Water Conservation at the Sustainable City Commission

The Sustainable City Commission heard from Long Beach Water last week about their ongoing conservation programs and incentives. Although California is no longer facing extreme drought, Long Beach continues to create a culture of water conservation to make it the Long Beach way of life. Their new campaign #LiveH2OLB reflects this goal, and provides resources and engaging content to help residents save more water every day. Find more meeting details and watch the full video online.

LB Water’s newest program, the Certified Blue Restaurant Program, launched in August and already has 14 applications from local restaurants. This program reviews restaurants’ current water usage and provides tips, rebates, and free devices to help them meet the threshold for certification. Restaurants have huge potential for water conservation and could save 37,000 gallons per faucet just by using the free aerators provided through the program.

The Lawn to Garden (L2G) Program continues to provide huge water savings to Long Beach residents. So far, 3,200 participants have used the program to remove 3,240,000 square feet of lawn and replace it with drought tolerant landscaping. LB Water has also launched a Smart Irrigation Program to encourage the use of drip irrigation, which uses up to 85% less water. Other new additions to the L2G program are planned for next spring, including more informational resources, a parkway only program, and a Watershed Friendly Program to encourage the next level of sustainability in Long Beach gardens. 

Following the LB Water presentation, Sustainability staff presented the Draft 2018 Office of Sustainability Work Plan. This plan outlines the programs and goals of the Office of Sustainability in the next calendar year. New items include the Residential GHG Reduction Program in partnership with Green Education Inc., the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone Program launching in mid-November, and re-launching the Green Business Recognition Program. The Work Plan was reviewed by the Commission and forwarded to City Council for approval.

Join us at the next Sustainable City Commission meeting on December 6^th to learn more about sustainability in Long Beach. The meeting will begin at 4pm in City Council Chambers, 333 W Ocean Blvd.