February Meeting Minutes

4th Meeting, GCI
February 7, 2008
Focus: Sustainability, Food, Vehicles

In Attendance: Alyson Mayo, Amanda Ravenhill, Bill McGuinness, Richard Beal, Phil Whitney, Karin Whitney, Bruce Komusin, Barbara Stainton, Bill Dowling, Barbara Meyers, Michael MacFarlan, Mike Westphal and Ruth Westphal

 

Amanda Ravenhill – The goal of today is to get a list of sustainability objectives for our islands. What is sustainability? Sustainability means thinking about the future, peak oil, and climate change, reducing one’s impact on the world, cooperation. How can TCI become more sustainable? One way is through energy audits.

 

Barbara Meyers – We need to look globally at the impacts of our actions. For instance, compact fluorescent bulbs may be toxic.

 

Bill Dowling – We need to ask how we may sustain our way of life.

 

Barbara Meyers – There is no vision on the statewide development level, but it’s possible on the island.

 

Bill Dowling – Collective shopping simplifies and reduces carbon footprint.

 

Barbara Stainton – The store is a natural place to think about sustainability. Energy should be put into the island stores.

 

Barbara Meyers – If I could get the products I want here on the island, I would pay more. Maybe way could have a shopping team or community shopping truck.

 

Bill Dowling – Shopping has a cost associated with it.

 

Amanda Ravenhill – Being green makes economic sense.

 

Barbara Stainton – Change happens, but if we don’t have a positive attitude there’s nothing we can do. On the island we are dealing with an “old timer” mindset.

 

Bill Dowling – If something works, people will use it.

 

Phil Whitney – Look at the trash system. If it’s right, it’ll work.

 

Bill McGuinness – If we look to the past we see good examples of sustainable behavior that we’ve abandoned, canning for instance.

 

Barbara Meyers – MOFGA is fantastic and we have land that can be used to raise food. In Maine, organic sustainable farming is on the rise.

 

Bill Dowling – A community gardening project might be a good place to start.

 

Richard Beal – Has the Islesford community talked about its store?

 

Barbara Stainton – It goes back to how you stock it. Different people have different tastes. You’ve got to pre-order what people want.

 

Richard Beal – What about a food co-op. We’ve had two on this island and both have failed.

 

Barbara Meyers – We should look at why those efforts failed and avoid the pitfalls. We should connect with those people who don’t come to meetings. A co-op could be seen as an attempt to undermine the store. Have there been any conversation regarding food and sustainability. How can we encourage home grown food?

 

Barbara Stainton – Someone could come to the island and raise food on Gary Allen’s land for instance.

 

Barbara Meyers – We should look at people who are already here first.

 

Alyson Mayo – Cooperative farming is an option.

 

Barbara Meyers – Cooperative freezers are also a good idea.

 

Ruth Westphal – That goes back to the old days.

 

Bill Dowling – Reducing local pollution should be a goal. Our cars pollute. How do we combat that? Maybe we can get a grant for a fleet of electric vehicles.

 

Barbara Meyers – Flex cars could work.

 

Bill McGuinness – Encouraging people not to idle is a start.

 

Mike Westphal – What will bring people and kids? Jobs? Housing? Motivated people?

 

Barbara Meyers – Lifestyle is a draw for people. We have friends that would move here if transportation was possible.

 

Ruth Westphal – How much land do you need to raise food?

 

Mike Westphal – Gary supplemented his farm with other work.

 

Barbara Stainton – Micro and greenhouse farming is possible.

 

Barbara Meyers – Barbara Damrosch has a great book on 12 month growing.

 

Amanda Ravenhill – Islesford has met three times and talked. What kind of structure should a sustainability initiative take? 1 group? 2 groups? A food group and an energy group? What do we think?

 

Barbara Stainton – If we separate the islands we du[plicate efforts and waste people’s time. GCI feels strongly about food. LCI feels strongly about energy. Move separately and share where appropriate.

 

Barbara Meyers – Food is important, but may not be the most important issue. The school board is looking to use the Polycom system to connect the islands. That might be a way to coordinate activities.

 

Phil Whitney – Polycom is expanding statewide for various applications.

 

Barbara Meyers – Projects should go somewhere. Talk must lead to action.

 

Amanda Ravenhill – There’s something called the Cool Cities Campaign, where we can commit as a municipality to meeting the Kyoto protocols to reduce emissions. Energy auditing is a first step.

 

Richard Beal – That will be one of two articles that concern sustainability. The other would authorize $10K for sustainability efforts.