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Sustainability Alliance of SW Colorado
Board Meeting
June 11, 2009, 5:30 PM
City Council Chambers, Durango, CO
Attending: Keith Fox, Rebecca Koeppen, Lisa Mastny, Carolyn Moller, Marcus Renner, Denise Rue-Pastin, Dick White
Missing: Jim Dyer, Werner Heiber, Sara Holt
Observing: Tracy Hughes with La Plata County
Minutes submitted by Lisa Mastny
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 5:38 PM BY REBECCA KOEPPEN, VICE CHAIR
July LPSD
Dick reminded everyone that the July La Plata Sustainability Dialogue will be devoted to the County Comp Plan, the strategic plan that will be the guideline for La Plata County for the next 20 years. He said that Jason Meiniger with the County will bring a PowerPoint to the dialogue, but that we need to figure out who to invite.
Tracy, speaking for the County on behalf of Jason, said the visioning open houses will start after July 25, so our dialogue would fall between the kickoff (July 1) and the visioning meetings. She said the County has come up with a basic agenda for the dialogue: present the PowerPoint, get feedback/discussion on that, present the community profile (data, demographics, economics), then open the dialogue up for questions/concerns. She said they would conclude with a questionnaire or written exercise for visioning.
Rebecca said that at the Design Academy, there had been talk of a citizen volunteer team, and that they had sent around a sign-up sheet for that. She asked whether this is something we want to bring up at the LPSD, and whether we should invite those people to the event.
Dick asked Tracy whether the three trainings listed in the brochure are the first of a series. Tracy said she thinks they are repeats of the same event.
Marcus suggested that maybe each Sustainability Alliance committee should discuss what they want to see addressed in the Comp Plan, then present these conclusions to see if they can be woven into the plan. He asked whether there is a point person for the event. Dick said that Rebecca had offered to be the point person at the recent Policy Committee meeting.
Dick reiterated that we need to figure out who we really need to invite. Rebecca said we should try to invite folks from Bayfield, Ignacio, and the tribe, since this will affect them as well. She said maybe this should be the same invite list as with the first LPSD.
Rebecca asked Tracy how she would like to handle the invites. Tracy said it would be appropriate for us to invite those people that we have contact with as an organization. Rebecca said the County may also have its own list of folks they may want to invite. Dick said he thinks the invitation should really come from the Sustainability Alliance, because it is our event. Tracy said the County will forward a list of names to Dick.
Dick asked what the County would like to see come out off this event that they are not otherwise getting from their own kickoff event. Marcus said he wondered if maybe all of our committees should present first, then have Jason engage based on our presentation, in an effort to make the event distinct and interactive. He suggested that maybe we should keep the initial background info short. He asked Tracy whether anything that might come out of the dialogue would end up in the final document/plan.
Tracy explained that if the large group identifies what’s important, then this will help to provide a sense of the various values in the wider public. She said she is not sure whether input this early in the process will drive the plan.
Marcus asked whether there are broad sections for the plan. Tracy said they are using the County Compass as an outline. She said they have a giant list of topics and subtopics, covering elements like recreation, environment, wildlife, open space, environment, mining, agriculture, etc.
Marcus said that one format for the dialogue might be to put each section of the Compass on the wall, then have small-group discussion about each, in World Café style. Dick said the crucial issue will be how to address the cross-linkages among issues. He said that our value-added could be to offer an emphasis on systems thinking and identifying cross-linkages. Marcus said that maybe instead of having people rotate, we could break into small groups that try to identify solutions and prescriptive language.
Keith said he wouldn’t want to see us repeating the County processes for getting public input. Marcus agreed that we would want to specifically identify issues that the sustainability caucus wants to see discussed/targeted. He suggested that we maybe present elements of our own plan that represent systems thinking.
Rebcca said she sees two aspects to the event: the plan itself, and the process used to create it.
Denise asked Tracy whether the agenda for the LPSD is similar to the agendas the County is using for its other planned meetings. Tracy said she hasn’t seen the specific agendas, but that they are likely similar. Denise wondered whether it might make sense to show a “Sustainability 101” PowerPoint that discusses systems thinking. She said this could give everyone a common framework, and then Jason could give his introduction afterwards so that people can evaluate it with their “systems thinking hats on.” Dick said he could conceivably boil a presentation on this down to 5–6 minutes.
Dick asked whether we can get a poster-sized copy of the Compass to use at the meeting. He said we could have each of our committees look at the Compass, then frame our own ideas around the Compass framework.
Rebecca said that each committee (energy, food and ag, and local economy) could huddle beforehand, then develop recommendations for what would need to be included in “XYZ sector” to be sustainable. Marcus agreed that if we could develop a “top five” of things we would like to advocate for, that would be huge. He wondered whether there are any other counties that we could emulate, such as King County, Portland, or Telluride.
Financial Update
Dick said that the Gunter Pauli fundraising was a great way to get business contributions. He said we paid Pauli $1,500 for travel, speaking, support.
Carolyn distributed the latest financials and asked if there were any questions. Marcus asked what the $30 expense was for “facility and meetings.” Carolyn didn’t remember but said she would look it up. She said the “gifts in-kind” line item covered the $300 for the Pauli space and videography.
Carolyn said we expect to get $1500 in revenue from the Green Expo.
Carolyn then distributed a sheet comparing the Sustainability Alliance general operations and those of Local First. She noted that the bulk of the income belongs to Local First. She said the main Local First expenses are in the contractor arena (advertising for a director), getting things ready for coupon book, and the annual BALLE membership. Marcus added that the One Tribe software cost $3,000 in total.
Carolyn said she will likely transfer money from the PayPal account to the Community Foundation account. She added that things would be much easier if we were a 501(c)3, which would enable us just to have our own bank account.
Denise asked whether there is a way to tell how much we are getting per year/per month from PayPal. Carolyn said that most of this is under “Individual Contributions” (about 90 percent). She said she still needs to break it down by earmark.
Dick said the printer should be listed under the “fixed assets” line item.
Local First Potential Spin-Off
Carolyn said that Local First is considering various options for the future and has an RFP out for a managing director. She said that from a finacial standpoint, Local First is 90 percent of what we do financially, as well as effort-wise. She asked whether the Sustainability Alliance board is really aware of the financial responsibility we have. She added that we now have a business license.
Marcus said the issue goes back to what kind of organization we want to be. He said he went with Tim Wheeler to the BALLE conference in Denver and came back with a broader understanding of the potential for Local First. He explained that some organizations focus mainly on Local First campaigns, and on keeping dollars locally, but that others are more developed and look more broadly at the shift to a different kind of economy. They include efforts to get new types of enterprises going, using collaborative models.
Marcus said that one of the best examples is Athens, Ohio, where the idea is to bring together nonprofits, businesses, etc to create entrepreneurial initiatives that support sustainability. He said this brings a different type of thinking into business activity and entrepreneurial development. He said another good example is Sustanability Connections in Bellingham, WA, a group that is structured similarly to the Sustainability Alliance, with a food program, green building program, etc.
He said the main question is whether the Sustainability Alliance, as an organization, wants to give birth to a group like Local First, with the above “value proposition.” He said our role would then essentially be to spawn other organizations and efforts that then go off on their own, with a light overall organizational structure. He said the other option would be to keep Local First within the Sustainability Alliance. He asked: what is the best role for SASCO to play? He noted that once the new director is hired, we will have three contractors working on Local First, one of whom will eventually have a permanent staff position.
Denise asked what the timeline is for making a decision. Carolyn said that Local First is not proposing anything specific right now. Marcus said the group would like to make a decision about direction within the next month.
Keith asked what Local First thinks about spinning off. Marcus said that they conducted a survey of founding members and that 25% said yes, 60% didn’t know, and the rest questioned why we need yet another nonprofit. He said the idea is to run the organization more like a business, and to create value streams based on specific activities. Carolyn said that one model is the 501(c)6 model for membership organizations, where benefits are primarily for the businesses rather than for the community. She said we could maybe use the 501(c)6 for Local First, then use the Community Foundation as a 501(c)3 as a pass-through for grants. She said there is also a coop model.
Marcus said that if Local First does become its own organization, then his recommendation would be to disband SLED and to let the new organization take over SLED’s functions.
Dick asked where the ag community stands with regard to Local First. Marcus said there are only two ag members in the organization (Foxfire and James Ranch). He said that Jim Dyer and Katy Pepinsky have been swapping attendance at meetings. He said that there had been a worry about the name not being supportive of the ag community but that this was largely resolved.
Dick agreed that if Local First takes on a broader vision, then it would be doing what the Sustainability Alliance wanted to accomplish with SLED. He wondered what the implcation would be for the ag activities and committee, noting that some of this work might come under Local First, though the ag committee covers the broader dimension of food and ag as well. He said we need to think more about these relationships.
Dick said that maybe Local First could be a 501(c)6 and SLED/SASCO could serve the nonproft function.
Keith said that it makes sense for Local First to want to be independent, and to be based on a business model. He said the real issue becomes what happens with the other relationships, such as SASCO and SLED, etc.
Rebecca asked how we should go about reaching a decision about this. She said she likes the idea of a potential green business angle and also likes the idea of taking this activity off SASCO’s plate. She asked whether there are any potential negatives to the spinoff.
Carolyn said that it would be better to be separate financially, noting that the SASCO board really knows very little about the three contractors the organization is in fact responsible for.
Marcus said that if SASCO wants to hold on to Local First, as something we are doing in the community, this would push us toward becoming a larger organization in the future. He said it is difficult to imagine how Local First would move forward as part of SASCO in its current incarnation. Dick agreed and said he doesn’t see how Local First can move forward with SASCO, given the disparity in resources and the fact that the SASCO board meets only every other month but that major decisions for Local First would need to be made more frequently.
Website
Lisa updated the Board on the status of the website negotiations with Steve Conklin, and explained that he is available to get started on the website transfer.
Rebecca made a motion to authorize the expenditure of $1000 to hire Steve Conklin to update the Sustainability Alliance website, and for Lisa to be the liaison person. All were in favor. Lisa said she would draw up a contract with Steve explaining that we will provide half of the funding up front, and the rest on delivery.
Green Jobs Campaign
Marcus gave a quick update on the May La Plata Sustainability Dialogue. He said it was a fun discussion, with interesting outcomes. He said the main theme was: how do we use public and private space as a resource? (rooftops, medians, etc). He said the group discussed the potential for homerule, neighborhood-scale energy production, a composting facility, and for developing new industries. He said Asst. City Manager Greg Caton would like to incorporate space for a green jobs incubator, perhaps at the new recycling center.
Dick said he is concerned that there isn’t more public input to the new waste station. Marcus explained that Greg said we should write a letter if we have any ideas on this. Denise said she feels that something is not connecting between what Greg is saying and the reality of what’s happening with San Juan Basin Recycling/Nancy Andrews. She said her sense is that they don’t really have the money, a location, etc. Marcus agreed that the SJBR quarterly meetings could be an avenue for public input, not just information sharing.
Denise said she is trying to prod more action on the regional recycling front and that it would be helpful to have more support in this effort.
Rebecca proposed holding an additional forum to gather knowledge and ideas for how to go about creating green jobs—to engage the business community. Lisa said Local First/SLED would be the perfect home for this. Marcus said the main question is timing: i.e., how fast would we need this to occur? He said Local First can’t do much this year, except maybe bring people from Bellingham here to do a training workshop.
Rebecca asked what role SASCO could play on the green jobs front. Marcus said he sees two prongs: 1) moving green jobs forward on a policy level. and 2) actual projects, which could include green incubation. He said he could see SASCO helping movement on the latter, such as the recycling facility.
Denise wondered whether, at the July LPSD, we could consider County Comp Plan ideas in relation to green jobs. Marcus noted that “green jobs” is a bit of a buzzword for advancing sustainable local economic development, which Local First and others are already doing. Dick added that there are places where the stimulus package will come into play, and that another aspect is the job training piece. He said there are a lot of fronts on which things will be happening, including the County Comp Plan, CEAP, etc.
Events Organized under SASCO's Name
Rebecca said the Executive Committee had discussed developing guidelines for organizing events under SASCO’s name. She said the EC concluded that if someone wants to organize an event, they should first identify the relevant committee, then organize it under those auspices. She said that if the event doesn’t fit under a specific committee, the person should go to the Executive Committee; if there is an event that involves public officials, it should be brought before the EC.
Rebecca made a motion that the Boardadopt the proposed EC guidelines specifying that individuals planning an event should not operate on their own and should go to a committee where possible. If no committee is apparent, they should go through the EC. All were in favor.
Marcus said this brings up issue of whether the SASCO Board needs to be involved in the decisionmaking process for hiring the Local First director. Dick said he thought the Board had reached an agreement granting Local First the authority to spend money out of their account without Board oversight. Lisa said she would check the minutes from last summer to find the specific language about spending this money.
Replacing Board Members
Rebecca said that both Katy Pepinsky and Linda Illsley have resigned from the Board, and that Carol Clark’s seat is still open. She said Erich Bussian has expressed interest in becoming a Board member, and that Heather Gregory would also be a likely Board member, if she were interested in running.
Denise said she has been networking to find a replacement for herself on the Board for next year. She said she talked to Megan Maloney, the new water person at San Juan Citizens Alliance, who would provide both water and regional representation. Denise said Meghan had expressed interest and that two 4CORE employees also seem receptive to serving on the Board (Aileen Tracy would be too busy).
Rebecca said that she and Lisa agreed to be the contact persons for any interested potential Board members.
Dick said the Board has the authority to appoint someone to fill out the duration of the terms, but that all of these seats would be open for reelection in the Fall. Lisa said she would include a notice about the openings in the e-newsletter, with the wording that all Board members must participate in at least one committee.
Rebecca said she would contact Mark Pearson about possibly serving on the Board.
4C Event on June 21
Marcus said that 4C is a relatively new local group that wants to use the arts and celebration as a way to inspire people on sustainability issues. He said they have been organizing events around the equinox/solstice and that he is also trying to connect 4C with the Environmental Center.
Carolyn noted that on June 21, 4C is holding a solstice festival at Buckley Park and has asked SASCO to contribute. She said we indicated that we would have a booth, but that we would need people to booth-sit. She said that she would be able to do a shift, and that Lisa had offered to do so as well. Marcus said he could do a short shift and might have a student that can help as well. Denise asked whether we could also just do a static booth, leaving the brochures there for pickup later.
Carolyn said she would contact Gretchen with 4C about the timing and what’s involved.
Column in Herald
Rebecca said that Mark Pearson is leaving San Juan Citizens Alliance and that this suggests he may abandon his monthly column in the Durango Herald (though we don’t know). She asked whether we might want to consider taking this on if he does. She said it would be a great mechanism to reach people, but there is also a concern about whether we can handle the work load.
Carolyn asked whether we could share the column with another group, or just do it bimonthly. Denise said she could maybe contribute 1 or 2 columns, especially around national drinking water month. Marcus wondered whether it would make sense to focus the articles on connections, highlighting community collaborations as a way to be aligned with our mission.
Rebecca said she would contact Mark to find out more about the availability of the column. Dick noted that Nancy Jacques’ column may also be available. He agreed that a bimonthly column would be more doable.
Regional Sustainability Conference Calls
Lisa summarized an update from Werner that the regional calls are on hold for now, since Kris Holstrom hasn’t really had time to take the lead on this. Denise said she was disappointed and noted that one of her reasons for stepping down from the SASCO Board is to become more involved in the regional aspects of this work.
Resolutions
That the Board authorize the expenditure of $1000 to hire Steve Conklin to update the Sustainability Alliance website in the summer of 2009, and for Lisa Mastny to be the liaison person for this work.
That the Board adopt the proposed Executive Committee guidelines specifying that individuals planning a Sustainability Alliance-related event should not operate on their own and should go to a committee where possible. If no committee is apparent, they should go through the EC.