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contingent client to deal with and the City could not really afford to press it too far, but we are trying to see if the established green areas in the plan can be dealt with like rain gardens, pervious products for the parking lot. This is a very good project for University City. Walgreens did try to entertain Clayton for their project, but for some reason that did not work out. c.Donna reported that there is some interest in the 170 and Olive area for development. She did not know who was involved in that project, the companies or sources. It may be something that this group has to deal with in the future. 4.Review reports and discussion of the Milestone report to Council: a.Final Sustainability Plan – not discussed. b.Final Greenhouse Gas Inventory report – Joe Heneberry provided highlights on the major findings on the Green House Gas Inventory report for 2005. He answered questions from members. He will add missing Committee member names and titles as requested. Joe mentioned added information and shared information on the file locations. The 515,363 tons of C0₂e is the most important number in the report. It is very comparable to other cities, such as, Kirkwood, Olivette and Creve Coeur. Joe reviewed the draft Sustainability plans and addressed some areas of concentration. For the entire community, the one major sector that stands out is the transportation sector. This is the same for other cities. It makes up 32% of the entire community. Because U City is landlocked it is difficult to monitor who drives through the City, this factor leads him to believe that it will difficult to change. Another area like waste is an area to target for emissions reductions. There are some things that can be done for the transportation sector that would involve going out into the community and urging people to car pool to their jobs. For the commercial and government building sector, about ¾ of emissions come from electricity and natural gas use. The methane percentage designates the amount leaked into the atmosphere. Tax incentives for residential energy audits are recommended for homes. Donna mentioned that there are existing programs for residential energy audits for lower income sector. Tim mentioned that St. Louis County has a smart homes program that it offers. There is low interest money for $12,000 to $15,000. Homeowners have to approve a certain amount of equity in the home. Anybody that can do that just has to sign up. Applicants must have a home energy audit and that the audits costs may be included in the loan amount. Applicants must also use a qualified contractor. St. Louis County does have a program funded with $10 million and they are waiting on applicants. Phyllis mentioned that the criteria for the St. Louis County program is a credit score of 680 or greater. Donna mentioned that the roadblock is the required credit score and the current economic conditions. Tim stated that as a community we should help the folks that do not qualify through the Community Action Agencies. This agency may have trouble marketing what they can provide because people are reluctant to do the work or do not know what the agency provides. Homeowners that meet the income guidelines can qualify for assistance. These families need the most help. The program is based on home ownership and the program offers a grant that does not have to be paid back. The agencies are trying to use the money they have by April next year. Tim mentioned that agency is probably already working with the City. Lynnette mentioned that the agency could be working with the Community Development Department since it offers assistance with homes. Joe mentioned that one the best areas for growth is the residential sector especially if the community is pulling together to assist homeowners. Donna mentioned that we need to reinforce this issue and to keep the education out there for the programs. Lynnette mentioned that workshops could be held to allow homeowners to complete the application on-site. In the community waste section offering community composting would be helpful. The City already provides curbside yard waste and recycling collection. Tim mentioned that the City needs to be sure that the processed mulch and compost does not produce methane. The City materials smells pretty bad and good compost does not stink. Lynnette agreed that the compost does smell bad. Donna mentioned that we should always connect to the Missouri Botanical Gardens to continue to reinforce composting. Maybe even ask them to offer a class at the U City library. Joe mentioned that the City vehicle fleet is the largest user as far as BTU’s go. The City has tried a few options, such as, nitrogen filled tires and switching to biodiesel in some vehicles. Tim mentioned that natural gas is a good fleet change. Donna mentioned that California is switching over to electric vehicles. Joe mentioned that it could work from some vehicles and if the use of electricity can be supported then the City can consider this option. Donna mentioned that using electric vehicles could improve air quality. Joe mentioned that the City Hall building is the largest user of natural gas and electricity. The PW sign shop and the Ruth Park Golf Pro Shop are smaller but appear to use a lot more energy based on the square footage. Neville mentioned that it is probably because of no insulation in the buildings. Joe mentioned that another www.ucitymo.org