Special Meeting of the ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION August 12, 2020, 3:00 pm Zero Waste Advisory Commission to be held on August 12, 2020, at 3:00 P.M. with Social Distancing Modifications. Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance by noon Tuesday, August 11th. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 12th Zero Waste Advisory Commission Meeting, residents must: • Call or email the board liaison at (512) 974-2435 or Dwight.Scales@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker's name, the item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. • Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. • Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes before meeting start to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. • Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. • Handouts or other information may be emailed to Dwight.Scales@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live • The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Dwight Scales in the Austin Resource Recovery Department, at 512-974-2435, for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, please contact Dwight Scales at 512- 974-2435 ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION August 12, 2020, at 3:00 P.M. VIDEO CONFERENCE AGENDA Gerry Acuna Jonathan Barona Ian Steyaert Cathy Gattuso Melissa Rothrock Lisa Barden Amanda Masino Kaiba White Janis Bookout CURRENT COMMISSION MEMBERS: CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS Revision by Zack Baumer 3. STAFF BRIEFINGS 1. APPROVAL OF July 17, 2020, Special Meeting …
To: From: Zero Waste Advisory Commission Ken Snipes Director Austin Resource Recovery Date: August 12, 2020 Subject: Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Recycling Residual Rate The last recorded recycling residual rate was 17.29% Austin Resource Recovery and both vendors agreed to cancelling the Spring 2020 Recycling audit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An early Fall 2020 Recycling audit is still scheduled US Plastics Pact The City of Austin intends to join the U.S. Plastics Pact as a Not-for-Profit Activator, which will formally launch later this summer. Organized by The Recycling Partnership, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and World Wildlife Fund, the U S. Plastics Pact is a collaboration that will bring together companies, government entities, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders to work collectively toward a common vision of a circular economy for plastics, as outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy. This vision aims to ensure that plastics never become waste by eliminating the plastics we do not need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment. The City of Austin joined the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in 2018. More information is available in the activator packet. Economic Impact Study Update Austin Resource Recovery commissioned TXP, Inc. through a Master Agreement to update its 2015 study of the economic impact of recycling and reuse-related in Austin. The study scope was broadened to include a wider definition of industry activities that are recycling and reuse-related. Based on the new definition, in the past 5 years, total direct Austin circular economy employment rose from 2,670 to 3,156, while direct payroll climbed from $74.5 million to $165.8 million. The total current economic impact of the sector, including indirect and induced impacts, is $1.1 billion in economic activity and the support of approximately 6,300 jobs. The study also included recommendations to increase the economic impact of the sector, which has been provided to the Zero Waste Master Plan consultants for review and incorporation as appropriate into the Master Plan Update. The new study is now available online. ARR Solicitations Update As of July 22, 2020 ZWAC Meeting August 12, 2020 Upcoming Solicitations Under Development (in alphabetical order): 1. Education, Cleanup, and Beautification Services: RFP – Contractors qualified to provide education, cleanup, and beautification …
2020 Austin Climate Equity Plan August 12th, 2020 Thank you for having us ● We’ve been revising the Community Climate Plan ● First Draft Recommendations out now ● Draft for Public Comment in August ● Council in October ● We’re looking for your: ○ Comments ○ Areas of Interest ○ Pledge of Support There is an opportunity in this moment Convergence driving Change COVID-19 → Economic Devastation Black Lives Matter Climate Change What people actually want: ● Good jobs and training for new industries ● To be healthy ● Safety in all places for all ● Vibrant community ● Clean environment Existing Initiatives moving in this direction: ● Austin Civilian Conservation Corps ● Green Jobs Grants “The pandemic” is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it. - Arundhati Roy How was this plan created? • 24 City Staff • 120 Community Members (NGO, Govt, Business) • 12 Ambassadors • 4 Equity Trainings • 5 Community Workshops (over 250 attendees) • 14 Steering Committee • 60+ Advisory Group Meetings Meetings • 50+ Interviews by Ambassadors Steering Committee Members Co-Chairs Mayuri Raja, AZAAD, Google Shane Johnson, Sierra Club Katie Coyne, Asakura Robinson Susana Almanza, PODER Joep Meijer, Citizen Jim Walker, Univ. of Texas Rocio Villalobos, Equity Office Drew Nelson, Mitchell Foundation Rodrigo Leal, Navigant Consulting Rene Renteria, Citizen Kaiba White, Public Citizen Lauren Peressini, Sunrise Movement Shawanda Stewart, Huston-Tillotson Univ. Kenneth Thompson, Solar Austin Ben Leibowicz, Univ. of Texas Suzanne Russo, Pecan Street Inc. Pooja Sethi, Sethi Law Darien Clary, AISD Alberta Phillips, Joint Sustainability Committee, ECHO Also: Nakia Winfield, Brandi Clark Burton, Kurt Stogdill 2015 Community Climate Plan Adopted by Council in June 2015 Electricity & Natural Gas Transportation & Land Use Materials & Waste Management 135 qualitative actions directed at departments 2017 Travis County Carbon Footprint 12.5 million metric tons carbon dioxide-equivalent Industrial Processes Our Commitment to Climate Equity Climate Change Racial Equity Eliminate the use of fossil fuels for energy & transportation Energy efficiency Renewable energy Less dependence on cars Electric vehicles • • • • • More trees & natural spaces Healthier consumer choices …
Zero Waste Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes August 12th, 2020 The Monthly Meeting of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission convened through Video Conference on Wednesday, August 12th, 2020, due to COVID-19 Disaster Declaration for all Texas Counties. The following are the meeting highlights. For detailed information please visit: https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/74612 CALL TO ORDER Chair Acuna called the Commission Meeting to order at 3:25 pm Board Members in Attendance: Gerry Acuna, Lisa Barden, Amanda Massino, Ian Steyaert, Melissa Rothrock, Kaiba White Board Members not in Attendance: Janis Bookout (Membership pending), Jonathan Barona, Cathy Gattuso Staff in attendance via WebEx: Ken Snipes, Jaime Germany Terry, Tammie Williamson, Richard McHale, Dwight Scales, Donald Hardee, Amy Slagle, Ron Romero, and Natalie Betts Staff in attendance over the phone: None Chair Acuna opened with comments, 1. APPROVAL OF July 17th SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES Chair Acuna entertained a motion to approve the July 17th Special Meeting minutes. Commissioner Kaiba White made the first motion for approval of the minutes. A second motion was provided by Commissioner Ian Steyaert Item passed Unanimously 2. NEW BUSINESS 2a Discussion and Action – Office of Sustainability Community Climate Plan 2020 Revision by Zach Baumer and Celine Rendon Zach Baumer and Celine Rendon with the Office of Sustainability present the Community Climate Plan for 2020. The first full draft of the presentation will no be released to the public for the public review for another seven to ten days. Commissioner Kaiba White mentioned that she prepared a document outlining the strategies and goals that fall under food and consumption. The Commission will probably want to review after the full draft is released. The first Austin Community Climate Plan was adopted by City Council in 2015. The Office of Sustainability’s been going through the process of doing a five-year update and revision to the plan. We are aiming for an October Council date for adoption. We are interested in your feedback. The planning effort started with direction from the joint sustainability committee last October. The direction was to focus on equity. No one could’ve anticipated a pandemic, economic devastation, job issues, social injustice, the Black Lives Matter Movement that’s been growing and finally stacking climate change which is still happening. The consensus is to act now with bold steps related to climate change. The focus in the planning effort is to focus on jobs, job training, health, safety, community connections, and a clean environment. …
