 Several events participating in the Green Events Program have achieved Green Excellence status this summer. Organizers of these events have taken steps to lessen their environmental impact and are doing things like providing mobile water fountains to offset disposable water bottle waste, providing temporary bike racks to encourage active transportation to and from events, and creating a waste management plan to better manage and reduce waste.
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Recent Green
Excellence events include Freedom Fair (Tacoma Events Commission), Independence
Day 5K (Tacoma City Marathon Association), Out in the Park (Rainbow Center),
and PRIDE Block Party (The MIX). The upcoming Tacoma Maritime Fest (Tacoma
Neighborhoods Together) on July 18, Food Truck Fest (MetroParks Tacoma) on July
19, and Proctor Arts Fest (Proctor District Association) on August 1 all achieved
Green Excellence status.
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 This year’s Tacoma-Pierce County Bike Month was a huge success! Hundreds of people participated in bike-related activities like the Bike Swap, the Tweed Ride, Kidical Mass, and the Bike Everywhere Challenge. During Bike Month, the in-ground bicycle counter on Division at Wright Park counted 1,872 bicycles—over 60 per day. Thanks for biking Tacoma and calling attention to our local bicycle resources!
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The third-annual Downtown to Defiance Open Streets event will take place on September 13th, from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. People are invited to walk, bike, skateboard, scooter, and rollerblade (or otherwise self-propel) their way along 6.5 miles of Tacoma’s beautiful waterfront— unencumbered by vehicular traffic! There will be activities in parks along the way, and participants can join the course at any point and choose a distance that suits them best. Everyone is welcome at this Sunday Parkways event—the only one like it in Tacoma-Pierce County!
Environmental Services Wins National Award
The City
of Tacoma’s Solid Waste Management won the 2015 Gold Excellence Award from the
Solid Waste Association of North America for Tacoma’s residential collection
system. The program was recognized for its emphasis on customer services,
environmental protection, operational efficiency, safety and innovations in its
residential collection program. For details about the award and Tacoma’s solid
waste innovations, read the press release or visit www.cityoftacoma.org/solidwaste.
Introducing Commercial Food & Yard Waste
Also in solid waste news, commercial customers can now sign
up for yard and/or food waste recycling in Tacoma. To communicate that this new service is
available, all commercial customers were sent a direct mail piece announcing
the program. A bill insert is being included with statements mailed during
July/August, and a fall recruitment campaign will focus on priority sectors of
our commercial customer base, including multi-family and food-based businesses.
Help spread the word about this program and help us reduce the amount of
organic materials heading to the landfill!
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Urban
Green is a Tacoma and South Sound lifestyle program that explores sustainable
living and environmental efforts. Episode 7 features Patrick Babbitt from our Healthy
Homes, Healthy Neighborhoods program and Franclyn Heinecke, President of the
Pierce County Beekeepers Association. The program also visits the Tacoma
Wastewater Treatment Plant, talks to the winners of the Tacoma Green
Infrastructure Challenge, and shares some tips on how to save water.
In Episode
8, Jeff Rice talks about collecting the sounds of nature, we brew the perfect
cup of tea and then head to school to learn about the Arts EnviroChallenger
program. You’ll also get a look at an organization providing local youth with
their very own set of wheels through the Bikes for Kids program. You can view
these videos on the Urban Green website and on the City of Tacoma’s YouTube
channel.
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The
EnviroChallenger environmental education program has finished the school season and started the community
event season, which continues until mid-September. Look for
EnviroChallengers at events like Maritime Fest and Ethnic Fest in July,
McKinley Street Fair in August, and Downtown to Defiance in September.
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Healthy Homes, Healthy Neighborhoods: Dometop wrapped up with four successful events: a gardening workshop, a clean-sweep of Blix and Lister Elementary Schools’ safe walking routes, a depave event, and a neighborhood clean-up.
 The June depave event was a collaboration with members of City of Tacoma Environmental Services, the Pierce County Conservation District, BNBuilders, Rino Construction, and various Eastside community groups. A total of fifty volunteers gathered to remove 7,000 square feet of unneeded pavement along McKinley Avenue, allowing for decreased polluted stormwater runoff and increased green space in the neighborhood. Volunteers will return in October to plant trees and shrubs in the planting strip.
Since completing
door-to-door canvassing in mid-June, HHHN staff is conducting data analysis and
visioning for fall 2015, when the program will shift its focus to the Hilltop
neighborhood. (Photo credits: Tara Scheidt)
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The
Sustainable Tacoma Commission welcomed three new members and one returning member
who began three-year terms this summer. Commissioners and City staff gathered for
a retreat-style meeting in June to enjoy each other’s company and reach a common
understanding of the Commission’s goals, roles, and expectations. The
Commission provides citizen oversight of the Office of Environmental Policy and
Sustainability and makes recommendations to City Council regarding the City's
ongoing sustainability efforts.
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 The late summer workshop series at the City of Tacoma EnviroHouse (located at the Transfer and Recovery Center, 3510 S. Mullen St.) will include presentations on natural and efficient home lighting, winter gardens, and ductless heat pumps; a kid-friendly garden fun day; and more! Workshops are free, but advance registration is required. (Note: If a workshop is full, please register for the waiting list.) For more information on workshops, resources, and planning your visit, view this brochure or the EnviroHouse website.
Workshop Schedule
July 18 Solar Power: How it can Work for You
July 25 Kid Fun: FlowerPower-CreepyCrawlies-Gardens-Games
(No workshops in August)
September 12 Yard Waste & Worm Bin Composting
September 19 Natural Daylight with Solatube; DIY demo
September 26 Winter Gardens: Plants, Cover Crops, Mulch
October 3 Weatherization: Insulation & Duct Sealing
October 10 Ductless Heat Pump Advantages & Incentives
October 17 Pruning Landscape Trees & Shrubs
October 18 Rain Barrels: How to Make & Maintain
October 24 Bright Ideas, Smart Lighting: LEDs at Home
 Jeanne grew
up across from a city park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, studied and worked in Seattle, and
now makes her home in Sumner. After working on the first Healthy Homes, Healthy
Neighborhoods project in Tacoma’s Wapato Lake neighborhood and the City’s
application for STAR Communities Sustainability status, Jeanne was hired on as
a management analyst in June 2014 to work on projects like the Sustainable
Materials Management Plan and the Climate Change Risk Assessment.
In
addition to her love of nature and riding horses, Jeanne has a strong interest
in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources for buildings and vehicles
because of the impact they have on climate change, which she cites as her main
environmental concern. “I used to ride a colt,” she says, ”and now I drive a
Volt!” Her interest in building efficiency makes working in a LEED®-certified
platinum building at the Center for Urban Waters all the more interesting. “I’m
thrilled to be working in a building like this,” she says, “and I love being
right down on the water.”
When
she’s not in the office this summer, you’ll find Jeanne “hanging out on my back
deck with my cat on my lap, a refreshing drink in my hand, overlooking the
Puyallup River.”
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