On Saturday, September 7th, the 2024 Climate Leaders Cohort gathered at Mi Centro to present their capstone projects. The cohort is a program where students learn climate solutions and civic engagement for our collective climate future! Individually and in groups, they worked incredibly hard to start developing projects around the issues that matter the most to them.

Mi Centro’s gallery space was packed with loved ones who came to cheer on the Leaders. At the end of the day, each Leader received a certificate, and we had conversations about how they plan to continue their projects moving forward. We are excited to see how their projects will grow and impact the Pierce County community!

Their projects involved the following topics: 

• Climate resilience hubs
• Environmental law and policy
• Climate Catastrophe Ground Zero Coalition
• Lincoln District’s tree and shade equity
• Sustainable textiles

• Climate education in middle schools
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification
• Organizing neighborhoods for planting and de-paving community projects

Grow Shade with Pierce Conservation District's Tree Sale

Want to beat the heat while improving your local water quality without breaking the bank? Consider purchasing a tree at a discounted price through Pierce Conservation District’s Urban Tree Sale!  

Planting trees is a great way to reduce temperatures around your home, improve air quality, and reduce impacts of stormwater pollution. According to the USDA Forest Service, research has shown that communities with tree canopy cover experience temperatures 11°F – 19°F lower than communities without tree canopy cover. Additionally, a typical medium-sized tree can intercept as much as 2,380 gallons of rainfall per year, which means that trees help reduce the amount of stormwater runoff bringing pollution into the Puget Sound.  

Twice a year, PCD offers a selection of 5-7 gallon, 10+ foot tall trees for a discounted price of only $10-$30! Along with your purchase you will be invited to a free, virtual workshop that includes information on the benefits of trees, step-by-step planting directions to give your trees the best chance at survival, and a watering bucket to provide a deep watering for your tree. 

Youth Climate Cafés

The Pierce County Youth Engaged in Sustainable Solutions (YESS) program is launching a new Climate Café Series! This program is born from youth feedback gathered while updating the Sustainability 2030 Plan. Youth across Pierce County expressed a desire for more safe spaces to talk about climate change. The first climate café will be at Catffeinated in Puyallup on October 17 from 1-3pm. Registration required. High school age youth only. 

Got creepy chemicals in the closet? Ghoulish glue in the garage? Leftover household products that contain toxic ingredients require special disposal to avoid harming human health or the environment and are called “household hazardous waste” (HHW). HHW should never be poured down the drain, onto the ground, into storm sewers or thrown in the trash. Instead, dispose of them for FREE at a household hazardous waste site.

Unsure if a product is hazardous? Look for these words:

• Poison
• Danger
• Keep out of reach of children

• Warning
• Caution
• Harmful if swallowed

When shopping for items such as multipurpose household cleaners, toilet cleaners, laundry detergent, and bug sprays look for environmentally friendly, natural products or search online for “green cleaning” recipes you can make yourself like these: Green Cleaning

Do you have a recycling question? Send it to us at PCRECYCLE@PierceCountyWa.gov We’ll send you a direct response and your question may appear in a future newsletter!

Switch Your Trips for a Chance to Win $1,500!

Ride Together Pierce is proud to be a part of the statewide campaign “Switch Your Trips”, October 1-31. The campaign encourages commuters across Washington State to replace drive-alone trips with sustainable travel options such as taking the bus, train, light rail, riding in a carpool or vanpool, and walking or biking.

Switch your trips 10 times during October, that’s five roundtrips, and log your trips on the Trip Calendar at RideTogetherPierce.com to be automatically entered for a chance to win one of these great prizes:

• $1,500, $500, $250, $100 and more cash prizes
• A brand-new Rad e-bike
• Rick Steves’ Travel Bags
• Gift cards for sharing your Switched Trip photo

Learn more about the campaign and find resources to get you started on RideTogetherPierce.com/SwitchYourTrips.

Want more out of your trip? Post a photo of you and your “switched trip” to the Switch Your Trips Facebook or Instagram page for your chance to win a $25 weekly gift card!

To learn more about classes this month and to see what we have in store for next month, check out our Sustainable Solutions class page. 

EDIBLE GARDENS: PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED

In-person. 1 - 3 P.M. at the WSU Victoria Room

REGISTER HERE

MAKE YOUR HOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT

6-7 p.m. via Zoom

REGISTER HERE

VERMICOMPOSTING

6-7 p.m. via Zoom

REGISTER HERE

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL: IN THE DARK

6-7 p.m. via Zoom

REGISTER HERE

WATER WE DOING FOR SALMON?

6-7 p.m. via Zoom

REGISTER HERE

Read with us:

• Cans to Car Parts: Inside the Complex, Crucial World of Aluminum Recycling, Canary Media
• Redefining Fashion’s Future, Bioneers
• US to Spend $7.3 Billion on Rural Clean Energy Projects, Reuters
• Which Brands Want to Loosen the Definition of “Recyclable”?, ProPublica
• When Driving is Not an Option American Planning Association
• A walking school bus can solve a lot of problems. Here’s how to start one. GG Washington

Listen with us:

• Neighborhood Digs | Hakai Magazine
• Regulators propose tougher vehicle rules to protect pedestrians

Watch with us:

• Voices of the Forest: The Atlantic Rainforest in Music Excerpt

Do with us:

• Thriving Together Small Business Resource Event: Thursday, October 10 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Healing Connections Haiku Comics Workshop: Saturday, October 12 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Tacoma.
• Wildfire Seed Bomb: Saturday, October 12 from 3-4 p.m. Fife.
• Food Waste Reduction and Home Composting: Tuesday, October 15 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Graham.
• Remakery at Pierce County Libraries:
• Stick and Stitch: Running stitch patterns – October 20, 1:30-3, South Hill Library
• Orca Recovery Day: Saturday, October 19, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Puyallup
• Introduction to Mushroom Hunting in the PNW: Sunday, October 20 from 2-3 p.m. Parkland
• DIY Green Cleaning: Tuesday, October 29 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Graham
• Salish Sea Science Roundtable monthly, November 5 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. (TOPIC NOT LISTED YET, ONLY OCT 1^st one)
• Park(ing) Day hosted by Downtown On the Go, Wednesday, October 2, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Civic engagement opportunities:

• Pierce County is updating its Unified Sewer Plan, a long-range comprehensive planning document that will outline the future of the Sewer Utility. Learn more and share your thoughts during our Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping public comment period starting the week of October 7.
• ‌Learn more and share your comments on the proposed changes to the Shoreline Master Program. This update works to ensure protection of our critical areas by amending shoreline related development regulations. 
• Puget Sound Regional Council Regional Safety Action Plan Open House
• Pierce Transit Destination 2045 Long Range Plan Open House
• Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Improvement Program Comment Period
• Provide feedback for Sound Transit Tacoma Dome Link Extension Project

We welcome your feedback on this newsletter! Share your thoughts via email HERE