City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Sustainable Practices, 23 Jun 2022

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From YouTube: 6.23.2022 Sustainable Practices Blue Ribbon Committee

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6.23.2022 Sustainable Practices Blue Ribbon Committee

A

I do um page three of the minutes um we uh about halfway down the page. We will organize the report.

A

Next meeting june 23rd and asked to present at june 11th, which I imagine should be july,.

A

11Th and that's the correction that I'm aware of.

B

Good catch so peter who, who would be taking? Who would make that correction? You want to.

C

Make sure I can make that correction? Okay, if you can make the correction that's june to july.

D

Is that the july 11th city council meeting, oh okay, it says or later for more time.

A

Page three page three: they had june 11th in there great okay. Thank you.

E

Motion to accept the minute corrected amended. Second, I'm so so moved all right. First up we.

E

Have the middle school recommendation letter so you guys back there we just kind of wanted.

E

To bring you guys in to kind of hear about the project you were doing, we all got to read. We.

E

Guys um they got sent to city council and they got sent to us, which was super cool. I mean personally.

E

From the high school I did read them, so we kind of just wanted to invite you guys in and.

E

um Because we did really appreciate them and hear more about like what you guys were doing.

E

So we were asked to.

E

Create some kind of sustainable solution for enforcement to help.

F

It was tied to our.

F

F

Or uses electricity.

F

So I'm their eighth grade, science teacher- um and this was a I think, the third year- that I've.

F

Asked students to do this, so we spend a lot of time learning about climate change and.

F

Obviously, one of the biggest impactors on our climate is our our production of.

F

Our energy system and a pretty antiquated energy grid at this point.

F

In the infrastructure model, we know that it needs to change, but.

F

They were, they were asked not only to present, and I think you all read this their understanding of.

F

Human induced climate change- that was, that was the learning target, um but to act like a civic.

F

Electrical engineer, I guess I would say so they wrote I. I found an energy proposal online and.

F

Tried to tailor it to be specific to our locality, so I wanted them to understand that that it needs.

F

To start as a as a smaller solution before, we can think, that's, naturally, what needs to change so.

F

You know, I know that both of them are being quiet and modest, but uh but you know I could.

F

Have I could afford 25 different proposals that I thought were realistic and and were impactful.

F

um But I tried to narrow the scope and uh and both of them, I think each of you worked with.

F

A different partner on it, I didn't know you did no, you worked alone, but they could choose.

F

One other partner, and that was really difficult too, because you had to agree on it. You had to.

F

Divide up the parts you had to delegate you had to be flexible. If you know your partner.

F

Didn't agree exactly what your solution was, and you know I I think it's frustrating because.

F

In the third year doing this every year, students say: why are we doing this? The city's, not gonna.

F

Do anything like, and I tell them what do I say at the beginning of the year? My goal is for science.

E

And to study real things- um and this was a real opportunity. But but it's frustrating because I.

F

I think students believe that their ideas aren't going to go anywhere and I hate to be the realist.

F

But I walk around downtown portsmouth and I don't see the level of impact that I know this committee.

F

And it sounds like the city wants to make. Like you see all of these new, I think it's amazing to put.

F

On all these new housing developments, you know mandatory solar arrays, and yet you still don't.

F

See any of that, so I can understand their frustration as a citizen as a science teacher.

F

I feel the same frustration that would just seem to be very slow moving, one of the things that they.

F

All said to do is research what other cities or other countries are doing to invest in renewables.

F

And you read about amsterdam and you read about places in scotland and germany that are further.

F

North than ports of new hampshire that are making bigger investments than we are so I understand.

F

Their frustration and their belief that what mr rose, this really isn't going to do anything so.

F

So that was kind of the impetus of I think this is the second round that I've sent to the city.

F

Response, but I was very happy to see that it was on the agenda last month and made.

F

Its way to the blue ribbon committee as well powerful encouragement of what can be seen.

B

Yeah absolutely so I hear it, it sometimes can be a very slow-moving thing.

B

um But I live right around the corner from the virgin street. um It was completely torn up for.

B

Reasons I couldn't immediately have something for only about a week, but it was completely.

B

Dug up- and I noticed just because I'm noticing I'm speaking of all this there's a lot of they can do.

B

Typically, being laid five or six feet underground, of course, three, three days later, it wasn't visible.

B

Anymore, so ask josh about that, because josh has been very involved in the uh electrical.

B

uh Electrification of the city, rather than still senator josh, do you mind uh telling me sure so for.

D

Years I had been pushing as a counselor to get dc fast chargers downtown, so it.

D

Takes about 30 minutes to charge a vehicle got it in the cabin food plan.

D

It fell out of the cap improvement plan when I, after I lost the prior election and.

D

One spot which the city manager priority manager wanted to put them was the bridge street lot.

D

And with what's the most recent capital improvement plan said hey, I want to see.

D

Dc fast charges went back and forth and what we settled on as a council was spending.

D

uh 750 000 over the next five years, installing a hundred fifty thousand dollars worth of electric.

D

Vehicle charging stations on public property and that's just the first step now, I'm not.

D

Expecting those to be dc fast chargers, they do make more sense at the library or other places.

D

But that was laying the wiring at the lock, so it makes the most sense when you dig.

D

Up a parking lot to then lay the wiring going forward, and so that's just part of the solution.

D

Which is public funding? The other part is changing our local ordinances to allow.

D

Private businesses and residences to have such things like dc, fast chargers and whatever else.

D

And I have to give you guys mad props. As I said when I was in eighth grade, I was just.

D

Looking at comic books, I wasn't even reading them, and here I am now with counselor cook,.

D

We um propose an amendment to the zoning ordinance based on what we're allowed to do. Unfortunately,.

D

State of new hampshire only can do what the state specific says. We're allowed to do, and one thing is.

D

Is encourage things like election vehicle charging stations, so we propose an ordinance which is now.

D

The planning board, which will hopefully allow electric vehicle charging stations to flourish.

D

Throughout portsmouth- and I guess one more thing: I'd want to touch upon you mentioned putting.

D

Solar panels on all new developments, unfortunately, due to state law, we're not allowed to mandate.

D

Things that go beyond the current zoning code, so some states which are more progressive, like.

D

California have adopted the most current house 2021 uh model code, where they're mandating that.

D

You know houses, actually, new houses are oriented towards the sun and that all roofs.

D

They're not required to have solar, but they're required to have solar hookups ready to go.

D

We're years behind that and the state doesn't allow us to surpass that.

D

But we could still do everything we can and ideas like yours are going to go a long way. So thank you.

A

I want to congratulate you, girls and chris for the work that you've done and I think that the.

A

Thing that struck me most is that we need young people like you to pick up where.

A

Our aged people have determined that the return on investment for putting solar on our houses right.

A

Now us older people will not be there, I mean it would be a cost that we would never recoup.

A

If we put solar on our houses, but um I was particularly impressed by your presentations here.

A

To the city council, I read them all and I couldn't pick one better than the other, but one thing I.

A

Know is that you have to have patience. I've worked in sustainability on this committee or others for.

A

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years now- and I know it takes time and I've made I've made.

A

Some headway with some of my ideas that I have used in my own home and recommended to the city.

A

On the hodgdon brook area of portsmouth, I don't know if you know where that is.

A

In portsmouth, but it's a brook that comes out of peas and runs into the north mill pond, eventually.

A

Under bartlett street- and I was on a committee that worked for the betterment of that brook.

A

Because it drains about 25 percent of the city's uh runoff water from rain and etc. So, like I said,.

A

The one thing I want to impart on you is patience, patience, patience, it's kind of like playing golf.

A

You can you can be good one day and lousy the next, but.

A

That's what will bring you home is patience. That's all I got to say about that.

C

A quick question since you're here.

C

You had the assignment, and you talked to kids in class- did either of you talk to anybody else about.

C

The project that you're researching outside of class- um I talked so my mom- is actually she just.

E

Got a new job at the assistant director, but she currently is the director at stratham library.

E

uh Library, director and her police station has solar panels, so I asked her. I wasn't able to.

E

Actually get a meeting with the police chief, but I asked her to get some information about.

E

The solar panels that they had about expenses and how often they have to replace it, how much.

E

How much it breaks? I wasn't able to get a lot of the information because, surprisingly, they didn't.

E

Know much about it themselves, but I did get a whole like 14 pages of just contracts, that they.

E

Had to sign about it and the different prices, so I read through all that information about it. Yeah.

E

Yeah my mom currently works for the people who own river house.

E

And the other restaurants- and I have personally mentioned putting solar panels on the river house.

E

She hasn't done it, yet you want their phone number.

F

The owner of revision energy has come in uh a couple times.

F

You know we're under some challenges in schools the last couple years, but it's definitely.

F

Something I hope to be able to do more of is bring some experts into to speak to students.

F

Specifically about some of their ideas in the future. Well, uh I'm so happy that you're here.

C

That you shared that and I used to teach a course on systems thinking at the university and one of.

C

The things that happens in any system there's unexpected consequences, and so there's usually.

C

Some not so good, unexpected consequences. I want to tell you about a good, unexpected consequence.

C

Of your being here on tuesday of this week, I and a couple colleagues present a zoom course to.

C

The ministry of education in israel, we have a hundred teachers of english who signed up because.

C

They want to know about sustainability, content and drawdown. I am now thinking I'm always looking.

C

How to make connections and chris I don't know if something comes up, but sometimes we get pen pals.

C

This could be sustainability, pals, and you could find out what they're doing in israel.

C

Which is really using a lot of high technology and they could find out what we're doing here so that.

C

Might be an unexpected consequence of your taking the time to come here tonight and I thank you.

G

um I also wanted to highlight um that when your proposals came to the council, the council was.

G

So excited about seeing these proposals um from students, because the council passed a goal that.

G

Was one of our strategic goals is to address, um have a climate action plan and start to address.

G

Sustainability measures and- and you presented them the council- then they came to this committee and.

G

This committee is the committee: that's tasked with working on a climate action plan so now they're.

G

Thinking very actively about sustainability measures around solar, in particular. In fact,.

G

Right after we saw your proposals, I received questions from a few people who are interested in.

G

Solar, in particular in zone rules and zoning changing zoning around solar. So sometimes you.

G

Spark a conversation when you, when you submit something like that, and it makes people start to.

G

Think and what will happen then in the course of around I think, the next nine months or so because.

G

um The council did fund the climate action plan process is that this committee will start talking.

G

About that, with an outside consultant and end up with a plan for the city, that might say, hey the.

G

City has to put solar, you know on every roof, it's a city building. You never know you never.

G

Know what's going to come out of that, but it's going to force the city to start thinking about.

G

Those sustainability measures and the fact that so all the proposals that came in were about solar.

G

Panels, that's that's going to make us think about that very seriously.

G

So I think that was really valuable for me to see. I think the joy of working with uh with.

F

These phenomenal young students is, they don't think about why things can't work.

F

You know they think about why it can work, and you know I'm I'm an adult and you get jaded by.

F

You know waiting 60 years for for change. The reality is we don't have to plank.

F

We're way past taking this can down the road anymore like we're out of time, we're out of.

F

Patience- and uh you know that that's what's so exciting about just hearing their ideas and I know.

F

You can't just flip a switch, and now we look and there's solar panels everywhere and there's tidal.

F

Turbines in the piscataqua like I understand that, but uh um but it's just refreshing for them to to.

F

Just think about what what is possible, not the bureaucratics and the decision-making in the.

F

20-Year process to get anything done, so that's why I'm so encouraged to for the future is because the.

F

Ideas that these students continually pump out year after year is just it's really fun to be a.

F

Part of and, of course, one of the objectives we have on climate action playing something.

B

Interesting for tonight is outreach to the community. The students in this town are very much.

B

A part of the community with energy- you live here, it's your future, so we'd love to keep you involved.

B

However, we need to do that. Well, I can tell darla like just I know what the ego club accomplishes.

F

You know, which is a group of 25 students. Actually we have a hundred and something kids in the club.

E

But how many are actively improving actively showing up you know thirty, but yeah like I.

F

Know, mr blinchey and what the eco club is able to accomplish, like you know, they're the reason there.

F

Is a small solar array on the high school like they? They push for change at a small level that.

F

Why can't it be amped up, you know and shown what's capable when you have committed.

F

Young people just to add to that for five years I pushed banning plastic shopping bags in portsmouth.

D

The only way I made progress on that my last term on the council was by enlisting the eco club. I.

D

Reached out and said: listen even with this council, I don't have the votes to do this and I just.

D

Instead, we banned styrofoam cups and containers, but the mayor former mayor jack, blaylock great guy.

D

He was always proud of participating in the first earth day. He was understandably getting frustrated.

D

With me constantly pushing the idea of banning plastic shopping bags, but even the day of the.

D

Public hearing he was frustrated prior, but once all the eco club students went and spoke, he said.

D

Hey you are the future and it's time to follow. So please just stay interested stay active because.

D

Adults will listen to you they're not going to listen to people like me, they've made.

D

Their opinions on me but they'll listen to the youth. So I'm going to echo that.

H

Because that's what I was thinking just thank you thank you for coming. I'm sure this is.

B

F

For making a point to invite us, it was very nice to receive her email you're here.

I

Real quick thought like I, I understand it is frustrating when you have these ideas and you.

I

Say well why? Why can't we do this? Why can't we do that and then have everyone around you.

I

Just say: well, there's a million reasons why we can't do this, and I I hate that drives me. Nuts.

I

These proposals, I feel like, should be a challenge to everyone on this committee to.

I

Instead of saying why we can't how what can we do to make every single one of these happen,.

I

That should be our goal as as a committee, and to push the council to do something and for things.

I

Like you know, solar panels on top of buildings should be like changing ordinances and and zoning.

I

um I know me, and you have talked about floato voltaics already. I don't know where we are on.

I

That, but we could talk more about that just but like just constantly be finding things that we can.

I

Do to make this stuff happen, because that's what that's what you want and that's what we need so.

I

Yeah, well, it's it's all the parts yeah, but you know what I mean. We're feeling.

F

These changes in our in our lifetime- it's not 50 years in the future, like.

F

Right, but I'm saying in the sense of um you should always feel empowered to use your voices because.

J

The age or the experience doesn't change the volume of what you have to say.

J

And the importance that you put on things that you care about, you know you're going to live in this.

J

As well so you know school has I mean I find it very humbling when you know I at.

J

Work and every day I'm trying to do things and I can't push them through and then.

J

Half the time, like you know ross said a group of high school students do better than I do.

K

You know, but it's that's what we need to see and it's impressive. So thank you.

J

Good working keep going all right and you asked to comment or anything.

E

All right: um next, we have the climate action plan, update.

L

That means anything um okay, so I'm I'm a bit new here. You might not always know me, but um kate, omay.

L

I am starting to work with peter brits as sort of an associate environmental planner in the playing.

L

Department upstairs so, hopefully we can get some of these awesome projects through. It sounds great.

L

And so I just was kind of thrown into the climate action plan in the last two weeks.

L

And it's looking like, we got a great subcommittee, that's doing amazing work so far, and so we're.

L

Really peter- and I are really learning a lot from these guys and they've, given us some.

L

Awesome information still are we're working hard to create an rfp, hopefully that we can.

L

At least get drafted and ready to be published by end of july, hopefully mid july. So.

L

And then, after that, we're thinking of hopefully getting a draft going and working through that.

L

Draft with the subcommittee again and maybe getting some public input before we publish that.

L

But continuing to work with the subcommittee, I think, is our goal for right now. um That's all.

L

I have from peter's end at least that he told me to relay to everybody, but I don't know it's.

L

On vacation, no, so peter actually has another meeting tonight, so we're trying to split tasks.

L

A little bit in the next few weeks- hopefully we can do that more in the future, but yeah peter.

K

Had mentioned an rfq in addition to an rfp, is that going to happen? Are we just going straight to our.

K

So I'm still learning my acronyms: what's an rfq qualification, okay, I'm not sure I'll have.

L

To ask him about that, but we had decided that it wasn't good with where we're at in the timeline. So.

B

There's three things that were brought up last meeting would be coming behind us.

H

B

Part of this activity has been going on and reading a bunch of climate action plans.

B

um And from that we already picked uh six or eight or ten projections we've actually.

B

Spoken with several of the students, so we talked to concord mass in boston and south.

B

If I get them right, milwaukee, oregon and albany california, do they do it right now, if you've.

B

Actually spoken to the folks who developed those gaps and one of the things I think you found was.

B

There's so much good work, that's already been done in existing climate action plans. We look for.

B

Cities we have stuff in common good fortune, it's until again we're going to do our best to reuse.

B

Existing reports, so the main fact when I talked to portland's helpful they've, been at this for.

B

Two and a half years and they do the whole request for walls just uh for information.

B

They did an enormous amount of community involvement as to what exactly should be.

B

Independent and their advice to us in where we are two plus years later,.

B

They actually did what we did, but they said there was a lot less available.

B

Than two years ago than there is now so the advice was.

B

Take advantage of what's out there, there's just been so much so much so.

L

It's an exciting subcommittee to be in so I'm excited, there's a lot of other things that.

J

I've been thrown into it was like a seven page draft of an rfp, and I was like this poor girl.

L

This is the most fun group. I've been a part of so far, so I'm having a great time but excited.

L

To be here and excited to get going on this, so that's great! We do have a couple of other. We have.

B

Several streams that come out of the community today we're going to continue parallel to the.

B

Rfi and the whole community engagement thing, we talked about that's a very active stream.

B

uh We're starting a greenhouse gas inventory project we've actually got some software.

B

So we're creating stuff that hasn't existed.

L

C

Were you going to do the slide presentation again or just go through it.

C

Did you want to say what anyone is saying.

C

Because I saw the slides that you sent to peter- and I I didn't know if you wanted to go over those.

C

Yeah, uh well, they were draft for this group to look at so it's now a good time to go through them.

K

Yeah yeah sure so um we had talked about presenting to the city council in july and um we.

K

Really only are going to have five to ten minutes, so this is very distilled from a lot of the work.

K

That we've done in this committee and in the um smaller sub-committee for uh developing the rfp.

C

Sorry so, as you go through this, this can be kind of a rehearsal for what you'll be doing. I wasn't.

K

Even sure I was the presenter you know so well for all of us we're thinking we have.

C

Coming up a presentation right, so I think everybody on the committee, if you will have.

C

A pencil and paper, and maybe make notes about what stands out what this this is a time to get.

C

Our communication, the best we can two two goals. I would see one for all of us to learn and deepen.

C

Our knowledge about what a climate action plan possibly could be and two what will be useful.

C

To do at the council meeting because that's going to be on tv and we might get another 50 to 100.

C

People and we're trying to build awareness of what a climate action plan is and then ultimately to.

C

Get buy-in and ultimately to have ongoing action, so everybody uh can give feedback great. So um we.

K

As a committee looked at a number of climate action plans from different cities around the.

K

Country particularly cities about the size of portsmouth, and they are a couple of years ahead.

K

Of where we are at so, it was very helpful to see what they had put out and the plans had things in.

K

Common, like the broad goals and an implementation plan, which would include things like specific.

K

Strategies to address different issues, responsible parties, time frames, costs, impacts.

K

And they would have broad goals in the categories of mitigation.

K

Which is reducing greenhouse gases or adaptation, so addressing portsmouth's resilience.

K

To climate change impact a lot of the plans specifically and explicitly address equity.

K

Issues and I think the mayor's made some comments that that's important to him as well.

K

As the council and the plans outlined roles, very few plans focused only on municipal operations.

K

Most plans looked at residents and households and what we all can do- businesses and organizations.

C

You know because I'm for presenting a zoom show.

C

For israel, 100 teachers to go back to the last slide.

C

If you were to look through here and one of those points as you just scanned it to yourself, what.

C

Is the point that just jumps out at you that is most important and I'd like to just get a quick.

C

Survey and and also this is to get us to be involved. How many broad goals and do you think.

C

I'm just gonna go and say.

C

Which of those, if you wanted to talk more about it, would you talk about josh, which one just.

C

One of those books, the implementation plan, the implementation plan, who has a different one, john.

B

The actionable solutions, the prior the second one prioritizing actually, who has a different one.

C

Okay, now I'm just throwing this out if he has a possible strategy. I don't know how much time we.

C

Have but everybody's telling me slides will turn people off it's just information. We get too much.

C

And any kind of I'm going to, and I'm also trying to see if that's a useful way to get.

C

Us ourselves to I'm playing okay and you know, as I mentioned, these are draft slides, so.

K

This is you know not what the group is thinking. We need to hear that as well.

K

So this information is based on a publication by a consulting group called sieve.

E

Forge why local climate planning has failed, and I prefer to look at it as what makes plans succeed.

K

And that's what we've outlined here: support from the city actionable steps, performance measures and.

K

We're hoping we'll have an online dashboard like a lot of cities and towns do and technical guidance.

K

About the greenhouse gas measurements so bert, should we do the same thing on this slide, that.

K

We did on the last slide, calling things out, I'm not sure, I'm just I'm thinking for kate you're.

C

On the council yeah, if you have you see a lot and josh, you see a lot of people coming through slides.

C

Is it better for them to go straight through? Would you think there might be some? Do you.

C

Have any guidance for what might be useful to you that you're, the audience, as well as the people.

G

So far so good, um I think the explanation is helpful. I think it's critical to make sure that.

G

The committee requests time to present not just to have this as a sometimes when we get slides.

G

Like this, they just go in as a report. Instead of just a report, you want to make sure that there's.

G

A presentation component, otherwise you might have to explain a little bit more in detail on the.

G

Slides themselves, could you clarify what you just said, because I'm not quite yeah, I could so yeah.

D

There's two places this could go on the agenda. It could go up front as an actual presentation where.

D

That would mean this is in the packet for all the counselors in the public to review in advance.

D

Or it could go later on in the packet just being in the packet, so my strong recommendation would.

D

Be to present this, but when you do present it, since everyone will have the slides in advance.

D

Don't not that you're doing this now don't read the slides. You can just talk about the.

D

Slides and generalities, but just talk and yeah. If there's too many slides people stop paying.

D

Attention quickly, but if you're not even reading the slides, they'll watch and listen to you so.

C

That's what I'm trying to say is the end result is we want to come out with everybody enjoying.

C

And getting better information to move it forward, and we already know that we're in an information.

C

Overload and uh unless a slide like this, we could spend a half an hour on with interactive.

C

Talk to your partner other stuff, but I don't think going to do that in the council, because.

C

You have 10 minutes, so I think what you're saying if I'm hearing right is we take this.

C

And we put it in the packet and then we say here's a couple of things. We want to talk to you about.

C

Is that kind of what I'm hearing right, I think, yeah? I think it's important that you.

G

Relate this to what we're doing yeah so because the counselors will all read it.

G

But then they'll say okay, so how does this relate to what we're doing so right? So I think when I.

K

See this slide, I would redo it and just have you know one city's planning process and just what's.

K

In bold and then I would almost exactly what I was going to say: where are we in portsmouth? You know.

K

We've already had our carbon footprint done. We have a climate action plan committee in this group.

K

um Some of the public engagement we've got going with the portsmouth climate solutions, so this is.

K

Too much textiles, I don't know, I actually love the data, but for the information explaining it.

K

Yeah, because I think a lot of members of the council won't know these explanations, what these.

G

Things are necessarily okay, so that's, but I mean as long as you don't talk, it go go through you're.

G

Not gonna read them yeah and then you're. And if you highlight the things that that we like in.

G

Particular okay, we'll get this update, also put it in the appendix just like if they want like.

M

Another takeaway right like if even if you're not going to read it, they might be reading it.

M

Which might be distracting from what you're saying so like? I do want a presentation to work. A lot of.

M

Times we have like stuff like that kind of helpful slide, but maybe not for the actual presentation.

M

So john, what would you suggest that I'm.

M

Whatever your wrap-up slide is it says, thank you or something put another.

M

Break of fur and say appendix and then just bring it all the way down.

M

Oh okay, so this kind of with a lot of specific information. I think that's.

D

Josh, when do you get your packets, so the packets? The information needs to be to the.

D

City clerk by noon to wednesday prior so and your meeting is on monday, our meetings.

D

The following monday, we end up friday. Do you typically read through your packet ahead of.

A

Meeting I do I read through it on the weekend. Do all of the counselors? Do this counsel? Yes,.

D

So that would request would have to be into the city manager by noon that wednesday prior, so.

D

I think that's july 3rd, no wait.

D

Mondays, it's 6.

G

Either way yeah it's the wednesday before I think it's, the sixth.

A

I'd be remiss if I didn't finish what my thought was, and that is I don't. I don't want to show up.

A

To do a presentation to the city council about something they received in their packet, which.

A

They haven't read or digested as much as they can prior to the present presentation, because that's.

A

When they're going to start reading, the slides or listening to you, they're not going to do both.

G

I think that you'd find that the city council has already read: okay, their information in.

G

Advance great, if you're, showing slides to the council you're, also showing slides to the public.

I

The public probably will not have run up at it; no, no. They won't and then uh again kind of to john's.

I

Point and your point too, you know if the people in the crowd are trying to read this and they're.

I

Not paying attention at the same time was the um intent to go over each one of these points in any.

I

Kind of detail, no just to show that it's a long process and then on the next slide. It talks about.

K

Where portsmouth is at in the next steps, so maybe yeah, I like john's idea, then.

I

Yeah I was going to say: if you were, then you could have a slide. That was just all those bullet points.

I

And then, as you're going into each one, just have that one in a slide that that has the text for.

I

That one and then just even if you're spending 20 seconds of slide just fast forward through.

I

12 slides, instead of just one slide that has everything on it: yeah, but.

C

Quick question: when you read through your packets, uh are you usually making notes and is there.

C

Generally uh questions, so we should have a slide again. Are there any questions, or is that pretty.

C

Much in a short presentation not being done these days, we could ask questions yeah if we're allowed.

G

To ask questions: I don't know that there will be a lot of questions. Okay, because the the council.

G

Knows that the committee is is doing this work? Yes, exactly it's more like a check-in.

C

Yeah just enough, it's an update. Here's an update where we're at a lot of good work has been done.

C

We want to keep you on board. We want to keep the public on board.

C

And we'll keep it simple if you have any questions at the end or suggesting something like that great.

M

I guess maybe people don't have context like. I wonder if there's a slide that ties together.

M

The proposal of the cap with other long-term plans in portsmouth right like so you make.

M

Clear that you're not asking something new or unnatural right, but there already are. You know.

M

Four or five long-term plans that, like they're cycling, there's open spaces, I don't know, is that.

M

Helpful for people that might have objections be like, oh, you guys are trying to spend.

M

Billions of dollars, and do this weird thing and be like these things already exist. This is just.

M

Another one of many to kind of improve the overall community kind of tying it into the master plan.

K

Yeah- and I would read word that to say summarize, various city plans for cap to align with yeah.

M

I think it's even separate than that. I think it's saying we've already as a community, I believe passed on that's right, because what else is there? There's.

I

Almost like you're, like envisioning, sort of a tree of like okay, this is all the stuff that we had done in the past. This.

I

Or under the umbrella of the climate action plan, is that kind of what you're.

I

Yeah, I was actually saying I don't know, maybe I was thinking too far into it, but I was thinking.

M

If someone objects to be like and whether it's the council or the public being like.

M

This is a weird thing that you guys trying to do. Well, we have a bike and pedestrian plan. We have.

M

uh Preston park master plans, you're trying to say, like there are existing other things that these.

M

Map to I don't think that you're going to get objections from the council. I was thinking too.

M

But the public and the public won't have, I mean they'll, be public after the presentation, but I.

G

Doubt they'll be much public comment on this. To be honest, what I would have said at bullet three is.

K

You know plans that we've looked at our renewable energy plan, open space plan, the master plan.

K

Those kind of things have to be considered. Writing our climate action plan right.

B

And one of the questions was: how did you engage the rest of your municipality so.

B

We're not starting from scratch, we wouldn't want anyone to think we are um so that I mean.

B

That's obviously worth the progress, but that's part of a cap is the cap ties to other things.

G

There are other committees that are working on plans right now. I think that's.

G

um I said on arts and non-profits as well and they're working on a cultural plan.

G

It's our second one. It's been 20 years since the first one now we're doing another cultural plan, it's essentially updating and rewriting. So we have a history of doing.

C

Along that line, I think I want to refer to what chris said earlier, whether we want to do this.

C

Whether it's it's a tricky area, what I've I've chris said, if I heard him correctly in.

C

What I think many of us have thought and said over and over again the ipcc international.

C

Panel on climate change, the most extensive organization that is recognized by governments.

C

And science has come out in this last year and said that this is now there's a closing.

C

Window of time, so why are we talking about a climate action plan? We've had all kinds of.

C

Other plans, so yes, in some degree, a climate action plan is different than the pieces that all need to.

C

Come together, and so it's big, it's comprehensive, it's necessary and its goal is to accelerate and.

C

Scale, the change that is necessary to come about in the next five to ten years, and it's also a venn.

B

Diagram right, we're gonna, be the significant areas of intersection between the elements of cap and.

B

The elements of these other planets- or they would this- would be the circle that has the the the van.

C

Inside it so yeah, I think there's many ways to represent it and chris, I saw your hand go up, but I.

C

Was obviously I'm new to this? This is a question. I ask myself all the time like what is the objective.

F

The learning objective of this presentation is it to educate the public of what portsmouth is doing.

K

It's more directed to the city council to update them. You know they heard about the.

K

Climate action, so this is to update the council on what portsmouth is doing for their client. Actually.

K

But a much wider audience will hear it, but so I I think we have to define you know when I, when I.

F

Plan a lesson I I start with: what is the objective? What is the learning objective, but I think.

F

I I think your decision about how you present this has to go to what are you trying to accomplish.

F

By showing this information to the city council, okay, are you? Are you trying to compare to what.

F

Other cities are doing that you've researched or are you trying to show the city council what's.

F

Already in place, are you trying to educate them on what our climate action plan is.

F

Like I think, we're trying to justify the amount of money that we need to get a start, we're updating.

K

Them that we're making progress on doing a climate action plan, so the objective would be to show them.

F

What portsmouth actions have been, then? I think that needs to guide what is in this presentation.

H

If you were the three of you, if you were sitting listening to this presentation,.

H

Would you understand what was happening going on being.

H

I think for context, so the council is already aware that they spent a hundred thousand dollars.

D

To fund this climate, I know that sounds like the country I'm saying like. If we keep talking.

H

Secondarily and the public's gonna hear this, and this might be the first time the public.

H

Hears about the private action plan, are they gonna have any clue? What this is? I mean context.

H

Because and I appreciate to chris's point, it's two different audiences: it's essentially two.

H

Different presentations, but if you're trying to balance both audiences, I think you can do it.

J

Pretty quickly with a starting statement like I, I think that is like you know, in a lot of.

J

A lot of college professors I had you started the class and you're like this- is where you'll learn.

K

Today and then you have many many slides of I mean we will not have many many slides, but you get.

N

All the information, and at the end of that course it's uh so like this, is what we we went over today.

J

You know actually we're gonna talk about that, so I think with this we could do the same thing.

J

You know we, this committee was made to help in the process of developing the cap. You know the.

J

Cap ties into all of these different plans in portsmouth, with the goal of us having a overall.

J

Plan that ties in and addresses climate change, here's where we are, then we go into the slides.

J

That first slide is just a little bit more of like then. It kind of it updates the public, but also.

J

It's only a couple minutes of the counselor's time where they're, just like oh okay, yeah, like I.

N

Know this, but it's a sentence we can move on, but then maybe the public's a little bit more like.

J

Okay, yeah yeah. I would caution against trying to gear it towards a public audience, because even.

G

Though the council meetings are public, especially in the summer they're not well attended, um so I.

G

Wouldn't anticipate that you're going to have a lot of the public watching. So that's helpful great.

D

One last comment on one of the slides had a bunch of acronyms and the only acronym which the council.

D

Might know on that was the rfp, and that was more just spelled out the other one's like.

D

Greenhouse gases, it wasn't spelled out, it just said ghg the same thing with the.

D

uh Whatever the program is to monitor greenhouse gases, so spelling those out might.

E

um So next we have, I, I think, there's one more slide. Oh one more side, sorry, no you're, fine.

L

I think it's this last one, because I think this is probably the most important thing I have to say.

K

That, just because we'll be working with a consulting team on the climate action plan,.

K

Doesn't mean we have to wait until 2024 when the plan will be.

K

Ready, we have a lot of things going on in the meantime, and I you know I don't know.

K

If this is what makes sense for us to list, so I I'd love feedback about this.

C

Oh sorry, yeah I was just going to ask, but it makes sense to to include and.

N

This, especially for the general public too, some of the the projects that are in flight.

N

um You know so that we're, I think, as you were saying, right, we're not waiting.

N

For the plan to completely be in place that there is a lot of good work, that's being done right now,.

N

Yeah, just a thought, I think, keeping in general is important because part of developing the cap.

J

Is having you know, the whole point of having that consultant come in is to use their expertise.

J

But also balance that, with what towards the clarity knows and all of our other plans and.

J

It can be hard to get bogged down in specific solutions when the plan is an overall thing, where.

J

All these solutions come in to be a one, cohesive effort, so I think I like, like making a point of.

J

Those individual solutions, but maybe it's kind of like that tree or like an umbrella of the cap,.

J

Is the umbrella to all of these small things? But when you say the small thing between the things.

K

Listed here, yeah and also you know, the different working groups and the different open space plans.

J

And prestino, like that's kind of all, these things that we're saying we're making an overall plan.

J

But we're asking a consultant to help us make it overall we're building the airplane. Why we're.

N

Flying it- and I see right I mean the cap- is ultimately going to guide uh all control, yeah.

N

Right so it's ultimately gonna guy, but you know it doesn't mean we're not flying the airplane right.

B

Right and I think you're talking about some of the specific projects that you're taking.

B

Exactly like the infrastructure for the ev chargers, yeah that's going to be done.

B

That project will be done before the cap is done, yeah, but there's still a home for it.

B

So that's a good point yeah and I think yeah, and the great point is that we can't wait till the cap.

N

Right, I mean, I think, that's what everybody's saying we can't wait till the cap is done.

N

And we're not and here's some of the great things that we're doing in parallel. In that. I think that.

N

Resonates strongly with the general public too, as they see that I was just going to say that to this.

I

Presentation, correct me if I'm wrong, but this isn't about just the cap, it's about. What's the.

I

Sustainability committee doing reporting to the council so so the cap is part of that, but other.

I

Things that we're doing is the rest of that yeah. The date we're anticipating the cat being finished.

G

What was the date uh in the spring is an estimate, that's really nice, but again keep.

B

In mind, we haven't even begun the process because we're that early, I'm just concerned.

G

You have an election between now and then and you might not have a council. That's.

G

Excited about adopting the climate action plan in 20th april 20th. No, we don't know.

G

Yeah, I wouldn't, but no I mean I'm saying you should be done by november. 23.

G

Finish it, what I I don't know I would look for, I would have it adopted in the 400th anniversary.

G

Of the city, I wouldn't push it out to 2024.. I know that the council- it's not, that I'm pushing.

K

It out it's just that most of the plans we've looked at and cities we've talked to have taken.

K

18 months to do the plan um and the rfp, you know we're looking at it going out in july.

K

Then the bids come back, they have to be reviewed, you know, so this comes out in early 24.

A

The election wouldn't have been won't be held until november, not for city, council, 2024., you'll,.

G

Have a new city council in 2024, you don't know who's going to be sitting on your council. Oh so.

A

We don't that's what I'm trying to say is that you don't know, so I would love to say that we could.

K

Add that to the rfp to have it done in 12 months and maybe for this discussion you might consider.

B

Stepping away from kate's question we don't know yet what the delivery date is. This is where we.

K

Right so there was a slide, a couple of slides back. I think that yeah whoops, that was it yeah, no.

E

I'm sorry that it said I estimate april 2024 we'll just take that out yeah. I would say that this.

G

Council, that's one of this council's goals and this council won't be happy with the fact that it.

B

It's not finished until after this council's term ends, but it would have to be.

K

Late 2023, it's still within the council's chart, um although I wouldn't go after november.

L

I'm gonna go after november. Third or fourth, I tried to finish.

C

I just want to get into the notes that this whole council meeting this might be the most important.

C

Statement, you never know what comes out so when I just heard that that is a significant statement.

C

That can really give focus and energy to how we accept the bid, who we put it out to so to me that.

C

Was very helpful to hear and that's what I love about a group mind when each of us is able to put.

C

Our piece in so thank you, so the rfp will have to reflect that yeah. We'll have to think about that.

K

So I don't have pride of ownership with this. um I am not personally planning on presenting this so.

K

You know if we want to talk about whether it's the subcommittee or this bigger committee, because.

K

As aubry said, we did talk about this being an update on the sustainability committee, so.

K

I'm looking for takers.

D

I do think it would make sense for someone from the.

D

Cap subcommittee to present, because most of the city council's questions, if they have.

D

Any will be focused on the cap itself and you guys are most familiar with the process.

C

And I can say, and the committee you guys are all very powerful in your knowledge and you.

C

Might want to play tag teams so that the two of these two of you are anyway, and I would be.

C

Happy to go with anybody else, maybe an eco club member to just give a little wider context.

C

Here's what we're working on in any way to give contact with the committee, and maybe uh somebody.

C

From the eco club could say here we could get a little texture of what the committee is and how.

C

Really this is the biggest uh committee we've ever had in five years, because.

C

This is the time so anyway, and so if the committee, uh when is it july, 11.

C

Let me look at it, so the subcommittee could meet before then yeah go through this. um We could also.

K

Come up with what's missing from the bigger sustainability committee yeah and if you.

C

Could do that uh there's somebody talk to you, yeah yeah, so that'd be great. Okay, great.

K

And I think what I would do is take some text off the slides too. I cannot do that all day. Long.

E

All right: um next, we have the cloudy action survey.

H

Yes, so the climate action survey was a conversation.

H

We had in the subcommittee about trying to start to get community and engagement.

H

Around the climate action plan and start to learn about what the public's priority was.

H

And so just as part of the city's newsletter, maybe attaching a simple survey that just kind of said.

H

You know have five or six questions asking people about what are your priorities, whether that means.

H

You're worried about greenhouse gas emissions, whether you're worried about bike lanes, whether.

H

You're worried about waste just to start to get some bigger picture ideas from the community so.

H

That as we move forward with the climate action plan, it's also a way to for us to tell them. Okay,.

H

This is what you told us. Your concerns are so. This is why this is in the climate action plan, and this.

H

Is what we're working on? But in that conversation about the survey, we thought it might be helpful.

H

To bring it here before this committee to help create those questions, what that might look like.

H

What people's thoughts were around.

N

Are there any examples from uh from the other cities that you reached out to? I was.

N

Just curious, if they, if they did uh some sort of survey of their population and.

N

So maybe we can range from skinny to a year and a half before? Yes, okay, so we might yeah.

N

We might be able to capitalize on some of the questions. It's a good starting point.

A

Do you know um it's, I'm thinking social media for the presentation of this.

A

um Survey because everybody's on it some one or another, to use that as your medium for collecting.

A

Whether it's monkey chimp or whatever survey monkey yeah that one.

G

Since we have an expert on this here, do you know what the cost is to put a flyer in uh water bill.

G

Sewer water bills, like a survey with a you, know, a scam, that's the exact dollar, but it doesn't cost.

O

That much because you know we send the bills out, it's just the printing and they put it with. But I.

O

Can get that number? It's it's minimal relative to other things, because that was just done for the.

G

Right community power, so I know that there was a cost associated with so.

G

We have to have yeah, I can get whatever the printing cost is, and the paper cost.

G

But it might be you reach every household that way you do um the one thing that and we're starting to.

O

Burst this out a bit is, it goes to customers in newington and greenland and we've done other.

O

Things where we like sort of let them know to some degree I mean they're. You know, there's many.

O

They're part of the school district too, and you know so it really. We don't get pushback when we.

O

Like we talked about storm water and gave everybody information on that, and.

O

It was broad enough that it applied to everybody that has a house as a property.

I

One thing I think we should think about with a survey is that.

I

Well, like with any survey like polling, for example, they're often very leading.

I

You know you're trying to um get people to choose a certain thing by the way you wear things.

I

You know politicians do that all the time so and I don't think we should do that, but I do.

I

Think that, um since I think, there's a really wide range in the general populace of how much.

I

Information, they know about climate change and about real solutions versus greenwashing type.

I

Solutions that I think that, however, we crafted it ought to be really well formed out of like.

I

The drawdown principles as our guidance on there so we're not only using it to get opinions from.

I

People, but also to educate people of what, like the the real types of solutions, are.

A

The ones that are most doable right and most impactful.

D

Sense to have a separate subcommittee on just the survey.

D

And we're not there yet, but.

J

I mean in a way that subcommittee would act. I mean if we're talking about time frame for this cap. You.

J

Know one of the biggest parts is in this to these consultants are asking them to make sure that.

J

They're engaging right all of our city plans, but also the public and they're, not just regurgitating.

J

A cap from another city, it's tailored to us, and so by doing things like the survey and by.

J

Engaging the public early on you know, the hope is that it can expedite that process without losing.

H

That important part, um so you know in a way that subcommittee could be kind of the.

J

Cap expedite subcommittee of doing some of that public engagement.

J

Being made up of some of the public and that whole public engagement threat, the more we talk.

B

About it, the bigger yes yeah and that's honestly, a bad thing, but yeah and I think that's truly.

J

The time part of that for the consultants, that's right, if that takes a lot of time,.

G

There's a lot of opportunity next year, especially in public gatherings, because there's so many.

G

Around the 400. there's just so many opportunities to have that additional public engagement and to.

G

Set up, you know a tent here or a table here. You know every single possible event. You can.

G

And just gather as much information as possible. It might expedite the process.

G

I would imagine those events start as early as april of 2023, but we also have the rest.

G

Of the summer in the fall, so don't forget that you can start this year.

H

At least that's my goal, because I my feeling is that that this community information needs to help.

H

Shape the cap too, so we want that now, especially if we're trying to move the capital world. So I.

H

Would hope to start spreading public awareness now and getting feedback from the public now.

K

Well, josh suggested a subcommittee about the survey or maybe community engagement, more broadly.

K

So I don't know if we want to set that up at this point or just have it in minutes for a future.

K

Meeting how about everyone gift up, they would want to be on a subcommittee for the next meeting.

D

And then, if by the next meeting, if you could assemble the past surveys, which you've seen.

D

That way, people could look at what the goal would be and it'd be great to have something in place.

D

But whoever is selected, they might bring something to the table as well regarding how best to do.

D

Community engagement, so I'm not sure if we want to get started prior, we can get our ducks in a row.

D

But maybe not send the survey out until we have someone picked, but.

N

Yeah, I like the thought about the community engagement and be real curious to see what some.

N

Of the other cities had gone through because you know community engagement is key yeah. You.

N

Know if not that, then why are we here right? I mean we're here to serve the community involved.

N

And the survey is critical, but it's not a one and done absolutely it's just a part of yeah yeah.

N

That resonates strongly yeah. Well, that's some of the highlights in the community.

C

We have three people who are there either of you want to say anything about.

C

Fortunate climate solutions.

K

Well I'll start by talking about classic three july.

K

There's going to be an exhibit at the library and we talked about ways to engage people.

K

About those issues I don't know jess, if you want to answer.

H

About that justice, I think it kind of just dovetails a little bit into what we just.

H

Talked about my impression of where proportion of climate solutions is moving forward is really.

H

To help support this committee in the community engagement and outreach piece, and so um I know.

H

Just I'm working with christina dubin a surf rider and we're going to put together a display for.

H

Plastic through july in the library I'm hoping to do a little film in the fall about plastic and so.

H

We are hoping to keep brainstorming ideas like that and also dovetailing.

H

Community awareness, involvement in the cap and just educating them on how we're moving forward.

H

And getting feedback from them and so just tying those two pieces together, it's better.

H

At anything, well, at the end of the meeting we talked about different we're looking at two.

K

Platforms that are for customizable interactive platforms for households and organizations.

K

And businesses to use- and we looked at examples online, like cooler, concord.org.

K

Or carbon free albany and the vendors for these sites are mass.

K

Energized for the massachusetts sites and write action for sites in 10 states.

K

And what it would look like is, you would go on to the site, because the climate action plan or the.

K

City newsletter sent you to them and you say: well what could I do to slow down climate change and it.

K

Gives you options within? Let's say your home or your your business place your transportation and.

K

You click on these actions and it gives you more information like well. This is rated as something.

K

Fairly easy changing light bulbs in my home. Let me find out about that. You click on it find out.

K

All the resources and how to do it and then, if you commit to it, you click on it done. You know.

K

And you get points for that and it shows you how many trees or how many tons of carbon, whatever the.

K

Platform is set up to do and it's a way of getting neighborhoods and groups within a community going.

K

Whether it's boy scouts or girl, scouts or a church or business, it just seemed like a really good tool.

K

That would be good for portsmouth to adopt so we're talking about which one and.

K

Next meeting, which will be july- oh yeah, not next weekend, because we're going to the.

K

Community power solutions meeting at 3s, so the one july 3rd, I think, is the date we're going to.

K

Be talking about these two different platforms and what fits best for portsmouth and how they work.

K

And eventually, we'll probably have demonstrations for each of these platforms.

K

Right away, but this is one of those things that the group felt like we could commit to and get.

K

Going before we have a climate action plan, something visible something lively, something.

K

Out in the community that everybody could be doing and then once that plan comes out it just.

K

Yes helps guide what the information is.

B

It is what it is, but it works. We can't wait. Yeah.

C

I would just reinforce what you said that uh portsmouth climate solutions meets on zoom every.

C

Wednesday, for one hour from seven to eight, we've met since we started the course on drawdown.

C

Solutions we've been through 37 content continuous weeks, we're going to take the next meeting and.

C

We're going to go to 3s because it's at the same time uh does anybody want to say about the 3s.

C

Program for those who don't know about it, I could speak to real briefly if no one else wants to so.

D

Next wednesday, at 3s art space, there's going to be a joint presentation on community power, which is.

D

Essentially, what it would be it would give ratepayers.

D

The option to get their electricity from a renewable energy source, it's real simplistic.

D

Way to go about it, there will be a lot of steps to get there. Everything from ratepayers having to.

D

Opt out of it from their electric bill and the state house still has to act on.

D

It but there's going to be a presentation on all of that next wednesday and what I'm.

D

Most excited about for anyone who listens to nhpr, specifically the outside in podcast sam evans,.

D

Brown, who hosted it for years up until recently is going to be one of the presenters there.

D

So that's going to be pretty cool. Sam is the current chair of queen energy, new hampshire.

B

He's a great advocate for a lot of organizations so, and you have to sign up so you have to go, go.

G

On 3s's website, if you want to attend and get a ticket, I think that's portsmouthsmartgrowth.org.

G

Yeah, you can go through 3s, I think only right term 3s or there was hopefully there still is.

G

um And so, but you do have to register half a ticket because there is a capacity limit.

C

And then, in two weeks, we're going to come back and we're going to be looking at these dashboards.

C

And I was thinking chris when I taught sustainable living. We used to have students, take an ecological.

C

Footprint that has your class or have you ever considered? I hadn't even known about these.

C

Dashboards, how detailed they are uh as a class, you could see about a goal of lowering your class, but.

C

Anyway, I don't know if you've ever played with those or have you ever entertained. You.

F

Did a very rudimentary carbon footprint station that was just uh to give them a sense of where.

F

Carbon enters the atmosphere, so that was a very low scale, easy to use yeah and I've.

C

Been out of that for 10 years- and I looked at this and I said I was riding a horse and buggy.

C

And this is a jet engine, so if you look at uh at these sites, it's it's amazing. The tools we.

C

Have so how do we get them in self resource yeah, as I say that it's off the 3s space you do have.

G

To go to portsmouth smart growth, portsmouth portsmouthsmartgrowth.org to get tickets.

E

All right um next stop sorry, um the city council report, so we.

D

Hit that we actually hit all three of those- and I think that brings us to portsmouth h2o.

E

H2O combo I'm sitting right next to john, so he he wanted to.

O

Talk about our water sustainability, water efficiency efforts, which we're pretty.

O

Proud of we do have a power point on our website. That's been updated. That has that, but.

O

I'm not going to do the death by powerpoint, but it summarizes stuff.

O

But john's ideas, kind of expand beyond what the city's already done, which I kind of like because.

O

There's always more, you can do. We have reduced water use amongst our customers for many reasons,.

O

You know number one: you can't discount the fact that water bills are fairly expensive. Our sewer.

O

Rates are tied to water usage, so if people want to reduce their overball water bill, which is tied.

O

To sewer as well, they use less water, so I mean that dollar incentive is, is, is a biggie, but we.

O

Also have tiered rates, which means that if you use more water you're going to pay more so that.

O

Is becoming more and more common in the industry. A few years ago we updated our irrigation to put.

O

A third tier in so if people want to irrigate they're paying more, if they're using more again.

O

That promotes them looking at what type of system they put in to make it as efficient as possible.

O

The other, the biggest thing we've done is our rebate program, so people, if they have an old.

O

Toilet will and they replace it with a water efficiency toilet one that's efficient. They can.

O

Get a hundred dollars back and if you get a high efficiency washing machine, everybody.

O

Knows about the toilets, the low flow toilets and, of course, I've been around long enough to.

O

Know that when they first came out, they didn't work very well. People were flushing a lot. They.

O

Work pretty good now they are designed to where they flush, like any normal high flow toilet, will.

O

Surprisingly enough enforcement- probably you know the old housing stock.

O

You know there's some toilets that might flush five gallons to you know the big.

O

You know toilets of old, they were reduced to about three and a half, and right now.

O

You can't purchase a toilet that does over 101 gallons, so that's good just doing that.

O

Itself is a big reduction and I did a calculation of all the rebates that we've done. We so we've.

O

Done combined 15 about 1500 rebates um in the last seven years and then I calculated.

O

You know just using you know, and I know it was mentioned like oh you can do this click.

O

This, how much is you going to save and all that, so we do have some metered data.

O

That we've looked at before and after and then you go into some of the the overall. You know how to.

O

Average things out: how do you just you know, give an overall look at how much water can be saved.

O

The the toilets that everybody is aware of what people aren't as much aware of is how much.

O

An old top loading washing machine can use it's it's ridiculous. um Someone can use 50 gallons.

O

For an entire, you know, because when we think about the old style, top loading washing machine.

O

If you just throw a couple pieces of clothes in there, it's going to fill water to the top and.

O

And so if you you want to do a full load, so the clothes take up some of that space, but.

O

You're still filling it up and then it's washing and then it's draining and then it's rinsing so.

O

It's doing that again, so an old top loader washer will use 40 to 50 gallons a load where the front.

O

Front load, or they have high efficiency top loaders. Now they can use they'll use 15 to.

O

20 gallons- and you know, depending on the cycles and stuff, so I calculated you know those 1500.

O

Devices or devices whatever rebates that we've given.

O

Probably account to about 50, 000 gallons of water saved a day.

O

Which is about a 1.4 reduction, so we meter everything. We know how much water we're making.

O

You know it's not huge, but it's uh it's certainly worth worth it because you know I I get criticized.

O

You know not criticized, but for years I've said this to my peers in the water industry, and I was.

O

Like gee brian, why do you want to tell people to save water we're going to lose our revenue.

O

And I'm like no you're, not if it doesn't happen overnight, so here we've done it for seven years.

O

We that reduction is 1.4. You can certainly absorb whatever change. That is over time.

O

um As far as you know, what you expect to get for revenue and the other thing is.

O

50, 000 gallons of water that you didn't have to go and find a new well or withdraw.

O

From a river or desalinate, as some people say well, let's just go to the ocean to get our next.

O

Gallon of water- and you know the other thing I pitch is well. If you put a new well in, you know,.

O

It costs money to get the land to put the well in get it permitted. You're testing it you're.

O

Maintaining it it's a piece of working equipment that needs maintenance, uses electricity.

O

And saving a gallon of water only costs up front so once you've put in that low flow toilet. It's.

O

Always using less water, and so it's done um so you can move on to other things.

O

So so that, and I know what john had said, he's got a great summary of some ideas which which are.

O

Really good is like: how can the city expand beyond that? I know you asked one of the first things we.

O

Did was a retrofit kit program which we don't do anymore, because we've moved on to the rebates.

O

But that you know just advertising and letting people know, I think the the same thing we can.

O

Do in a bill stuffer- and you know let people know that don't already that we do have the.

O

Rebates and expanding them, you would ask you know: how do we quali what's a qualified.

O

Appliance so you we, we go with water sense, which is an epa program. um Initially they.

O

Were really stepping it up um the four years? Well now, during the I'll just say the previous.

O

Administration, they were getting rid of all these programs and fortunately, this one didn't go away.

O

And and stayed there and now we can utilize what they're doing as far as efficiency efforts. So if.

O

You have a water sense and you have energy star, so appliances that are energy star are also generally.

O

Water efficient, so there's lists that we go by so when people come in and they have the receipt for.

O

A toilet or they have the receipt for the washing machine they upgraded. You know our our staff looks.

O

And make sure it's on the list? Yes, it's it's qualified and they get it. So I mean we, you you.

O

Had mentioned, um you know washing dishwashers, so we could look at to expand that and um you know.

O

There could be a few other things shower heads so shower heads are interesting. That was another.

O

Thing the previous administration said, you know it was complaining about the amount of water you get.

O

When you take a shower, so I wanted to, you know, get rid of that and they they somewhat said. Okay well,.

O

No shower heads, don't won't do more than two and a half gallons a minute when you turn them.

O

On and taking a shower does use less water than if you take a bath, because bathtubs might be 50.

O

75 gallons so two and a half gallons a minute 10 minute shower it's 25, gallons much less than.

O

A bath, um but um you know we we could. We could perhaps expand out there. I don't know, you know how.

O

Much more, um you know the giving people the kits would do, but that's that's also a possibility too.

O

Maybe I'll turn over to you to to kind of expound on some of your ideas too. No that's great.

M

And you know I'll start with you know. Everything I read is that enforcement is doing a fantastic job.

M

With water, sustainability and savings so like it's, not a criticism against anyone, um but I think I'd.

M

Say here like every system can be optimized and probably like improve a little bit. So I only know.

M

What I thought were some interesting ideas. I guess for plans um some taking advantage of current.

M

Processes, like you, know the uh the rebate program right like how do we amplify the message? More so.

M

More people do that so 1500 number goes to 2000 this year right, so more people take advantage of.

M

The existing thing that is pretty lightweight and easy, uh we can use like a city newsletter, social.

M

Media larry's, favorite or uh you know the lord belts themselves and then yeah. How do we kind of.

M

Expand on that more right like dishwashers or shower heads, especially if we are going to do that.

M

Outreach to the city broadly right: it would be good to deliver this additional new to.

M

Try and be like hey, hey, you know here all the appliances and some new ones, so people.

M

That have already done. It are also aware of that as well, so that was kind of the first point.

M

I think there's two other just ones that I'd like to kind of get your opinion on is.

M

So uh in this book that I read, which is all about like how you have choice, architecture.

M

To have people decide what to do? They highlighted an interesting use case where basically, the city.

M

Indexed, people's water bills against other people in that same neighborhood. So again, it's all.

M

Relative kind of to where you live, and in doing so they would say, hey, listen, you. You know your.

M

Water bill is, you know, twenty percent more than anything right like just by that little.

M

Kind of additional metric, it decreased people just naturally, for whatever reason they want to be.

M

Their neighbors or save money right just by having that on the additional metric on the water bill.

M

Resulted in eight percent water consumption reduction in twelve months um and that's.

M

Up in liters, that's twelve thousand five hundred liters yeah. I've noticed that on.

O

The the electric um so I used to we used to live in durham.

O

In portsmouth now, but our electric bill once a year, they would send.

O

Send out the electric bill and they would say oh you're, better or worse than your neighbors.

J

It sounds like a perfect use case for the app that, like that's the same yeah and you see it so so.

O

Yeah, so we did, we do have a new billing system and I don't know how many people in here get a water.

O

Bill, okay, so do you notice it does now? Have your water bill has a monthly chart, so I'd push for.

O

That for years and our old billing system wouldn't allow that well, you couldn't get that kind of.

O

Graphic on there, um so we do have that now it took you know a year when it started when you first got.

O

That new bill it only had the first month so now everybody has 12 months. So you can look at that.

O

But interesting idea to try to maybe overlay that with similar customers, so you know you could.

O

Say you know even a line across and say you know, here's what the average is and it's like. Oh I'm.

O

Below the line or above the line, do you still are you still able, as a portsmouth resident to.

A

Have two meters, one for household use and one for outside use? Yes, at which you don't.

A

Get charged a sewer rate right for the outside and the incentive there was that oh I'll really cut my.

O

Sewer bill, but to offset that we that's when we went to the third tier rate, so.

O

People do the comparative they have come to us like. Oh I'm, ready to put my irrigation meter in.

O

We give them all the information and a lot of them decide. Okay, I'm not going to go that route.

O

Because it does increase considerably oh yeah, on the irrigation side. But again you know you.

O

Get people I mean I've. I've been around long enough to, and I've worked in park city utah, where.

O

People didn't care how much the water cost they wanted a green lawn and they wanted to pay for it.

C

And they just said turn the pumps up or get more water, and you know well, that's not the.

A

Only reason to have it I mean: if you've got a garden, you want to get your most.

A

Production, you can so you don't want the stuff drying out and drying up what about gray water.

A

Is it does the city do anything to capture that so gray? Water is interesting, because now I I know.

O

Councilor denton brought this up. You have building codes gray. Water is a tough one on the building.

O

Code, I know some people talk about reuse of the water, but we don't have a secondary system.

O

So some new newer developments like in florida or whatever you know a subdivision goes in and.

O

They can you can actually pipe up from day one irrigation that uses gray, water.

O

Which they call it gray water, because it's not potable drinking water, but a lot of it is.

O

Still very clean because anything that comes from your dishwasher, so we are, we are looking at.

O

So we have two wastewater facilities and the pierce island is done with its upgrade.

O

And the peas has to have an upgrade, and with that upgrade we are looking at using.

O

Water discharge from that and go through further treatment and being able to bring.

O

It back and have facilities use it for cooling, water or irrigation, so we're looking at that.

O

um It's just a huge amount of money, that's the only downside of it.

G

This is this was my question because there's an island off california's coast and that's what they.

G

Do they use it because they don't get enough water so frankly, if you're gonna water, anything besides.

G

You know as far as drinking water, they use it even for things like showers, which I think is a.

G

Little extreme, but um but it's so close to like prescott park. You know when you think about the.

G

Greenery at prescott park: it wouldn't be that hard to test case. It really do a test case of.

G

Prescott park, there's cisterns in in the bahamas that catch the water and you know it.

A

Goes into a cistern and that's what you then put through your water heater for showers and stuff.

G

So I like this idea, really it's an exciting idea. I do too, but it's expensive all in on time. Yeah.

O

It's a long pipe and but it's going to be one of the most expensive utilities in days and years to.

A

Come just to kind of round off this, and speaking back off of that you know brian you mentioned.

M

That um everyone's going to have a contractor, who does kind of like water analysis for the city.

M

And that's where that kind of idea came from or like have there been any other kind of like big.

M

Exciting or interesting things like I threw out like capturing rain water.

M

For uh you know, fire water, trees or like the streets is there any like.

D

But there's early discussions of creating a third enterprise fund, so one enterprise fund we have is.

D

Drinking water, the other one is sewer, the third one would be runoff and I don't think happened.

D

This year, I would love to see it. This term us actually create one and essentially what it would.

D

Do it would build people for the amount of water runoff that they have so you have places like.

D

Not to pick on walmart, they have a huge parking lot, a lot of it's wasted and a lot of it's not.

D

Permeable, so all the water runs off and you can incentivize it where hey. You will have a your.

D

Build will be less if you have more permeable surfaces.

D

So on and so forth, so that would incentivize things like.

D

Catching water and making use of it and josh those are the things we can influence in the city.

D

Well, it would be an actual third I'd say bill that residents would receive water runoff, so that would.

D

Definitely be an incentive for everyone, especially for business customers. You're, not you're, you're,.

I

Not talking about metering, it, though, just like by square footage of the lot or something it's.

D

Been looked at be square footage of uh impervious spaces right it incentivizes people to get rid of.

G

Asphalt driveways, you know you go to a permeable surface to collect the rainwater through. You know.

A

I think pike industries would be against that. So I think that's great. I guess the only twist.

M

On that is like, if the city is going to be using water for purposes one or the other.

M

They probably need it, so they either have to like go to walmart in this example or kind of claim it.

M

Themselves right, so I think that's where I was originally going by like that yeah as well right.

M

And I think we're running low on time.

N

A quick question is the city uh I moved here 11 years ago and my house came with a rain barrel.

N

So I'm wondering if, before I moved here, the city had some program where.

N

And so, since I've lived here for 11 years, I have watered my garden using that rain barrel.

N

And it's it's awesome. um Is there an opportunity? I was going to ask about bringing that back too yeah.

O

Yeah- and this comes up- and you know we're now just through our current budget cycle, so I think the.

O

Next budget cycle, we can look into what it can take to to do that again, that that was a grant.

O

And then they sold them at cost, so they were very inexpensive and a lot of a lot of people purchase.

O

Yeah does that does that will take care of all your irrigation yeah for my garden it does yeah.

N

And I've got a neighbor that has three or four of them: they have every single downspout from their.

N

House goes into a rain barrel, different corners of their property. I have a neighbor who does that too?.

I

Yeah, you don't live on cat street. Do you? No, I wonder if it was the same neighborhood.

H

We'll give whoever wants to convert it to a rainbow I've already cleaned one. Oh really.

J

Yeah, how do you get on that list? Follow through just send me an email? Let me know better yeah.

M

Stop by the store, just real quick, I think newberry or someone did that, where they kind of explained a.

M

Little converter kit and they were working with local businesses like that, so they were kind of.

M

It was basically free rain barrelling to pay where twenty five dollars for the kit, but they you can.

M

Buy like a few engines yeah, that's super easy. I made a few as a raffle for an earth day event. So.

H

uh Decorated, a couple for me and a preschool decorated, a.

H

Couple for me and then we gave the proceeds to the blue ocean society.

E

Anybody wants a 55-gallon drum when they come up I'll. Let you know welcome.

E

All right so to close out, because we had a very packed meeting today, our.

E

Question is something like what is something that's you're, taking away from this meeting.

D

Sure so I'm going to um cheat and I'm going to go with my takeaway from the previous meeting and.

D

Do a quick report last meeting I attended, I was asked about recycling downtown and I did ask the.

D

Dpw about it- and you are correct that there are no longer recycling barrels downtown, which is a.

D

Good thing, because so many people they would go by and they would either put trash in the recycling.

D

Or um it was just wishful recycling where they thought something was recyclable.

D

So the contamination rate was incredibly high. It wasn't worth anyone's time to have separate.

D

Recycling barrels downtown. Unfortunately, so um I guess that's not a takeaway! That's my.

D

Takeaway from the previous meeting and providing that information was there any kind of.

I

Signage on those barrels saying like these items, only I don't remember people just don't.

A

Yeah we tried that at the high school that went horribly, they had different signs from their.

D

Originally, I should say originally when I moved here, they had these beautiful casings on them too.

D

Recently, they had signs on every single one saying what was allowed. What wasn't allowed didn't help.

C

What I'm taking away is.

C

This is the largest group of people, I've seen at a sustainability committee meeting.

C

And what I take away from that is we're always talking about.

C

Accelerating and scaling, we are an example of that.

L

I think I'm taking away at least my mind is sort of running this whole meeting on social media and.

L

Community outreach engagement, stuff just different ideas that we can start working on because it.

L

Seems like we gotta really make make a jump on that before we can even publish the rfp but yeah.

L

Community engagement, social media, sam evans brown, I love outside in- I can't wait to go to 3s next.

L

Week, yeah, no, I'm excited there's lots of stuff to do, but it sounds like we can get it all done.

A

What I'm taking away from this meeting is a combination of things. First, the young people.

A

Sitting in the back row up there to stay, engaged and stay patient, and I'm happy to see them here.

A

Along with chris, the other thing I'm taking away is the amount of work that you guys are all doing.

A

On a community action plan um climate action plan, it's really great to be able to sit here.

A

And listen to all the work that you've done well, I take well. I take some of the credit for it.

I

I too is going to say that uh climate action plan is uh my big takeaway.

I

And psyched about the conversation about water conservation as well.

I

To do there, my takeaway is community power. I have my two.

I

Tickets reserved and I can't wait to see what's going on.

N

My takeaway is I'm new to the committee. This is my first meeting, I'm very energized and excited.

N

To be on the committee and to help make a difference.

O

Yeah and I'm ready to take some of these ideas and see what we can implement. So I kind of sit in a.

O

Chair, where, like ideas can actually you know, go go forward to some degree so, looking forward to that.

I

F

I was uh not that I'm skeptical, but it's nice to hear how much is happening.

F

From people that are obviously very committed to making this city, in particular, not comparing it.

F

Against other cities, but making portsmouth a more sustainable place for the next 400 years, hopefully.

F

And also I'm excited like we tackle a lot of real world stuff climate change, but we also.

F

Did solutions to plastic pollution? I used to do a household.

F

Water survey, where they would inventory how much water they use so I'll, bring that back next year.

F

But we're teaching a lot of the stuff that that this council is also addressing, which is just.

M

Refreshing to know people um I'm excited, I think, continuing the water conversation you.

M

Know brian's been a great partner throughout and he and I have been kind of emailing over.

M

The last couple of months, like one's a good time, to bring us up- and um you know it was.

M

Great to hear about some of the bigger plans that um portsmouth is proposing coming both from there.

M

And you know, maybe some of these kind of small, medium or large projects can also come to play.

J

Yeah, I'm thinking I think I've always been in the smaller microcosms of projects and it's cool to.

J

See the a little bit bigger picture of it and see how they all fit together.

J

And learn a little bit more about the dynamics that are be to make things happen or what.

J

How that process works so just learning.

H

I think I'm taking away uh community as well.

H

Community engagement, um and hopefully that name it continues with chris, the two of you and any.

E

Other students who are interested in being a part of that as well.

H

Because for me having little little puddles, the future is definitely always a huge takeaway. For me,.

K

Yeah, I'm thinking about community and engagement also, and uh you know the platforms I spoke about.

K

They're really about, I think the word is gamification.

K

You know because the the platform is lively interactive, so it's kind of fun.

B

um I think we have a unanimous threat running through the cap subcommittee, um very excited.

B

To see you guys internet chris, thank you for everything, know we're doing daryl you and your.

B

Team we've been so deep in the weeds. I think the details of the cat. The last couple of months now.

B

I'm thinking about okay, how do we get this out to more people, especially those of you that are not.

B

Willing to take no for an answer. Thank you so very excited about that, but we got to do more of it.

G

um I have a takeaway and I have a request, so my takeaway is plastic free july. I'm super excited.

G

About that I didn't have that on my radar. Now it is, um and the request is from the young people in.

G

The room, one of the goals of the city council, is to engage more youth in what we're doing at a city.

G

Level and this committee has always served as kind of an example of that, because eco club is active.

G

In this committee and it's one of the only committees where we have young people involved.

G

So think about ways that young people can get more involved in what we're doing at the city.

G

And send your suggestions to the city council, you just go on the website and click. You know.

G

Email, the city council here, are some suggestions for the way youth can get involved in the city.

E

um My takeaway, well specifically, I didn't think about the whole, like runoff from the house and.

E

Like using it to water, gardens and whatnot, so I'm definitely gonna tell my mom about that, because.

E

She's a big garden, and I think that would be a great way. I never really thought about that.

E

um Another thing is just thank you guys for coming back there. um I once was way younger.

E

And was sitting here for my first time and was really scared to talk. So I promise you, everybody.

E

In here cares about what we have to say and it gets easier, but hopefully join eco club next year.

E

I think that's what's next next meeting is july, 28th.

C

C

And thanks for doing a great job.

E

Usually, I've been right here.

A

The summary I think.