Eugene Sustainability Commission finalizes Earth Day outreach plan, social-media timeline and tabling logistics

The Eugene Sustainability Commission discussed and refined a public outreach plan centered on an Earth Day tabling event and associated social-media promotion, including a "spin-the-wheel" engagement activity and responsibilities for commissioners and staff.

Commissioners and staff agreed on a schedule and template for outreach materials: commissioners will prepare short boilerplate text and optional photos in advance, staff will post the materials on city channels roughly one week before meetings, and the group will pilot a broader outreach series in May–June. The commissioners also assigned volunteers to pick up and set up supplies for the tabling event and to assemble a question set for the wheel.

The commission's outreach will feature topic categories such as transportation, buildings/efficient buildings, waste management, water conservation, land use/urban forestry and air quality. Commissioners discussed wording for public-facing short blurbs that translate technical topics into everyday benefits — for example, explaining how compact development can reduce transportation-related greenhouse gases or how an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) library provides approved plans for homeowners. Participants also emphasized including a mix of printed handouts (stickers, bus and bike maps, bin labels) and QR codes to reduce paper use.

Commission logistics spelled out in the meeting included: - Event timing: commissioners discussed a tabling event scheduled for April 13; the public-facing post schedule calls for staff to publish social posts about a meeting one week before the meeting and for commissioners to provide content about three weeks beforehand so communications staff have time for approval. - Setup and staffing: commissioners John and Tom volunteered to serve as the primary setup crew, with an estimated setup start near 1 p.m. for a 2–6 p.m. event; other commissioners will staff shifts and handle breakdown. The group confirmed they have access to one table and chairs and identified a local owner who frequently lends the commission's engagement wheel. - Materials and supplies: the commission will use a color-coded wheel (topics linked to colored question sets), stickers as giveaways, and select printed handouts such as bus maps and composting guides; they will also provide a notepad to log contacts and questions for a later engagement summary to share with council.

On social media and communications, commissioners agreed to a standard, fill-in-the-blank template for commissioner spotlights (name, role as a commissioner/volunteer, meeting topic, one sentence on why it matters, and a photo optional). Danielle, the commission staff liaison, said commissioners should submit their text and photos to staff for city review and posting: "You submit it to me, and I'll submit it probably to Marion. She's our communications director." The group debated whether to require professional headshots or to allow commissioners to submit their own phone photos; they favored the simpler approach of individual-submitted photos or a quick phone headshot at a future meeting.

Commissioners also reviewed sample wheel questions and agreed to keep some open-ended prompts in each category. They planned to iterate on question wording in a shared Google Doc so volunteers can edit and back up different versions without reprinting the wheel. The commission intends to track engagement (visitor counts and common questions) at tabling events to include in future summary reports to city council.

Participants agreed on next steps: Jan will draft the outreach copy and add it to a shared Google folder; commissioners will review and edit the draft quickly so staff can seek internal approvals; John will coordinate pickup of the wheel and materials (with a tentative consolidated pickup late next week); and Danielle will shepherd the communications approval and publication process with the communications director. The group also discussed piloting the outreach series in May–June after the April launch.

The meeting did not record any formal votes or ordinance actions; the session focused on planning, assignments and communications logistics.