19:01:52 From INT Tech Support Tamber Hilton : Si desea escucha esta reunión interpretada en español, y está utilizando una computadora, haga clic en el ícono del globo terráqueo que se encuentra en la parte inferior derecha de su pantalla Zoom, y elija el canal de español. Si se está uniendo mediante la aplicación Zoom para tabletas o teléfonos inteligentes (smartphones), puede encontrar la función de interpretación pulsando ‘mas’ o los tres puntos en la parte superior derecha de la pantalla de su tableta o en la parte inferior derecha de su celular. Después pulse ‘Interpretación de Idiomas,’ elija ‘español’ y después ‘finalizado.’ 19:02:01 From INT Tech Support Tamber Hilton : If you would like to listen to the meeting interpreted in English, and you are using a computer, please click the globe icon at the bottom right of your Zoom screen and select the English channel. If you are joining via the Zoom app for tablets or smartphones, you can find the interpretation option by clicking “More,” or the three dots located in the upper right corner of your screen on your tablet or in the lower right corner of your screen on your phone. Then select “Language Interpretation,” then choose English, and click “Done.” 19:13:40 From Behram Pastakia : Can you please share a recording of this presentation by Marc Ehlrich including the slides so that we can share it with our own wider communities? Behram Pastakia, Bethesda, MD 19:14:08 From Wendy Howard, CC-P®, One Montgomery Green : If you have questions for the county executive or other department reps please put your question here in the chat. 19:14:23 From Tony Hausner : I second Behram's request. and the slides 19:15:06 From Sandra Brecher : We can make the presentation recording available to all. 19:15:44 From Ana Arriaza : Si tiene preguntas para el ejecutivo por favor póngalos aquí en el chat 19:16:04 From Tony Hausner : A good summary would also be very helpful. Briefer than this. And include capital budget as well. 19:16:11 From Laurie Halverson : What is the logic for doing more than the federal government recommends? 19:16:27 From Denisse Guitarra : How or where can people sign up for the Save as you Throw program? 19:16:29 From Behram Pastakia : Thanks for sharing the recording and slides; please share in both Spanish and in English versions, Thanks 19:17:10 From Demetri D : its not 19:17:20 From Demetri D : mainstream media isn't to be trusted 19:17:23 From Robert Booher : Are you looking at electrifying the Shady Grove bus facility? 19:17:23 From Kenneth R. Hinga : The initiatives listed in the presentation are good, but why isn’t the County making investments in its own infrastructure that will not only help mitigate climate change but provide a good return on investment for the county’s citizens. The investments I suggest are to put solar panels on the many many acres of parking lots that the county owns, especially in its schools. Solar investments are just that, we will get a return on investment. I put in a solar array two years ago on a house, and the numbers work out to project that over 25 years, the initial cost will provide a 12% annual return on investment in electricity cost savings. So far the projections are valid. Why use agricultural land for solar arrays when we have lot of conrecte covered land that we could use. 19:17:29 From Demetri D : its owned and controlled by special interests 19:17:54 From Demetri D : I am all for being environmentally conscious and doing what we can but there is a sinister underlying goal of ESG to be aware of. We shouldn't rush to make drastic changes at the expense of the populace 19:18:20 From Demetri D : none of those are factual statements, just thoughts 19:18:43 From Sylvia Tognetti : rainfall data used for stormwater management hasn't been updated since about 2000 19:19:24 From Jennifer Khovananth : What is in the budget to help tackle waste along the roads and rivers? I am spending so much of my free time collecting these items. How can we change the mindset of our county residents to rethink our waste to consider it a resource. Especially in light of the strategic environment where the top providers of aluminum are #1 china and #2 Russia. 19:19:53 From Karen Metchis : Are the funds you described all addgitional new money? Esp. rainscap;es? 19:20:21 From Janette Rosenbaum : As the chair of the Gaithersburg Environmental Affairs Committee, I'm reviewing the Gaithersburg Tree Manual, which is derived from County rules. How can we get better rules that actually protect trees? We know this is crucial for addressing climate change. 19:20:34 From Denisse Guitarra : Also on slide 2 where it said $100,000 to go to incentives for individuals and business to electrify - how and where can people sign up? 19:21:04 From Lee McNair : can you make sure the renting farmers in the AG Reserve are not driven out by the property owners who might find it more advantageous to rent or sell to solar developers rather than farmers 19:22:12 From Kenneth R. Hinga : Solar awnings on parking lots have been very successful for the some universities and look at the solar awnings at Ikea in college park. Solar awnings are the low hanging fruit of climate mitigation. 19:22:32 From Jeffrey Neal : It’s great to see these investments for Sustainability and Equity. The MoCo Strategic Plan to Advance Composting provided 6 recommendations. Glad to hear you’ll continue funding one of them, supporting hauling of food waste for commercial businesses by funding the Commerical Food Scraps Recycling Program. One recommendation has not been funded, yet, On-site Composting of Business and Industrial food waste. This approach overcomes the hurdles blocking the centralized approach to composting for meeting the capacity needed of land cost and restrictions from zoning, permitting, and neighbor resistance. Is adding funding for this approach something you would consider? Similar funding for this as with the Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Program could provide longer lasting capacity beyond one year as an on-site composting machine would continue indefinitely once implemented. Thank you! 19:22:47 From Jennifer Freeman : Can you comment on investments in locally grown table crops on farmland as an important role in climate change? 19:22:53 From Lindsey Shaw, DEP : Join the Montgomery County Plogging Challenge for those who pick up trash while walking about: https://mygreenmontgomery.org/2022/plogging-challenge/ 19:23:05 From sheldon fishman : what efforts are being made to grow crops for humans in the ag reserve to reduce GHG transporting food out of state? 19:23:59 From Tony Hausner : your thoughts on solar on ag reserve? 19:24:22 From Tony Hausner : I have heard lotsof congtroversy over this 19:25:26 From Lee McNair : could we create a climate pilot program for both low cost housing and a climate energy efficient and solar all electric building where the Chevy Chase library is? a kind of showcase to show developers it can be done. 19:26:25 From Kenneth R. Hinga : Why cover any farmland or natural environments when the county has many many acres of parking lots that would be suitable for solar awnings? 19:27:04 From Karen Metchis : Will that change in the new climate bill sent to the governor to sign? 19:27:30 From Denisse Guitarra : Council needs to past a new forest conservation law reform like the one proposed by the Montgomery County Forest Coalition which will protect forest ecosystems and plant more trees: https://conservationblog.anshome.org/blog/moco-forest-coalition/ 19:27:43 From Jennifer K : What is the county doing to increase partnerships with in the community? In particular youth groups. Example. Our Boy scout troop has conservation and sustainability requirements for rank advancement. Providing more opportunities to partner with youth groups to plant trees, clean rivers, Eagle Scout / Gold Award projects. There is a big need for this! 19:28:11 From Denisse Guitarra : Can the answer to questions be shared when slide notes are share too? 19:29:52 From Sandra Brecher : We can share the Chat as well as the recording of the presentation. 19:30:19 From Denisse Guitarra : Ok thank you 19:33:16 From Kenneth R. Hinga : Why are the county’s educational facilities left out? 19:34:23 From Tony Hausner : Please post link tothis pdf 19:35:14 From Stan Edwards : https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OMB/Resources/Files/omb/pdfs/FY23/psprec/74-FY2023-REC_ClimateChange.pdf 19:35:55 From Tony Hausner : thanks 19:39:10 From Laurie Halverson : I am very concerned that the proposed changes could hurt businesses that will be expected to comply with the new initiatives and may keep businesses from coming to MoCo. Is climate change a top issue of residents? I don’t think so. It may be a top 10 issue but not a top 5 issue. The budget should help businesses, not hurt them. These initiatives will not be business friendly and may keep potential businesses from coming to MoCo. 19:39:38 From Jeffrey Neal : Thank you, Director Hochberg: What are your thoughts on funding the recommendation from the MoCo Strategic Plan to Advance Composting of “On-site Composting of business and industrial food waste” in the similar manner as the Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Program. Such an investment would provide needed composting capacity and to scale that pursuing centralized systems has been blocked from providing and would continue indefinitely after initiating on-site composting demonstration sites. Thanks! 19:41:01 From Tony Hausner : what are the most important proposals in the capital and operating budgets. and why are these important. 19:44:07 From Kenneth R. Hinga : This budget misses the opportunity to pluck the low hanging fruit. Put solar awnings on school parking lots (and roofs where suitable) to generate electricity and provide a long term profit for the county. 19:44:23 From Allisong McDaniel : I noticed that no one ever talks about population control. In the last 15 years I've been in Germantown, I've seen forests razed just to make way for more houses (think Clarksburg). How much more of this? 19:45:05 From Ana Arriaza : https://mygreenmontgomery.org/2022/calling-creative-minds/ 19:45:26 From Jeffrey Neal : In the dollar figures table at the end of the climate change FY23 pdf listing the items and funding amount with each, which items funds DEP’s Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Program? 19:45:46 From Janette Rosenbaum : In the last few weeks, as gas has jumped to $4 a gallon, I'm STILL seeing folks idling their engines. How can we eliminate these totally unnecessary emissions? 19:47:05 From Jennifer K : HI Sandra, can you please msg me privately and I will give my number to discuss partnership with scouts. 19:48:33 From Kenneth R. Hinga : Why compost with food scraps instead of using the food scraps to generate methane which is then used to generate electricity. 19:49:47 From Department of Environmental Protection : Commercial Food Scraps Recycling program: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/SWS/foodwaste/index.html#foodscrapswork 19:49:59 From Karen Metchis : The county owns several golf courses. How abut solar in some of those, at least on the roughs? 19:50:09 From sheldon fishman : great DOT will up their work on street trees but those are not real forests, what is being done to preserve existing FORESTS and expand forests? 19:50:55 From Karen Metchis : Construction trucks idle a lot, for long times 19:51:01 From Jeffrey Neal : Hello, Sandra: The composting questions was asking about funding “on-site” composting demonstration sites similar to the existing Commercial Food Scraps Recycling program (which is not on-site, rather hauls food scraps) 19:51:05 From Sylvia Diss : Which department would be responsible for native plants on roadsides and in parks? I see tulips on 355…. 19:51:09 From Tony Hausner : reasking: plans for solar on the ag reserve? 19:51:37 From Jennifer Freeman : to follow up on the question about support for local table crop farming, actually, the question is NOT relating to agro-voltaics, but looking to producing more table crops which are generally organically, regenerative grown, plus the low carbon foot print of transportation... essentially, is there anything in the budget about supporting table crop production (outside of the agrovoltaics issue)? 19:52:02 From Jennifer K : Do we have a program for methane digesters in the county (ag reserve?)? If yes, could we consider a future pilot program where pet waste can be diverted to methane digsters? Thus keeping it out of the landfill. 19:52:32 From Adriana Hochberg : https://mygreenmontgomery.org/2022/calling-creative-minds/ 19:52:41 From Todd Nedwick : Is there an estimate on the number of households that are expected to be served through the $1,000,000 electrification incentives program? 19:53:48 From Sylvia Diss : Which department would get funds to organize programs in senior centers, community centers, libraries, to convey the message of climate emergency? 19:54:06 From Jeffrey Neal : Hello, Kenneth: As for you question of why compost food scraps, this sequesters legacy carbon emissions from the atmosphere to help reverse climate chaos while using food scraps to make methane to then burn it results in emitting greenhouse emissions just like burning fossil fuels results in a net GHGe, continuing to drive climate chaos. It’s still a net emissions vice a net sequestering. 19:54:37 From sheldon fishman : mcps plans to put methane gas in new schools for backup, is there a better solution for backup and use of schools for emergency centers? 19:56:21 From Karen Metchis : Thank you Adriana and Stan! 19:56:46 From Lindsey Shaw, DEP : Learn more about the wide variety of partnerships Montgomery Energy Connection does here: https://montgomeryenergyconnection.org/ 19:59:47 From Demetri D : I suggest watching this vid and stay vigilant in regards to the Environmental/Climate movement as Montgomery County is mentioned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphnKz8jO24&t=627s Also this on the overall ESG movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbkCBIIol2Q&list=LL&index=109 20:00:01 From ALBERTO ZEGADA : thank you! excellent meeting! :) 20:00:06 From Denisse Guitarra : Thank you all 20:00:11 From Dytonia Reed : Is there a role for renewable natural gas or hydrogen (fed govt has allocated funding) 20:00:12 From Kenneth R. Hinga : The point of methane generation from organic material is to take materials that would decay to carbon dioxide anyway, and divert it to electricity or useful heat production to extract energy from the carbon before it becomes carbon dioxide. 20:00:49 From Demetri D : make sure you measure the return of these investments and hold folks accountable 20:00:49 From Mara Parker : Thank you all for joining and for your informed advocacy! 20:00:50 From sheldon fishman : thank you for expansion of climate actions and money!