MEETING NOTES

Rotarian Drew Elegante introduced our speaker, Therese Dorau, the new director of the South Bend Office of Sustainability.  Tess grew up in Muncie, IN and had been living on the east coast for many years, but is very excited with her new role in South Bend.  She has been working for the Office of Sustainability for about 6 months, which is how long she has lived in South Bend.  Her new role as director is one that will deal with ways to not only improve the City of South Bend on a governmental level sustainable, but on a greater community level as well.  She called it the BIG C for the City of South Bend and the little c for community.  Both parts need to work together to make South Bend more sustainable.  Her team is focusing now on doing research, gathering data via surveys, and working with plans that have worked on the national level work for us.  All of her efforts will be launched in the Spring of 2015.  She hopes that with the help of the Green Ribbon Commission, local business and community members, we can make South Bend the best model of sustainability, like Fort Collins, CO or Austin, TX.