November 12, 2008

Pioneer Valley Sustainability Network Meeting #8 11/12/08 Notes

Project Staff:
Erin Baker-Industrial Engineering, Ben Ewing-Industrial Engineering UMASS, Catherine Miller-Sustainability Planner PVPC, Tony Dover-Sustainability Planner PVPC

Members Present:
Paul Lipke-Sustainable Step New England (SSNE), Eric Weiss-Hilltown Resource Management Cooperative (HRMC), Larry Ely-Pioneer Valley Relocalization Network, Jeff Brown-Ridebuzz, Sue Bridge-Conway, Pam Howland, Bill Bickley-Sustainability Coordinator Westfield State College, Suzanne Bowles-Remineralize the Earth, Karen Ribeiro-Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Michael Konig-Westfield State College, Patrick Dufour, Nancy Hazard- Greening Greenfield Co-Chair, Chris Mason- Energy Officer Northampton, David Eggleton, Andrew Glace- Constellation Energy, Lynn Benander- Coop Power, Darren Jones-Coop Power, Marijoan  Bull-Westfield State College, Tom Benjamin, VHB

Each member present shared a brief overview of their organization and recent work on sustainability.

Highlights:

  • 11/22/08 Green Jobs conference/event in Springfield: http://www.umass.edu/green/
  • 11/23/08 Green Rainbow Party Conference in Leominster 9am-5pm; Call Larry Ely for more info or tabling opportunities 413-256-6044.
  • Greenfield completed baseline GHG inventory on 29 municipal buildings using ICLEI software.
  •  If you have an event, article, announcement, etc. that you want published in the newsletter send it to Tony Dover adover@pvpc.org or call 413-781-6045. Members will receive a reminder notice about the newsletter submission deadline. Next newsletter will be out early January.

Reminder: New Members see www.pvsustain.com for background information. If you have not yet submitted your information to the web developer, please email Katy@positronicdesign.com for a member input form.

EPA Grant Effort Updates:


Green Building Decision Support tool DATA- Ben Ewing

Ben presented the green building model of the decision tools. The member questions/suggestions:

  • Consider aggregating numbers for town/city/community or region to compare.
  • Add primer/introduction for users to gain background. Consider audience.
  • Can we look at how choices impact economy?  Lots of interest in community scale impacts.
  • Need to add implementation page or action steps after user calculates sustainability. The “what next” question should be answered with some detail.
  • Ask/Add geographic data about user. Zip code.
  • Next model suggestion to calculate – Transportation
  • Link to other websites that address city scale – so don’t have to reinvent wheel.

ACTION REQUEST-

If anyone has ideas for data sources, local programs for renewables installation or support, or anything else they’d like to see included in the model, please email Ben Ewing at ben.r.ewing@gmail.com.

Indicators of Sustainability in the Pioneer Valley- Erin Baker

Erin presented update on indicators. She wants the members to go to pvsustain website and look at indicators/rationales/examples; then take a survey voting for your most favored indicators.

  • Looking to have 18 total indicators.
  • The final list of indicators was complied and posted on www.pvsustain.com.
  • An online survey (survey monkey) for both members and the general public was drafted to tally votes on preferred indicators.

The member questions/suggestions:

  • Use layman vocabulary for legibility for all users. (Ei.- metrics= measure)
  • Create competition-with prizes- between communities/organizations/companies/etc to potentially get more (and diverse) survey responses.
  • Give examples of measurements or scenarios for better understanding of Indicator.
  • Change title- too long


Network Business- Direction of Network:

Eric Weiss: The network needs direction, and event, or something to focus energy and talent. We are an informational network, a clearinghouse; we need to position the network to move into grants, money, funds for future sustainability. We need to produce something. How can we do this?

  • Member comments/suggestions highlights:
  • Karen Ribeiro- host a “sustainability week” get colleges involved.
  • Larry Ely- We need to identify with lots of organizations not just colleges; get more organizations involved for better representation of sustainability.
  • Suzanne Bowles- Celebrate our region in a way that represents/reaches out to ALL of its members in every class…. don’t just focus on colleges.
  • Paul Lipke (PL)- religious institutions need to be involved.
  • Catherine Miller – We could host an all day professional event and a day for general public.
  • Chris Mason asks “what is the vision/mission of the network, informational…networking?”
  • PL- Both. Informational AND networking.
  • Lynn Benander (LB) – “We’ve jumped into the solution without knowing what the problem is. Members are so busy; this is a networking, rejuvenation space for me”. We need a brand.
  • Catherine M- there over 100 members in the network. Host an annual network 1 day retreat, rejuvenate and share with like minded individuals.
  • PL- Need a working group for funding.
  • Patrick Dufour- Need a business model plan.
  • LB- recruit 30 organizations to put in $1000 a year.
  • Eric Weiss Summarizes:
  1. The steering committee needs to meet in the next couple weeks and finish some of the things all ready started-    mission statement, vision, business plan, etc.
  2. Clarify Identity of Network
  3. Research committees that were started and the members on each (website, steering, membership) and get them to start meeting. This will get folks involved more too and may be a catalyst to get others involved.
  4. Consider forming funding committee.
  5. Some of these items will be on the agenda of our next network meeting in January.

NEXT Meeting—January 14, 2009 TBD (either Northampton -new LEED certified Senior Center or Hadley).

September 10, 2008

Pioneer Valley Sustainability Network September 10 2008 Meeting #7 Notes

Project Staff: Rick Taupier-Research Office of the Vice Provost UMASS, Erin Baker-Industrial Engineering, Ben Ewing-Industrial Engineering UMASS, Catherine Miller-Sustainability Planner PVPC, Tony Dover-Sustainability Planner PVPC

Members Present: Paul Lipke-Sustainable Step New England (SSNE), Kirsten Bonanza-Gasoline Alley and Pioneer Valley Local First, Eric Weiss-Hilltown Resource Management Cooperative (HRMC), Jono Neiger-Permaculture Guild and Conway School of Landscape Design, Larry Ely-Pioneer Valley Relocalization Network, Jeff Brown-Ridebuzz, Joanne Sunshower– Sustainable Investment summit and Town of Shutesbury and Sustainable Ag Initiative and NESFI and Five Rivers Council, Rus Peotter-WGBY and CISA, Jessica Collins-Livewell Springfield, Keith Shields-Builder, Sue Bridge, Larry Martin-Hampden Co Regional Employment Board, Pam Howland, Bill Bickley-Sustainability Coordinator Westfield State College, Loren Walker-Clean Energy Connections conf organizer UMASS, Caitlin Gould-Umass Public Policy student, Suzanne Bowles-Arise for Social Justice Springfield, Karen Ribeiro-Bank of Western MA, Tony Taylor-Gasoline Alley, Tom Rossmassler-HAP Inc, Michael Konig-Westfield State College, Patrick Dufour, Joe Sibilia-Gasoline Alley, Patricia Marx-Groundwork Springfield

Each member present shared a brief overview of their organization and recent work on sustainability.

Highlights:

è11/22/08 Green Jobs conference/event in Springfield: http://www.umass.edu/green/

èCSR wire—great resource for corporate sustainability news www.csrwire.com

èsignificant residential construction happening in the Valley—of energy efficient and some zero energy homes!

ènew resource in the Valley—Groundwork Springfield—part of the national Groundwork program—whose mission is to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement and management of the physical environment by developing community-based partnerships which empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.

èWe should all remember to rideshare to change the world—using RideBuzz—

  • new faces—clearly being in Springfield made a difference for participation from near by individuals and organizations, but in addition, we had some new folks from all over:
    1. Gasoline Alley and CSR wire—Kirsten Bonanza has been adoing a great job of representing these two organizations, but since we were at their offices, we were joined by Tony Taylor and Joe Sibilia—welcome!
    2. Larry Martin of the Hampden county regional employment board attended
    3. Patricia Marx from the new Groundwork Springfield organization
    4. Suzanne Bowles from Arise for Social Justice Springfield
    5. Jessica Collins from Live well Springfield and Baystate Health Systems
    6. Sue Bridge—new the Valley from the east—now lives in an energy efficient home in Conway—a communications specialist who is eager to help us with outreach and communication, after the election
    7. Bill Bickley and Michael Konig-both from Westfield State College joined us, and agreed to host our next meeting on 11/12

—see pvsustain website for background information. If you have not yet submitted your information to the web developer, please email Katy@positronicdesign.com for a member input form

Value-Added Strategic Questioning with Paul Lipke

Paul Lipke ran an extremely useful hands-on training session on how Network Members can use “Strategic Questioning” http://www.ssne.org/Downloads/SSNEStrategicQuestioning.pdf to enhance their work.

Art of Sustainability

Is almost complete and will be officially unveiled at the Clean Energy Connections conference on Saturday, Nov 22nd in Springfield http://www.umass.edu/green/invites/CEC_announce-green-growth_081023.htm

The conference is at the MassMutual conference center—stop in to see the work of art, “A Table set for Forever”

EPA Grant Effort Updates

decision support tools—no progress

indicators—final list of indicators was reviewed. The list is longer than we anticipated. Members volunteered to write rationales for each indicator which will be posted on www.pvsustain.com and in November we will have a survey monkey survey for both members and the general public to vote on their favorite indicators. Members urged looking at FTSE4Good (http://www.ftse.com/Indices/FTSE4Good_Index_Series/index.jsp) local ownership, and VT’s sustainable footprint model.

NEXT MeetingNovember 12, 2008 Westfield State College in Westfield

8-8:30 am—informal networking with food and drink.

8:30-9-formal networking

9-9:30 Green Building Decision Support tool DATA

9:30-10 Finalize the Indicators of Sustainability in the Pioneer Valley—how to collect data

10-10:45 Planning the 2009 Pioneer Valley Sustainability EVENT

10:45-11 Wrap-up and leave