. ALL RIGHT. AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT TO ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES, I HAD ALSO HEARD FROM VICE CHAIR GRASSESCHI THAT UNDER THE WATER MANAGEMENT SECTION, SINCE MOST OF THE OTHER DOCUMENT IS ADDRESSING US BY OUR LAST NAMES, THAT LACK OF FORMALITY IS A LITTLE BIT INCONSISTENT. SO IF THAT CAN ALSO BE CHANGED. ANY FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE MINUTES. [00:05:02] OBJECTION TO ADOPTION WITH THOSE AMENDMENTS? HEARING NONE THEN THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED AS AMENDED. NOW OUR NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS NEW BUSINESS. I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY NEW BUSINESS. IF THERE'S NEW BUSINESS THAT SOMEBODY WOULD LIKE TO PUT ON THE TABLE AT THIS TIME, THAT'S NOT A REPORT, ANNOUNCEMENT OR OLD BUSINESS. HEARING NONE. [6. Climate Sustainability Plan Updates] OLD BUSINESS CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN UPDATES. ANYONE READY TO MAKE AN UPDATE ON THEIR GROUP'S PROGRESS ON REVISIONS TO UPDATES TO THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN? I KNOW WE'VE HEARD RECENTLY FROM THE ENERGY GROUP, SO WE KNOW KIND OF WHAT IS GOING ON THERE. AND I THINK THERE ARE SOME PROGRESS ON THE WATER SIDE THAT I CAN TRY TO SUMMARIZE TO THE EXTENT THAT I'M AWARE OF IT. ANY OTHER ISSUES RELATING TO THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AT THIS TIME. I HAD SOMETHING I WAS REVIEWING ONE OF THE RECORDED FOOD TO COMPOST MEETINGS THAT WE HAD A PERSON FROM EGLE THERE THAT WAS EXPLAINING WHAT YOUR HAULER DOES WITH YOUR RECYCLED GOODS AND HOW THAT WORKS. AND HIS I DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN HANDLE IT RIGHT NOW, BUT HIS YOU HAD BROUGHT UP, IN FACT, THE TRANSPORTATION OF HAVING SEVERAL HAULERS COMING IN AND OUT, A THREE AXLE HAULER, FOR EXAMPLE. HE SAID WHEN IT'S FULL, IT'S EQUIVALENT TO 18,000 POUNDS OR 1000 CAR TRIPS. AND YOU KNOW, MANY I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY HAULERS WE HAVE AT TWO OR THREE, I GUESS. AND ALSO THERE'S NO CONTROL OVER WHERE THE GOODS GO. AND IF THEY OWN THEIR OWN MRF OR WHICH STANDS FOR. MATERIALS RECYCLING FACILITY, YEAH, THEY MIGHT HAUL IT A LONG DISTANCE TO GET THERE BECAUSE THEY OWN IT OR IN FACT, GRANGER, ACCORDING TO HIM. AND I MEAN, THAT WAS LIKE A MONTH AND A HALF AGO. GRANGER TAKES ALL OF THEIR RECYCLED GOODS ALL THE WAY TO TRAVERSE CITY, AND THEY DO WHATEVER THEY DO. WHEREAS EMTERRA, WHO'S OUR THERE'S A MRF IN THE LANSING AREA, ACTUALLY BREAKS IT DOWN AND SENDS IT TO THE DIFFERENT WHOEVER WANTS IT. OBVIOUSLY, IT'S VERY COMPLICATED BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY PIECES IN THAT THAT ARE MOVING PARTS, BUT HE RECOMMENDS THE ONE HAULER, IF IT HAS TO BE THE WILL OF THE ENTITY, WHICH IS IT'S NOT GOING TO NOT FACE HEADWINDS ON IT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, NOT ONLY THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE ROAD, BUT THERE'S A SAFETY ISSUE. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO AN EDUCATIONAL ISSUE, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE ALL USING THE SAME HAULER, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EDUCATE EVERYBODY ABOUT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SAVING, HOW YOU SHOULD BE SAVING IT TO MAKE IT BETTER AND BETTER SO THAT WE CAN PUT FEWER THINGS IN THE LANDFILL, BUT INSTEAD RECYCLE THEM. AS YOU KNOW, THEIR MESSAGE IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY, SO IT'S NOT REALLY JUNK GOING TO THE LANDFILL. IT'S INSTEAD COMMODITIES THAT YOU'RE WASTING THAT COULD BE REUSED ELSEWHERE. AND SO I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE EVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT THAT OR I MEAN, THERE COULD BE A SUGGESTION THAT WE ASK FOR CONSIDERATION. SURE. YEAH, MY ACTION ITEM FROM THAT DISCUSSION WAS TO BRING UP THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE ROADS WITH PUBLIC WORKS, WHICH I DID BRING THAT TO MR. OPSOMMER'S ATTENTION. AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S OF INTEREST IN A COMMUNITY THAT'S INVESTING HEAVILY IN GETTING ITS ROADS UP TO STANDARDS, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THEY LAST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE ISN'T TRIVIAL. SO OF COURSE, THE DEPARTMENT'S GOT AN AWFUL LOT GOING ON, BUT IT'S ON THE RADAR. THERE'S NO. OKAY. WELL, I MEAN, MIGHT IT ALSO BE A SUGGESTION IN ONE OF THE RECYCLING GROUPS THAT DID THIS FOR THE TRUSTEES TO CONSIDER, PERHAPS? YEAH. YEAH. MR. CHAIR, IF I MIGHT, I KNOW THE PREVIOUS OR THE EXISTING SUSTAINABILITY PLAN DID HAVE THE CONCEPT OF SINGLE HAULER INCLUDED IN IT. THE WORKGROUP ACTUALLY TOOK IT OUT. AND THE REASON BEING IS THAT THE TOWNSHIP BOARD HAS NOT TAKEN ANY ACTION TO THAT EFFECT IN RECENT YEARS. BUT I THINK THERE WAS DISCUSSION AT THE LAST MEETING THAT WE MIGHT REACH OUT TO MEMBERS OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD TO KIND OF GET A FEEL FOR WHERE THEY MIGHT BE AT. I KNOW I HAVEN'T DONE THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO DO IT, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS ACTUALLY THE CHAIR SUGGESTED THAT WE LOOK AT THAT AS A [00:10:08] POSSIBILITY. THE REASON WE TOOK IT OUT IS WE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING IN THERE THAT WASN'T ACHIEVABLE AND THAT WOULD BE A DECISION OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD. SO I THINK UNTIL WE HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THAT ISSUE IS A LITTLE BIT IN FLUX . JUST A BACK STEP. BUT WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION ON THE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LAKE LANSING, TOO, BUT IS NOT THIS GROUP IS REALLY AN ADVISORY GROUP TO THE TOWNSHIP BOARD. CORRECT. SO IT'S JUST I MEAN, IF WE SAY SOMETHING LIKE MAYBE YOU WOULD MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THIS ISSUE OF THE BENEFITS OF GOING TO A SINGLE HAULER AND HAVING SOME CONTROL, SOME CONTRACTUAL CONTROL OVER WHAT THEY DO WITH THE RECYCLED ELEMENTS. YOU KNOW, EGLE HOPES THERE'S A STANDARD LIKE NOT MORE THAN 200 MILES OR HOPEFULLY TO KEEP IT WITHIN MICHIGAN IS WHAT THEY HOPE. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S ASPIRATIONAL. IT MAY JUST BE AN ASPIRATIONAL THOUGHT, TOO. BUT IF WE'RE NOT ALL KIND OF LOOKING AT THE SAME YOU KNOW NORTH STAR I GUESS, YOU KNOW, IT SORT OF NEVER GETS CONSIDERED. JUST A THOUGHT. RIGHT. YEAH. IS THE NOTION THAT SORT OF SINGLE OWNER IS SUCH A BRIGHT LINE THAT'S IT'S PRETTY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE SO SETTING IT YOU'RE KIND OF ALWAYS GOING TO FAIL UNTIL YOU FINALLY IS THAT HOW I'M. AM I READING THAT RIGHT? YEAH, I THINK THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE DISCUSSION WE HAD AS A GREEN TEAM AS WE BROUGHT SOME OF THESE SUGGESTIONS FORWARD FOR THE UPDATE OF THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN. I KNOW I MYSELF HAD RAISED THAT AS AN ISSUE AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, I SEE VAL WHAT YOU'RE SEEING AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ADVISORY AND WE CAN MAKE SUGGESTIONS. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY ACTION ON IT. SO I THINK THE WAY THAT I AND SOME OTHERS MAYBE WERE LOOKING AT IT IS THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING IN THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THAT APPEARED TO BE UNACHIEVABLE. BUT IF WE GET INDICATIONS THAT IT IS ACHIEVABLE OR THE TOWNSHIP BOARD MIGHT BE WILLING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, THEN I THINK WE COULD ADJUST THE WORDING THERE TO INCLUDE SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. I WONDER IF I MIGHT SUGGEST IF THERE ARE PRELIMINARY STEPS TO BRINGING THAT KIND OF AN ISSUE TO THE BOARD IN TERMS OF WHAT OTHER TOWNSHIPS HAVE DONE, WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN, AND HOW IT'S WORKED OUT, WHICH IS KIND OF TYPICALLY DONE BY STAFF. BUT THEN THE BOARD WOULD HAVE THE INFORMATION IT NEEDS TO CONSIDER WHETHER THIS IS FEASIBLE. GO AHEAD. I WAS ALSO THINKING, ARE THERE INTERIM STEPS THAT COULD BE I MEAN, MAYBE THAT'S THE SAME THING, BUT IF WE DON'T WANT IT IN THE FIVE YEAR PLAN OF A SINGLE HAULER, IS THERE A STEP TOWARDS A SINGLE HAULER? LIKE MAYBE IT'S A GOAL AROUND THE DISTANCE OF I THINK YOU MENTIONED EGLE ONCE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, LIKE MAYBE INSTEAD OF SAYING WE WANT SINGLE HAULER, IT'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE DISTANCE OF WHERE IT'S GOING AFTER IT'S HAULED OR SOME OTHER STEP THAT GETS US TOWARDS THAT GOAL IF GETTING ALL THE WAY THERE SEEMS UNATTAINABLE. IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, GETTING THAT INFORMATION IS TRICKY BECAUSE THEY'RE A PRIVATE BUSINESSES AND THEY DON'T NEED TO SHARE AND THEY'RE IN COMPETITION. SO. BUT I THINK THAT TOWNSHIP PROFESSIONALS ARE ABLE TO DO SOME PRETTY GOOD ESTIMATION ON THAT AND INFORM THE DISCUSSION, AT LEAST FOR THE BOARD. SO MAYBE WE COULD CONSIDER SOME LANGUAGE THAT SUGGESTED SOME PRELIMINARY KIND OF ANALYSIS, AT LEAST COLLECTING OF WOULD THAT BE A GOOD PLACE TO START. A POSSIBILITY OF A SUNSET SORT OF THING LIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER? I KNOW AT THE THE MARKET, TOM CAREY IS WOULD LIKE TO GO TO ALL COMPOSTABLE PLATES AND WRAPPING AND ALL FROM THE FOOD VENDORS SO THAT IT COULD ALL YOU KNOW BE COMPOSTED. AND INSTEAD OF SAYING YOU KNOW NEXT WEEK WE'RE STARTING ON IT AND GIVE A SUNSET SORT OF DATE OUT IN THE FUTURE SO PEOPLE CAN PREPARE FOR IT. SO MAYBE JUST CONSIDERING THAT SO IT STAYS ON THE RADAR. MY SENSE IS AT THE TOWNSHIP, THE TRUSTEES HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. I CAN'T IMAGINE KEEPING TRACK OF IT ALL. AND EACH ONE OF OUR DIFFERENT AREAS IS SO COMPLEX, YOU KNOW? SO I THINK JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF IF IT'S CLEAR THAT THERE'S A DIRECTION OUT THERE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S THE BEST ONE, MAYBE UNACHIEVABLE RIGHT NOW, BUT AT LEAST [00:15:08] KEEPING THE DATA OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S HELPFUL. I LIKE THE SUGGESTION TOO OF COMPARING TO OTHER TOWNSHIPS. DO WE KNOW OF ANY TOWNSHIPS OR ANY COMMUNITIES AT ALL THAT HAVE YOU KNOW REGARDLESS. HE JUST. EVEN A RECOLLECTION OF PRIOR TOWNSHIP DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN KIND OF CIRCULATED AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND THERE WERE REASONS WHY IT DIDN'T. I THINK SOME OF THE WORK YOU'VE BEEN DOING VAL IN THE SORT OF COMMERCIAL SECTOR TELLS US THAT THERE'S ALL SORTS OF HAULERS, TRASH, GARBAGE STUFF, HAULERS IN THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR. AND SO SINGLE HAULER COULDN'T BE SORT OF TOWNSHIP WIDE, THAT'D BE DRACONIAN RESIDENTIAL PICKUP MAYBE IN SOME. SO YEAH, I CAN FEEL THE NUANCE THERE. AND YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT WRONG? NO. GET IN A BIG FIGHT. MAYBE TRYING TO REGULATE THAT A LITTLE BIT. IF THAT CAN BE DONE, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CONTRACT WITH THE HAULER, THOUGH. SO THEN YOU HAVE YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE TEN HAULERS, YOU HAVE TEN CONTRACTS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MAKES SENSE. RIGHT I GUESS MY ONLY COMMENT ON THAT, I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE WE KIND OF HAVE A PARTICULAR SITUATION HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE WE'RE RELIANT ON TWO MAJOR PRIVATE HAULERS, AND I'M NOT SURE WE CAN PUT STIPULATIONS ON PRIVATE HAULERS UNLESS THERE IS A CONTRACT. AND AT THIS POINT I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS. SO HAVING THOSE ISSUES CLARIFIED WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO, WATER WE WANT TO SWIM IN AGAIN OR WHETHER WE SHOULD HOW TO GO ABOUT THAT. IT PROBABLY REQUIRES THE TOWNSHIP ATTORNEYS TO WEIGH IN A LITTLE BIT, DON'T YOU THINK? INSTEAD OF WASTING TIME? MAYBE THAT'S PREMATURE. WELL, I MEAN, YEAH, I GUESS I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THEY'RE SECURED. LIKE THERE'S A CONTRACT WITH THE TOWNSHIP. THEN YOU WOULD THINK IF YOU COULD PUT IN SOME STIPULATIONS. RIGHT OR IF THERE IS A FAIRLY LARGE PRIVATE MARKET. RIGHT. IF YOU WERE, I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS WORKS, BUT IF YOU'RE PUTTING OUT AN RFP OR SOMETHING AND PUT IN A PREFERENCE FOR, YOU COULD PUT IN A PREFERENCE FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT IT JUST DEPENDS WHAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS WITH THE TOWNSHIP, WHICH I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE BEING A HAULER IN A MUNICIPALITY I DON'T KNOW IF IT REQUIRES SOME KIND OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY. IT DOES NOT. AND, BUT COULD IT ARE THERE PLACES WHERE IT IS DONE? I IMAGINE THE TOWNSHIP WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO SAY YOU'RE HAULING HERE. THERE NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, SO IT GETS IT GETS PRETTY ATTENUATED FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, I GUESS. I DON'T KNOW. WELL, I'M WONDERING, DO I LIKE THE IDEA OF CHECKING TO SEE WHAT OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE DONE? AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT A TYPICAL TOWNSHIP, OBVIOUSLY. WE'RE A CHARTER TOWNSHIP WITH A PRETTY GOOD SIZED POPULATION AND THERE'S OTHER TOWNSHIPS LIKE THAT. SO MAYBE THERE IS HALF A DOZEN OR MAYBE EVEN FEWER TOWNSHIPS LIKE US THAT THAT'S A MORE MANAGEABLE TASK FOR STAFF TO MAYBE CHECK WITH FOUR OR FIVE JUST TO KIND OF SEE WHAT CANTON TOWNSHIP AND DELHI OR WHOEVER, WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING AND WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN. EXACTLY. EXACTLY. YEAH I SUSPECT THAT INFORMATION WOULD PROBABLY BE AVAILABLE THROUGH DEQ WITH THE STATE THEY THEY WOULD KNOW IF PARTICULAR LOCAL UNITS OF GOVERNMENT HAVE SINGLE HAULERS AND VARIOUS UNITS OF GOVERNMENT. SO THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD STARTING POINT THAT MAKES IT EVEN EASIER JUST TO. YEAH, RIGHT. YEAH, GO AHEAD. THERE'S A PARALLEL DISCUSSION GOING ON REGIONALLY ABOUT A WASTE AUTHORITY THAT MIGHT FIT INTO THIS AS WELL. THERE'S ALSO DISCUSSION WITH GRANGER ABOUT AN AGREEMENT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO STRIKE WITH US ABOUT MAINTAINING FREE MARKET WASTE HAULERS SITUATION IN EXCHANGE FOR SUPPORTING A NEW RECYCLING CENTER LOCATION THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE BUT . WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FREE MARKET? WELL, JUST COMPETITION. SO THAT WASTE MANAGEMENT, I THINK GRANGER HAS A CORNER ON THE MARKET RIGHT NOW. [00:20:01] THEY IN FACT, THEY'RE A SINGLE HAULER FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO A LARGE EXTENT FOR THE RESIDENTIAL SERVICE. AND THEY DON'T WANT US GOING OUT TO BID NECESSARILY FOR A SINGLE HAULER. SO THEN THERE IS I MEAN, THERE COULD BE A CONTRACT. THERE COULD BE A CONTRACT. YEAH, THERE'S NOT, BUT ANYWAY, THERE'S I THINK RESEARCHING THIS FURTHER MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND JUST DISCUSSING THE PROS AND CONS AND ALSO SORT OF KEEPING UP SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON REGIONALLY WITH THE WASTE AUTHORITY. WHO IS HEADING THE WASTE AUTHORITY? I KNOW LANSING'S INVOLVED, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PROGRESS MADE SO FAR. IS IT PART OF THE CAST GROUP? IS IT AN EXTENSION OF THAT? I MEAN, EVERYONE'S OVERLAPPING CIRCLES, SO I'M NOT SURE WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED. DISCUSSION THAT THE EGLE GUY SAID THAT WM WASTE MANAGEMENT IS THAT THE NAME OF THE COMPANY, ALSO HAS A SIGNIFICANT PRESENCE AND HE BELIEVES THEY PICK UP AND TAKE TO EMTERRA THAT BREAKS IT DOWN. SO I KNOW I SEE WASTE MANAGED AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BILL. WE'VE SEEN THEM I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE BUSINESS THEY HAVE. I DON'T SEE THEM THAT OFTEN. BUT I THINK ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT GRANGER WOULD HAVE OR ANY OTHER COMPANY IS THAT AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS COMMON NOW OR NOT, BUT WASTE MANAGEMENT, BECAUSE OF THEIR SIZE, THEY CAN GO IN AND GIVE A LOW BID AND ONCE THEY GET IN TO A COMMUNITY THEN ITS PRICES GO UP. BUT SOME A LOCAL COMPANY LIKE GRANGER HAS DIFFICULTY DOING THAT. THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE WOULDN'T MAYBE GAIN SOME ADVANTAGES. I'M JUST IT'S A COMPLICATED THING THAT'D BE WORTH LOOKING AT. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NECESSARILY HAVE TO INCLUDE EVERY SCENARIO IN OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, YOU KNOW, LIKE THIS TALL GRASS ORDINANCE THAT HAS COME UP BEFORE THE COUNCIL RECENTLY. WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT IN OUR ACTION PLAN, BUT WE CAN BRING BREAKING PROJECTS OR IMPORTANT PROJECTS TO THE COMMISSION AS WE GO. I THINK IT WOULD BEHOOVE US TO TRY AND GET THEIR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN DONE AND KEEP IT SIMPLE AND UNDERSTANDABLE AND FLEXIBLE RATHER THAN TWEAK IT TO DEATH AND NEVER GET IT DONE. THAT'S JUST MY $0.02 CENTS. AND IT'S ALSO. I'M SORRY. GOING BACK, IF I COULD. YOU MENTIONED SOME MARKET SHARE INFORMATION THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, IF THAT CAN BE SHARED, I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL IN UNDERSTANDING. I MEAN, I THINK AS VAL WAS REFERRING TO, IT'S WHEN THOSE TWO SERVICES OVERLAP SPATIALLY THAT YOU GET TWICE AS MANY TRUCKS DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE ROAD AND THAT'S WHEN YOU GET WEAR AND TEAR. HOW TO REGULATE THAT IF YOU POSSIBLY COULD AS A WHOLE. BUT UNDERSTANDING WHAT INFORMATION WE DO KNOW ABOUT WHICH HAULERS ARE OPERATING, TO WHAT EXTENT, I THINK IS YOU SHOULD INFORM THE DISCUSSION TO THE EXTENT WE KNOW IT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF DETAIL, BUT WORTH LOOKING INTO. GREAT. THAT WAS A LIVELY DISCUSSION ON ONE ASPECT OF THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN. WE'VE HEARD FROM THE ENERGY TEAM. I HAD PROPOSED AT ONE POINT A WORKING TITLE FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS KIND OF ORGANICS AND FOOD WASTE. IT WAS SOMETHING AROUND FOOD SECURITY AND ORGANIC RECOVERY AND IT WAS REALLY UGLY AND I DIDN'T. BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I'VE BEEN THINKING THESE DAYS. IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK MORE ON THAT TOPIC, WE CAN. OTHERWISE, I WOULD GIVE A VERY TINY UPDATE ON THE WATER SECTION. I HEAR CRICKETS. I WAS HOPING TO ATTEND A MEETING THAT WAS SCHEDULED THIS AFTERNOON BY DAN OPSOMMER WITH COURTNEY WISINSKI AND KENDRA GRASSESCHI, AND I COULDN'T MAKE IT. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT MEETING HAPPENED OR NOT. I THINK THERE WAS TALK ABOUT REALLY MAINLY ON THE ISSUE OF GETTING, AS WE HAD ASKED FOR, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS INPUT ON THE SECTIONS OF THE WATER PLAN, THE WATER SUPPLY AND THE WATER FILTRATION AND ALL THAT KIND OF TECHNICAL STUFF, KIND OF THAT WE ALREADY HAVE GETTING THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER. AND THERE WAS TALK OF BRINGING THE DRAIN COMMISSIONER IN. SO IT FEELS TO ME LIKE THE STAFF IS TAKING A BIG STEP IN FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY THINK THE WATER SECTION, WATER, [00:25:03] WETLANDS SECTION OF THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND I HAD HIGH HOPES THAT SOMEBODY WOULD COME AND JOIN US TONIGHT, BUT IT WAS REALLY VERY LATE NOTICE. SO HOPEFULLY MAYBE IN NOVEMBER WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET HOPEFULLY TRUSTEE WISINSKI WILL BE ABLE TO JOIN US AND GIVE US HER PERSPECTIVE IF SHE WAS THERE, IF NOT ASSISTANT MANAGER OPSOMMER MAYBE. ANY OTHER OLD BUSINESS CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN. I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT A LITTLE BIT ON THE WATER DISCUSSION SO VALERIE AND I ABOUT SORT OF HOW TO HOW TO FIT LAKE LANSING INTO THE CONVERSATION, BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY VERY MUCH OF A FOCUS ON EITHER WATER USE OR WETLANDS ALMOST TO THE EXCLUSION OF SORT OF MORE PERMANENT WATER BODIES. AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH LAKE LANSING. BUT AS I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THIS, BESIDES THE FACT THAT I THINK WHAT AT LEAST WHAT CAME OUT IN THE PACKET COULD WELL BE CONDENSED. I FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE CREATING SO MANY OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES THAT IT'S SORT OF GETTING DILUTED. BUT I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER ISSUES WITH THE [INAUDIBLE] LAKE, WHICH IS ABOUT WILDLIFE PRESERVATION AND SO FORTH. THE TOWNSHIP HAS THE WHAT IS IT CALLED THE IT WAS ONE OF THE DESTINATIONS ON THE BIKE RIDE WHERE THE BRUSHES ARE BEING ALLOWED TO GROW AT THE EDGES JUST WELL SOUTH OF LAKE LANSING PARK, WHERE THE WHAT WAS IT TERMED IN THAT BIKE RIDE. ANYWAY, ANYWAY, THE POINT IS WETLAND BUFFERS AND THEIR HANDLING ARE SOMEWHAT EXEMPLIFIED AT LAKE LANSING AND YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE SHOULD BE ARTICULATING IS DISCOURAGEMENT OF MORE SEAWALL BUILDING AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF GROWTH OF NATIVE PLANTS AT THE EDGES OF THE LAKES. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IN GOING THROUGH THIS WHOLE DOCUMENT, I FEEL AS THOUGH IS REALLY MISSING IS A SINGLE MENTION OF INVASIVE ANYTHING. AND THEY'RE INVASIVE PLANTS THAT ARE TERRESTRIAL THAT ARE A HUGE PROBLEM IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND THERE I MEAN, LAKE LANSING HAS BEEN HUGELY DAMAGED BY THE INVASION OF ZEBRA MUSSELS, QUAGGA MUSSELS AND ALL SORTS OF AQUATIC PLANTS AS WELL. AND NONE OF THAT, NONE OF THE SORT OF ITEMS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO MENTION ALONG THOSE LINES NEED TO, I THINK, HAVE SHOWN UP IN THIS. AND I THINK THAT ANYWAY, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD HOPE TO ADD IN THE DISCUSSION OF LAKE LANSING. BUT MORE BROADLY, HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THAT ISSUE OF INVASIVES? BECAUSE THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH SUSTAINABILITY. SOME OF THESE INVASIVES LIKE THE JAPANESE KNOTWEED AND SO FORTH. THOSE THINGS WILL UNDERMINE YOUR FOUNDATION AND TEAR YOUR HOUSE APART. I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT JUST THINGS YOU DON'T WANT GROWING IN YOUR YARD. SO ANYWAY, I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT HOW WE INCORPORATE THAT STUFF. ANYWAY, I FULLY SUPPORT PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THE TOWNSHIP'S STANDING WATERS, ITS LAKES, ITS PONDS, ITS ALL THE STANDING WATER THAT I AGREE COULD AND SHOULD BE BOLSTERED IN THE PRIOR PLAN, AND THEY ALL SUFFER IMPACTS DIFFERENTLY BASED ON THEIR SIZE AND LOCATION AND ALL THOSE OTHER FACTORS. BUT TO THE DEGREE THAT SOMETHING LIKE INVASIVES IS GOING TO AFFECT AN AWFUL LOT OF THE POND IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, IS SURROUNDED BY PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE AND, YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE] ON FIRE SO IT CAN [INAUDIBLE]. SO, YEAH, I FULLY SUPPORT THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IN A CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED ARE FRAMED WELL IN A CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY KIND OF FRAMEWORK. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO ON THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY MUCH MORE LOOSELY TIED TO THE OVERALL GOALS OF THIS PLAN THAN SOME OTHERS. BUT CERTAINLY WE'VE GOT TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO MANAGE ALL OF THOSE LAKES, PONDS, RESERVOIRS, VERNAL POOLS AND ALL OF THAT GOING FORWARD. ANY OTHER FINAL COMMENTS ON CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN? [00:30:03] SECOND BITE AT THE APPLE. GO AHEAD. THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNITIES AROUND MICHIGAN DOING CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY PLANS. NOW, WE GOT OUR ORIGINAL DRAFT FROM EAST LANSING, AND THERE'S A LOT MORE THAN THERE WERE WHEN WE STARTED THIS SIX YEARS AGO OR WHENEVER IT WAS. SOME OF THEM ARE PAYING, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST ROYAL OAK SPENT $20,000 HIRING A CONSULTANT TO DEVELOP THEIR PLAN AND THEY HAD A NUMBER OF WORKSHOPS. THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF OF KIND OF INTENSITIES TO CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, BUT WE HAVEN'T SPENT A LOT HERE AND THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING. BUT IF WE WANT TO, WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER HIRING SOMEBODY TO HELP US PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN A FORMAT THAT'S USEFUL. THE OTHER THING IN TALKING WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ABOUT THAT IDEA, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, THE ATTENTION SPAN THESE DAYS IS ABOUT 3 SECONDS. IT USED TO BE MAYBE 3 MINUTES. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN THINK OF WAYS TO CONDENSE IT AND KEEP IT READABLE, LIKE SOMETHING USABLE FOR PEOPLE, WE WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT. AND THAT WAS KIND OF RELATED TO MY COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT TWEAKING IT TO DEATH. I THINK WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF KEEPING IT GENERAL, BUT INCLUSIVE AND ADAPTABLE TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN. AND MAYBE, COMMUNICATIONS CAN HELP US WITH A CONDENSED VERSION IN THE FUTURE ONCE WE HAVE WHAT WE WANT IN OUR PLAN. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, AND I AGREE WITH THAT. BUT ONCE WE GET IT, WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE A ONE PAGER OR A TWO PAGER VERSION OF THE PLAN THAT JUST HAS I MEAN, MAYBE IT JUST HAS THE GOALS, MAYBE IT HAS THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES DEPENDING ON WHAT WE GET TO AND A PARAGRAPH THAT INTRODUCES IT IN FRONT. MAYBE THEY CAN HELP US WITH THAT ONCE WE HAVE ENOUGH OF WHAT WE WANT. SO GO AHEAD. I THINK IT'S ALL GOOD. I THINK THE DISCUSSION WE HAVE HERE AMONGST OURSELVES IS HEALTHY. I THINK GETTING DRAFTS AND LONG LISTS IS HEALTHY. I THINK WINNOWING THINGS DOWN TO THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE ACHIEVABLE IS IMPORTANT. ALL OF IT. AND IF WE CAN TAP SOME FUNDING SOMEWHERE FOR SOME EXPERTISE TO BRING US TO THE FINISH LINE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO COMPLAIN PERSONALLY. I KNOW THE 2004 GREEN SPACE PLAN WAS A RESULT OF CONSULTANTS WHO THE GREENWAY COLLABORATIVE DEVELOPED THAT PLAN FOR THE TOWNSHIP, AND THEY'RE STILL IN OPERATION [INAUDIBLE] YOU KNOW, AND UPDATE TO THAT WOULD BE SUPER, BUT PROBABLY WOULD OVERLAP WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. SO IF THAT COULD BE A SINGLE EFFORT, I'D BE REALLY UP FOR THAT. AND IF YOU'RE ALSO AWARE OF OTHER FIRMS THAT ARE PROVIDING THAT EXPERTISE TO OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE REGION, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, LET'S FIND OUT WHAT GIVE US A NUMBER. WHAT ARE WE ASKING FOR? IN TERMS OF DOLLARS OR IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC THE SERVICES, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE DOLLARS MAKE THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE TO US. SOMEBODY ELSE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT, RIGHT? THEY KNOW HOW MUCH IT COSTS. [LAUGHTER] I MEAN, THE STAFF KNOWS WHAT IT COSTS TO HIRE A CONSULTANT. SO IF WE GET A BALLPARK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FINE. I KNOW THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT GOING FORWARD IS TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT OR NOT. JUST YEAH, I DO. AND IT WAS DECIDED NOT TO HIRE. IT'S STILL PRETTY VALID. IT JUST NEEDS A LITTLE TWEAKS. WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT SINCE 2004. WE HAVE A LOT OF JUICY STUFF IN OUR PLAN AND I'M DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVE COMMITTEES AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. I DON'T MEAN TO BE PESSIMISTIC, BUT WE JUST IF WE COULD DISTILL IT ON OUR TEAM BASIS AND MOVE IT FORWARD, GET IT OUT THERE IN A DIGESTIBLE FASHION, I THINK THAT'D BE GREAT. I'M SURE YOU ALL SHARE THAT GOAL. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. [7. REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS] ANYBODY HAVE ANY LIAISON REPORTS OR WORKGROUP REPORTS THAT WE HAVE UNCOVERED SO FAR THAT THEY LIKE TO? YEAH, JOHN. WELL, THE ENERGY TEAM DID MEET THIS PAST MONTH ON THE 15TH, AND ROGER EBERHARD BROUGHT TO THE TEAM THAT THERE'S A [00:35:04] SMART COMMUNITY'S ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST WHICH HE SUGGESTED THE ENERGY TEAM USE, WHICH BASICALLY WOULD ALLOW US TO KIND OF THINK IN A BROAD WAY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CHARGING. AND SO WE THOUGHT THERE WAS A REAL GOOD IDEA. AND SO WE PUT IT ON OUR AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING COMING UP TO KIND OF USE THE CHECKLIST JUST TO HAVE A BROADER DISCUSSION OF WHAT MAYBE WE COULD BE DOING WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE FLEET STUFF, THE CONSUMERS ENERGY REPORT WAS VERY HELPFUL IN GIVING US DIRECTION. IT'D BE REAL HELPFUL TO KIND OF HAVE SOME BROAD THINKING ABOUT COMMUNITY WIDE, YOU KNOW, HOW COULD WE BE HELPFUL? WE TALKED ABOUT SOLARIZE MERIDIAN, AND WE HAD OUR PROBABLY WHAT'S OUR LAST MEETING ON SATURDAY AT JIM DETJEN'S HOUSE. HE HAD AN IN-PERSON MEETING, WHICH WAS THE FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING THAT SOLARIZE HAS HAD. AND HE HAD, I THOUGHT, A PRETTY GOOD TURNOUT. HE HAD 15 PEOPLE THERE, A VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, AND WENT ALMOST 2 HOURS. AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANY MORE MEETINGS THIS YEAR. WE'VE ALREADY STARTED DISCUSSING NEXT YEAR AND PROBABLY HAVING MAYBE FOUR MEETINGS SPREAD OUT OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR. BUT THAT'S ALL PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION. SO WE'RE HOPING TO DISCUSS THE EV COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT THIS MONTH AND THEN IN NOVEMBER TALK ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT DO WITH SOLARIZE NEXT YEAR. AND WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE THE SUSTAINABLE TOUR THAT APPARENTLY HAD A SUCCESSFUL BIKE RIDE WITH ABOUT A DOZEN PEOPLE OR MAYBE MORE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE GREEN MAP, WHICH IS KIND OF A SELF-GUIDED TOUR. AND IT ALSO THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT AND LEROY MAY BE ABLE TO REPORT MORE SPECIFICS. WE HAD THERE WAS A MEETING SCHEDULED WITH MSU, THEIR NEW ENERGY ASSESSMENT CENTER, LOOKING AT THEM, DOING ENERGY ASSESSMENTS FOR OUR MAJOR BUILDINGS. SO THAT APPARENTLY IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG, WHICH WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO TO HAVE A FRESH EYES KIND OF ON THESE EXISTING BUILDINGS WITH A FOCUS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND WHAT MAYBE WE SHOULD BE DOING. BUT LEROY, DO YOU HAVE WERE YOU AT THE MSU MEETING OR? YEAH, THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS WINTER DOING SOME ASSESSMENTS AND TRYING TO TIME THAT WITH OUR BUDGET PROCESS HERE AT THE TOWNSHIP SO THAT WE COULD, IF WE DO SEE MAJOR IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, THAT WE WOULD HAVE THOSE IN OUR 2024 BUDGET WHICH BEGINS TO BE DISCUSSED IN JULY OF 2023. SO IF WE CAN COMPLETE THE ASSESSMENT THIS WINTER, WE'LL HAVE SOME GOOD DATA TO JUSTIFY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND ALSO INCLUDING IN THE TOWNSHIP BUDGET. THIS MAY HAVE COME UP BEFORE THESE ENERGY ASSESSMENT CENTERS ARE FEDERALLY FUNDED AND IT'S BASED ON THE USE OF SENIOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS AND ENGINEERING PROFESSORS WHO ARE KIND OF THE MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS. SO IT HAS BEEN A PROGRAM. IT'S NEW TO MSU, BUT IT'S BEEN A NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND HAS VERY GOOD REPUTATION. AND THE STUDENTS LEARN A LOT ALSO BY THE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OF GOING THROUGH THESE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES. SO IT'S A REAL NICE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE WITH MSU ENGINEERING. THAT'S IT FOR. EXCELLENT. I GUESS ON THE BIKE TOUR, I WANTED TO KNOW LEROY'S EXCELLENT MAP AND ALL THE SPOTS THAT WERE ON IT. I HELPED LEAD IT WITH NICHOLAS FROM THE MSU BIKE STORE, AND WE HAD A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION AT EACH OF THE STOPS. I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. IT DID COMBINE AN APPRECIATION OF THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS AS WELL AS THE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT THE TOWNSHIP IS AT KIND OF THE FOREFRONT DEALING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. AND IT SEEMS LIKE AN IDEAL NOW THAT YOU'VE DONE ALL THAT WORK TO USE IT FOR SCHOOL GROUPS OR WHATEVER. I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY FUN. IT FELT LIKE WITHIN A TWO HOUR TIME PERIOD, YOU KNOW, NICE AND RELAXING AND RARELY THAT THE ONLY CLUTCHING PART WAS CROSSING HASLETT ROAD, I GUESS, WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT OTHERWISE IT WAS PRETTY COMFORTABLE. AND THEN I WANTED TO MENTION THAT SATURDAY ALSO THE SAME DAY WE HAD A GLEANING MEETING, IT WAS THE FINAL, THE DAY BEFORE WAS THE FINAL COLLECTION OF FOOD FROM THE FOOD VENDORS AND. AT THE FARMER'S MARKET. [00:40:01] A FARMER'S MARKET, WHAT DID I CALL IT? FOOD VENDORS AT THE FARMER'S MARKET. FOOD MARKETS AT THE YEP. YEAH. SO DAVE BATTEN, ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS WHO WAS ALSO ON THE GREEN TEAM, DID A MARVELOUS JOB OF DIRECTING REALLY THIS PROGRAM THIS SUMMER. AND SOME OF THE DATA I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU'D BE INTERESTED. THERE WERE 26 COLLECTION DAYS. WE STARTED ON SATURDAYS AND THEN HALFWAY THROUGH KIND OF STARTED ON WEDNESDAYS BECAUSE SO MUCH PRODUCE WAS BEING AND ANNA WAS PART OF THAT TOO. AND WE HAD 18 VENDORS PARTICIPATE ON IN TOTAL. WE HAD ANYWHERE FROM 12 TO 2 ON A SATURDAY AND 6 TO 3 ON A WEDNESDAY. IT STARTED JUNE 4TH AND THEN WE HAD TO CONCLUDE ON SEPTEMBER 28TH BECAUSE THE COOLER THAT WE USE AT THE TOWNSHIP THEN HAD TO BE RELEGATED BACK TO THE DEER CALLING PROGRAM, WHICH BY THE WAY, THEY THEY HAVE THE DEER CUT AND WRAPPED. SO IT'S CLEAN PIECES OF MEAT AND THEY'RE NICELY WRAPPED. IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE HOSING THEM DOWN. [LAUGHTER] SO JUST A WORD OUT HERE. IF ANYBODY KNOWS OF ANY ADDITIONAL COOLER SPACE, WE HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLECT MORE PRODUCE AND GIVE TO MORE ORGANIZATIONS. WE HAD SIX DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT BENEFITED AND THEY WERE JUST THRILLED. INCLUDED FIRST PRESBYTERIAN FOOD PANTRY, WHICH IS DOWNTOWN LANSING, SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY KITCHEN, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY MADE SOMETHING WITH THE PRODUCTS. CRISTO REY COMMUNITY CENTER, ST JOHN'S CHURCH, AND STUDENT CENTER PANTRY, WILLIAMSTON FOODBANK AND WHATEVER THE OTHERS DIDN'T TAKE ACTUALLY, DAVE GATHERED UP FROM THE COOLER ON TUESDAY. IT WOULD GO TO THE COOLER ON SATURDAY OR WEDNESDAY, AND THESE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WOULD PICK UP, BUT HE WOULD GO EVERY TUESDAY AND WHATEVER WAS THERE, TAKE IT TO THE GREATER LANSING FOOD BANK. SO I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAD A SPEAKER AT ONE OF THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING. WE HAD A FEW SPEAKERS IN THE BEGINNING FROM THE FOOD TO COMPOSTING MEETINGS, AND DAVE BATTEN WAS CLEVER ENOUGH TO SHARE THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAD WITH THE GREATER LANSING FOODBANK, WHERE THEY'RE NOW ANY SPOILED PRODUCE THAT THEY DON'T USE IT'S NOW GOING TO THE DELHI DIGESTER. SO AS HE POINTS OUT, WE HAVE A CLOSED SYSTEM THERE. WE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH A CLOSED LOOP ON THAT FOOD. SO THAT'S PRETTY COOL. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT AND THEN I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT GREEN BURIAL THAT WE BROUGHT UP BEFORE, BUT THAT'S NOT ONE OF OUR SO YOU TELL ME WHEN I'M ALLOWED TO BRING THAT UP. RIGHT. IS IT OKAY? YEAH. SURE. GO. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'VE GOT GABI MAYER IS A ACTIVE MEMBER VOLUNTEER WITH OUR EFFORTS. AND SHE ACTUALLY IS AN EXPERT ON GREEN BURIAL. AND IN FACT, WILLIAMSTON TOWNSHIP IS IN THE PROCESS OF CONVERTING ONE OF THEIR CEMETERIES TO CONFORM WITH GREEN BURIAL, WHICH BASICALLY MEANS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SHALLOWER. YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF THERE'S NO EMBALMING FLUID AND YOU'RE NOT SENDING NASTY STUFF OUT INTO THE AIR. SO IT'S A SHALLOWER KIND OF ARRANGEMENT FOR THE BODY, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE IN A WOOD BOX. BUT SO WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS, IS MAKE IT LIKE A PARK SETTING. ACTUALLY, IT'S LIKE A PARK SETTING. AND THEY HAVE SOMETHING CALLED A SHEPHERD'S WALL THAT PEOPLE'S NAMES ARE ON THERE. AND THEN IF YOU PICK A SPOT BY A TREE OR A PATH YOU COULD HAVE LIKE A BIT OF A NAMETAG OR, YOU KNOW, AN IDENTIFICATION, BUT IT'S MEANT TO BE A PLEASANT PLACE TO SET AND, YOU KNOW, JUST CONTEMPLATE OR WHATEVER. SO SHE GAVE A PRESENTATION. LEROY HAD HER ON GREEN DIALOG AND WE USED THAT RECORDING QUITE A BIT. AND I, WE, SOLD THE WHOLE CONCEPT TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTER, NOTING THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT DEMOGRAPHICS, WHICH I BEING ONE OF THEM. [LAUGHTER] I KNOW. SO THERE'S THE PROGRAM COMING UP IT WILL BE AT THE OKEMOS LIBRARY AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PARTNERING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT MEANS TO GET OUR NAME OUT AS WELL AS USE OUR COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. AND SO I'D LIKE THE PERMISSION TO SAY THAT WE WILL PARTNER WITH THEM TO PUT ON THIS PROGRAM IF YOU THINK THAT'S OKAY. I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PARTNERING, TOO, I THINK, IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SMART WAY TO OPERATE. BUT YEAH, I LOVE THE CONCEPT. IT'S WORTH CONSIDERING WHETHER THERE'S A DEDICATION OF STAFF TIME OR IF IT'S MERELY OUR OWN SELVES. YEAH, I THINK THERE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT OF MAYBE SHARING A LOGO, I THOUGHT. AND MAYBE THEY'RE WILLING TO PRINT UP AND DO SOME THINGS, AND MAYBE WE COULD USE OUR CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION. [00:45:08] YOU'D HAVE TO IF WE WERE GOING TO PARTNER IN MEDIA, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT AND THEY WOULD DECIDE HOW WE WOULD BE REPRESENTED. YEAH, AND I THINK IT'S NOVEMBER, SO THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME. THEY ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF RECORDING IT. THEY USED TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT WOULD RECORD IT. APPARENTLY THEY NO LONGER HAVE THAT BECAUSE IT'S A REMOTE LOCATION. I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE HOMTV WOULD. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT AFTER. SO ANYWAY, I JUST THINK IT'S A GREAT WAY TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, REALLY MAXIMIZE THE THE GOODWILL AND IN THE MESSAGE AND SO FORTH. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WELL, I WOULD THINK, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO CO-SPONSOR, THAT IS KIND OF A REAL POSITIVE THING. AND HOW MUCH WE CAN DO WITH RESPECT TO PROMOTION REMAINS TO BE SEEN. BUT CERTAINLY WE CAN DO A LOT. AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT'LL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, HOW MUCH TIME THEY HAVE, BUT WE COULD STILL BE A CO-SPONSOR AND THEN, YOU KNOW, GET THE WORD OUT THROUGH THE GREEN NEIGHBOR NETWORK AND OTHER SORTS OF, YOU KNOW, MECHANISMS. AND MEANWHILE, LEROY COULD EXPLORE WHAT THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT COULD DO. BEYOND THE RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH. COOL. COOL. WHAT ELSE WE GOT? REPORTS. I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS BEEN RELATIVELY QUIET OF RECENT TIMES, AND A LOT OF WHAT IS GOING ON AGAIN IS IN RESPONSE TO THE EXISTING MASTER PLAN, WHICH CALLS FOR SIMPLIFICATION OF ORDINANCES. AND SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF VERY DEEPLY BUREAUCRATIC DISCUSSION ABOUT ORDINANCES AND SIGNS AND OTHERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY REALLY TRICKY BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF EXCEPTIONS IN THINGS, AND IT HASN'T BEEN FORMALLY PROPOSED OR DISCUSSED THAT I'M AWARE OF. BUT THERE HAS BEEN SOME INFORMAL DISCUSSION I'VE HEARD FIRST AND SECOND HAND ABOUT THE WETLAND PROTECTION ORDINANCE, AND THERE'S OBVIOUSLY GOING TO BE A VARIETY OF THOUGHTS ON THAT. AND I HAVEN'T HEARD A PROPOSAL, BUT I HAVE NOTED THAT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN WETLANDS PERMITS FOR MANY YEARS. BASICALLY SINCE OUR NEW PLANNING DIRECTOR ARRIVED, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY AND YOU CAN READ THAT IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT OUR PACKETS HAVE BEEN MUCH SMALLER. AND I'M ALSO NOT AWARE OF AN INSTANCE WHERE WE, THE TOWNSHIP, DENIED A PERMIT WHEN THE APPLICANT ALREADY HAD A DEQ OR NOW EGLE PERMIT. IT'S CHURLISH FOR THE TOWNSHIP TO COME ALONG AND SAY NO, WE BASICALLY REGULATE THE SMALLER ONES THAT WOULDN'T HAVE TO GET THEIR PERMIT. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE MEAT OF THE THING AND JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT THAT DISCUSSION IS GOING ON. AND AGAIN, I HAVEN'T HEARD A FORMAL PROPOSAL OR A SUGGESTION THAT IT BE TAKEN OUT, BUT I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION TO HAVE ABOUT THE LACK OF OF PERMIT APPLICATIONS DURING THIS TIME AND IF IT REFLECTS THE LONG TERM TREND AND WHY MAINTAIN A REGULATORY PROCESS IF IT'S A BLIMP, THEN WHY NOT? OR IS IT THAT BECAUSE OF THE ORDINANCE, THE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE COMING TO THE TOWNSHIP ALREADY TAKE IN ACCOUNT, THE WETLANDS, AND THEY DON'T PLAN TO DISTURB THEM SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BOTHER APPLYING FOR ANOTHER PERMIT AND JUST DRAW IT THIS WAY. SO I THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO REALLY CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I THINK ARE PLANNERS. SO WHEN IT COMES TO DISCUSSING ANY CHANGES TO THAT, ANY PERMITTING, THEY WOULD BE THE ONES WHO WOULD BE ADVISING US ON WHAT THEY CURRENTLY DO AND WHAT KIND OF SUCCESS OUR CURRENT REGULATIONS ARE HAVING. SO I PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR STAFF TO SEE IF THERE'S A TIME WHEN THE PLANNING COMMISSION COULD, IF THEY'RE HAVING THAT, IF THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION, IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN JOINING FOR SUCH A DISCUSSION. THAT'S AN INTERESTING SPECULATION OR OBSERVATION THAT YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE STATE, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF THINGS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT SIZE AND YOU HAVE THIS REQUIREMENT FOR SMALLER BODIES OR TO SMALLER WETLANDS. SO, YEAH, I COULD SEE HOW A DEVELOPER MIGHT SAY, OH YEAH, I'M NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH THAT. AND SO I WOULD JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, WHICH FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, OF COURSE IS A GOOD THING. WE BASICALLY HAVE MADE IT. WE'VE CREATED AN INCENTIVE FOR DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS TO KIND OF JUST LEAVE ALONE SMALLER WETLANDS. [00:50:08] SO THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THAT SPECULATION IS MAYBE SOMEWHAT TRUE OR, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING . WELL THE RULE IS, KNOWING WELL, POLICY AS A TOWNSHIP. YEAH. AND AND IN FACT, IF SOMETHING IS DESTROYED, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE REPLACED OR YOU KNOW. THAT MORE THAN ONE TO ONE. MORE THAN 1 TO 1. YEAH. AND OUR CONSULTANT HAS TOLD US THAT THEY'VE NEVER HAD TO USE THE BOND FROM ANY OF THOSE CONTRACTORS, THAT THEY'VE ALL PERFORMED TO SPECIFICATIONS. SO FROM THAT ASPECT, THE REMEDIATION IS WORKING AND THE AVOIDANCE OF DISTURBANCE SEEMS TO BE WORKING. SO BUT THAT'S JUST MY OWN PERSPECTIVE. I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE FOLKS AT THE FRONT DESK ABOUT IT. ANY OTHER REPORTS OR ANNOUNCEMENTS THERE. I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS. GO AHEAD. YEAH, THANKS, MR. CHAIR. JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE GREEN TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON A COUPLE OF EVENTS THIS PAST SATURDAY. WE GAVE OUT THE RAIN BARRELS AND COMPOST BINS THAT WERE ORDERED. I WASN'T PRESENT, SO I'D HAVE TO DEFER TO LEROY OR SOMEONE ELSE WHO WAS ACTUALLY THERE TO GIVE NUMBERS. BUT THIS COMING SATURDAY IS OUR ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DAY AT CHIPPEWA MIDDLE SCHOOL FROM 9 TO 1. AND WE ARE ALSO PARTNERING WITH CONSUMERS ENERGY TO TAKE BACK SMALL WORKING APPLIANCES AT THAT EVENT THAT ARE NO LONGER ENERGY EFFICIENT. AND RESIDENTS CAN GET A I BELIEVE IT'S A $15 REBATE FOR THOSE. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY REMAINING ELECTRONICS YOU NEED TO GET RID OF, SATURDAY WOULD BE A GOOD DAY TO DO THAT. MY GUESS IS WE'LL SEE AN UPDATE ON WHAT CAN HAPPEN AT THAT EVENT. WHAT SORT OF THINGS ARE BEING ACCEPTED? RIGHT FOR THE THE CONSUMERS REBATES. YOU'VE GOT TO BE A CONSUMERS CUSTOMER. I'M SURE THAT'LL BE COVERED IN YOUR STAFF REPORT. I SAY IF YOU LIKE. YEAH, GO AHEAD. THIS IS NOT RELATED. WELL, IT'S RELATED TO OUR FOOD AND COMPOST WORK, BUT NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED. BUT AS YOU ALL PROBABLY KNOW, LOCAL FOODS TEND TO HAVE A SMALLER FOOTPRINT IN TERMS OF THEY TEND TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE. AND THE EAST SIDE, LANSING FOOD CO-OP, FORMERLY THE EAST LANSING FOOD CO-OP, REOPENED TODAY. IT IS NOW IN THE ALLEN PLACE COMPLEX. SO BY THE ALLEN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER AND IT PRIORITIZES LOCAL FOODS. SO I THINK THAT IS A PROMISING STEP TOWARDS THE LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY IN THE AREA. AND SALLY POTTER, WHO IS SOMEBODY WHO WILL NOT ALLOW SOMETHING NOT TO WORK. YES, SHE IS THE MANAGER OF THE CO-OP AND THE GRAND OPENING. SO THERE WAS THE SOFT OPENING TODAY. AND THE GRAND OPENING IS FRIDAY AT 10 A.M. IF YOU ALL ARE AVAILABLE TO ATTEND. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT AND REMINDER. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, BUT IF THERE IS SOMETHING I CAN BRING IT UP. THANK YOU. YEAH, GO AHEAD. WELL, I GOT SOME TAKEN AWAY WITH THE DESCRIBING THE COOLER. FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE TOTAL POUNDS COLLECTED WAS 4,740 POUNDS OF PRODUCE, WHICH WAS GIVEN AWAY. IT WAS A HIGH OF 519 POUNDS ON ONE SATURDAY. WEDNESDAY'S HIGH WAS 140. WE HAVE 21 VOLUNTEERS IN THE GLEANING PROGRAM. AND SO IT'S IT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL NOT ONLY FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS AND THE VOLUNTEERS ARE JUST ARE WONDERFUL AND, YOU KNOW, WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE. AND I HOPE WE CAN EXPAND OUR PROGRAMS A LITTLE MORE IN DIFFERENT AREAS, LIKE MAYBE COLLECT A LITTLE LONGER THAN SEPTEMBER 30TH, IF WE COULD FIND ANOTHER COOLER OR ANOTHER WAY TO. BUT IT JUST YOU KNOW, IT REQUIRES LIKE ONE MORE PERSON THAT'S WILLING TO SORT OF SHEPHERD THAT THROUGH. AND WE'RE REALLY CONSCIOUS OF TRYING TO CREATE A PROGRAM THAT WILL CONTINUE ON ITS OWN WHEN SOMEBODY IS NOT THERE, LIKE NEXT YEAR WHERE DAVE'S [00:55:03] HOPEFUL TO FIND A CO CHAIR TO DO IT AND SO THAT WE CAN BUILD IN SOME BENCH STRENGTH, I GUESS, TO KEEP GOING. SO THANK YOU. I JUST FORGOT THAT. SOUNDS LIKE SORT OF JUST STRIKE THAT FOR THE RECORD. [LAUGHTER] I DON'T WANT MORE OF THAT AS I WENT BY IT. I CAN JUST BRIEFLY SAY THAT THE BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OR AUTHORITY MET ACTUALLY TWICE SINCE WE'VE MET, AND MOSTLY SO TWO ITEMS. THERE'S THE PINE VILLAGE, WHICH IS THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S ON THE WEST SIDE OF THAT, THE OLD L&L PARKING LOT AND SO FORTH THAT'S UNDERWAY. YOU CAN SEE IF YOU GO BY THERE PIECES OF THE NEW BUILDINGS WHICH ARE GOING TO BE BASICALLY RETIREMENT HOUSING ARE BEGINNING TO GO UP. SO PRESUMABLY SOIL MITIGATION AND SO FORTH HAS HAPPENED. ONE OF THE MEETINGS WAS PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON ESSENTIALLY SEPARATING THAT FROM THAT AREA OF THAT PROJECT FROM WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE REST OF THE OVERALL PARKING LOT AND BUSINESS AREA THERE WHICH IS STILL BEING WORKED OUT. AND THEN THE OTHER WAS JUST A REVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE OKEMOS VILLAGE PROJECT, WHICH PARTLY BECAUSE OF DELAYS AND SO FORTH, WAS A LITTLE BIT RESTRUCTURED, BUT NOT SORT OF QUALITATIVELY DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL PLAN. THEY PUT IN SOME MORE PARKING. THEY'VE CHANGED THE LAYOUT OF THE PARKING A LITTLE BIT. BUT TO FIRST APPROXIMATION, IT'S NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. SO. AND IT SERVES AS A WONDERFUL STAGING AREA FOR THE BRIDGE PROJECT. YEAH, THEY'RE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE THAT SPACE TO LAY ALL THAT STUFF OUT. SO. AM I ALLOWED TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SECTION OF THE? WELL, I GUESS IT'S THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN. IT'S KIND OF AT THE BOTTOM OF THE IT'S UNDERNEATH ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING AUGUST 3RD IN OUR PACKET. THERE IS A COMPARISON IT'S. WHAT PAGE OF THE PACKET ARE YOU ON? I AM ON THE PAGE. I'M ON THE PAGE THAT HAS THE GRAPHS SHOWING ENERGY USAGE FOR THE DIFFERENT BUILDINGS. THE PAGE IN THE PDF IS NUMBER FOUR. YEAH. SO YEAH, THAT ONE. SO WHAT I WAS CONFUSED BY WAS THE OVERALL BASELINE YEAR OF 2018 AND OUR IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THEN, THE DECREASE IN ENERGY USE, ENERGY INTENSITY TO 2021 AND THEN THE COMPARISON TO THE NATIONAL MEDIAN. WHAT I WAS CONFUSED BY WAS THE GRAPH BELOW THAT WHERE THOSE SAME MEASURES ARE APPLIED TO A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT BUILDINGS. AND WHAT'S CONFUSING ME IS SIMPLY HOW DO WE HOW DO WE DEFINE THE NATIONAL MEDIAN? FOR EXAMPLE, THE SNELL TOWER [INAUDIBLE] REC CENTER, OR I MEAN, IN OTHER WORDS, WHERE DO THOSE THOSE BLACK BARS COME FROM? IT'S NOT A CRITICISM. I JUST WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IT AS I WAS LOOKING AT IT, I WAS GOING I DON'T KNOW WHERE THOSE HOW THE SUITABLE REFERENCE POINTS FOR THOSE GRAPHS, CAN WE PUT A PIN IN THAT FOR OUR NEXT MEETING? SO THE FOLKS WHO PUT THAT GRAPH THERE CAN GO LOOK AT THE SOURCE. EXACTLY. SUPER. THANK YOU. I THINK I KNOW I'M NOT 100% SURE BECAUSE THIS IS A FEDERAL PROGRAM BENCHMARKING STUDY AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES DO SURVEYS AND SO THEY HAVE ENERGY USE DATA FOR ALL SORTS OF BUILDING TYPES. AND SO THE MEDIAN NUMBER, NATIONAL MEDIAN IS COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WHAT CAN GET TRICKY, THOUGH, IS WHENEVER YOU GET INTO CATEGORIES, YOU COULD HAVE SOMETHING FIT INTO A CATEGORY THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST FIT. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT. RIGHT. THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE CATEGORIES, RIGHT? YEAH. SO, THAT'S THE FEDS HAVE COME UP WITH THESE CATEGORIES FOR DIFFERENT BUILDING TYPES AND THEY'RE MEANINGFUL. BUT ONE HAS TO EVERY BUILDING HAS SPECIFIC USES, SPECIFIC HISTORY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA, BUT IT'S NOTHING SUPER DEFINITIVE. [01:00:08] YEAH, I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF IT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WELL, DURING THAT COURSE OF THAT DISCUSSION, THIS SCREEN WENT BLANK AND THIS SCREEN WENT BLANK. SO I'VE GOT NO IDEA WHERE WE'RE AT. I THINK WE'RE AT STAFF REPORT. SO MAYBE THAT'LL REINVIGORATE MY DISPLAY. YES. I MEAN, WE WERE AT REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. AND I THINK WE WERE DONE WITH THE COMMISSIONER REPORT. SO STAFF REPORT WOULD WORK. I SO NO THAT'S FINE I'M HAPPY [INAUDIBLE] THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUT CATEGORIES BECAUSE THEN WE GET OUT OF LINE. [LAUGHTER]. SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SHARE? I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EMMA TO CHIME IN BECAUSE EMMA WAS AT OUR LAST GREEN TEAM MEETING AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S DOING A GREAT JOB TAKING OVER THE EARTH CLUB AND APPRECIATE THE HELP RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE RECYCLING EVENT BECAUSE WE'VE FILLED UP, I THINK WE'VE GOT 70 VOLUNTEERS SIGNED UP FOR SATURDAY. HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE. YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR THAT AND SOME HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. SO I THINK THAT THE YOUTH WILL BE PRETTY INVOLVED WITH THAT EVENT. SO THAT'S AWESOME. THANK YOU. AND ALSO I GOT A NICE EMAIL FROM ONE OF THE EARTH CLUB MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR INTEREST IN STARTING A PODCAST, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO MENTION THAT. YEAH. SO EARTH CLUB IS TRYING TO START A PODCAST. THERE'S AN ACTIVISM COMMITTEE WHICH IS LIKE A SUBGROUP OF EARTH CLUB BECAUSE WE HAVE QUITE A FEW MEMBERS THAT WE ARE SEPARATING IT INTO COMMITTEES. SO THERE'S THIS ONE MEMBER OF THE ACTIVISM COMMITTEE THAT IS REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT STARTING A PODCAST AND POSSIBLY TALKING JUST ABOUT LIKE WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL IS DOING WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS OR JUST LIKE INFORMATIONAL STUFF MAYBE ABOUT WETLANDS OR STUFF LIKE THAT. GREAT. SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT HAS SORT OF STAFF SPONSORSHIP OR IS IT MORE OF A STUDENT? IT'S MORE OF A STUDENT THING. AND I ALSO HEARD WIND THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN DOING SOME MORE COMPOSTING THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO VALERIE AND ANNA. YES. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A JUST BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THAT. I KNOW YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT ON ALL THE COMMITTEES. BUT. YEAH, SO I'VE BEEN KIND OF LIKE RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING WOULD GO TOGETHER. SO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF THE CUSTODIANS, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM THEM. SO ONCE THEY RESPOND BACK TO ME, WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO START TO SET UP LIKE A COMPOST OUT WITH THE CAFETERIA STAFF. SO WITH LIKE THE PRODUCE THAT THEY HAVE IN THERE, IF THERE'S STUFF THAT THEY CAN'T USE THAT GOES BAD, WE COULD COMPOST THAT AND TURN IT INTO LIKE SOIL THAT WE COULD USE IN OUR GREENHOUSE. SO. YEAH. DO YOU ALL DO ANY FOOD CAPTURE? I MEAN, SO WHAT VALERIE WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER IS HOW WE'RE COLLECTING STUFF FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET AND TAKING IT TO THE FOOD BANKS. DO THE SCHOOLS DO ANY OF THAT? I DON'T. I DON'T THINK SO. BUT I'M NOT 100% SURE ON THAT. SOUNDS LIKE A DISCUSSION THAT YOUR GROUP COULD INFORM ON BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONTACT WITH SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS. BUT THERE IS AND THERE ARE CERTAIN I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE NATIONAL LAWS OR WHAT ABOUT HOW FOOD, HOW FAR CAN LEAVE FROM THE KITCHEN? RIGHT. YEAH. I MEAN, THERE CERTAINLY ARE FEDERAL REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF THE SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAM AND YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN GO AND HOW. AND THEN JUST ALSO THE REGULATIONS OF FOOD TEMPERATURE LIKE MILK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YEAH, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF SCHOOLS THAT I MEAN AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT DO THAT TYPE OF THING WHERE MAYBE THEY HAVE A SHARE TABLE ALSO FOR OTHER STUDENTS THAT WANT MORE FOOD AND THAT WILL DO GLEANING AND DONATE. SO I KNOW LIKE THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DO, LIKE THE SHARED TABLE AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL. OKAY. AND I THINK WITH LIKE COVID RIGHT NOW AND THE PANDEMIC STILL KIND OF GOING AROUND THAT IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT TO HAVE STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT I WAS ACTUALLY THAT WAS ONE OF OUR GOALS THIS YEAR FOR EARTH CLUB WAS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITH THE CAFETERIA. VERY COOL. YEAH, WELL, IF IT'S SOMETHING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEN VALERIE, YOU HAVE THE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SO SHE WOULD BE A GREAT RESOURCE. ALL RIGHT, SO HOW DOES THIS DELHI BECAUSE THEY'RE SENDING THE FOOD TO THEIR ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS, RIGHT? [01:05:03] THEY ARE. AND I'M. TOM WERE YOU AT IT'S BEEN A WHILE NOW SINCE WE HAD THAT MEETING. BUT YEAH, THEY WE MET QUITE A WHILE AGO WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE WHOLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND THEY DO HAVE PROGRAMS IN, I BELIEVE, ALL OF THEIR SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND IT'S LIKE 20 BUILDINGS, IF I'M CALLING, RECALLING CORRECTLY, WHERE THEY, THEY DO COLLECT AND THOSE ORGANIC MATERIALS DO GO TO THE DIGESTER THERE IN DELHI TOWNSHIP. BUT YEAH, THEY'VE HAD THEIR PROGRAM GOING FOR A LITTLE WHILE NOW AND IT'S AN AWESOME PROGRAM AND PROBABLY WOULD BE A GOOD MODEL FOR OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE AREA. WAS THAT CONVERSATION RECORDED? YEAH, IT WAS. IT WAS NO, I'M SURE IT WASN'T BECAUSE THERE WAS ONLY LIKE THREE OF US THERE MEETING WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT. BUT AND ACTUALLY WE SHOULD TALK. DO YOU HAVE A CONTACT NUMBER. SO YEAH, I CAN GIVE YOU. A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS. THERE'S THE SOLAR SYSTEM ON THE CARPORTS AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING IS GOING TO START ON NEXT WEEK AND THANKS TO WORK FROM DAN OPSOMMER ON A CONTRACT AND THE FOLKS FROM ABSOLUTE SOLAR THE SOME OF YOU ARE AWARE OF THE NATURAL SHORELINE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT LAKE LANSING BY LAKE LANSING PARK SOUTH AND THAT'S HOPEFULLY GOING TO BE APPROVED THE PERMIT FOR THAT A NATURAL SHORELINE DEMONSTRATION. THEY'RE DEMONSTRATING FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF NATURAL SHORELINES THAT'LL BE HOPEFULLY APPROVED THIS NEXT WEEK. AND PROBABLY CONSTRUCTION WOULD HAPPEN NEXT YEAR, NEXT SPRING. ON A SCHOOL RELATED NOTE, I MET WITH BRIEFLY WITH BRIDGETTE BOOTH AT HASLETT MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND SHE IS INTERESTED IN MORE COLLABORATION, MAYBE EVEN STARTING A SMALL SUBCOMMITTEE RELATED TO SCHOOL PROJECTS. SHE'S REALLY INTERESTED IN OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND WANTS TO CREATE LIKE AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM THAT EXTENDS BEYOND THE SMALLER PROJECT, THE COURTYARD PROJECT THAT SHE WORKED ON THROUGH A GREEN GRANT. BUT RELATED TO THE COURTYARD, SHE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION OUT POSSIBLY ON OCTOBER 19TH, WHICH I KNOW DOES NOT WORK FOR A COUPLE OF US. THAT'S THE DAY THAT JOHN'S TESLA COMES IN, BUT. OH REALLY [LAUGHTER]. I'M GOING TO GIVE HIM A RIDE. BUT WOULD ANY OF YOU BE AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 19TH, MAYBE TO DO A TOUR WITH HER AND SOME STUDENTS IN THE AFTERNOON AT 2:30 OR THREE? IF NOT, WE CAN MAYBE FIND ANOTHER DAY. BUT SHE'D LIKE TO SHOW OFF SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE MADE IN THAT COURTYARD, AND WE MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO GET HOMTV THERE, I'M NOT SURE. BUT IT WAS A GREAT VIDEO LAST TIME. YEAH, YEAH, THEY'RE SUPER. YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO ANSWER RIGHT NOW, BUT IF YOU DO KNOW THAT YOU ARE AVAILABLE AT 2:30 OR THREE, SHE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. AND HER EARTH CLUB, I THINK MEETS AT THAT TIME. SHE ALSO ATTENDED AN OUTDOOR EDUCATION CONFERENCE THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION WAS A BIG TOPIC OF DISCUSSION. NEED FOR YOUTH CLIMATE EDUCATION, BUT ALSO YOUTH ACTION TEAMS. SO SHE MIGHT BE ANOTHER GOOD PERSON FOR THE EARTH CLUB TO TALK TO AND BE COOL TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR HASLETT AND OKEMOS TO COLLABORATE. WHAT DID YOU SAY HER NAME WAS? BRIDGETTE BOOTH. OKAY. YEAH, I THINK THAT PROBABLY INSPIRED HER A BIT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS AND YOU'VE GOT A COPY OF THE EMAIL I SENT OUT AS A FOLLOW UP TO THAT, I THINK THE LAST DAY OR TWO? HER THOUGHT WAS TO TRY TO GET SOMEONE AT EACH OF HER SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED AS BEING AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTACT, MAYBE THE SCIENCE TEACHER OR WHATEVER. AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT'S AT, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING BECAUSE I HADN'T HEARD BACK. [01:10:06] AND THE OTHER THING WAS TO GET A STUDENT FROM HASLETT ON THE AND I THINK WE FORWARDED THE INFORMATION AND HOW TO GET ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. DID ANYTHING COME OF THAT? NOT YET. BUT I MEAN, [INAUDIBLE] IS MIDDLE SCHOOL. THERE'S ALSO AN EARTH OR A CLIMATE CLUB AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. BUT NO, I MEAN, IT STRIKES ME AS A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE REAL BUSY. BUT MAYBE IF THERE'S A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT CAN MEET DURING CERTAIN TIMES THAT MIGHT PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY OF MEETING TIME AND. THERE'S A PROCEDURE, SO I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT WOULD BE GREAT. RIGHT. RIGHT. IT'S MY GETTING OUT OF MY SWIM LANE HERE. [LAUGHTER] NO, NO, NO. GOING TO BE HELPING WITH THIS OUTDOOR CLASSROOM THING. EMMA INVITED ANYONE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH GREEN PROJECTS TO THIS BANQUET COMING UP. THAT'S ALSO HAPPENING ON SATURDAY. SOME EXTRA FLIERS HERE, BUT IT'S PRIMARILY IF YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE MICHIGAN CONSERVATION CORPS. I KNOW KENDRA HAS BEEN HEAVILY INVOLVED. AND SOME OF YOU, SHE WANTED TO INVITE EVERYONE ON HER GREEN TEAM. AND IF THAT APPEALS TO YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE REGISTER FOR THAT. I THINK THAT'S THE MAIN STUFF THAT I WANTED TO SHARE. GREAT I'M SURE YOU'LL THINK OF OTHER THINGS AS SOON AS I SAY WE'RE ADJOURNED. ANY FINAL REMARKS ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO OFFER BEFORE MOVING ON WITH THEIR EVENING? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU. IF THERE IS NO MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO REMARK, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.