PlacerSustain: Voices of Placer County's Sustainability Community

Attendees:  Kathryn MacRoberts, Suzon Lucore, Margie McCavitt, Megan Erekorian, Cindy Strickland, Gary Liss, Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Joe Looney, Ed Armstrong, Marc Fechner, Jeff Bordelon, Sue Bordelon, Bob Garrison.

Personal Sharing:   About 2011 accomplishments and interest--looking forward to next year.

1.  Gary Liss--(Town of Loomis Info)

• Shed to Shed Energy Initiative
• New Town Manager, Pursuing Sustainable Loomis
• Next Year, Beyond One Big Bin to Beyond One Big Bin, Zero Waste, Chipping Program

2. Sue Bordelon

• Learning about how the City works by being on the Planning Commission
• Starting a sustainable organization at the church, Shepherd of the Sierra (SO.
• Energy Fair at the Church on Noveber 3, 2011.
• Exploring Solar Energy at the Church Property, $2,000 per month in energy bill.
• Kids Count children's program, commitment to provide all the vegetables for the children all organic by 2015.  Goals of installing 88 raised garden beds on the Church property.
• Imagining driving down Rocklin Road and seeing a beautiful garden on the church property.
• Personally, working on our home garden and improving the soil.  Using rotten hay from Douglas Ranch Supply (30-40 tons), collecting wood chips from local wood products manufacturer, local horse ranches.
• 3.  Cindy Strickland.   Looking to get more involved with PlacerSustain in 2012.  Goals of PlacerSustain dear to her heart.  On the Board of Roseville Arts and an Arts Consultant.  Roseville Arts has participated in Earth Day at the Roseville Exploration Center.

Discussion:  Roseville arts has participated in Earth Day and last year ran a special show at the gallery featuring Deanna marsh, and Auburn artist. There was some discussion of the role of arts and media in carrying the message of our connection to nature on levels beyond politics. There was mention of a new documentary on the Story of the Universe that will be showing on Public TV which connects us with nature.

4. Marc Fechner.

A Dad first and a corporate citizen second.  As a Dad, very passionate about sustainability and kids.  Professionally he works with HP on sustainable supply chain logistics.  In 2012, education with kids, working at the college level on teaching sustainable supply chain practices.  It is about children and a core value system in children that becomes part of who we are.

Discussion:  A quote from the Pioneers convention this last weekend, "a creative adult is a child that survives." There was also the story of the Pioneers convention about the convening of a group of 11-year-olds that tackled a real-world sustainability problem and showed amazing clarity and sophistication and how they address the issue. There were some amusement about doing a film that shows the difference between how a group of kids and a group of adults address the same problem.

5. Suzon Lucore.  She was on the Design Review committee for Yuba City some years ago and helped in some planning that affected her neighborhood, and now sees,  many years later, how that effort has come real.  Excited about green technology and new energy, particularly in her role as a marketing director for Brower Mechanical.  She is working on a number of energy events to inform the public about energy conservation and solar energy opportunities.  Suzon has a background in the Arts and is interested in how the Arts may contribute to sustainability.  Has a son on full scholarship at Davis studying international business--calls herself a "Green Mother."

Discussion:  Importance of social media, getting the message out, and reference to PlacerSustain's new You Tube channel.

6. Joe Looney.  Expanding organics gardens at the house, raising meat rabbits, member of the Auburn 2020 Visioning, Sacramento Valley Permaculture Guide, Building a Website that focuses on urban sustainability--raising food, chickens, rainwater capture…   His new website will be "Actinyouryard.com", which will employ several months.   He is launching .  He will be teaching a class on edible landscaping at the Placer Adult School.  Consulting business to teaching small homeowners about edible landscaping.

Discussion:  There was discussion about capturing classroom presentations and workshops on video, putting that information on the plaster sustain YouTube channel, incorporating this type of knowledge that is resident in our communities in our local "sustainability learning Institute," a proposal floated by PlacerSustain that was adopted by the Placer County economic development Board. It was noted by Suzon Lucore that ecology action is currently training community volunteers( mainly Sierra college students) on energy conservation practices, who will then go out into the community and share information about energy upgrade California.  Michael Dela Pena, a PlacerSustain member, is a leading that effort toward ecology action.

7. Ed Armstrong.  Armstrong owns 12 acres in Placer County and personal interest are similar to Joe Looney--permaculture.  Professionally Ed is a landscape architect who works for Foothill Associates. His passion is creek restoration and low impact development practices.  He has chickens and is actively feeding the hawk population.  His daughters are attached to the hens, so they won't be eating much chicken either.  His is rotating the chickens in the garden.  He will be implementing a grey water catchment in the upcoming year.  Professionally, three main things are stormwater runoff catchments,  low water use plant landscaping, and smart watering through the use of weather sensors on irrigation systems.   Foothill and Associates did the design work on the Downtown Plaza in Auburn with stormwater infiltration features.  In Citrus Heights they are working on reclaiming a pool and parking lot into stormwater swales,  native plants, trails, interpretive signs,and habitat on the creek.  They are pursuing a grant with Citrus Heights for an Arcade Creek Preserve, recommending riparian restoration, lowering banks to reconnect the flood plain, and parking with permeable pavers.

Discussion:  there was discussion about a John Lu documentary on the restoration of the Upper Yellow River ecosystem in China and what some of the large-scale ecosystem restoration op in Placer County. Mention was made of the dry Creek, Coon Creek, and Auburn Ravine watershed studies as a source of information on local restoration opportunities.

[notes will continue on second installment, more to come!]