2022-01-11 Green Acton Minutes
Participants: Jim Snyder-Grant, Susan Jick, Debra Simes, Mike Boss, Kim Kastens, Danny Factor, Matt Liebman, Carolyn Platt, Caroline Tripp, Debby Andell, David Kleinschmidt, Norm Strahle, Pam Minichiello, Karen Herther, TF
AGENDA
• Welcome + housekeeping tasks: Sue Jick, facilitator, Debra SImes, timekeeper, Jim Snyder-Grant, minutes-taker
• Check-in: what are you hoping for in the year ahead?
• Committee Reports: https://groups.google.com/g/green-acton-announcements/c/PZnmTcAoXss
Plastics subcommittee has been visiting stores to learn about what they are using for polystyrene and alternatives. Good results so far — many stores already are using alternatives to polystyrene, or just need specific info for the stuff they are still using
Energy: Acton Power Choice has been a focus, esp. promo to get folks to upgrade to Acton Power Choice Green
• Questions/responses/open mic/comments/queries
Q: Do you plastics folks have an ally on the Board of Health? A: Sheryl Ball has been great, though she’s the Health Department Director, and not a BoH member.
Q: What do you need to provide to them? A: Research on plastic leaching & health impacts.
Q: How can you deal with folks with special needs? A: If anyone says they need something, stores will provide. No proof or information required or expected.
Q: APC: Green and social justice? A: Town is working on an arrangement by which subsidized-rate customers will get monthly credits for the life of a particularly large 20-year solar project (which would reduce monthly bills by a significant amount).
• Discussion (and approval?): Land Use Committee feedback on Acton’s next/developing Open Space & Recreation Plan
Some of the proposed goals are already in the OSRP. How to deal with them? Could acknowledge that they are in there, with a note that the implementation could be beefed up. Process: how to get this document done soon enough? Will review overall goals at this meeting together; Land Use will then redraft. Perhaps we will then have a special directors meeting to find agreement on a revised document. Agreed that a better document would be supported by a more careful review of the existing plan.
Some discussion about the “reduce building” goal
New stuff includes biodiversity loss as an emergency, equitable access to recreation and open space from all residents, and reducing the use of toxins. In all these areas GA could provide some important info and leadership in the plan.
• GA social media policy review
Reviewed recent posts since our social media policy went into effect, and reviewed how to add potential new items. https://docs.google.com/document/d/164-gtfg7eU0B2X6T20yRHEmdcjvSYGEd-c4k6rXZi_
Here’s a document for adding suggested social media content: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OmLV6CcO8rvelxPmSch4v12H7JhDE6kROONnYQavusI/edit
The group was appreciative of efforts so far, and comfortable with execution of the policy. Debra, the sole member of the Social Media committee so far, would appreciate others joining the committee.
• Event/action announcements
Rent Control hearings at the State House.
The Acton Committee on Housing and Climate has ongoing general and subcommittee meetings. You can contact climateandhousingacton@gmail.com or Danny to learn more or get on the list.
• Can we pursue an idea of creating a system to allow people to make donations in memoriam that would plant trees locally?
• TRANSITION (checkout for those leaving): (Feedback: make sure there is background info presented to provide a context for each item. For folks not as deeply involved, it can be confusing.)
[ADMINISTRATIVE/INTERNAL SECTION OF MEETING]
• Treasurer’s quarterly report
We got donations and we didn’t spend much in 2021. Overall, our assets went up by around 10% in calendar 2021 to around $11,000. All details available: write to treasurer@greenacton.org to learn more.
Fundraising report: a couple of thousand came in since the last fundraising letter went out. Noted that we needed to have a discussion about contribution limits: admin is developing some discussion points. Debra notes that Admin will bring a discussion of how we might actually to spend some of our funds to achieve GA goals.
• Review of draft Admin & Plastics committee charters (more next month)
Plastics:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p2RpmwXBMDyovOg5FQ7cyXNuZj94rY7E/edit
Feedback on the charter:
- Maybe change the task list to a “strategies” list that follows on goals, and lose some of the items that are specifically tasks
- Maybe include Town Government and staff, in addition to Town Meeting
- Maybe more adjectives/adverbs, such as bold or strong or substantive, etc.
- Maybe have a strategy section to hold some stuff that used to be in the task list
- Jim will communicate this to the plastics committee, with a note that Debra is happy to help redraft
Admin: no substantive comments, but it was agreed that it should have been sent out beforehand. (Admin offers a mea culpa.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gxOH9RE0ZqcFoxQstuQKfDmz1LAK6MVoPQzRW287ceY/edit
Approved.
• Reminder to committees: develop 2022 goals (presentation starting in Feb.)
• checkout: Great to have new folks and other non-directors. Appreciating the structure of the agenda with topical stuff first, and process stuff at the end. Great to see each other.