CIVIC MENTOR Bulletin Board -- Experimental: A CLOSER LOOK: At the City's Environmental Affairs Division

1. PURPOSE
This duplicates the Environmental Affairs page of the City web site in order to help raise awareness of this program which is designed to keep Pittsburg a lovely place in which to live and to help us save our money and other social resources, all at the same time.

2. RATIONALE
It's good to review these ideas, periodically, since they often require the public's special attention to help this program work the way it should for us.

3. PLUS
In addition to the rest of this article, you might also be interested in a few of the other initiatives emanating from this superb team, contained in the following separate articles on this blog:

Adopt a Spot Program -- The Adopt-a-Spot program allows you or your organization to adopt a park, creek, street, trail, or plaza and to assist with the painting of benches, walls and buildings within our community.
Green Footprint Festival at Small World Park (now past) , which celebrated the many aspects of living "green" with a lighter footprint on the Earth.
Cool California Challenge (now past) Pittsburg is competing against 10 other California cities to see who can lower their carbon footprint the most. It is being run by UC Berkeley and www.coolcalifornia.org. Another blognote, here.
2012 Great Pittsburg Cleanup (now past). This is a great opportunity to help improve your community and meet new people. Also high school students can earn Community Service credits for graduation.

OH, THERE'S MUCH MORE THAT THIS FINE DIVISION DOES -- but this gives you an idea of just how much it matters to the great quality of life here.

================

The City of Pittsburg has many exciting programs targeted at helping the environment and educating the community on easy ways to be more "Green." The Environmental Affairs Division is here to provide resources, tips, and events to promote lifestyle changes that will bring about a happier, healthier, more beautiful Pittsburg.

City of Pittsburg Recycling Program

The City of Pittsburg has been actively working with residents and businesses to find new ways to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. TotersAll

The State of California Solid Waste Management Act required all cities to reduce their waste by 50% by the year 2000. To help maintain Pittsburg's successful reduction and prepare for potential further reductions in the future, this web site provides many tips, resources, and opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Reduce....... Minimize the amount you have to throw away by not creating trash in the first place.

Reuse....... Give your old stuff new life by finding creative uses for it or by donating it to a worthy cause.

Recycle....... Pittsburg residents have a great expanded recycling service and easy access to recycling and collection facilities for almost any item.

Compost....... Reuse your yard waste, food scraps, and other organic waste in a simple way that could save you money and add life to your garden.

It's easy and convenient! For great tips, suggestions, and other resources visit the City's pages on Garbage & Recycling andComposting.

Did you Know?
Waste causes global warming. When organic materials (like paper, food waste, and yard waste) slowly decompose in a landfill environment, it produces the greenhouse gas methane. And not recycling glass, plastic, and metals means these materials have to be extracted from nature, which is uses more energy, destroys lands, and creates greenhouse gases.

Learn more about Greenhouse Gases and Climate Action in Pittsburg

Activities by Pittsburg residents and businesses contribute to global warming, or "climate change". Mainly, these activities include transportation, energy use, and waste, which all create greenhouse gases. Visit the City's Climate Action web pages to learn more about local greenhouse gas emissions, follow the development of a local "Climate Action Plan" to reduce these emissions, and find resources to take immediate action.

Learn more about:

Pittsburg's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Home Energy Efficiency

Business Energy Efficiency

Alternative Transportation and Fuels

Environmental Leaders

Thank you to Pittsburg businesses that have done their part to help better our environment!

Green Business Program Certified Businesses (as of April 2012)