Long Beach: Port Funds City Beautification Project

A tree-planting initiative funded by the Port of Long Beach to beautify the city and cut greenhouse gases kicked off Feb. 23 at a local park. "I Dig Long Beach – 6,000 Trees by 2020” began with the planting of 50 trees in Silverado Park and 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 "I Dig Long Beach.” The money will support the development of an "urban forest” throughout Long Beach. Urban forests help absorb greenhouse gases, provide wildlife habitat, cool land surface and increase property values.

The city’s 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 greenhouse gas emissions. 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.

On Feb. 19, the 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 in mitigation funding to health care 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. Funds for the grants are generated through port construction projects, such as the Middle Harbor Redevelopment and Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement.

American Association of Port Authorities
Asociación Americana de Autoridades Portuarias
1201 Maryland Ave SW, Suite 860, Washington, D.C. 20024
E: info@aapa-ports.org
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