Recap of the Feb. 20 meeting

Fellow green geeks,

Here is a wrapup of everything I can remember from last week's meeting, plus points from Elba's email.

1. Mugs and cups. We renewed this discussion, but did not achieve final consensus. The feeling was that individualized mugs for each staff member would be good, but that we should have unbleached paper cups available for those who don't want to use the mugs.
2. Monthly email. New task force member Erin S. volunteered to write a monthly email to staff members from the task force. It would include information on new intiative and helpful reminders. David volunteered to edit the emails.
3. Corkboard. Erin S. also had the idea of creating a section of the bulletin board for outside the breakroom that would be devoted to the task force and our environmental initiatives.
4. Freecycle. Val mentioned that we could create a Freecycle-type thing for the Center. This is where Center employees could post free stuff they don't need anymore and are willing to give away to other employees. Val thought it could also go in the newsletter.
5. Carpooling. The task force decided to table the idea of carpooling spaces because it would not be much of an incentive to carpool. Erin volunteered to renew her work on creating a Google map from the list of people who signed up for carpooling. Erin will talk to Greg S. about getting this up on PAW. Elba said she would work with Erin on this.
6. Friday Printer Vacation Day. Elba had a stroke of genius: Friday Printer Vacation Day. This means that we will turn off the big photocopier downstairs once per week, on Friday, except during national finals. Elba sent off an email to Greg B. to request his endorsement of the idea.
7. Bike to Work Day, May 4. Elba suggested renewing our focus on Bike to Work Day. She said in an email that we should start advertising in late March or April so that people can have time to prepare. She suggested two helpful websites: http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/bikeway_planning/biketowork/default.htm and http://www.californiabikecommute.com/support.asp. Somebody raised the idea of having a fundraiser to sponser a rider, specifically Elba. What a great idea! We could mention this in the newsletter and during our Earth Day shindig.
8. Earth Day, April 22. Several people suggested that we have a big Earth Day happening. Suggestions included bringing in food, a composting display, and various other displays about the task force's environmental initiatives. I was thinking maybe we should have music. I was thinking that the food could be free (provided by task force members or by potluck), but the employees could buy desserts to raise money for our initiatives (a dollar per cookie, for example). Erin S. volunteered to bring a dish. So did my wife. I'm hoping it's lasagna. Erin suggested it all be local (L.A. county) food.
9. Reusable bags and lunch bags. Erin S. was a whirlwind of ideas, offering to bring in some of her surplus reusable grocery bags for employee use so that we reduce our reliance on plastic bags. These could also be used as lunch bags.
10. Garden for the Center. Erin S. mentioned that the Center could have its own onsite garden. Nobody was sure where it should go, but I think that it could go at the very edge of the parking lot, which is currently inhabited by broken bottles, etc. There is a spigot near the center edge of the parking lot that could be used for watering plants.
11. Composting. Last, but not least, an idea that is close to my heart: composting. No, it's not stinking, rotting garbage, it's the natural process of decay whereby leftover fruit, vegetables, bread, coffee grounds, teabags, etc. are transformed by nature into warm, moist compost to be spread around the aforementioned garden, or any other garden. I offered to help Erin in any way with this project. One problem: getting a container that could acceptably and non-stinkily be placed next to the garbage can and taken out every day to be dumped in the composter. We'd also have to buy a composter. I can get one for about $20 from the city of Thousand Oaks.