On Saturday, October 13, roughly 240 community volunteers came together for Green
Tacoma Day, helping to beautify our wetlands, parks, and open spaces. Projects
at eleven different sites around the city included tree planting, invasive species removal, litter pickup, and overall restoration of our green spaces.
Celebrating its 10th year, this annual day of service brought neighbors
and community members together to help preserve and protect our natural
landscapes. Thank you to everyone that participated!
See photos from the event here.
During the month of October, OEPS is partnering with local coffee shops in
an effort to reduce single-use cup waste in our community. Surprising to many,
single-use paper coffee cups are not recyclable in most municipalities
(including Tacoma) due to the thin plastic layer on the inside. Our “BYOMug”
campaign is aimed at raising awareness of single-use paper coffee cup waste,
and reducing the amount of non-recyclable material entering our waste stream.
Each week during the campaign, participating coffee shops are offering
discounts and specials to customers who opt to bring their own reusable travel
mug as an alternative to single-use cups.
Look for the “Bring Your Own Mug” window stickers at participating shops,
or click
here for the full list and discount details.
Scientists from Washington Sea Grant and the Climate Impacts Group have
developed new and localized relative sea level rise (SLR) projections for
Washington State. Through the Washington Coastal Resilience Project (WCRP),
scientists measured vertical land movement at 171 points along the entire
Washington coastline. They combined this land data with updated global and
regional absolute sea level rise data to create localized SLR projections.
In 2016, the City of Tacoma was included in a team led by the Washington
Department of Ecology and Washington Sea Grant to receive a competitive grant
from NOAA to assess the impact of climate change on coastal communities. This
summer, the science team issued their report available here: Projected Sea Level
Rise for Washington State.
The City and Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) have signed the West Coast
Electric Fleets pledge at the Highway level. Through the pledge, fleet managers
are making the commitment that at least 3 percent of all new passenger car
replacement purchases are to be zero-emission vehicles. The pledge also holds
an agreement to revisit the commitment annually to see if that percentage can
be increased. As a signee, the City gains access to a series of practical
resources and tools to assist with changing the City’s fleet to zero-emission
vehicles.
Joining this initiative fulfills one of 14 specific actions in the City’s
Environmental Action Plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To learn
more about the Environmental Action Plan, visit cityoftacoma.org/EAP.
The popular Tree Coupon Program expanded into the entirety of Pierce County in the 2017-18 season. Thanks to grant
funding from the Puyallup Watershed
Initiative’s Forestry Community of Interest, 220 coupons were distributed and 511 trees were purchased (fifty more than the previous year). Purchase rates were higher in Tacoma, at
56%, compared to Pierce County, at 44%. There were
5 participating nurseries in the 2017-18 season, and we have added more in 2018-19. City staff and
partners are excited about the program and the opportunity to continue to
expand a healthy tree canopy throughout Pierce County.
Coupons are valid until April 1, 2019 for the 2018-19 season. Trees purchased
may be planted on private property or in the right-of-way (such as the planting strip)
areas abutting private property. Request
your free tree coupon online here or email trees@cityoftacoma.org.
The City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities have partnered to launch
an Electric Vehicle Discount Program to lower the cost of purchasing or leasing
an electric car or bike in Tacoma. This is a pre-negotiated pricing program
with local Tacoma dealerships and bike shops to deliver a no-hassle deal to
interested buyers. You can save thousands of dollars on full battery electric
vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and electric bicycles. When purchasing an
electric vehicle, you will also receive a discount on selected home charging
equipment through select manufacturers.
Available
discounts are provided directly through each participating dealership, and not
through the City of Tacoma. Learn
more about the program and sign up to participate here!
Tacoma public and private schools are back in session, and our EnviroChallenger
team is continuing its mission to bring engaging, high-quality environmental
science lessons to students in our area. Using the “5R’s: Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle, Respect, and Responsibility”, the EnviroChallengers help teach elementary
and middle school students a mix of science and social responsibility in a fun
and unique way. The latest program, “2, 5, Tree: Why Plant a Tree?” introduces
students to the benefits of trees in our community.
Finally, we are pleased to
welcome Makenzie Mendelson as the newest EnviroChallenger Educator, whose focus
is on integrating art lessons into the programs. Learn
more and book a lesson with the EnviroChallengers online.
We’re pleased to announce that a new round of Sustainability Small Grant applications
is now open! If you or your organization has an idea to help educate residents
and/or businesses on the environment and sustainable practices, we encourage
you to apply. A reimbursable maximum award up to $5,000 is open to anyone
considering a project within Tacoma city limits that represents a benefit
to one of more of the three Environmental Services utilities (surface water,
waste water, or solid waste services). Applications will be reviewed by the Sustainable
Tacoma Commission, and the reimbursement grants will be awarded
quarterly.
Previous grant recipients include food rescue programs, community
gardens, school education programs, and environmental tours and events. For
more information and application guidelines, visit
our Sustainability Small Grant website or call (253) 591-5172.
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