Green Neighbors Meeting Minutes

Monday, October 20th

Attendees: Catherine, Annette, Basav, DC, Robert, Lucy, Lindsay

Proposal Processes

Four proposals were put before the group.  The first proposal is the creation of two sets of brochures – one which would provide a list of local “green” resources, and a second which would offer suggestions for ways to save money by going green.  The  idea is to convert the group’s existing fact sheets into “zappy looking” brochures.  These brochures could then be left at locations such as schools, libraries, businesses, and agencies that serve low-income folks.

The goal will be to have at least two versions of each brochure – one in English and one in Spanish.  We already do have a Spanish version, but it needs to be updated.  The money-saving green tips would be a large print job, while the green resources brochure would be a smaller print job, as that information is more subject to change.

The group unanimously approved up to $500 for printing the brochures; this should be more than enough for a large print job.  D.C. agreed to help create the brochures.

The second proposal is to host an Energy Efficiency Workshop workshop, run by the DC Department of the Environment.  These presentations are offered for free and come with DIY kits for making some improvements.  However, Catherine has not been able to reach anybody at DDOE to discuss the workshops. [Editor’s note 11/7/2014: Catherine is now in touch with a DDOE representative who is setting up the workshop. We will announce it once details are finalized.]

The group unanimously approved moving forward, with a date to be determined and coordinated via e-mail.  The only cost to Green Neighbors will be in terms of time and any marketing expenses.  No marketing budget was discussed.  The ideal date would be in fall – before the onset of winter cold – but that will depend on the ability to contact and coordinate with DDOE.

The third proposal was submitted on behalf of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.  They will be hosting a Polar Bear Plunge on January 24, 2015, as a fundraiser.  Any participating group that raises $1000 or more will be allowed to keep half of the money that they raise, with the other half going to CCAN.  Green Neighbors participated in 2014 and raised $2,750, thereby earning $1,375 for our group.

Everybody in our group can help with the fundraising; we also need people to volunteer to actually take the plunge.  Five or more plungers would be sought.  We would also need non-plungers to go and take photos.  It was noted that the fundraising aspect will take more than 1-3 hours of commitment per person – reaching out for fundraising can be time-consuming and will likely necessitate more like 3 to 10 hours.

Three people committed to plunging, and two other people were mentioned as being likely plungers.  Participation was approved without dissent.

The fourth proposal was an arts proposal to be done in conjunction with Day Eight.  Robert presented an idea to get feedback on a potential future proposal. The idea is to involve the arts in a project with Green Neighbors. Robert works with the arts non-profit Day Eight, and he asked to discuss ways Day Eight might partner with Green Neighbors, and he gave some details on a multi-arts dance project he’s currently making which may or may not fit within the Green Neighbors mission and comfort zone. Robert discussed other partnerships in development, and his hope that arts projects (done right) could help to grow participation in the environmental movement by getting people to more in touch with their own bodies and thereby increase their awareness of their connection to Robert is the author of a book called Somatic Ecology which has this a thesis. Discussion that arts events connected to Green Neighbors could be held in conjunction with another event, such as a farmers’ market, jazz night, or as a special arts event. Robert agreed to bring more detailed possibilities to the group and thanked the group for feedback on the concept. The group discussed the proposal but did not take action, as the details of the ritual and Green Neighbor’s role are still being developed.

People’s Climate March

The PCM in NYC was amazing!  400,000 people marched in NY, with over 1 million marching worldwide.  5 members of Green Neighbors attended.  The crowd was very diverse in terms of issues and demographics.  The march got media attention and the attention of policymakers worldwide.

Groundswell Clean Energy Group Purchase

So far Green Neighbors has signed up 71 people for the Groundswell clean energy group purchase (go team!).  The deadline to sign up for the group purchase is this Friday.  We will try to attend ANC meetings in November to do outreach about the second phase of the Groundswell group purchase – letting people know about the contract terms and finding out who wants to sign up with the wind power supplier.  More on that once we hear the final terms from Groundswell.

Treasurer

DC [Editor’s note: 11/7/2014 DC Sundland, for clarity and the record] is our new treasurer!  DC, Lindsay and Catherine will work on setting up our new bank account.