NEW! Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability Quarterly Report | Keeping you informed about environmental sustainability in Tacoma | | | | April 2016 | | | Stay in Touch! Subscribe to the EnviroNews Listserv to send and receive e-mails on environmental topics: - grant opportunities, - workshops, - restoration activities, - volunteer programs, - trainings, - announcements, - news, and - events. Follow Tacoma Sustainability on Facebook.Follow Tacoma Mobility on Facebook and Twitter. Upcoming Events Earth Week Calendar  View the many events going on to celebrate Earth Week.Parks Appreciation Day April 23 - Get involved in this year's event and add your name to the growing list of those who value -and volunteer for- the great parks in our communities.Tacoma Bike Swap - April 30 - Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or simply looking to find other riders, join us for this exciting community event! Ongoing Opportunities Sustainable Tacoma Commission - 2nd Tuesday of each month, 3:30-5:30 PM at Tacoma Municipal Building, 9th floor Visibility Center. Public welcome!  BPTAG (Bicycle Pedestrian Technical Advisory Group) - 4th Monday of each month, 5:30 PM at Tacoma Municipal Building.Tacoma Green Drinks - Every 1st Thursday, 6:00 PM, at different locations around town.Additional Education and Involvement Green Living Guide An award-winning interactive map featuring many of Tacoma’s resources and efforts towards more sustainable living. Video Features EnviroShorts This series takes you behind the scenes to find out where Tacoma's waste goes.  Urban Green Full Episode Archive Tacoma Report Eco Videos Explore the City of Tacoma's archive of videos on environmental topics. | Environmental Action Plan Adopted by Tacoma City Council | In a fitting move in line with Earth Week, theTacoma City Council adopted Council Resolution #39427 endorsing a comprehensiveEnvironmental Action Plan. This Plan includes specific, prioritized actions needed to implement the City of Tacoma's existing environmental policies and goals as well as five-year measurable targets to track progress. This Plan was the result of collaborativeplanning across city departments, a steering committee and input from thegeneral public. Mayor Strickland supports the plan, writing the Plan “outlines theactions that our City government and local community will take over the nextfive years to become more environmentally sustainable. This means creatinggreater efficiency in our City operations, reducing air and water pollution inthe community, and responding to the challenges of climate change.” You can view the full report and the infographic here.  | Celebrate May, National Bike Month BikeMonth is celebrating its 9th year in Tacoma-Pierce County, and theCity of Tacoma and its partners have a month full of events planned for peoplewho live, work and play in the area. The Blessing of the Bikes on April 29thand Tacoma Bike Swap on April 30th kick things off, and there areseveral rides, meet-ups, and other fun events to come. People of all ages andabilities won’t want to miss the Steel Wheel Alley Cat / Poker Run happening at2nd Cycle on May 13. Be sure to check out the 1950s Ride on May 28which leaves from War Memorial Park and takes riders through the ProctorFarmers Market and to Wright Park for a few rounds of lawn bowling, all infashionable 1950s garb. Other events include a mountain bike trail work party,a Kidical Mass ride, and a Bike Month proclamation with City Council. Check outcityoftacoma.org/BikeMonthand visit Bike253.com for a full listing of events. Sustainability Expo Recap The 9th annualSustainability Expo held on March 5th was a great success, bringing anestimated 1,200 attendees with 68% participating for the first time. Thesefirst time attendee numbers were encouraging, as the Expo continues to educatenew audiences.  Nearly 100% reported anincreased knowledge of sustainability issues. One attendee shared their experience.“I really enjoyed the class on canning and preserving food [as well as learning about] volunteer opportunities in my community.” The City of Tacoma continues toconsider certain shoppingbag restrictions to reduce the amount of litter and waste that pollute ourlandscapes and aquatic environments. These restrictions would ban single-useplastic carryout bags and charge a minimum of five cents per paper and/orreusable bags. On April 27th at 4:30 pm, staff will be presenting a draft BringYour Own Bag ordinance to the Infrastructure, Planning and SustainabilityCommittee at the Tacoma Municipal Building North, Room 16. The public iswelcome. Preventing Wasted Food | There is food waste and then there is wasted food. Food waste is unavoidable. Examples include banana peels, egg shells and carrot tops.. Wasted food is preventable because it is edible food that went bad before it was eaten. It can be raw food or cooked food that goes rotten or looks unappealing (including uneaten “leftovers”.. Many of us have wasted food in our homes and would like to change that fact. The Food: Too Good to Waste Challenge was developed to help families and individuals learn ways to waste less food. Challenge participants receive a food storage guide, a container to collect and measure how many cups of food go wasted in a week, and an EAT FIRST bin to encourage eating perishable foods before they spoil. To learn more go to: www.cityoftacoma.org/PreventingWastedFood. | | On March 12th,the Healthy Homes, Healthy Neighborhoods hosted the Hilltop Community Breakfast. The eventfocused on Healthy Homes, Healthy Neighborhods mission of connecting residentsto available community resources.  Around 100 people attended the event and learnedabout resources available from City groups like Tacoma Power, Tacoma Water, andSolid Waste, as well as local Hilltop resources like the new Feast ArtsCenter.  | Spring workshops will begin soon at the EnviroHouse (located at the Transfer and Recovery Center, 3510 S. Mullen St.). 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. Here is the current spring schedule, which is subject to change:April 23, 1:30 PM - BackyardChickens: Getting Started April 30, 10:30 AM - Native Plants to Enhance your Habitat          May 7, 10:30 AM  - Go Green for Spring Cleaning May 14, 10:30 AM - Yard Waste & Worm Bin CompostingMay 21, 10:30 AM - Food:Too Good to Waste; Join the ChallengeMay 22, 1:30 PM - Rain Barrels: Howto Make & Maintain         June 4, 10:30 AM - Natural and WaterSmart Yard Care | Bring the whole family to the T-Town Expo, an event that is part of an ongoing effort to raise community awareness about the services delivered by the various departments at the City, educate the community about how city government works, and offer an opportunity for community members to share ideas and feedback about how the City should utilize its resources.The 'T-Town: Play, Explore, Learn' City Services Expo is a free, fun, interactive community event hosted by the City of Tacoma featuring demonstrations, activities, games and prizes for the entire family. If you’ve been wanting an opportunity to see a fire truck up close, talk to a police officer about making your neighborhood more secure, or learn more about street operations through hands-on activities, this is the event for you! | Fare Thee Well, Diane | For the past ten years, Diane Wiatr has worked on Active Transportation for the City of Tacoma. She was been instrumental in creating the Mobility Master Plan and helped many of its action items blossom into successful programs. These ranged from large annual events like Downtown to Defiance to implementing the City’s first Safe Routes to School program at Sheridan Elementary. She is optimistic for active transportation in Tacoma moving forward, saying “the community is engaged and committed to elevating Tacoma’s sustainable transportation system and quality of life.”  Diane will transition to the state level as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Washington State Department of Transportation. We wish her the best as she continues to use her extraordinary talents to make active transportation more safe, affordable, and equitable for residents all over Washington.  | Meet Mike, our new Urban Forester | Mike Carey has been working with the City for five years and brings a unique skill set to the position. Trained in landscape architecture, arboriculture and restoration ecology, he is uniquely positioned to improve partnerships with agencies and large landowners, develop vegetation standards, and provide incentive programs to the public.He looks forward to the challenge of facilitating a transition from seeing trees as a liability to seeing them as an asset to a healthy, livable community. Working with Tacoma’s extraordinary ecological diversity is one of the greatest parts of his job. “In just under 50 square miles we host a wide range of ecological systems, from the threatened Garry Oak woodlands in South Tacoma to the old growth upland forest remnants in Point Defiance Park. From the dense urban core that is our downtown, to the great gem that is the Puget Sound.”Well said, Mike. | | | |   | | | STAY CONNECTED: | | | | | |   | | | | | SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: | | Preferences  |  Unsubscribe Contact Us    |   HelpHaving trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. | | | This email was sent to tracemckellips@yahoo.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: City of Tacoma · 747 Market St., Tacoma, WA 98402 · (253) 591-5000 | | |