Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission

Memorandum TO: Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commissioners FROM: _______________________________________________________________________ Andrew D. DeCanniere, Commissioner, Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission DATE: October 12, 2022 SUBJECT: September 22, 2022 Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission (SEAC) Meeting Minutes Meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM in the Council Chambers at Skokie Village Hall. This meeting was also streamed live on YouTube. A recording of this meeting may be viewed by going to the following web address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=268T3PVCfxA Present: Chairperson Jennifer Grossman, Commissioners Christopher Buccola, Andrew DeCanniere, Lisa Gotkin, Rick Moskovitz, Emily Okallau, Charles Saxe, Trustee Liaison Ralph Klein, Director of Public Works / Staff Liaison Max Slankard, Assistant to the Director of Public Works / Staff Liaison Elizabeth Zimmerman Absent: Commissioners Michael Gershbein, Alma Likic, Olivia Mahoney, Jim McNelis, Robert Render Also Present: Ted Redmond, Co-Founder, paleBLUEdot LLC I. Opening Statements from Chairperson Jenny Grossman Chairperson Grossman welcomed everyone to the meeting, and thanked everybody for the interest that they are demonstrating by showing up, either in-person or virtually, or by taking the time to view the recording. She also went on to thank the members of the Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP) Team for all of the hours of work that they put in over the summer in order to get us to where we are today, as well as all of those within the community whose interest and commitment to real sustainability will keep this work moving forward. She went on to say that community buy-in and community pressure, as needed, is crucial to ensuring that this Environmental Sustainability Plan is implemented, and that the goals set forth in the plan become a reality. As the plan itself says, implementation is for everyone. She concluded her opening remarks by once again thanking everyone for coming to the meeting, and said that she looks forward to hearing what they may have to say tonight and as the process of developing this next Environmental Sustainability Plan wraps up. II. Timeline for Final Plan — Director of Public Works / Staff Liaison, Max Slankard Staff Liaison Slankard introduced himself and stated that, to echo Chairperson Grossman’s comments, he would like to thank everyone who has tuned in to review the initial draft of the Environmental Sustainability Plan for the Village of Skokie. He also thanked all those who were involved for their participation. He said that it was quite an intensive effort on the part of all of Page !1 of !11 those on the Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP) Team, those on the Village staff, members of Village Boards and Commissions, and a number of community groups and other agencies in Skokie. He thanked everybody for their time and effort. He then went on to say that he just wanted to briefly review the timeline for the plan review process as it moves forward. He also said that he is aware that the next speaker, our consultant, Ted Redmond of paleBLUEdot LLC, will perhaps review some of this in a bit more detail as well. To give everyone a brief understanding of the process, after the presentation this evening, the review of the Draft Plan will continue with the ESP Team through the end of the day on Monday, October 17th. Additionally, the public review of this Draft Plan is underway, and Mr. Redmond will discuss the links that are available for members of the public to access that plan and to make their comments. You can find these links on the Village of Skokie’s homepage, www.skokie.org. The public comment period for this Draft Plan will continue through the end of the day on Monday, October 17th. After the presentation this evening, there will be a community listening session next Thursday evening, September 29th at 7:00 PM, which will be a hybrid session. The session will be interactive, and people will be able to participate both in-person and via Zoom. For those who choose to participate in the session virtually, a link will be provided shortly before the meeting. Following the conclusion of the comment period, the ESP Team will meet once again that following week to review the comments that have been made or submitted, and will prepare the final draft of the Environmental Sustainability Plan. From that point, the Environmental Sustainability Plan will be presented to the Village Board at a specially scheduled Village Board meeting on Monday, November 14th. Following the presentation at that specially scheduled Village Board meeting, the Environmental Sustainability Plan will once again be considered by the Village Board at their regular meeting on the following Monday, November 21st. He concluded by asking whether there are any questions regarding the process. III. Zoom presentation of Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan — Ted Redmond, Co-Founder of paleBLUEdot LLC Ted Redmond, Co-Founder of paleBLUEdot LLC, proceeded to present the Draft 2022 Environmental Sustainability Plan to the Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission and members of the public, who were in attendance both in-person and virtually. He said that he wanted to give everyone a high-level overview of the plan, including the goals and strategies in the plan, and what the projected outcomes or impacts are related to the plan, successful implementation of those strategies, and then wrap up with a recap of how the public can review the plan and may comment on it. He went on to say that he would like to answer any questions that may arise. A question and answer session and further discussion followed the presentation of the Draft 2022 Environmental Sustainability Plan. Commissioner Okallau said that she feels that some great information and action items are included. However, from her perspective, there are a couple of things that seem to be missing that could work to educate the public. While it’s true that we are in a warming trend, and while it is true that our winters are getting shorter, we are still going to see these extreme weather events in the winter. She said that she thinks that is something that is largely ignored by a lot of people, and that when we do get those events in this region, they are often used to deny that climate change is occurring and to suggest that everything is fine. Additionally, those extreme weather events have a significant impact on our infrastructure. She is hoping that this could be Page !2 of !11 included in the impacts of climate change, as she thinks that including this information could have a significant impact. Even if these events occur just for a few days in the winter, that is a major thing. The other aspect that she wanted to address is water. Even if we do not feel it in our region, water shortages around the world are one of the greatest impacts of climate change, and she is therefore hoping that we could include a little bit of language about that within the Water section of the plan, even though we live next to a major freshwater source. Our contribution to global water conservation should be addressed. Mr. Redmond concurred. He said that where water is concerned, given that we live in a water- rich region, it is always a battle to get people to understand that does not mean that we shouldn’t be thinking about water. We have had communities in our water-rich region that have had significant drinking water problems. Extreme weather events can contribute to creating issues for our water sources, and we will be seeing a change in precipitation and the like. He stated that he thinks that those are great comments, and we can explore how we can increase that in the document. Commissioner Saxe said that, echoing Commissioner Okallau’s concerns about water, one thing to keep in mind is that while we do have a great big lake, the aquifers underneath northeast Illinois have been depleted significantly over the years. He thinks that there is going to be a lot of pressure from other areas to tap into Lake Michigan, and we need to be mindful when it comes to diversion of water from the Great Lakes watershed. We need to be concerned about the quality of the water in the lake as well, because there are enough agricultural impacts of runoff that we’ve seen, such as in Lake Erie with the algae blooms. The drinking water was threatened by algae blooms. Therefore, we do need to be mindful of making sure that we are are managing our water responsibly, and that includes here in Skokie as well. He said that he also appreciates Commissioner Okallau bringing up the impact of the extreme weather. We will have these occasional deep freezes, which will have some adverse impacts on infrastructure, particularly as the Village’s infrastructure ages. Commissioner Saxe said that he also had one other question, given that we have this opportunity to discuss the plan. We set this goal of reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35 percent from 2020 levels, and he was looking at the regional Climate Action Plan, which seemed to contain within it a much more ambitious goal for 2030. While he noted that he is a part of the ESP Team, he does not recall how they arrived at a 35 percent reduction from 2020 levels. What was the rationale of setting that as the goal? Mr. Redmond stated that is a good question. They started off by trying to target something that they think they want to hit. It was at least based upon the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations, and upon their guidance for avoiding a 1.5 to 2 degree celsius increase in temperatures. So, initially, it was grounded in that. The 35 percent, which was finalized through the process, is a reflection of original intent combined with where we are with the various sub-goals. We have a goal for such-and-such number of electric vehicles, and a goal for a reduction of such-and-such vehicle miles traveled (VMTs), a goal for energy consumption reduction, etc. Each of those sub-goals along the way were vetted out through a number of in- depth conversations with ESP Team members about different action strategies. When they were all done setting those various sub-goals, they then re-modeled to determine where, based on Page !3 of !11 those sub-goals that had been set, where would the community’s reductions end up? That’s sort of how they ended up at 35 percent. Mr. Redmond went on to note that we should always be thinking about targets today, but that does not mean that we cannot surpass them. The flip side is also true. We can have super aggressive goals, and then if you are at least making good progress toward achieving those goals, that is still a good thing as well. There are different philosophies there. He tends to suggest that we ought to aim for something that is robust that we also feel is achievable, when you look at all of the parts and pieces, and then let’s see what we are able to do in order to not only meet those goals, but what we are able to do to go a little bit beyond and discover that we have surpassed those goals. You’ll see that in the plan within the implementation section. There is intermittent review of progress, and then things get adjusted, as you do those intermittent reviews. Of course, between today and 2030, there will also be new things that come up, whether it is some new technology or some new trend that we will be able to capitalize upon. By doing reviews at appropriate intervals, the Village can decide to push a goal even further, because things are progressing in a way that is even better than had been anticipated. That is also something to bear in mind. Commissioner DeCanniere commented on the Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan, noting a number of items that are proposed to be a part of the plan. Among these, he is pleased to see that Transportation/Mobility are addressed, particularly as it has become pretty clear that transportation is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within Skokie. He noted that he gets around primarily with public transit and by walking, and so is personally aware that there is a need to improve conditions within the community for bicyclists, pedestrians and those who use public transportation alike. He also noted that he is pleased that there is an emphasis on increasing tree cover and green space in the community, particularly as it is arguable that there is a link between one’s mental health and physical health and access to green space. Some studies have also said that there is a link between green space and crime. The more access to green spaces residents have, the lower the rate of crime is within a community. So, aside from the obvious environmental benefits, there are these additional benefits that communities can see from prioritizing access to green spaces. Clearly there are many environmental benefits, such as a reduction in the urban heat island effect, to name but one. He went on to say that he also thinks that it is so important that there is a Sustainable Economy section within the Draft Plan, as he feels it is important to stress the opportunities that exist in the area. He said that he feels as though, quite often, there is this idea that has been peddled by many that says one must choose between a healthy environment or a good economy, and that is just not the case. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity where they can intersect. The reality is you can have a healthy planet and a thriving economy. He went on to note that he is aware that there is a mention of “locally produced food” within the Draft Plan, so he was curious as to whether Mr. Redmond could possibly expand upon that. He went on to ask whether the ESP Team might have identified any particular areas within Skokie that could be used for food production. Mr. Redmond said that, related to this plan, there were no specific locations that were identified. It is more along the lines of actions that could be undertaken to achieve those goals, such as collaborating with the local school district, or with other entities, to identify potentials both Page !4 of !11 physically and from a programmatic standpoint. This is a guidance plan document, not a design document, where they might have pointed out a specific piece of land or a specific piece of property. That would be an implementation step. Commissioner Okallau stated that one of the things that she is sensitive to is whether we are setting up the community — and, particularly the Village staff — for success, and whether we are actually creating items that will be achievable. One of the things that stood out to her is this goal of having 100 percent of Village fleet operations being electric by 2040. Is that actually achievable? First, is it reasonable reasonable for every one of these fleet vehicles to be electric? Second, is that a realistic timeframe, given the cycle of vehicle replacement? Staff Liaison Slankard stated that he thinks that we have to bear in mind Mr. Redmond’s comment. As we sit here today, it is not, because he could not go out and buy an electric fire truck right now, unless we would go to the one manufacturer that has produced the two electric fire trucks that exist in the United States. The thing to bear in mind is that some of these goals are aspirational, and that this plan will take place over a period of years. This plan looks at 2030, and that particular goal is measured through 2040. We know that technology will change and, within that area, it will likely change quickly. So, as we sit here today, he will say that a fire truck that he would buy tomorrow will be in the community for 15 to 20 years. However, the technology may change within five years time, and all of a sudden the ability to create that electric fire truck totally transforms. Therefore, by 2030 or 2035, there may be all sorts of electric fire trucks out there. Commissioner Okallau said that she fully appreciates and can understand that. However, she wonders whether putting this out there will create the perception that it is possible. We have talked about electric vehicles, too, in the sense that we know that it currently wouldn’t work for the Village’s operations due to things like battery limitations, and it may never be possible. She said that she guesses that her question is a question of perception and what we are putting out there, and what the public is going to see. Could they come back and say that this is something that we said, in writing, that this is something that we are going to do? Mr. Redmond stated he wanted to make a clarification. That strategic goal relates to the Village’s gasoline-powered fleet. That would be cars or light-duty trucks, and those types of vehicles. That would not necessarily include heavy-duty vehicles, such as fire trucks or a dump truck. Everyone wants to see the evolution happen across the board, but the strategic goal itself is explicitly related to the gasoline-powered portion. Commissioner Okallau said that, similarly, when it comes to the Transportation goal of improving conditions for biking and pedestrians, she is wondering whether that includes any type of reworking of the street corridors. Does that mean that there will be changes to streets? Looking at the timeline for 2030, is this a reasonable timeline? It is her understanding that being able to improve bicyclist and pedestrian access might take much longer. Staff Liaison Slankard stated that he does not recall the specific item that relates to that particular goal. The point is, however, that the Village has specific improvements that it undertakes every year. So, it is about incorporating those types of considerations into the public improvements Page !5 of !11 process as we move forward, and looking to advance those strategies when and where we can, and working towards achieving those strategies. For instance, there are certain bikeway projects that are out there that they are pursuing funding for, and for which they are doing plan development. As he looks at those goals, to them it is about continuing to prioritize those sorts of projects, and prioritize funding for those projects to continue to try to maximize that sort of transportation. Commissioner Okallau noted that there is a section in which food insecurity is discussed. She said that there is something that is a little bit difficult for her, as “low income” is included in the food insecurity comments, but she doesn’t know that there is a lot about determining what is creating that food insecurity. There is this ingrained assumption that income levels are part of that. While that seems to be a fair assumption, she also wonders if there should be some sort of investment into understanding where the food insecurity comes from. She said that, to her, it feels as though those terms are being used interchangeably, and she is a little bit sensitive to that. Mr. Redmond concurred. He said that, at this point, are aware of the factors that can contribute to food insecurity. What we do not know is the specific mixture of those factors within Skokie. One factor can be income. If I do not have enough income to be able to buy the food that is needed, then that is clearly a factor. However, income is not the only reason for food insecurity. There is also food insecurity that is related to religious or ethnic considerations — the kinds of foods that I eat may not be available to me. It could also be an issue of access. At the present time, we cannot say what mixture of insecurity drivers currently exist in Skokie. That would require a Food Insecurity Assessment. There are groups that can do those, and they can look at all sorts of issues, and could then come up with specific strategies based upon their findings. Typically, they will interview many people. They will look at grocery stores for pricing and what products are available, and at what products are not available. They hold meetings and interview sessions with individuals from the community, ideally targeting a broad range of individuals from different demographic groups, and will put that together to illustrate where our needs are, what we have, and where there are gaps. So, that is something that could be done to identify the local Skokie drivers of food insecurity as specifically as possible. Commissioner Okallau reiterated that she feels that, in the language of the plan, we should also acknowledge that we don’t want to exclude food insecurity that is not driven by income. She said that she did see that there are some portions that do include that, but she said that it just feels off to have food insecurity linked to income in this document. She said that one additional comment that she has is that there is an item in which people who are working with local landscapers and with the construction industry are encouraged to hire those who are using electric machines. She was wondering what impact that might have upon smaller local businesses that may not be able to afford the conversion to electric — especially within the timeframe specified — and to what degree that might negatively impact smaller businesses that might be more local. Mr. Redmond said that’s a good point. Commissioner Saxe said he had a couple of comments. First, as to Commissioner Okallau’s points about food insecurity as well as the achievability of the goals/objectives set forth in the Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan, he said that he thinks there are a lot of strategies and tools that are currently available that Skokie does not use. He went on to say that he thinks that Page !6 of !11 there are opportunities that now exist for the Village to think about things differently and to do things differently, which could move us in the direction we need to go, towards the goals/ objectives of this plan. He thinks that we need to be pretty aggressive about taking a look at that and seeing what has been done in other communities, and also what are some things that are emerging that Skokie could take advantage of that we currently do not do. As far as the food insecurity portion is concerned, he said that he echoes Commissioner Okallau’s concern about tying food insecurity specifically to income. He thinks that there is a lot more that goes into food insecurity, not only the availability of food, but also the quality of food. He then said that what we can also expect to happen over the next several years, and which we are already beginning to see now, is that conditions are going to change pretty dramatically. If you take a look at the retail sector generally, and in Skokie as well, we’ve seen an implosion of retail in just the last 10 years or so. A similar economic fallout could occur in other sectors, and nobody really knows what impact that would have on the availability of goods and services. Therefore, he feels that we need to keep an eye on that as well. Finally, he said that he wanted to note that, at their meeting on Tuesday, they had talked about metrics and benchmarks and regularly measuring our progress towards our goals. This is particularly important when dealing with an environment as dynamic as it is these days, namely with the economic changes that are going on, coupled with the potential disruptions — nobody anticipated the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a major jolt to our systems. A similar thing that we cannot currently foresee could happen in two or three years. Therefore, he thinks it is very important that the Village makes a commitment to monitor this, and to establish some benchmarks — some concrete actions that are going to be taken — and that we also commit the resources necessary to monitor our progress and to evaluate how we are doing. His approach is that we accomplish more by falling short of ambitious goals than we do by meeting diminished expectations. He said that he thinks we need to keep our goals ambitious so that we keep pushing ourselves. At the same time, we need to be realistic about what the things are that we can change, how we will track that, and how we’re going to respond to both the challenges that arise with the changing circumstances as well as any opportunities that may come up. Chairperson Grossman said that she had a couple of questions. First, where the goals are listed in the plan, and then underneath each goal it lists the ways to achieve those goals, on the right side it lists what phase those are in. When will that be put into the plan? Mr. Redmond responded that the current intent is to explore suggested phasing between now and having the final draft of the plan ready for the Village Board in November. So, part of it involves having the actions settle in, and receiving the review comments and the like. As those begin to be integrated, then there is a chance to explore phasing. He also noted that the phasing is intended to be a starting point. We will notice that the phases are described relatively loosely. They do overlap, and that is because they do recognize that some actions are things that may take a few years to get up and going, while another action may be one and done — something that can be up and going in six months, for example. Actions have different pacing. The second thing is understanding that this document is a multi-year plan, stretching across nine sectors. As was talked about in the implementation section, the rubber really hits the road when Village staff has the ability to create the Annual Plan, pulling out those actions that they will be focusing on each year, which relates to budget and staff and so on. They tend to suggest letting the phasing be a little bit soft, only because you will never know what comes about where something that was a Page !7 of !11 “Phase 3” suddenly becomes “Let’s do it next year.” Perhaps funding became available, or a partner has come out of the woodwork who wants to do something — someone who sees it as a great opportunity. You don’t want to go without any direction, but it is definitely important to provide some flexibility to move things around a bit. The phasing has tended to be a framework, but we do not need to be beholden to it. As opportunities come up, the Village will undoubtedly shuffle those around to make sure that it fits into annual implementation well. She also said that, within the Food section, there is a lot of talk about increasing locally-produced foods. One means of doing this is through additional community gardens, but even with an increased growing season of 15-20 days, we have around a six or seven months growing season here, and that is with looking at different types of crops and taking some extra measures to extend that. Are there things that other municipalities, perhaps on a slightly larger scale, have done to work on increasing locally-produced foods? Mr. Redmond said he cannot think of an example where it is explicitly municipal-driven at the moment. However, there definitely are examples of what can be done. For instance, just a few blocks away from his office, there is an indoor garden. There is an organization that has a vertical farm. It’s just a simple warehouse building, and they have a series of vertical farms where they are growing spinach and lettuce, and he believes that they have now begun to grow tomatoes as well. They then sell that in local grocery stores in his area. So, where the idea of gardening or growing food year-round is concerned, we do need to start looking at going indoors in northern climates, where we do get snow and cold weather. So, one example is that perhaps there is a warehouse that’s underutilized or else has been on the market forever and nobody seems to have any ideas for it. Perhaps there is an opportunity there to collaborate with other partners and explore issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a local indoor farm. He went on to say that he is not saying that is what we need to do, but just understanding that increasing the amount of locally-produced food that is available is a goal can then help us keep our eyes open for potential opportunities. Chairperson Grossman asked if we could include language within the plan that does not focus solely on outdoor gardening. She said that she has seen places in the north that do have big greenhouses that do grow things year-round, but those also still tend to be in more rural areas. She went on to say that she thinks that this may require a zoning change, but that she would like for it to be included in the plan. Mr. Redmond said that is a great point. He doesn't know if that was explicitly spelled out, but there may be an opportunity to get that easily integrated into the plan. Commissioner Gotkin said she sent Mr. Redmond some comments about some editing things and formatting things that she feels could be tightened up and fixed. She went on to say that she thinks most of the Commissioners will know what she is talking about, but the Mayor and the Trustees have been talking about this plan in that it is going to enable them to do all sorts of things. To use the example of Carvana coming into the community, they claimed that there was nowhere where they could legally refuse them just to protect wildlife. There was nothing that they could have legally pointed to in order to deny them their ability to build here. Similarly, with Amazon’s distribution center coming into Skokie, that was going to create a lot of pollution. It means having a lot more traffic, and more emissions, in our area. The Mayor and Trustees Page !8 of !11 publicly said they don’t have the ability to reject the business. There is nothing in our ordinances with which to deny them. So, it sort of sounded as though they are relying upon this upcoming plan to have something within it that would give them that permission or legal ability, or to give businesses that are coming to Skokie a heads up that, in which those businesses are informed upfront that they will be evaluated based upon the amount of pollution that their business is going to create, or they are going to do something that really has the potential to harm wildlife, etc. Therefore, she was wondering whether there had been any discussion among the ESP Team members about this, and she was wondering if Mr. Redmond is able to point to somewhere within the Environmental Sustainability Plan that the Mayor and Trustees could use / refer to in order to show businesses that they do not fit into the plan. Mr. Redmond said there absolutely is. Within the pages that she had not quite gotten to yet, under the Cross-Cutting Actions, the first is to continue to build internal capacity and support. Then, specifically, CC 1-5, is to establish and implement a policy to review existing and future Village of Skokie policy and ordinance changes, along with building and zoning variances and requests. Basically, take any Village business that would be expected to have Commission action or Board action, review those against the goals/strategies/actions of the Environmental Sustainability Plan, to ensure alignment of changes with the plan. In addition, they helped some communities — like Bloomington, Indiana — to create a memo that could be used for anything that comes before the City Council or their Commissions for action. On this memo, as a part of the Staff Report, it would just have a box you’d check that says that it is in-line with their plan. If so, they would then have to identify which goals it helps support. If it has the potential of not being in-line, then they would need to identify the ways in which it may be counter to their plan. Commissioner Gotkin said she knows that Commissioner Saxe had been working on something of that sort. Commissioner Saxe confirmed that he had. However, since that work began, both Matt Brandmeyer (Former Community Development Director) and Carrie Haberstitch (Former Planning Supervisor) left, and so he needs to pickup that conversation with the Village’s new Community Development Director, Johanna Nyden. He went on to say that we do need to have some sort of a checklist, or some type of a tool, that would methodically evaluate things that come before the Village against the objectives of the plan. He said that he also thinks that Commissioner Gotkin’s point is well taken in that some of this stuff was in the 2016 - 2021 Skokie Environmental Sustainability Plan and was never done. He thinks that we need to be more vigilant about maintaining the expectation that there is substantive followthrough on this, rather than having these things be a part of the plan and then never revisit it. The Amazon and Carvana projects were two examples of where the Village was caught flat-footed. There really hadn’t been any really good work that was done to implement the plan or incorporate the plan into the project review process. We will really have to stay on top of it. His concern about the Cross-Cutting items is they’re very general — almost like a wish list. He would like the plan to be a little more explicit, stating that these specific things will be done by this date, so that we could proceed rather than having things deferred or finding some reason not to do them. Commissioner DeCanniere noted that during at least one previous meeting, there had been some discussion regarding tracking progress, and he had brought up the idea of having an online dashboard that would be publicly accessible to illustrate how far we have come and how far we have yet to go in achieving our stated goals/objectives as a community. He went on to say that he Page !9 of !11 also agrees on the importance of having all future development within the community align with the goals and objectives that have been set forth in this plan. We do want to advance things, rather than take steps backwards, after all. Therefore, he was wondering whether there is any ability for that publicly accessible online dashboard to include more specifics about all future development within Skokie, so that the public is able to see whether a proposed development is or is not in alignment with the plan. Commissioner Saxe said that was his original intent, and he will be picking that up again and will see if Ms. Nyden is open to it, and will see what can be done. He said that he does agree, there should be something very tangible that can be available to businesses, but that can also help in the evaluation of projects and to be accountable to the public, so that the public can look at that and say “Okay, this is what’s being considered and why.” Commissioner Okallau stated she had another comment. In the Health & Safety section, one thing that is not represented is mental health, and climate change can have a significant impact upon mental health. She is hoping that could be included, specifically, so that people who are experiencing mental health challenges feel seen or heard. Mr. Redmond concurred. IV. Public Comment (3-minute limit) No public comments were received. V. Other Business Chairperson Grossman reiterated the fact that the 2022 Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan Public Input Session will be occurring next week, and that anybody can comment on the plan through October 17th. Information regarding the 2022 Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan Public Input Session, a link to the plan, along with instructions on how to submit feedback/ comments regarding the plan, are posted on the Village’s homepage, online at www.skokie.org. The 2022 Draft Environmental Sustainability Plan may also be accessed directly by logging onto https://palebluedot.llc/skokie-esp-review-menu. Staff Liaison Zimmerman noted that a member of the public who was in attendance had a question regarding next week’s listening session. She said that her understanding is that the listening session is to be similar to this evening, but perhaps a little bit shorter. Mr. Redmond said that the slides from tonight’s presentation will be the same, but he anticipates moving through the presentation itself a little bit faster, given that it will be a slightly different meeting format. He is thinking that some printouts will also be available of some of the details of the plan. He will be moving through the presentation a bit faster, in order to give people an opportunity to move about the space, as his assumption is that many in attendance will not have seen any part of the plan yet. He wants to afford them the opportunity to see as much as they can. He also indicated that, unlike tonight, he will be attending next week’s session in-person. Page !10 of !11 VI. Approval of Minutes Minutes from the July 26, 2022 meeting of the Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission were unanimously approved. VII. Next Meeting Based upon the expected availability of Commission members, the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2022. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM. Page !11 of !11