Sustainability in Long Beach

To understand Long Beach, it helps to understand the Port, which, in many ways, both defines and leads the city. An economic behemoth, generating more than $100 billion in trade, the Port of Long Beach was at the forefront of reacting to the challenges of climate change when it launched its Green Port Project in 2005. The results have been exceptional. For instance, one of the first programs put in place tackled vessel speed reduction to cut air pollution. It now has more than 95% of ships in the port earning incentives by slowing down. The Clean Trucks Program banned older, heavy polluting diesel trucks and led to a 90% reduction in vehicle emissions. Overall, since Green Port was put in place, diesel soot is down 88%. And, thanks it its clean water initiatives, marine life in the area has experienced a two-fold increase in the number of plants and animals living on the rocks and pilings in the harbor.

Where to start? The City's Native Plant Nursery offers workshops in things like planting basics and native plant container gardens. If you’re into mulch, the city offers a self-service pickup area. If you’re more into composting, it offers a variety of compost bins – for backyard composting, yard debris and food debris – at reduced prices. The RiverLink project is focused on revegetating the Long Beach stretch of the Los Angeles River with indigenous plants. There are a lot more resources and programs, all in keeping with the city’s reputation for environmental leadership. It was the first city to join the EcoZone Program intended to measurably improve environmental conditions through public-private partnerships. To that end, Long Beach initiated its Green Business certification allowing local businesses to partner with the city to reduce their environmental impacts; more than 50 local businesses have signed up.

Providing an alternative to single-occupant car trips, Long Beach Transit's (LBT) “Green Fleet” – i.e. battery electric, hybrid, natural gas buses – offsets more than 312,000 gallons of gas every year. The fleet will be adding 14 electric buses in 2022 with a goal of having its entire fleet qualify as zero emissions by 2035. That’s five years before the state’s regulations requiring public transit agencies to transition to 100% zero-emission bus fleets by 2040. That leadership is nothing new for the agency, which, before the end of 2022, will have more than quadrupled its electric bus fleet. In addition to its Green Fleet, LBT recently signed the American Public Transportation Assn.’s Sustainability Commitment, pledging to engage in an even broader set of sustainability principles.

The Long Beach Water Department, through a partnership with the city, provides a wide array of innovative resident support programs and initiatives designed to help them, and businesses, be as water-efficient as possible. The programs, which include educating K-8 students and their families to not only save water but energy, while reducing waste, appear to be working. With an average water use of fewer than 95 gallons per person, per day, Long Beach has become a leader in water use efficiency. The department also provides a Lawn-To-Garden program providing rebates for converting from grass to water-wise landscapes. Its Direct Install Garden program makes water-wise conversions available to homeowners in disadvantaged communities. Conversions are handled in partnership with the Conservation Corp of Long Beach, a program connecting youth to their communities through work, education and conservation.