Welcome to the City of Hyattsvilles Cool Cities Campain!!

Action taken by the Hyattsville Environment Committee will lead to the signing of the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement. Please help us by joining HEC YES!

Cool Cities is an initiative created by the Sierra Club to help Cities across the country to stop global warming by signing the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. The Cool Cities campaign helps cities turn their commitments into action by pushing for smart energy solutions.

The City has joined the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a partner to the Sierra Club in the Cool Cities campaign. ICLEI provides a software for conducting a Green House Gas Emissions inventory. This tool will show us our current emissions, by sector, and help determine targets for reduction and strategic actions for achieving those targets.

Below are the minutes of the first meeting of the Hyattsville group, contacts for this group and links to what others have done and other conservation information. Be sure to click on the shaded areas of this page to go to pages about that shaded areas (hyperlinks).

Coordinator – Elizabeth Arnold - elizabetharnold@earthlink.net
Secretary/Web/Email – Jim Groves - jgroves@nea.org
Flyers/research/PR/ – M.A. Sheehan - mas@sheehanlawgroup.com
Full Support – Cynthia and Rebecca - Rebecca-Roberts@att.net
PR/Policy – Stuart Eisenberg - seisenberg22@hotmail.com

Energy Hog! A game for kids - click here!

Something easy to do to make a difference!

In addition to switching to wind energy for our homes (via Pepco Energy Services, see below), we can add our voices for alternatives to mountaintop removal coal mining at Stop Mountain Top Removal:

COOL CITIES MEETING - 9/14/06
Minutes by Jim Groves

Discussion on next steps of Cool Cities Group.

Stuart Eisenberg offered to put together a memo for the City on what can be done now by the City with little effort and cost to help us meet our goals. This memo will also go into the potential cost saving for the City by enacting some changes. Jim Groves offered to help Stuart on this.

Mayor Gardener suggested that Cool Cities comes ot the Council with a presenation of these ideas so that the City will understand what it is that we are looking to do. (Editors note: I suppose they could come to our meetings as well to find this out).

Rebecca will work on getting the message out to the schools by developing some kind of lesson plan or activity around the Cool City goals.

Jim Groves has secured a table for the Hyattsville Green Festival on Octover 14, 2006 from 1-4pm. We will hand out information about Cool Cities and our efforts in the City of Hyattsville.


HOPE Meeting 8/24/06
Minutes taken by Jim Groves

Meeting opened with a viewing of Kilowatt Ours - "http://www.kilowattours.org/"

Facilitator - Laurel Imlay – Sierra Club

What is Cool Cities – Laurel spoke about Cool Cities campaign. 4 main steps:

1. Mayor to sign on.
2. Create an inventory of energy uses
3. Make a plan on how to reduce
4. Enact the Plan

To achieve these steps, certain things need to be done:

1. Need to reach out and bring in Partners.
2. Figure out what City is already doing
3. Dealing with Mayor - (non-issue since Mayor was there!!)
4. Organize press conference to make it public that City is doing it. It was explained that this is the last step so that once it is made public that the City has signed onto this that their "feet are held to the fire" regarless of who is the Mayor.

Mayor signing onto Mini Kyoto agreement – Co2 below 1990 levels by 2012. Is it City Gov’t or Hyattsville as the whole? Answer: Whatever we want to do. There is stuff city can do right away and then there is stuff that the City can help in getting its citizens to do.

1. energy use
2. where it comes from
3. conservation
4. transportation and land use

Goals

1. Why not have a Cool County? A larger event – Cool Corridor! Fred Sissine said that County Council Person Shapiro had resolution passed in 1999 and County Council Person Campos had another letter signed.
2. Goal to have Step One accomplished.
3. Set up communication network and outreach (MyHyattsville)
4. Getting Schools involved (northwestern) – Broaden our outreach. Businesses.
5. Who wants to participate as a member of a Cool City campaign.

i. Suzanne, Jim Ryan, MA, Fred, Ann,

1. Next meeting date and coordinator. Laurel will assist.
2. Where to focus efforts first? Outreach to residents to promote energy efficiency? Getting people involved? Focus on what City Can do and also work with City to promote efficiency. New development projects – biggest opportunities.

Observation: As we go forward our goals can grow with participants. Have to utilize our advocacy time.

Mt. Rainier – Fred Sissine – Already had someone who wanted to do energy conversation. Time you use to approach city has to be done perfectly. Focused on savings – energy savings equals money. Spoke about Police Station in Mt. Rainier and the Green Design. Key Point – there are grant opportunities – need to know where they were and get the City to write the grants for the money. Got grant money to audit City Energy as well as a few other public buildings. Street Lighting is another big user of energy. Had an expert who did a presentation on street lighting to find not just energy savings but quality of light. Don’t recreate the wheel! Whatever we are looking for you can find an expert to do a workshop or assist to make sure you get it right. Fred is a resource!!

Who to invite to the next meeting.

What clubs, organizations, hobbies, other people you know. Who will you invite?? Group brainstormed the following groups/people that would be contacted to join us at the next meeting.

Largest Landowners, Operators of University Town Center, Pepco, Mall at Prince Georges, Members of Hyattsville Administration. Hyattsville Artists, Architecture, School Teacher, Region 5 Office School System, Church Environmental Committee, Kids and Friends, Friends – Lesbian & Gay List, Rugby Team, LNG, PGACT (community transit committee), Hyattsville Presentation Association, Council members. DeMatha, St. Marks, Concordia, St. Matthews, St. Jeromes, Realtors everywhere, builders, soccer HMB, Pool, Friends of Magruder Woods, PG Pool, Community Forklift, Glut, MOMS, PG Greens Listserv, Anacostia Watershed Society, Members of NW Branch, Planning Committee, Political Committees.

Planning Committee for Cool Cities Hyattsville formed:

Coordinator – Elizabeth Arnold
Secretary/Web/Email – Jim Groves
Flyers/research/PR/ghost, etc. – M.A. Sheehan
Full Support – Cynthia and Rebecca
PR/Policy – Stuart Eisenberg

Fred Sissine mentioned that Jack Werner of the Climate Institute, has offered a greatly reduced rate for those of you who may want to attend the Institute's upcoming conference on Climate Change (click here, for more info). Basically, Jack convinced management to let a few of us attend the entire coference just for the cost of meals, no registration fee etc. The total would be $75 for each pass to attend all four days of the conference. If you are interested in attending and the fee is the only barrier, let Fred Sissine know (email - FSISSINE@crs.loc.gov )and he would be happy to help. Also, it may be possible to share 1 or 2 tickets, with people alternating attendance. We should let Jack know how many are coming asap and make the $ arrangements.


Cool Links: