Meeting began at 10:15am on January 10, 2009.
Attendees (affiliations listed for public officials):
Bob Barrett
Alison Doniger
Jeanne Durnford
Kelly Fergusson (Menlo Park City Council)
Katie Ferrick (Menlo Park Planning Commissioner)
Kate Forrest
Karen Grove
Carolee Hazard
Christine Herzog
Tom Kabat
John Kadvany (Menlo Park Planning Commissioner)
Twana Karney
Chuck Kinney
Uri Kogan
Adina Levin
Carol McClelland
Heather Nelson
Marguerite Pettijean
Heyward Robinson (Mayor of Menlo Park)
Kristin Russel
Erin Scott
Mitch Slomiak (Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commissioner)
Gail Slocum (Chairman, San Mateo County Planning Commission)
Joe Walmsley
Karen Wang
GRCC 2009 Goals
Brainstorm regarding 2009 goals, with following ideas and discussion points:
• Add numeric metrics to goals, such as:
-- Fundraising budget
-- # Volunteers participating
-- # People reached through outreach efforts
-- Metrics for outreach and for involvement and intensity of involvement (level of activity); concentric circles of intensity
-- # of newsletter subscribers
-- CO2 reduction from GRCC efforts/initiatives
-- CO2 reduction in Menlo Park from City initiatives; community initiatives
•
Need to publish initiatives with descriptions on website so easy for
new members and interested individuals to learn about GRCC
Action Team Updates (1-2 minutes each):
Business Team: Green Business Certification and GRCC Sand Hill Green Challenge are two programs being explores
Schools
Team: 75% of schools have been contacted in survey; preparing to finish
survey and then identify and share best practices among 42 schools
Transit & Transportation: Focus on launching Drive Less Challenge (see notes at end)
Faith
Communities: Have reached out to 22 churches; need to have GRCC members
who are congregants identify themselves and help find contacts
Neighborhoods Team:
--GRCC self-survey and brochure has been distributed to 5 homeowners associations (650 residents)
--Heather Nelson: Compost demonstration held for Lorelei HOA
--Megan Gutelius trained for Green@Home program and is reaching out to WIllows HOA
--Jorie Schulz is organizing and organic gardening program at Encinal School with other parents
--Patty
Boyle is developing list of Menlo Park property management companies
(apartments) and focusing on outreach to this group; will write
article on water and energy conservation for Sand HIll HOA newsletter
GRCC Event Ideas and Patterns for 2009
Specific Events:
• DriveLess Challenge (to begin in 4/09 and last for 2 weeks)
• Participation in Menlo Park Block Parties
• Participation in Menlo Park July 4 festivities
Effectiveness of Speakers at GRCC Events?
--Good
to get people interested, but as operations (initiatives) get
intensive, have meetings separate from speaker-focused events
--Events with speakers should always include GRCC 'infomercial' so people are aware of us and know how to get involved
Suggestion
for events focused on individual school, church, or other institution;
could be readily publicized through their newsletter
Main idea is to have discrete, speaker-based events that educate people and draw audiences
--Good of themes are closely related to GRCC initiatives
Good idea to collaborate with other cities or organizations and hold joint events
--Less burden on GRCC volunteers and greater publicity reach
For
speakers, find people involved in "nuts and bolts" collaborate efforts,
such as ICLEI, group that establishes Green Schools standards, etc.
Publicity ideas:
• Advertise/publicize existing "non-GRCC" speakers and events (ask for brief GRCC "infomercial" in exchange for publicizing)
• Website calendar with email blasts
* Link to Acterra Ecohappenings
• Local carpool sign-ups
• Advertise in VolunteerMatch.org
• Contact event sponsors to see if we can distribute GRCC checklist and speak briefly
• Develop standard event table setup: "Event-in-a-Box"
Meeting Schedule/Frequency/Content
• Community Building events should be discrete and at different times than "Meetings"
--Inject fun social context, such as meeting at a restaurant or bar
--Spend about 10 minutes on announcements regarding green efforts; bulk of time is free form socializing
• Within meetings, have breakout time so people can plug into specific initiatives; also have break time for socializing
• Some social meetings could take place at environmental quality award winner locations, to combine education with socializing
• "Cafe 150" theme for food (bring food to share that is grown and produced locally.....within 150 miles)
***An online poll will be circulated by Carol and Mitch to get feedback on specific meeting days/times
Menlo Park Climate Action Plan
Discussed timetable and GRCC participation
--Draft CAP to be released 1/22 on City Council website and reviewed with City Council on 1/27
--GRCC treated as key stakeholder group and presentation at GRCC meeting to be scheduled in February
Broad
agreement for GRCC to focus on positive message that highlights
benefits to community (as opposed to scary message about global warming)
Agreement to provide thanks and encouragement to City Council and staff for this effort and priority
Drive Less Challenge
Adina Levin presented the overall concept and a detailed discussion ensued. Basic concept:
• 2009 will be viewed as the "pilot progarm"
• Week One: Participants log their "natural" driving behavior/patterns
• Week Two: Participants log their new driving behavior patterns
Brainstorm ensued with following ideas:
• Suggestion to consider 21-day change period as that is usual time required for habits to change
• Suggestion to get Almanac to publish/profile the winners
• Will work with Schools Team to find specific schools that want to participate (through green clubs and/or newsletters)
• Will work with Faith Communities team to find churches that want to participate
• Arrange for City banner over Santa Cruz Ave to publicize context [may be too expensive for first year]
• Encourage train trips and photograph people who decide to take train instead of car
• Have signs within participating neighborhoods or lawn signs for participants
• Have school green clubs challenge one another (competition between schools)
• Los Altos had wildly successful walk-to-school day with pre-set routes, meet-up points, and a celebration
• Produce backpack stickers for participants; "Join me in the Drive Less Challenge"
• Long-term goal with larger award and/or award for 1 week and 3 week participants
• Could culminate on Bike-to-Work day which is three weeks after Earth Day
Meeting adjourned at 12:15pm
