ESC_2022_09_19 PACKET
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, September 19 – 5:15 PM
LF Municipal Services, 800 N Field Dr.
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
II. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS (:05 – :15 per item)
a. FOOD CYCLER AT-HOME COMPOSTING UNIT PRESENTATION – Alex Hayman, VP
Business Development
III. ACTION ITEMS (:10 - :15 per item)
a. APPROVAL OF JULY 12, 2022 MEETING MINUTES
IV. DISCUSSION ITEMS (:15 - :20 per item)
a. UPDATE ON COMMUNITY GARDEN PROJECT – Reagan Walsh, Management Analyst
V. ADDITIONAL ITEMS (Packet Material Only)
a. STATUS REPORT ON SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES & PRIORITIES
VI. PUBLIC COMMENT
VII. NEXT MEETING DATE(S) – October 19, 2022, 5:30PM
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
The Future of Food Waste
FoodCycler Municipal
Solutions
Offer food waste diversion solutions using on-
site technology called the FoodCycler
Semi-finalists in Impact Canada’s Food Waste
Reduction Challenge
Products available in North America through
FoodCycler Municipal / Vitamix and
internationally through network of distributors
& OEM partners
Selected as one of the 2021 Deloitte Fast 50
CleanTech award winners and #81 on Globe &
Mail’s Canada’s Top Growing Companies for
2021
Collect and analyze data to help communities
make evidence-based decisions
4 3
M u n i c i p a l
P a r t n e r s h i p s
… a n d c o u n t i n g !
Who is Food Cycle Science?
T R U S T E D B Y 4 0 + M U N I C I P A L I T I E S
HAULING FEE TRANSFER STATION
OPERATION DISPOSAL FEE
NO TRANSPORTATION OR PROCESSING
$170 –$250
/TONNE
* FoodCycler is a
locked-in price not
subject to wage increases, fuel
surcharges or fee
hikes
< $120
/TONNE
A n d m a n y o t h e r s …
63%of food waste is avoidable
Household waste is composed of 25-50%organic waste
Food waste weight is up to 90%liquid mass (which is heavy)
The average household spends ~$1,766 on food that
is wasted each year
Methane (CH4) emissions from food waste are responsible for ~11%of global methane emissions
CH4 has a 100-year global warming potential 28-34 times
that of CO2
The Problem With Food Waste
W A S T E & L A N D F I L L C O S T S
~25-50% of household waste is organics
Landfills are quickly filling up, creating
substantial costs for communities
Hauling, transfer, and disposal services are a
major cost factor to municipalities
E N V I R O N M E N T
Landfilled organic waste produces
methane, which is 25 times more
harmful than CO21 ton of food waste is equivalent to ~1
car on the road for one year
C O M M U N I T Y
Food in the garbage:
More frequent collection or trips to
the disposal site
Unpleasant odours
Animals, pests & other visitors
Removing food waste from garbage:
Volume is reduced by up to 50%
Less frequent collection, fewer trips
to disposal site, save on bag tags
Keeps odours out, makes garbage
much less interesting” for animals
Municipal Impact
G R E E N B I N S
GHG emissions from curbside collection
Contamination is an ongoing challenge
Expensive and relatively low-
participation rates
Safety concerns from additional trucks
on the road
Requires ongoing maintenance of
processing infrastructure
B A C K YA R D C O M P O S T
Cost-effective but can also be labor-
intensive
May attract pests/animals or create
unpleasant odors
Most users do not compost in winter
or inclement weather
Adoption rates are relatively low and
stagnant
L A N D F I L L
Easiest solution and often perceived
as the most cost-effective in the
short term
Waste is typically out of sight and
out of mind for consumers
High levels of GHG emissions,
particularly methane
Long-term environmental hazard
requires monitoring / maintenance
“Haven’t We Solved This Already?”
T H E S O L U T I O N ? T H E F O O D C Y C L E R
1 . Add waste to bucket
2 . Add bucket to unit
3. Press Start. That’s it!
The resulting by-product can be used
in many applications, including
gardening,farming, and more.
Vegetable &
Fruit Scraps Starches Fish & Poultry
Bones
Dairy Products
Tea bags &
Coffee grinds
Egg shells
Nut shells,
nuts & seeds Meat, poultry
& fish
Our Solution
In Three Simple Steps
1 kg (2.2lbs) of wet,
smelly food waste
100 g (1/4lb) of dry, sterile
& odorless soil amendment
4-8 HOURS + 0.8 kWh
~8 cents / cycle
Reduces Food Waste Volume By 90%
*Incorrect backyard composting can lead to methane gases and odors
F O O D C Y C L E R I S C O M PA R A B L E T O
Backyard composting (if done correctly*)
Curbside collection with central composting
(assuming zero transportation emissions)
FoodCycler offers >95% reduction in CO2e vs.
sending food waste to landfill even after accounting
for production-related emissions
K
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K
G
F
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D
W
A
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T
E
Lifecycle Analysis
HAULING FEE TRANSFER STATION
OPERATION DISPOSAL FEE
NO TRANSPORTATION OR PROCESSING
EXPENSIVE,ONGOING,VARIABLE
FIXED COST,HIGH YIELD,EFFECTIVE
T R A D I T I O N A L
S E R V I C E S
O U R
S O L U T I O N
Economic Impact
Constituents want solutions to reduce their
environmental impact
Waste is perceived as a government
problem and regulations are coming
Food waste is “low-hanging fruit” to
achieving higher diversion and addressing
the environmental impact of waste
T H E T I M E I S N O W
Social Impact
Average overall user
experience rating.
The Completed FoodCycler Pilot
Programs
S T A R T 1 2 W E E K S E N D
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Residents obtain their
FoodCycler from the
Municipal Office (or
other designated
location).
Participants use their
FoodCycler for a period
of 12 weeks.
Weekly cycles are tracked
to estimate total
diversion achieved
throughout the program.
Participants fill out exit
survey, providing a review
of the program and any
other feedback.
Survey results are
analyzed to evaluate
program success and a
report is prepared for the
municipality.
Program expansion and
implementation.
Identify grants and
government funding
available.
N E X T S T E P S
Our Food Waste Diversion Pilot Programs
Data-focused approach
municipal investment per $125.
Product Options
FC-30•2L Capacity•Ideal for 1-3 person households
Maestro (coming late 2022)•5L Capacity•Ideal for 3+ person households•Less noise, power consumption, odor•Ability to handle harder food wastes such as bones/pits•Modular design for easy repair
municipal investment per FoodCycler: $125.
Pilot Program Funding –FC-30
FoodCycler Retail Cost: $400
FoodCycler Pilot Cost: $250*
Standard Pricing Plan Cost-Sharing Plan
Municipal investment:
$250* /unit
Municipal investment:
$125* /unit
Resident investment:
$0
Resident investment:
$125 /unit
*2022 price incentive of 10% reduces municipal investment by $25/unit
municipal investment per FoodCycler: $125.
Pilot Program Funding –Maestro
Launching in 2023
FoodCycler Pilot Cost: $400*
Standard Pricing Plan Cost-Sharing Plan
Municipal investment:
$400 /unit
Municipal investment:
$165* /unit
Resident investment:
$0
Resident investment:
$235 /unit
*2022 price incentive of 10% reduces municipal investment by $40/unit
municipal investment per FoodCycler: $125.
Estimated ROI Analysis –City of Lake Forest, IL
Household refuse cost per month: $19.96 (2021)
Tipping fee per tonne: $43.87 (2021)
Estimated percentage food waste: 25%
Annual per household cost for food waste:$59.88
FC-30
Municipal contribution:$100/unit
Food waste capture rate: 75%
Annual saving:$44.91
Payback period: 2.2 years
5-year NET saving: $124
(estimated minimum lifespan)
300 units: 150 metric tonnes of CO2e
avoided per year
Maestro
Municipal contribution: $125/unit
Food waste capture rate: 95%
Annual saving: $56.89
Payback period: 2.1 years
7-year NET saving: $273
(estimated minimum lifespan)
300 units: 190 metric tonnes of CO2e
avoided per year
Alex Hayman
VP Business Development
Email: alexh@foodcycler.com
Phone: 613-979-4167
Thank You!
Questions?
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING 1
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 – 4:00 P.M. 2
IN-PERSON MEETING 3
4
5
I. ROLL CALL/CALL TO ORDER 6
7
Chairman Melanie Rummel called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. Aldermen 8
Eileen Weber was present. Alderman Jim Preschlack was absent. 9
10
Staff in attendance included Mike Strong, Assistant City Manager and Reagan 11
Walsh, Management Analyst. Two public attendees were also present. 12
13
A moment of silence was held for the victims of Highland Park. 14
15
16
II. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 17
18
a. UPDATE ON THE RETHINK RECYCLE CAMPAIGN 19
20
Assistant City Manager Mike Strong provided an update on the City’s 21
Rethink Recycle campaign. The review provided an overview of the 22
program in 2022, including interns hired, partners and funding, and events 23
and outreach held throughout the year. A detailed overview of the data 24
collected from the curbside audits was discussed. Mr. Strong and the 25
Committee members agreed that the program has seen to have great 26
success on its core mission. 27
28
Further outlining the success of the program, Mr. Strong announced the 29
City of Lake Forest has been recognized by the International City 30
Managers Association (ICMA) for its Rethink Recycle Campaign. The 31
Committee was informed that an award will be presented to the City at 32
the 2022 ICMA Annual Conference in Columbus, OH, this September, and 33
formally presented to City Council in December of 2022. 34
35
Chairman Rummel asked if there were any additional comments or 36
questions from the Committee. The Committee discussed potential new 37
opportunities for tracking and merging address data. Chairman Webber 38
asked specific contamination and recycling questions answered through 39
a Rethink Recycle Campaign intern present. Chairman Rummel also 40
recommended that the City’s Recycling Center be added as a drop-off 41
location that are listed on the “Oops” cards presented to citizens with 42
contaminated carts. 43
44
Chairman Rummel asked if there were any additional questions or 45
comments from members of the public. 46
47
Seeing none, she moved to the next agenda item. 48
Environmental Sustainability Committee Minutes
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
49
III. ACTION ITEMS 50
51
a. APPROVAL OF APRIL 20, 2022, MEETING MINUTES 52
53
Chairman Rummel moved to approve the June 15, 2022, Environmental 54
Sustainability Committee meeting minutes. Alderman Weber seconded 55
the motion. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. 56
57
b. DIRECTION OF NEW SOLAR GENERATION FACILITIES PROJECT 58
59
Assistant City Manager Mike Strong reviewed a presentation regarding 60
the new Solar Generation (PV) Facilities project. Mr. Strong outlined the in-61
depth research and action steps that have been taken, including the 62
project scope narrowing to the Public Safety Building, the collection of 63
updated pricing proposal rates from vendors, and a list of the finalized 64
franchise account options that have been reviewed with ComEd. 65
66
After reviewing the most recent pricing proposals and financial 67
comparisons between vendors, Mr. Strong presented a review of the four 68
franchise account options available to the City. Insights were centered 69
around the different ways each listed option financially impacts both the 70
City and its residents. 71
72
A lengthy discussion was held thereafter reviewing each of the possible 73
viable project options. Additionally, the Committee suggested potential 74
future solar options, including the possibility of adding solar generating 75
panels on streetlights on Deerpath, as well as potential opportunities with 76
the lighting for Sports fields, future parking garages, and major assets in 77
the City including educational institutions and the hospital. 78
79
After consideration, Chairman Rummel motioned to not move forward 80
with the Solar Energy Project, but for the City to continue to look at new 81
opportunities for solar generation and work with the qualified consultants 82
to find potentially new viable options outside of the options presented. 83
Alderman Weber seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously 84
by voice vote. 85
86
Chairman Rummel asked if there were any additional questions or 87
comments from members of the public. 88
89
Seeing none, she moved to the next agenda item. 90
91
IV. DISCUSSION ITEMS 92
93
a. DISCUSSION ON FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY INITITAVIES & PRIORITIES – Mike 94
Strong, Assistant City Manager 95
96
Environmental Sustainability Committee Minutes
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Assistant City Manager, Mike Strong, reviewed an update on the current 97
projects that are underway including an update on the community 98
gardening and increased accessibility to composting program projects. 99
100
Each Committee member provided their thoughts on the initiatives 101
presented. In particular, the Committee had discussed the dwindling 102
supply of space available for community gardening at the current 103
facilities and the potential need for a survey to be distributed throughout 104
the community to garner more insight on where and how much demand 105
is present for new space. 106
107
Composting discussions involved a potential pilot project for citizens to be 108
able to have an in-home composting unit that could increase the amount 109
of waste diverted from landfills. The cost share program would allow 110
families to apply for a composting unit, where they would then track their 111
composting results, and the city would ultimately analyze the return on 112
investment with diverted tons of garbage. The Committee reached 113
consensus to move forward with the needed actions to start the pilot 114
project. 115
116
Chairman Rummel asked if there were any public comments on any non-117
agenda items. 118
119
Seeing none, Chairman Rummel moved to the next agenda item. 120
121
122
V. PUBLIC COMMENT 123
124
Chairman Rummel asked if there were any public comments on any non-125
agenda items. 126
127
Seeing none, Chairman Rummel moved to the next agenda item. 128
129
NEXT MEETING DATE(S) 130
131
Assistant City Manager, Mike Strong stated that the next meeting would be 132
scheduled for the week of August 17, 2022. 133
134
ADJOURNMENT 135
136
Before adjournment, Chairman Rummel expressed the deep gratitude the 137
Environmental Sustainability Committee and the City of Lake Forest has for 138
Assistant City Manager Mike Strong after his announced departure from the City 139
next month. 140
141
Alderman Weber moved to adjourn the meeting of the Environmental 142
Sustainability Committee at 5:10 P.M. seconded by Weber. The motion carried 143
unanimously by voice vote. 144
Environmental Sustainability Committee Minutes
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
145
146
147
Respectfully Submitted, 148
149
Reagan Walsh 150
Management Analyst 151
152
153
Community Garden Program Update
City of Lake Forest
8/30/22
Overview
•Opportunity to develop new Community Garden
•Health & Wellness Theme
•Ecosystem Vitality & Ravine Management Focus Area
•Provides new community opportunity and expands access to local health foods
•Elawa Farms Update
•Currently limited space available at Elawa’s garden
•New location would improve access for residents & provide new space to grow food & expand programming
Preliminary Garden Details
•Around Acre in garden space
•Roughly ½ of space dedicated to Elawa
•Incremental growth
•Lease Plot Payment Structure
•Annual programming
•Best model based on outside research
•Fencing + Raised Beds
•Further protocols/guidelines to be put in place
•New parking lot to be constructed
•Funding Opportunities
•Capital & Operational Funding
•Special Rec Fund (ADA) / ESC (ongoing)
•Civic Beautification Committee
*All aspects preliminary, subject to change
Highway 43 Pump Station
•Easy Access & Highly Visible
•Across from W HS Campus
•Zoned R5
Suggested Location
Lake Forest Open Lands Trail
•West Skokie Nature Preserve
Location Cont.
The picture can't be displayed.
Potential Site
Garden Area: 1.5 Acres
W Westleigh Rd
Lake Forest High School West Campus
West Skokie Nature Preserve
Proposal/Project Presented during Capital Workshop
Send out Plot Leasing & Information in Spring Programming Guide
Timeline
AUG OCT DEC FEB APR
Present preliminary info to Internal Staff
Site Visit(s) with Consultant
Survey Residents
Preliminary Design & Estimates Received
Present on Finalized Plans to ESC
If Approved, Finalize Project with Construction in Summer
Present on Plans to Civic Beautification Committee
Final Presentation to City Council
Completed
Environmental Sustainability Committee
Current/Future Sustainability Initiatives & Priorities
Updated September 2022
Project/Initiative
2022 2023
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2
Current Projects/Status:
1. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
o Status: ESC Meeting in June reviewed Initial GHG report and discussed emission
reduction targets (Based on ICLEI recommendations)
o On Deck:
Develop finalized list of future actions for ESC based on ICLEI
recommendations (Oct-Dec 2022)
o Target Timeline:
Target November/December ESC meeting for follow up actions; with
follow-up to City Council in early winter (No formal action needed –
report will inform future priorities/opportunities)
2. Investigation of Solar Facilities on City Facilities
o Status: Motioned in July ESC Meeting to NOT move forward with solar facility
projects presented
o On Deck:
Investigate new opportunities for solar generation and work with the
qualified consultants to find potentially new viable options outside of the
options presented
• In particular exploring rooftop and ground mount solar options
for facilities that are not under a rider-FCA arrangement.
o Target Timeline:
Follow back with consultants, review past information, and come forward
with new plan and timeline for solar facilities in first quarter of 2023.
3. Develop Community Gardening Program
o Status: Finalize internal work committee, meet with design consultants, and
present preliminary information to ESC & necessary Department heads
o On Deck:
Send out citizen survey to gauge interest
Receive design and estimates, discuss plans in greater detail with Elawa,
work on partnerships/presentations (Civic Beauty Committee)
Capital Requests
o Target Timeline:
Initial meeting and discussion in early September, with recommendation
to ESC in late fall
4. Provide greater access to composting programs or services for residents and
businesses
o Status: Presented program to ESC, met with Food Cycler Representatives to
determine financing and program structure
o On Deck:
Send out citizen survey to gauge further interest in composting
Gather more information around ROI and finances, see if program is
sustainable
o Target Timeline:
Provide recommendations to ESC in late fall on if program is
sustainable/financially feasible
Solicitation to follow in fall for winter launch (composting offerings in
winter)
Future Projects/Initiatives (As directed by Committee in April 2022)
5. Develop plan to discourage vehicle idling on City Properties
o Proposed Scope: Explore opportunities to reduce car idling on city properties
Soft approach, signage in key areas
Collaboration with community partners
o Target Timeline: Discussions have commenced with schools and Lake Forest
Open Lands; campaign planning underway. Anticipated for discussion late
summer
6. Promote the use of permeable pavers, rain gardens or other “green infrastructure”
implements throughout the community
o Proposed Scope: Marketing/communications on City projects utilizing
infrastructure
o Develop “green infrastructure” permit or reduced permit fees
o Explore cost-share opportunities or grant program for residents to offset
infrastructure investment through (e.g. Overhead sewer cost-share program)
o Target Timeline: Research opportunities between September-December
o Potential recommendations to ESC in Jan-Feb
7. Develop strategies to further reduce the City’s use and collection of single-use plastics
o Proposed Scope: Explore opportunities to reduce the City’s use of single-use
plastics (e.g. City facilities, meetings/events, etc.)
Can we eliminate use of single-use plastics at our community events?
Can we promote/incentivize special event permit holds to not sell bottled
water? What alternatives might exist?
May need to discuss with the City Council further – how far do they want
to go with banning/incentivizing these products
o Target Timeline: First quarter of 2023 for research/further policy decisions
Additional initiatives that have been discussed:
• Coal tar sealants – Awaiting monitoring report from NBWW; anticipated in late fall
2022
• Conversion of Mowed Areas to Natural Areas – No update/report
• Landscape Equipment recommendations (Leaf Blowers) – No update/report