Orange County NC Website
Orange County Commission for the Environment <br /> Meeting Summary <br /> February 9', 2026; 7:00 pm <br /> Hybrid Meeting <br /> Present: Kristie Mather, Ian Morse, John Bucher, Regina Baratta, Aimee Vandemark, <br /> Patrick Fn'Piere, Mark Randall, Jeff Ryan, Leto Copeley <br /> Absent: Mayur Lodaya, Margot Lester, Lily Schacht, Veronica Penn Beattie, Matthew <br /> Ferguson <br /> Staff: Chris Himi, Kalani Allen, Wesley Poole, Amy Eckberg, Melony Gilles, Karina <br /> Nabors <br /> Guests: None <br /> I. Call to Order <br /> Chair Regina Baratta called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm. <br /> II. Additions or Changes to Agenda <br /> None. <br /> III. Approval of DRAFT Meeting Summary—January 12t", 2026 <br /> Motion to approve by Mark Randall; seconded by Aimee Vandemark; all in favor; none <br /> opposed; motion passed. <br /> IV. RIPPLE Awards—Nominations Review and Vote <br /> Chair Regina Baratta led a review of nominations for the first annual RIPPLE Awards <br /> and began the voting process. The (5) award categories are Community Environmental <br /> Excellence, Environmental Leadership in Government, Individual Environmental Impact, <br /> Next Generation Environmental Leadership, and Sustainable Business Impact. Kristie <br /> Mather motioned to award the Sustainable Business Impact Award to Endswell, A <br /> Modern Funeral Home; seconded by Ian Morse; all in favor except for Patrick Fn'Piere <br /> who chose not to vote; none opposed; motion passed. The group continued to discuss the <br /> other categories but ran out of time allotted, so they will individually score and discuss at <br /> the next meeting. Chair Regina Baratta will not vote on Cathy Vinski because she works <br /> with her. Leto Copeley asked(the next day) for it to be noted that she also did not <br /> consider the nomination of Cathy Vinski for a RIPPLE Award due to her working with <br /> her on a project. <br /> V. Earth Day Events Discussion <br /> Page 1 of 2 <br />