Minutes Sustainable Eastman Committee (SEC) Meeting November 16, 2022 Held by Zoom Present: Jane Deane Clark, Carol Currotto, Michèle Dominy, Elaine Lascher (also liaison to Lakes & Streams), Bob Meyer (chair), Paul Snover (partial), Sally Wood (Eastman Cares). Liaisons in Attendance: Lorie McClory (staff), Andrea Sodano (ECC), David Wood (Woodlands & Wildlife) Guests: Steve Handley and Jeanne Raymond (potential SEC members) Bob Meyer called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. The chair extended a welcome to Carol Currotto, Steve Handley and Jeanne Raymond. Approval of minutes: from October 19, 2022 following correction of one misspelling. Motion to approve: Paul Snover Second: Sally Wood Old Business Report from the Chair Resolution read at Open Forum, Eastman Directors’ Board Meeting, October 19. In the October meeting the committee voted on a resolution to the Board concerning the lack of progress toward Plan 2030 goals, which the committee Chair read during the public forum of the October Board meeting. Resolution from Sustainable Eastman Passed by Committee Vote on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 To Eastman Board of Directors: The Sustainable Eastman Committee proposed and passed a resolution today, Oct. 19, 2022, that recognizes the following statement from Plan 2030 Executive Summary: It is the responsibility of the Eastman Board of Directors to consider the strategic issues of the community and ensure that the goals and priorities of its members are being met. In 2019 the Board Strategic Planning Committee, consisting of David Brooks, Elaine Lascher, and Susan Meyer, facilitated a review of Plan 2020 and produced Plan 2030 looking to ensure Eastman’s continued success into the future. This plan was approved by the Board in May 2019 and endorsed by the Council in June 2019. We understand that Eastman, and the entire world, was hit with an unforeseen disruption in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus. Everything was put on hold while we attempted to deal with the immediate and serious threats of this virus. We are not done dealing with COVID-19, but we are beginning to return to reasonably normal operations. 1

Sustainable Eastman believes it is now time for the Board to review Plan 2030, perhaps making any adjustments based on the changes that have taken place in Eastman since 2019 and setting priorities for the near term. We recognize that not everything can be done at once, but it is past time to get started. Our various committees and the ECA management should assist in drawing up specific actions to address the highest priority goals and assigning responsibilities for these actions along with expected timelines for completion. Over the past two years our full-time community has grown. Climate change is upon us with more extreme weather and warmer winters. Current inflationary pressures will likely bring challenges to our economic viability. Plan 2030 should be our roadmap for a proactive approach to the future. It is the Board’s responsibility to ensure this. Bob received a supportive e-mail from chair Lynn Kisselbach noting the good timing in light of the upcoming Board workshop. Updates to ECA web portal Lorie McClory and Bob met after the last SEC meeting to make some corrections and explore the possibility of the chair having access to the website portal. A goal is to upload previous reports from the SEC. Three reports are currently online. Bob will write up instructions to share with Special Place and Committee chairs. Composting, Carbon Reduction and the Renewal Compost Service Bob presented a slide show on composting and carbon reduction and brought to the SEC’s attention to Project Drawdown, focusing on reducing carbon dioxide in the air. Reducing food waste is among the top 3 solutions for reducing carbon dioxide while composting is 60th. Discussion followed about the benefits and modes of composting, past efforts at the Community Garden, outsourcing services, and concerns regarding bears. A possibility would be to continue this research and present its results to the Eastman community as well as to extend conversations with the Eastman maintenance superintendent. At our last meeting, Jeannie Sperry pointed to the Lebanon SNAPP App as an attractive possibility for Eastman, and Bob presented a Power Point. The SEC will discuss this item when Jeannie returns. See: https://www.snapp-lebanon.com/the-app/ or Type "snapp sustainable nature app" in App Store. New Business Recreation Master Plan Task Force Final Report (attached to the agenda) The Eastman website begins with “sustainable living” as a key principle and this is woven into everything that we do here. A sustainably designed community guides Eastman. The SEC considered how sensitive the report is to issues of sustainability including: land and land use (removal of rocks and roots from trails with their filtering and erosion protection functions and the effect of increased parking areas on Eastman); the impact of mountain bike paths (for example, compaction, wildlife protection, endangerment of walkers); and financial security (assessment rates). Concerns were expressed about duplicating services available in the Upper Valley as well as increased liability for Eastman. The SEC underscored the importance of assessing the report in terms of Plan 2030. Members of the SEC appreciated the survey and the scaling of costs as a way of thinking about the choices, while noting that costs were generally capital rather than maintenance costs. More space for commentary would have been useful. No one from SEC was included in the recreation planning group. The SEC expressed an interest in meeting with the chair of the Recreation Committee.

2

Grantham Mixed Paper Recylcing Grantham mixed paper recycling has been discontinued by the Selectboard as the vendor, Casella Waste Systems, is no longer accepting it. Discussion followed regarding sharing with ECA for paper recycling while noting they share the same vendor. There will be no December meeting and the SEC will reconvene on January 18. Subcommittee and Liaison Reports ECC – Andrea Sodano Compared to last year during the pandemic, the physical site visits have been reduced by almost one half. This may be related to the revised By-Laws. Whereas 90% of the visits used to be tree-related now almost 60% are construction based visits for additions, alterations and new building. Discussion followed about plans to manage ash trees afflicted by ash borer that might threaten road access or powerlines. Eversource has a cyclical maintenance calendar to work through territories and is increasing its commitment. Lakes & Streams – Elaine Lascher The lake seemed clearer this summer than in past years with no invasive plants reported by the weed watchers. West Cove is dense with particulate matter, perhaps linked to the new bridge construction. Lake hosting was in full swing for the past season. The loons had an early chick and the committee is working to protect nests. Volunteers, especially with a science background, are being sought. The Youth Conservation Corps will have volunteer leaders with skills matched to discrete projects. Lakes and Streams will resume activity in May. Woodlands and Wildlife – Dave Wood No report. Eastman CARES – Sally Wood Sally Wood will continue as Chair in 2023 as no one has come forward to offer new leadership. The committee has decided to be more welcoming to those who work by changing its meeting time to an evening meeting either at 5pm or 7pm. Day and time will be decided at the December 14th meeting. There also was a recommendation that we limit the meeting to an hour. ECARES has launched its new project, EastmanCARES TechHelp ([email protected]). Bill Matson, our tech guru, has had a few clients so far and is looking for more. The rest of our work is being done through the Accessibility & Safety task force, chaired by Carol Currotto; and the Education, Intergenerational Activities, Housing, and Helping teams. Adjourn Motion to adjourn: Jane Deane Clark Second: Jeanne Raymond Meeting adjourned at 11:09 AM Minutes Submitted by: Michèle Dominy

3