Save
the date for the 10th annual South Sound Sustainability Expo on Saturday, March
4 from 10am-3pm. Learn from local organizations and businesses about
sustainable products, renewable energy, local agriculture, habitat restoration
and more. Make a free screen print, take part in the book-movie-music swap or
attend a workshop to learn about a sustainability topic like raising bees. This
free, family-friendly event is taking place at the Greater Tacoma Convention
and Trade Center.
Plus, for the 10th
anniversary celebration we’re taking the fun outside to Tollefson Plaza! Tour a
tiny house, eat healthy and sustainable food, walk through an urban forest, and
more. Visit
SouthSoundSustainabilityExpo.org for more information.
The event organizers are looking for some people-power to
make this event amazing! Visit SouthSoundSustainabilityExpo.org/Volunteer for
details.
2017 Winter Workshop Schedule
Free Workshops
- Advance registration required
www.cityoftacoma.org/workshops or call (253) 573-2426
January
1/28 – 1:30 pm Electric Vehicles: Is One Right for Me?
February
2/04 – 10:30 am Natural
Daylighting: Solatube Info and DIY Install
2/11 – 10:30 am Organic
Fruit Tree Selection and Care
2/11 – 1:30 pm Mason Bees: So Easy, So Productive
2/18 – 10:30 am Early
Gardens: Berries, Root Stock, Raised Beds
2/25 – 10:30 am Pruning
and Care of Landscape Trees
March
3/11 – 10:30 am Worm
Bins and Backyard Composting
3/18 – 10:30 am Backyard
Chickens: Getting Started
3/19 – 1:30 pm Rain Barrels: How to Make & Maintain
3/25 – 10:30 am Ductless
Heat Pump & A/C: Advantages & Incentives
Workshop
Location: City of Tacoma EnviroHouse
Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center (former
Landfill)
3510 S. Mullen St., 98409 (directions on
EnviroHouse website)
EnviroHouse
Public Hours: Wed.-Fri. 10-3; Sat.-Sun. 11-5
In 2016, the Tacoma City Council passed the Bring Your Own
Bag (BYOB) ordinance. The law goes into effect on July 12, 2017 and regulates
the use of carryout bags given to customers at stores in Tacoma. The main
elements of the law are:
- Thin plastic carryout bags will no longer be
distributed at any Tacoma retail establishments (grocery stores, convenience
stores, farmers markets and others).
- Recycled paper or reusable carryout bags can
still be distributed by retail establishments, but the retailer must collect a
minimum pass-through charge of five cents for each bag requested by customers.
- Customers must pay the pass-through charge for
paper or reusable carryout bags. People with Washington State Department of
Social and Health Services (DSHS) benefits cards will not have to pay the
pass-through charge.
- Customers should bring their own bags when they
shop to avoid the pass-through fee.
- Bags other than carryout bags, such as produce
bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags, will continue to be available for
free.
Before the law goes into effect, City staff will distribute
free reusable bags, conduct focused engagement in low-income communities, and
provide educational resources to businesses. Staff will also conduct a study of
the impacts of the law after implementation. Annually, retailers will be asked
to report to the City on the number of recycled paper carryout bags distributed
to help determine effectiveness of the law.
The 2016-2017 Tree Coupon program season will run through April 1, 2017. You can request a 2016-17 season tree coupon online. Requests may also be made to trees@cityoftacoma.org. Please provide your address and contact information. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive a coupon and information on tree planting and growing when the 2016-17 season begins. Allow one week for processing and delivery once the season opens.
This fall the City launched the Real Tacomans campaign to
encourage walking, biking and taking transit instead of driving. Real Tacomans
can save money and time while being a part of their community when they choose
to travel without their car. The Real Tacomans campaign uses CTR (Commute Trip
Reduction) grant funding for short trip reduction education by emphasizing alternative
ways to travel to locations around Tacoma’s downtown core, such as UWT, SAMI
and the farmers market. Staff worked with Downtown On the Go to produce posters,
bus ads and a website that will remain active throughout 2017.
As 2016 wrapped-up, Healthy Homes, Healthy Neighborhoods program staff members worked with two
local high school interns to revisit 400 homes in the Lincoln neighborhood for
knock-and-talk conversations about eco-friendly resources that offer households
cost-savings and health benefits. Beside door-to-door engagement, the program
engages with community members through neighborhood-organized meetings and
local events. Through the spring and early summer, the program will continue to
facilitate the formation of a new community garden in coordination with Harvest
Pierce County and other City partners, including Tacoma Water and TAGRO.
Washington’s
Regional Coastal Resilience Project
Tacoma is one of two communities selected to receive a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
grant to participate in Washington’s Regional Coastal Resilience Project
(WCRP). The WCRP is a three-year effort to address coastal hazards by
coordinating our state investment in coastal management. A diverse team of
partners, collectively over three years, will improve the communication of risk
associated with sea level rise and associated coastal impacts in Washington
State. The project will motivate communities to plan and prepare.
The project is currently in the scientific data collection
phase, which includes determining the ocean floor topography for the entire
Washington coast. Areas of subsidence alter sea level rise projections so this
is critical for establishing a comprehensive baseline. Sea level rise
projection numbers specific to Tacoma will be one outcome of this work. The
data will also focus on Tacoma’s critical areas and steep slopes, the Tideflats
and restorations sites.
Emma Keese (left)
originally hails from Seattle but has spent the last four years in Wisconsin
getting her degree in Environmental Studies from Beloit College. She is very
happy to be back living in the Pacific Northwest and is looking forward to
getting to know Tacoma better. In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking,
biking, writing and white water rafting. She’s also a big baseball and ice
hockey fan. Go Mariners! She is currently planning the 2017 Sustainability Expo
and is looking forward to tackling any and all projects that come her way.
Adrienne Chaney (right) moved with her family to Tacoma 3 ½ years
ago from California to live on a catamaran on the Thea Foss Waterway. She loves hiking, kayaking, reading and
learning how to sail! She spent the last 25 years working in the Parks and
Recreation profession and is excited to be involved in the sustainability
division of the City of Tacoma. Her
plans are to cruise to Alaska and Mexico with her husband once her two children
have graduated from college in 2018.
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