(Save the date: RealShare Los Angeles comes to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA, on March 27.)
LONG BEACH, CA-The Port of Long Beach has begun a tree-planting initiative to beautify the city and cut greenhouse gases. The project kicked off recently at Silverado Park here.
The initiative, identified by the slogan “I Dig Long Beach—6,000 Trees by 2020,” began with the planting of 50 trees in the park—located at 32nd St. and Santa Fe Ave.—and at adjacent John Muir Elementary School. The Port awarded a $671,200 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction grant to the City's Development Services Department to fund the project. The money will support the development of an “urban forest” throughout Long Beach that will help absorb greenhouse gases, provide wildlife habitat, cool land surface and increase property values.
The urban-forest program is among 28 projects that were awarded a total of $5.4 million by the Port in 2012 to reduce, avoid or capture emissions of greenhouse gases. Other projects include the replacement of 7,000 square feet of pavement and turf with trees and drought-tolerant native plants at Willmore City Historic District and the restoration of a portion of Colorado Lagoon with native drought-tolerant plants. Last week, the Board of Harbor Commissioners approved additional greenhouse grants, including $390,000 to the Aquarium of the Pacific to replace its old boiler system with an energy-efficient model.
In addition to the greenhouse-gas grants, the Port has awarded $5 million to mitigation funding to healthcare and senior facilities and $4.7 million to schools and related sites. The Port's Community Mitigation grant programs are designed to offset some of the negative impacts of development and port operations that cannot be completely eliminated through technology. Since 2005, the Port has decreased diesel pollution levels by 75% and is striving to reach zero emissions. Funds for the grants are generated through Port construction projects such as Middle Harbor redevelopment and Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement.
Are there “green” beautification projects going on in your area? Tell us about them in the comment box below.
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Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
