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<br />Mr. Shaver discussed the commission’s meetings, noting the high level of public involvement and the sense <br />of urgency expressed by both the commission and community-at-large regarding social and environmental <br />issues that the initiative was trying to address. The commission was working on its work plan and would <br />hold a work plan retreat later that week. The council would receive the work plan later in the year. He said <br />there were a wide array of topics for the commission to consider. <br /> <br />Mr. Shaver noted commission members present: Josh Bruce, Shawn Boles, Dave Funk, Howie Bonnett, and <br />Brian Erickson, and reminded the council that Mr. Zelenka served as its representative on the commission. <br /> <br />Mr. Laue reported the commission had developed its mission statement . He shared the mission statement: <br />The Sustainability Commission works to create a healthy community now and in the future by proposing <br />measurable solutions to pressing environmental, social and economic concerns to the City of Eugene, its <br />partners, and its people. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy expressed appreciation for the work of the commission and said that much had been <br />accomplished in the time since Ms. Fahy joined the organization. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon arrived. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy asked if the Lane County Homebuilders Association had been asked to participate in the <br />conference the City was co-sponsoring. Ms. Fahy indicated she would follow up on the question. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy expressed strong support for the sense of urgency felt by the commission, because everything <br />she heard indicated much more needed to be done in a short timeframe. Anything Eugene could do locally <br />seemed important to her. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy said as she was reading the initiative action plan, she recalled former councilor Gary Papé’s <br />commitment to green building policy and moving us toward the LEED standard. She did not want to lose <br />sight of that. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy recommended the council use the City’s sustainability policies as a filter for all that it did to <br />ensure that it was going in the right direction with its activities. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz thanked all the commissioners present. She said according to Popular Science magazine’s <br />rankings, Eugene had done well in regard to sustainability-related issues. While the community could <br />challenge itself in many areas, she thought the community should know that it was doing well. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz emphasized that being green was much more comprehensive than recycling. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz noted the nomination of Eugene resident Lorraine Kerwood of NextSteps Recyling, a home-grown <br />nonprofit, for the Volvo for Life Award, and said that demonstrated one person could make a difference. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor thanked the Sustainability Commission and Ms. Fahy for the work they had done. He said that <br />Eugene could not be excellent and green unless it backed that commitment up with willingness and <br />resources, and he thought the commission demonstrated the City’s commitment. He liked that sustainability <br />was a trend that the nation and planet was moving toward. People did not have to be convinced that green <br />was good. The commission was a resource for those who were seeking to be more “green” and could <br />provide them with the assistance they needed to achieve that goal. He said the commission could provide <br />residents with practices and incentives to move the City from word to the deed. <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 25, 2008 Page 4 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />