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October 18, 2017

Attendance:  Seb Bigorre, Danie Kincade, Taylor Heyl, Ann Devenish, Sarah Fuller, Bryce Corlett, Andrea Harvey, Sean Medeiros, Stephanie Madsen and guests: Kyle Bonus, Pat- MassRides and Mike Moriarty – Enterprise Vanpool.

#1 MassRides – presentations were given by Kyle +Pat for first 20 minutes of meeting. Focus: Alternative commuting options, biking, NuRide portal.

  • MassRides is funded through Mass DOT and offers programs to users of alternative commuting (carpool, vanpool, transit, bike, walk and even telework):
  • NuRide is a database accessible by web or phone app, that helps you find matching rides with other commuting members for carpools or vanpool. It also has a reward program where you log your alternative commute and earn points useable for discounts at 100+ retailers and stores (Lenovo, Dell, Sketchers, New Balance, JCPenney, Verizon, Plymouth&Brockton, etc) or others such as tickets for NewEngland Revolution games. You setup your account easily and it logs your commutes and saved $, miles, calories etc. NuRide is FREE.
  • Emergency Ride Home provides regular alternate commuters with up to 4 emergency rides home per year when medical/personal emergency arises. You get reimbursed for eligible emergencies up to $100 per emergency.
  • Mike Moriarty presented on the RideShare program of Enterprise Rental. If you are interested in VanPooling with others at WHOI, please check out this website: https://www.enterpriserideshare.com/vanpool/en.html

Action:    

  • Ask Kyle Bonus to contact Whoi HR to set up 1. Try It Day + 2. Meet Your Match Day (SB or SMM)

#2  WSS-  Upcoming events include:

  • Long Pond Hike- 3.5 miles -Sunday, Nov. 19th 10:00 am – meet at Goodwill Park Pavilion (off Gifford Rd)- WHOI, The 300 Committee + Buzzards Bay Coalition.
  • Zephyr Boat Trip – STF Members and others participated in a Zephyr Educational boat trip on Friday, Oct 27th  to witness biological life, oceanographic ecology and technologies used by scientists. It was an outstanding trip!  If you missed it, please let me know if you are interested in attending one in this spring or next fall.
  • Lunch + Learn Recycling – Thursday, Nov. 9 12:15 at Carriage House

Action:     Solicit Leadership for the following:

  • Consider leading + schedule any of the suggested events- All Amazing!!:
    • Salt Marsh Tour (leader TBD, date TBD)
    • Kayaking Excursion (leader TBD, date TBD)
    • Environmental poetry +/or literature discussion (leader TBD, date TBD)
    • Music + Art event (leader TBD, date TBD)
    • Bird Walk (leader TBD, date TBD)
    • Coastal botany walk (leader TBD, date TBD)

#3  Lunch and Learn – Where does our recycling go after it leaves WHOI?  Presenter Kari Parcell, Municipal Assistant Coordinator for Barnstable County’s Mass DEP, will explain how non-trash items are diverted from the municipal solid waste stream. Thursday, Nov. 9th at 12:15 Carriage House. We’ll send a flyer soon!

Action:     confirm talk + arrive early to set up (SMM)

#4  LED Fixtures and bulb installation Update– Improving energy efficiency at WHOI by installing LEDs in:

  • Geosecs – completed Oct. 6, 2017- estimated 5 KW energy, 35,098 KWHours,and $6,000 annual savings!
  • Fye – LEDs being installed week on Nov. 6

#5  New Business – Vbikes.com

Action:     Contact Town of Falmouth Chamber of Commerce- Michael Kasparian to see if the town supports VBikes (SMM)

Climate Change COP 23 Meeting Information from Judy Fenwick:

If you are interested in a very helpful and comprehensive daily report out of the conference,
check out http://enb.iisd.org/climate/cop23/enb/ for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin with its daily ENB reports. First one on the "curtain raiser" is already up; includes good history.
IISD is a Canadian organization that does a lot of contracted reporting on different UN branches; always well done.

Or check out http://enb.iisd.org/climate/cop23/enbots/ for the IISD coverage of selected "side events" which is where the WH Research Center and other non-governmental groups (NGOs) put on their seminars and workshops. These are sometimes more interesting that the actual negotiations since so much of the negotiation work has been done prior to the meeting.

Or if you are curious, here's link to the COP 23 schedule of all side events, where "handouts" from the events are occasionally attached.
The UN website for the COP can be a bit of a "rabbit-hole"; hopefully you will re-emerge well educated.