CM Rumbaugh celebrates Earth Day and protecting our environment
City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 04/16/2025 08:05 AM PDT
Dear District 2 residents,
Tuesday, April 22 is Earth Day, and I’m celebrating all month!
We now have our updated Climate Action Plan 2030 available. With this Plan, Tacoma will take action for healthy, affordable housing; clean, reliable transportation; protections for public health; and green, good-paying jobs. It is designed to direct City funding, investments, and work over the next five years to improve our communities and environment.
I appreciate that we are looking at many ways to create a more sustainable community. As I think about this issue, I like to be super local. Things I think about are how our poop station program along with the pilot program from Parks Tacoma work to keep dog waste out of our stormwater drains. Picking up litter is also important because these items can easily get into our waterways and cause issues for sea life. Composting is a way to cut down on food waste in our landfill. Reduce, reuse, and recycling is a common thing I do to make sure that less goes to the landfill.
There's a lot going on and I appreciate that there may be a lot of uncertainty. This newsletter will focus on the things our community is doing to protect the things we care about such as trees, clean water, energy efficiency, plastic free products and reusable items, and many more opportunities that create a better environment.
Sincerely,
Sarah Rumbaugh Tacoma City Council Member - District 2
Join us for the 17th Annual Sustainability Expo at the University of Washington Tacoma on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free, family-friendly event includes vendors, activities, and displays showcasing many groups and organizations working to improve the environmental sustainability and/or resiliency of our region. This event is hosted by the City of Tacoma's Environmental Services Department.
Community events, where the Scoopy Doo mascot and Poo Toss game help engage residents and teach the importance of cleaning up after our pets.
We all must do our part to clean up after our pets’ poo! The City is hard at work partnering with community.
The Neighborhood Pet Waste Station Sponsorship Program is a small, community-driven initiative that helps reduce pet waste pollution in public spaces. The Environmental Services provides pet waste stations, including dispensers and receptacles, to approved sponsors who commit to ongoing maintenance, such as refilling bags and emptying waste bins. By engaging residents and businesses in stewardship, the program supports cleaner neighborhoods, improved stormwater quality, and a healthier environment. We currently have around 80 sponsors in the program maintaining pet waste stations.
Starting in 2025, the Pet Waste Station Sponsorship Program is prioritizing partnerships with community gardens to expand station placements. The City is working with community garden groups to assess their ability to sponsor and maintain pet waste stations, helping to further reduce pet waste pollution in shared public spaces. This initiative aims to support cleaner, healthier environments while strengthening community stewardship.
Parks Tacoma held their Tacoma Parks Commissioner meeting at Norpoint Community Center last month and it was a great opportunity for the community to meet their elected Parks Commissioners. This is a separate elected body who make decisions regarding property and facilities owned by Parks Tacoma. The need for a designated dog park in Northeast Tacoma was an issued brought forward by Northeast Tacoma neighbors. If you are interested in serving on a focus group to find a location for a dog park in Northeast Tacoma, please reach out to alisa.ohanlonregala@tacomaparks.com.
The Adopt-a-Storm Drain (AAD) provides a free, year-round, stewardship opportunity for residents by encouraging regular and sustained actions to prevent flooding and reduce runoff pollution by adopting storm drains/catch basins in their neighborhood and committing to keep them clear of leaves, trash, and other debris. In 2024 alone, storm drain adopters reported removing more than 1,227 pounds of debris, preventing litter, leaves, and pollutants from entering Tacoma’s stormwater system and ultimately Puget Sound. Adopt-a-drain has been selected as our behavior change program focus for the 2024-2029 permit cycle. The overall goal for this permit cycle is to empower Tacoma residents to care for their local waters by keeping pollution and debris from entering the storm drains and ultimately entering the water ways. We are encouraging stewardship of our local waterways starting with taking action right outside of their front door.
Tacoma Environmental Services engages volunteers in the Catch Basin Marking Program to raise awareness about stormwater pollution. Catch basin markers serve as a visible reminder that “If It Hits the Ground, It Hits the Sound”, helping to prevent pollutants from entering local waterways.
Storm drain marking events are conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Programs Group (EPG) and EnviroChallengers, engaging college, trade, and high school students. These events take place through the Environmental Services Certificate Program, Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) workforce training, Next Move Internship, and other ES workforce development initiatives. Participants gain hands-on experience in environmental stewardship while learning about stormwater management and pollution prevention.
Storm Marking is an available environmental stewardship opportunity for Scouts and other youth groups. Contact Klipphardt@cityoftacoma.org for more information.
The City provides marking supplies and ensures that marked catch basins are mapped in the City’s GIS system.
There are a lot of things we can do to change our own usage. For instance, trying to reduce what you buy can reduce the amount of waste in our community. I am definitely working on buying less. This is a constant issue for me because I like shopping. At some point though, you only need so many gray sweaters. I think a lot about the concept of buying in bulk. It is great to get savings when we buy large amounts, but it takes Stan and me a while to get through 4 jars of pasta sauce. Sometimes I think it is better to get the one jar I need, or consider making it from scratch so I can freeze some for next time.
Pavement isn’t just hard on your feet—it’s hard on Puget Sound. Every time it rains, stormwater rushes across roads and parking lots, picking up oil, heavy metals, and other pollutant, which then flow directly into our waterways. Pavement also traps heat, making neighborhoods hotter and worsening air quality.
Together, we can change that! In 2024, volunteers depaved 7 sites in Tacoma, replacing pavement with green spaces that soak up rainwater, reduce flooding, cool urban areas, and restore natural beauty. By removing pavement and planting trees and native plants, we can protect Puget Sound, cool our communities, and create healthier spaces for people and wildlife.
Be part of the movement! Whether you want to nominate a site or volunteer for a depaving event, you can take action to transform your neighborhood and protect Puget Sound.
🚜 Ready to dig in? Learn more and get involved today: Depave Tacoma.
The City of Tacoma Environmental Services and Pierce Conservation District are offering grants of up to $4,000 to support projects that educate residents and protect or restore Tacoma’s surface waters. Projects should have a strong stormwater message, provide stormwater benefits, and may be educational in nature.
Grants are open to anyone planning a project within Tacoma city limits, with a focus on:
✔ Preventing pollution in local waterways ✔ Restoring clean water and improving habitat ✔ Educating the community on environmental stewardship
City of Tacoma Environmental Services has funded over 70 projects through Make a Splash.
Do you have an idea to make a difference? You may be eligible for funding! Applications will be accepted this Fall 2025—start planning your project today!
Applications will be open from April 9, 2025 – April 23, 2025 at noon. Community members ages 16+ can receive a $1,200 or $300 instant rebate for an e-bike.
We are thrilled that in addition to WSDOT’s statewide instant e-bike rebate program which will distribute 10,000 e-bike rebates statewide, we’re able to offer approximately 450 additional rebates to Tacoma residents living in overburdened communities highly impacted by air quality thanks to a grant from the Department of Ecology. We’ve worked closely with WSDOT to make the application process as streamlined as possible, so community members only have to apply once and they’ll be automatically entered into one or both programs, based on their eligibility.
The Litter Free 253 (LF253) team is getting ready to spring into action on Saturday, April 19th from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. to make this the best LF253 event yet!
This is the 5th Annual City-wide LF253 litter pickup event coordinated this year by the Community Council of Tacoma and all 8 Neighborhood Councils.
To make it easy to sign up, they organize teams by Neighborhood Council area. Not sure which one of Tacoma's eight great Neighborhood Councils to choose? Find your Neighborhood Council here. Supplies, grabbers, & even some swag will be provided at each location.
