CC Minutes - 09/08/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Lee said that other communities were doing such things as paying people to turn in their old, inefficient toilets to save water, and suggested that Eugene could take similar concrete actions. Mr. Lee said that the discussion was an example of thinking globally and acting locally. He supported options 1 and 3, and commended the excellent staff work. Mr. Fart recollected a National League of Cities conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which included tours of sustainable efforts, such as a water-efficient golf courses. He suggested that Eugene had a different view of what sustainability is. He agreed adopting a definition was needed. Mr. Fart liked the United Nations definition but believed it needed to be broadened to suggest that development and sustainability were not incompatible concepts. He said that many people had differing ideas of sustainability, and it was possible that antagonism could develop between different factors of the community if that point was not stressed. Mr. Rayor noted that the majority of the definitions of sustainability in the staff memorandum mentioned the environment, ecology, nature, ecosystem, and resource. He wanted to see "nature" or "environment" in the definition because the earth, in the end, provided everything used by humans. He proposed the revised definition: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the environment's ability to meet the needs of future generations." Mr. Meisner said the definition did not have to fit every circumstance. He said that the council was discussing a vision and definition, but there were goals the council wanted to accomplish within inside that vision, and implications for how the City operated. Mr. Meisner hoped the council developed a definition and explained that definition and its application. He also hoped the staff presentation could be shared with community groups for the purpose of community education. Mr. Meisner said that the consequences of people's actions should be highlighted to the community. Mr. Meisner suggested that Mr. Rayor's proposed revision could be a start for a discussion of what sustainability means. Mr. Meisner endorsed Mr. Lee's recommendation that the council take a leadership role. He also liked Mr. Lee's suggestion that the City ask other local governments to adopt a common definition to ensure that Eugene was not acting in isolation. Mr. Fart concurred with Mr. Meisner's remarks. He suggested that the City could have the best of development and the environment. He believed that sustainable business practices were on the rise. Mr. Fart agreed with Mr. Meisner that the presentation should be shared with community groups and further suggested it be shared with the schools. Mr. Kelly reported on Home Depot's recent decision to sell lumber from only certified sources using sustainable timber practices. He endorsed Mr. Lee's suggestion that the City Council develop and adopt a resolution containing a definition of sustainable. He liked the United Nations definition but not its focus on sustainable development. Development implied something to people which made the definition more limited than it actually was. The council wanted to define sustainability, not sustainable development. He liked the Rucklehaus definition and suggested the two could be merged. He reiterated his support for the concept that the definition would be a filter for decision making, and proposed an annual follow-up on the impact of the definition on policy making. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 5 5:30 p.m.