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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-08 PACKET 03.C.M s Cottage Grove If- re Pride and PCOS Perity Meet TO: Members of Washington County Environmental Commissions FROM: Emily Schmitz, Code Enforcement Ryan Burfeind, Project Engineer DATE: October 1, 2014 RE: City Of Cottage Grove Environmental Commission 2014 Project Update The City of Cottage Grove's Environmental Commission 2014 Work Plan has been focused on permit monitoring, policy regulation, and educational opportunities. Our main projects include pur- suing next step status within GreenStep Cities, increasing recycling at city -owned properties, promoting the City's Sustainable City Award, and offering increased education opportunities for students. River Oaks Golf Course Recycling Program The City of Cottage Grove is currently working to increase recycling at the River Oaks Municipal Golf Course. The golf course currently recycles cardboard and aluminum cans that are collected within the clubhouse. The cardboard is collected in a dumpster that is picked up weekly by the City's waste hauler. Aluminum cans that are collected by golf course staff within the clubhouse are stored and recycled at the end of the year. These cans represent only a small amount of what is sold at the golf course each year. Other recyclable items at the course include plastic soda bottles and plastic drink cups. River Oaks does not currently have any recycling receptacles avail- able for patron use, either on the course or in the clubhouse. On average, there are approximately 200 golfers that use the course each day. This City is currently working with Washington County to obtain a grant to purchase recycling receptacles for both the clubhouse and the course. This includes a total of 25 outdoor receptacles, 7 indoor receptacles in public areas, and 9 indoor receptacles in employee areas. As part of the recycling program, the City will develop educational and promotional material to use at the course, conduct a survey to determine its success, and evaluate the implementation of an organics recy- cling program. The City will also complete a case study and lessons learned from this program. Strawberry Fest The Cottage Grove Environmental Commission secures a booth at the City's Strawberry Festival each year to provide educational information to the community. The booth is staffed by Commis- sion members ready to offer educational mate- rials or insight on sustainable or environmental questions from festivalgoers. Educational materials at the booth included information on rain barrels, hazardous material collection, the Washington County prescription drug drop -off program, protecting groundwater, Commission Members City of Cottage Grove Environmental Commission 2014 Project Update October 1, 2014 Page 2 of 4 recycling, and the Washington Conservation District EMWREP rain garden pamphlet. Small trinkets, including a reusable water bottle and a plant growing kit were offered as handouts to visitors of the booth. CLIMB Theater CLIMB is a touring educational theater that brings their original plays to schools, classes, and other agencies across the upper Midwest. CLIMB was able to perform at three elementary schools (Crestview, Hillside, and Pine Hill) to students in kindergarten through 5th grade, courtesy of the Washington County Recycling Grant. The plays focused on environmental conservation, ways in which to reduce waste, and understanding the path of their garbage. At the conclusion of the presentation, students were given a small handout: Kindergartners, 1st, and 2nd graders enjoyed a mood pencil and environmentally themed sticker book, while those in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades received a reusable water bottle and bracelet reminding them to reduce their waste, reuse when possible, and recycle. CLIMB Theater will be back to Cottage Grove elementary schools in 2015 with performances on water conservation. Sustainable City Award The Sustainable City Awards program was developed in 2013 by the Cottage Grove Environ- mental Commission. The awards were established to recognize businesses, organizations, and individuals that are making Cottage Grove a more sustainable community through innovative pro- grams and practices that demonstrate environmental leadership. The Sustainable City Awards are presented annually around Earth Day (April 22). Commission Members City of Cottage Grove Environmental Commission 2014 Project Update October 1, 2014 Page 3 of 4 The 2013 Sustainable City Award went to Werner Electric for their continued work in renewable energy including a 20kW Renewegy wind turbine a 3kW dual axis solar tracker at their Cottage Grove site creation of the Werner Clean and Green Team consisting of employees from all their departments to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever possible and invest in education of sustain- able practices for other employees. f I F , .tric SUP"P'Y Werner Electric Campus wind turbine and solar panels ,ECTRIC Q Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) Grant Living Healthy in Washington County (LHWC) offers an opportunity for funding though the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP), which is about creating good health for parents, kids, and communities as a whole. SHIP funds are targeted toward increasing intake of fruits and vegetables and decreasing intake of foods high in sodium, saturated fats, and added sugar. Diane Bezdicek, a teacher at Pine Hill Elementary, applied for the SHIP Grant in 2013 but was unsuccessful in receiving funding for Aerologic Growing Systems (Tower Gardens) in classrooms at Pine Hill Elementary. Aerologic growing systems continuously pump a nutrient solution from Werner Electric receiving Sustainable City Award Commission Members City of Cottage Grove Environmental Commission 2014 Project Update October 1, 2014 Page 4 of 4 the reservoir tank at the bottom of the tower up through a central hose to the top of the garden. The solution then drips through the central tower evenly spreading the nu- trient solution over the plant roots. This process allows the food crops in Tower Gardens to grow faster and offer more harvests indoors and without soil. In 2014, Pine Hill Elementary partnered with the City of Cottage Grove and School District #833 and was awarded funding for six Tower Gardens. This project will provide a tower garden for each grade level at Pine Hill. Teachers will work to educate students and their fami- lies on the importance of making healthier food choices, the growing process of produce, the importance of sus- tainable practices, and the process of bringing healthy foods to their tables. It will also offer students the ability to compare growing aeroponically versus traditional farming. The initial goal of the project is to provide six pounds of produce to be consumed by each student each year. Long -term goals include implementing a healthy snack cart for the students with the fresh produce grown in their classrooms and possibly utilizing the produce for students' lunches in the cafeteria. To continue with the City's focus on increased efforts to become more sustainable, the project will not only be spread to the students and their families but also to the community through educational opportunities including public service announcements, City Spot Light broadcasts, and articles in the Cottage Grove Reports outlining implementation and progress of the project to broad audi- ences within the community. These efforts align with the City goals and objectives of focusing on environmental and sustainable efforts by committing to the minimal annual expenses for the pro- ject during its initial five years.