newsletter
July 2010
Cool Cities Delaware is a
state-wide volunteer effort
that encourages local
governments adopt energy
sustainability,
environmental stewardship
and climate protection
policies and programs.
Join us on Facebook
Questions? please contact:
Ron Zink, Chairman
28 Winged Foot Road
Dover, DE 19904
coolcitiesde@gmail.com
(302) 735-8996
A Program of:
Cool Cities Delaware Newsletter - July 2010
http://coolcitiesde.us
Cool Cities Welcomes Lewes
The City of Lewes has become the fourth of Delaware’s
cities to endorse the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement at their June 14 city council meeting. Their
unanimous vote was congratulated at the meeting by
Sierra Club of Delaware President Nancy Moore and the
Chairman of the Cool Cities Delaware Program Ron
Zink.
Left to right: Lewes Councilwoman Barbara Vaughan, Councilman Victor
Letonoff, Mayor James Ford, Deputy Mayor Stephanie Tsantes, Cool Cities
Chairman Ron Zink, Mayor James L. Ford, III, Councilman Theodore W. Becker
and Delaware Sierra Club President Nancy Moore.
In addition to Lewes, Newark also made this commitment
to energy sustainability, environmental stewardship and
climate protection earlier this year. Dover signed on to
the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in 2007
and Wilmington, one of the original signatories to the
agreement, joined in 2005.
Of Delaware’s 57 villages, towns and cities, 53 have yet
to commit to this important climate protection initiative.
The Sierra Club of Delaware’s Cool Cities Program
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volunteers are eager to discuss the long-term financial and environmental benefits of
this program in local communities throughout the state.

AUGUST Next Meeting—August 12 at 7 pm

Please join us on August 12 at 7 pm at the Camden Friends
12th Meeting located at 122 East Camden Wyoming Avenue in
Camden, Delaware. Topics to be discussed will include revisions
7:00 pm to our Work Plan for this year and our upcoming conference
Camden Friends coordinated in collaboration with the American Institute of
Meeting Architects Sustainable Delaware Conference, to be held at the
Virden Conference Center in Lewes on September 22.

Monthly Planning Meetings Scheduled

We have initiated monthly planning meetings to discuss our program and coordinate
outreach efforts, to be held on the second Thursday of each month. If you are
interested in getting involved in promoting energy sustainability, environmental
stewardship and climate protection at the local government level, please join us.
With meetings planned in all three counties, there are opportunities for statewide
volunteer participation. For the latest information on our meeting location, please see
our calendar on our website at coolcitiesde.us.

Ronnie Davis Attends Maryland Cool Cities Workshop

The Sierra Club of Maryland’s fifth annual Cool Cities Workshop was held on June
26th. One of our volunteers from the Dover area, Ronnie Davis, was able to
participate and described the impressive efforts of Maryland’s Cool Cities.
Highlights of the event include a presentation on “Green Streets” Mayor Adam Ortiz of
the town of Edmonston. This small town is making dramatic efforts towards
sustainable stormwater control, energy efficiency and walk/bike-ability. Read more
about this program at their website at http://edmonstonmd.gov/GoingGreen.html.
You can read more about this event, and download the presentations delivered at the
workshop at the Sierra Club of Maryland’s website at http://maryland.sierraclub.org/
action/p0304.asp.

Green Drinks
This monthly event provides a casual and unstructured opportunity for those with a
passion for the environment and sustainability to enjoy conversation over a cool
beverage. Green Drinks is a worldwide phenomena that meets three times a month in
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Delaware: Newark Area (1st Tuesday); Greenville/
North Wilmington (3rd Tuesday); Lewes/Rehoboth
(1st Thursday). Green Delaware’s website has
information on dates, times and locations: http://
greendelaware.com/greendrinks.htm (visit their
calendar of events link).
Those from the Dover area who are interested in carpooling to Green Drinks in the
Lewes/Rehoboth in August should call Phil Schuman between the hours of 8 am and
8 pm at (302) 698-1998.

Productive Planning Meeting in July—Recap

July’s Cool Cities Planning Meeting was held on Thursday, July 7 at 7 pm in the home
of Ron Zink in Dover with Maria Bangal, Ronnie Davis, Tom Fruehstorfer, Bill Moyer,
Carol Reid-Grandfield, Amy Roe, Phil Shuman, Carol Taylor, Phil Troxler, Sheryl
Winsby and Ron Zink in attendance.
Topics discussed include the report of Ronnie Davis on his attendance at the fifth
annual Maryland Cool Cities Workshop, sponsored by the Sierra Club of Maryland
and held in Annapolis.
Other Cool Cities issues include the need to revise our Work Plan for 2010 to reflect
some challenges identified in the first half of this year. The draft Work Plan will be
reviewed and modified at our next meeting on August 12th.
Modifications include the need for an email distribution database and server to
accommodate our growing list of contacts for this newsletter and other important
announcements, which are disseminated to more than 500 recipients to date. The
successful distribution of information to elected officials, city managers and
Delawareans interested in energy sustainability, environmental stewardship and
climate protection at the local government level has been identified as an important
challenge for the Cool Cities program.
Additionally, the many logistical and time challenges of meeting individually with local
governments to discuss the Cool Cities program require a re-evaluation of our
strategy for the remainder of this year. A revision of this strategy that will maximize on
existing network relationships and institutions, such as the Delaware League of Local
Governments and Sussex County Association of Towns, while also bolstering our
grassroots outreach component, will be discussed in greater detail next month.
In other Cool Cities news, the Sierra Club’s national Cool Cities program has
requested a conference call with our group. More details on the purpose of this
conference call will be forthcoming.

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