Communications and Outreach

Meeting Minutes

August 19^th

Room 250 GSC

5:45-7:30pm

In attendance: Sarah Caspar, Gene Wilson, Gerry Bricks, Robert Bryer, Linda Hurlock, Joy Fritschle, Victoria Webb

Speakers: Dr. Joan Welch, Dr. Kurt Kolasinski of West Chester University.

Dr. Welch has been an advisor to the student environmental group, EARTH, Co-Chair of the WCU Environmental Council and has degrees in Environmental Science and Geography.

Dr. Kolasinski is WCU’s Sustainability Coordinator and is Professor of Physical Chemistry.

Joan offered to have the Environmental Council sponsor an evening public meeting/Town Hall with panel during late fall, early winter. Suggests the commissioners could be present. Either held at the Sykes Student Union or the Main Hall, depending on turnout we expect. Parking lots don’t ticket for the evenings—there are garages that are co-managed by the borough & WCU. Also Sharples St may be an option.

Dr. Welch suggested giving away free native trees or shrubs as enticements to the public meeting. Red Bud or Yellow Springs are two local nurseries who might partner with us. Pat H. suggested offering wildflower seed as well.

Swopes Music Center is a LEED building on the WCU campus and is slated to be completely geothermal. There are 37 well fields being built at 25 University Avenue. More info on the Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement and geothermal project can be found at the 2008 WCU Green Report here: http://www.wcupa.edu/_information/afa/Facilities/Documents/OfficeDocs/GreenReport2008.htm

Director of the project; Bruce Wilson. The project will eliminate 350 tons CO2 annually. 1

There is an effort to create a ‘Green Ride’ or Rideshare for the student body. The Philly car-share model is one that’s being considered; a car can be rented on the same day for a few hours. This could eliminate some vehicles on campus.

There is a small organic garden at 823 High Street but has had an issue with groundhogs. Paul Morgan is working with the gardens and has experience with CSA’s. (Victoria has contacted him for information and he suggested contacting Aramark as they may be interested in future efforts on campus—she will follow up). John Turgeon, working with the Parks & Borough, is interested in establishing more inner city community gardens in WC. However, there is a paradigm ‘discussion’ with the current board of trustees over good ‘turf/annual flowers’ versus community food production and sustainable, water conserving landscape.

Joan’s suggestion for the RB Gordon Natural Area, is to protect all forest cover and increase canopy cover, protecting it into perpetuity. She advocated that this be a recommendation made to the commissioners through our final report (Ag committee). The Tigue Road is in danger of being widened, so there needs to be outreach for educational efforts and public awareness on the necessity of riparian buffers and Plum Run stream protection. Joan’s group has been reforesting the buffers.

Robert Lonsdorf of the Brandywine Conservancy also suggested a permanent conservation easement for the RB Gordon area. His group conducted a prior environmental impact statement. He echoed putting into place a tree-planting campaign, including minimizing mowed open lawn areas. Joan’s students are working on measuring trees and canopies for carbon sequestration data, with a database being developed for WCU grounds maintenance. It will be rolled out next year. They are using software programs like ITrees or Citygreen.

A public educational campaign about trees and tree planting was suggested as being highly beneficial. Many newly planted trees in the WC borough are vandalized.

Waste Issue – the Borough now has an all plastic recycler. Earthgroup, a student group, wants to conduct housing outreach to educate the public about plastic recycling.

Kitchen waste recycling was brought up as one idea for the university to consider and make into compost for gardens. Joan wasn’t sure if Aramark Food Services could undertake this. There is an upcoming call for proposals to the Board of Trustees on food recycling, which could be impacted by the Task Force’s recommendations. The Ag committee is thought to be the venue to make this recommendation.

Aramark has local contracts with farmers, initiated by PASA, introducing all institutions and forging relationships.

WCU has executed a contract with ESCO to initiate $19million in energy conservation measures based on a survey conducted in 2005. 2

The campus switched to CFL’s two years ago, along with motion sensors.

We discussed using interns from WCU as a way to collect data for either the Carbon Inventory or the Energy Committees. Sarah suggested investigating how the DVRPC will proceed before we embark. However, there were also suggestions to begin an independent carbon inventory research project via the interns. Gerry Bricks may be able to help with this.

Sarah also suggested that Barbara McIlvaine Smith can be contacted, who may be able to help with grants for solar energy or panels.

As Sustainability Coordinator for WCU, Kurt Kolasinski is working on a web-based resource for the faculty and community, and helping to promote educational opportunities and research on campus.

The idea of ‘thinking in systems’ and integrating this into a sustainability curriculum is crucial for a paradigm shift away from needless consumption. Kurt mentioned walking into the Gov’t Services Center and not immediately seeing a ‘Stairway’ sign. One sees the elevator sign in plain view first. Smart planning and building would offer the reverse. Thinking in a ‘sustainable’ way in our everyday life is an educational issue for everyone.

Kurt offered his elegantly designed graph, Human Development Index and Energy Consumption, from his paper ‘Frontiers of Surface Science’. The Human development Index is a quality of life indicator that includes statistics based on life expectancy, literacy, etc. The graph shows various countries’ points on the curve. The USA is, of course, at the extreme end of the curve, using more than its share of resources and energy. The main point of his paper is this prediction:

Roughly 1 billion people had a standard of living at or above the standard of living of Poland based on HDI in 2004 and the world consumed the equivalent of roughly 84 million barrels of oil per day (Mbbl per day) to accomplish this standard of living.

Roughly 5 billion people lived below this level of HDI. In order to raise these 5 billion people to the standard of living of Poland it would require the equivalent of 148 Mbbl per day, a 76% increase in the world energy consumption. Without significant new sources of energy (or more properly stated new sources of power), world development will cease and conflict will increase.

Events- discuss promotional materials needed & assign table leaders or managers for events, especially Exton Mall since it goes for 2 days.

Exton Mall Environmental Expo 10/17 & 18^th. Victoria has estimates from a local printer on poster, flyers, tri-fold brochures. Steve F’s assistant, Chris G. has asked that we have printer bill her office directly. VW is working on design for brochures, poster, flyers.

Sept 6 Kennett Square Mushroom Festival-- Sarah will hand out GHGR Task Force flyers, info. Linda H. offered to create a ‘family pledge’ flyer w/information for environmentally sound measures that the average person and family can make. Linda has also offered other relevant flyers that we could copy and hand out.

• Sept 20 - Willistown Environmental Festival --this came from Sarah, it looks like a great venue.
• Oct 17-19 - Exton Mall Environment Expo – We need volunteers to split shifts for these days. We’ll be tabling with displays of Chester County agricultural products, (VWebb will coordinate w/BFBL or WC Growers Mkt) Linda H. suggests a solar fan from a vendor friend, CFL’s and other products as ‘samples’ with lists of where to buy. Sarah suggests we link up tables with 4CP, Audobon, Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra Club to form a ‘bank’ of environmental groups active in the county.
• Nov 17 – GIS Day - municipalities will be present, good outreach opp, could have a night time satellite map to show energy clusters for display:  Pierce Eichelberger is County organizer. Should discuss at our next meeting
• Follow-up from old minutes that haven’t yet been finalized. If you volunteered for these projects, please complete and email Tom & Victoria asap.

Can we put together a list of pertinent readings? This could be a handout and be sent to school librarians. Pat H. will try this on a couple of librarians. This can serve as a list for our handout materials for upcoming events like the Exton Mall Expo. We need to have these printed!

Victoria will blast the email/video to places of worship, once Catharine S. sends email contacts.

In need of contact lists for: 4H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts. Who is going to gather the contacts? We need to get our message out for the Mall Expo by October 1^st.

Meeting adjourned 7:30pm.

Next meeting: Sept 2, Room 171, Gov’t Services Center. 5:45pm.

1. According to the PA State System of Higher Education Green Report 2006-07

2. The planned energy conservation measure includes:

i. · Lighting improvements

ii. · Water consumption reduction

iii. · Motor efficiency

iv. · Improved building HVAC operations, efficiency, and occupant comfort

v. · Replacement of obsolete building control systems

vi. · Installation of a campus Energy Management System