Our Recycle Right team has been working hard to find new ways to connect with residents about their recycling, and to reduce contamination in recycling bins. This is particularly necessary within multi-family residences, where contamination levels are typically higher and fewer people have access to curbside recycling. To help reach our goals of communicating with more Tacomans about recycling and developing meaningful guides and education, the Recycling Partnership has awarded the City of Tacoma a $200,000 grant!
With this funding, the City will:
- Reduce recycling contamination by providing technical and educational support to 150 multi-family properties.
- Increase recycling education by engaging and informing 3,000 multi-family residential units on how to Recycle Right (empty, clean, and dry).
- Promote waste prevention strategies.
- Transcreate outreach and educational materials into Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Khmer so that our recycling information is accessible to more Tacomans.
If you live in a multi-family home and are interested in learning more about recycling right in Tacoma, please reach out to Resource Conservation Specialist, Sam Lake at slake@cityoftacoma.org or learn more at www.tacomarecycles.org.
Trees provide our communities with many environmental and social benefits. Thanks to the support of The Puyallup Watershed’s Forests Community of Interest (FCOI) and Tacoma Public Utilities, Pierce County residents can qualify for discount on select trees at participating nurseries throughout the county and help increase our tree canopy!
The 2020-21 tree planting season has begun and now’s the time to get a discount on your trees with the Tree Coupon program! Tree Coupon applications are open from now through March 31st, 2021 and are valid for $30 off each tree purchased and up to three trees per coupon at select local tree retailers. These trees are for residential property and may be planted on your private property or in the right-of-way (such as planting strips) abutting your property.
For more information watch the tree coupon how to video at https://youtu.be/R7cjSlTCzzo.
To request a coupon or see the program details, visit www.cityoftacoma.org/treecoupons.
Green Tacoma Day is an annual day of service to recognize the important role our City’s parks and green spaces play in both our lives, as places of recreation and respite, but also community and ecosystem health. Since we couldn’t host the usual large service projects on one day this year, Green Tacoma Days took on a new form!
Using a fun scavenger hunt app, GooseChase©, the Green Tacoma Partnership hosted a collection of online learnings, self-guided tours and activities, and a number of small-group and physically distanced in-person events between October 8-11. We were so happy to see residents still getting out into the parks, learning about local flora and fauna, and keeping Tacoma green this year. Almost 40 individuals and teams signed up to participate, many of whom will receive a Green Tacoma Day face mask for earning points through their activities! A big thanks to everyone who took part, sent in their fantastic responses, and helped us celebrate Green Tacoma Days 2020.
In response to Resolution No. 40509 declaring a climate emergency in Tacoma and Resolution No. 40622 committing the City to anti-racist systems transformation, our Environmental Action Plan update is incorporating a new Climate Action Planning process. In partnership with Citizen for a Healthy Bay, we have recruited a team of over 40 Climate Justice Ambassadors and 10 Environmental Justice Leaders to help assess community needs and priorities, and identify action areas for the City to reduce and address the unequal burdens of climate change impacts.
The Climate Justice Ambassador and Environmental Justice Leader applications closed last month. Our Ambassadors are already half-way through training and will soon be planning their own engagement activities to collect meaningful insights from their communities. The Environmental Justice Leaders Workgroup has also met to kick off this year-long process. We are energized and inspired by the input and participation from both groups, and are looking forward to learning more from them in the coming year to help guide this planning process.
Ask the EnviroChallengers Mini-Series
The EnviroChallengers are finding new and exciting ways to educate and engage with residents from a distance. They’ve launched a new video series to answer your questions about the environment and sustainability in Tacoma! Season One of the "Ask the EnviroChallengers" series has covered many issues including food waste, climate change, urban forestry, waste water, and stormwater pollution prevention. Season Two is launching soon, and new videos will premiere the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00pm on the Environmental Services and Tacoma Sustainability Facebook pages. You can also find all episodes of Ask the EnviroChallengers on the City of Tacoma YouTube channel after they premiere. The EnviroChallengers love receiving questions from Tacoma residents, so please send your questions to envirochallenger@cityoftacoma.org and your question just might be featured on the show! |