Residents can apply for street trees in their neighborhood on the City’s website.
The City of Long Beach will host a tree planting on Oct. 4 in honor of California Clean Air Day. The event will also celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability and the adoption of the Long Beach Climate Action Plan (LB CAP).
On Oct. 4, workers from the City and Long Beach Conservation Corp will be planting trees along Harbor Avenue to help improve air quality along the I-710 corridor.
Year-round, Long Beach’s Tree Planting Program aims to mitigate health impacts caused by air pollution by providing free street trees to neighborhoods across the city. Residents interested in receiving free street trees in their neighborhoods are encouraged to apply and schedule a planting through the City’s website: www.longbeach.gov/sustainability/programs/tree-planting/.
“Our Office’s Tree Planting Program aims to expand Long Beach’s urban forest in order to improve public health and beautify neighborhoods throughout the city,” said Sustainability Manager Larry Rich in a public statement.
Over the past year, significant efforts have been concentrated on establishing the new Office of Climate Action, which involved combining the existing Office of Sustainability and four new climate action positions. The Office of Climate Action’s purpose is to ensure the successful implementation of LB CAP actions and objectives across all City departments.
“A key objective of the LB CAP is for Long Beach to achieve net zero emissions by 2045,” said Climate Manager Fern Nueno in a public statement. “We hope to better enable residents to make the changes to their everyday routines that can help us reach that goal and, in doing so, improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.”
Residents interested in receiving free street trees in their neighborhoods are encouraged to apply and schedule a planting through the City’s website.
The LB CAP was passed by the Long Beach City Council in August 2022, and outlines the City’s climate action and adaptation goals. The plan aims to address climate change while rectifying existing environmental health disparities and enhancing overall quality of life and the local economy.
“The City Council passed the Long Beach Climate Action Plan to create a roadmap to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. A year after its adoption, the work is underway with the staff, resources, and momentum to take action,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in a public statement.
“Led by the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability, the City is now organized to centrally coordinate interdepartmental efforts for LB CAP implementation and, in the coming year, this team will be calling on our residents, businesses, and industries to take steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”
Residents can find more information about California Clean Air Day at www.longbeach.gov/sustainability/ or by contacting the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability at Sustainability@longbeach.gov.
For updates on the work of the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability, residents can follow it on Facebook and Instagram and sign up to receive a newsletter.
