2017 Office of Sustainability Work Plan Approved

The Office of Sustainability Work Plan for 2017 was approved by City Council this month. Watch Sustainability Coordinator Larry Rich present the plan to Council. 

In the fall of 2016, Sustainability staff, together with Sustainable City Commissioners, put together a list of priorities and goals for the coming year. This process was informed by public input during the August Commission meetings as well as the Speak Up, Long Beach! online community portal. Staff and Commissioners took a half day retreat in September at the Mark Twain Public Library to process public input and discuss priorities. The results of this work were the finalized Office of Sustainability Work Plan, and the Commission’s list of policy priorities for 2017.

The Work Plan for 2017 is separated into 3 parts. First are the Program Management Projects, where our office has found opportunities to collaborate with other City departments or local organizations on sustainable initiatives. 

Next, our Ongoing Fieldwork Programs are run by Sustainability staff to advance environmental stewardship, support local sustainability practices, and create a more livable and resilient Long Beach. These include:

• Mulch Delivery and Pickup, which provides free mulch to Long Beach residents; 
• Parkway Tree Planting, which plants trees in parkways in front of resident’s houses and businesses upon request; 
• the Compost Pilot Program, collecting kitchen food waste from local businesses and delivering it to the Growing Experience, a local urban farming organization; and 
• the Edible Demonstration Garden, which provides workshops for residents to learn gardening skills, and donates its produce to local food banks.

The Office of Sustainability is also staff to the Sustainable City Commission, and the last section of our work plan provides a list of planned topics to cover during the 2017 Commission meetings. We encourage the public to attend Commission meetings to learn about the City’s sustainability efforts through these presentations, and to offer any comments or questions to the presenters or the Commission. Be sure to check back often to find the upcoming meeting topics and planned speakers.

View the Work Plan 2017