FREE Energy Efficiency Program Available for Classrooms

This Fall 

Celebrate with LACSD at Annual Clean N Green Festival!

Torrance Desalter Expansion Project Celebrated at Groundbreaking Ceremony

FREE Energy Efficiency Program

Available for Classrooms This Fall

Enrollment is now open to public elementary schools in the South Bay for the Kits for Kids fall program. This program, offered by our partners at SoCalREN, provides kits of energy-efficient items, like LED bulbs and slow-flow faucet aerators, for students to take home.

Teachers implement a lesson plan with engaging conservation activities. If most of the classroom installs the kit items at home, the teacher receives a $1,000 grant to use in the classroom.

Enrollment is FREE and open NOW for Fall 2026. Enrollment is limited – so act now! Contact the SBCCOG’s Eleanor Murphy to learn more and join the prospective enrollment list at eleanor@southbaycities.org. 

PVPUSD Students Earn Green by Going Green:

This past spring, nine fourth-grade classrooms at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District participated in the program, earning $8,500 for their classrooms. The SBCCOG spoke to teachers, students, parents, and elected officials about their experience with Kits for Kids and how it fits into their sustainable programming. Watch the video! 

Celebrate with LACSD at the Annual

Clean N Green Festival

Mark your calendar! The Clean N Green Fest will take place on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Expect sunny skies, good vibes and a full day of hands-on fun for all ages! Explore behind-the-scenes tours of the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility, the Grace F. Napolitano Innovation Center, and the beautiful Bixby Marshland. Don’t miss the big trucks on display, interactive exhibits, and free photo booth to capture the day. It’s science, sustainability, and fun all in one place! 

More information.

WRD and the City of Torrance Break Ground on the Torrance Groundwater Desalter Expansion Project

The Water Replenishment District (WRD) and the City of Torrance celebrated a major milestone this week with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Torrance Groundwater Desalter Expansion Project (TGDEP). The event brought together elected officials, community leaders, and funding partners to mark the next phase of a transformative effort to convert brackish groundwater into a reliable local drinking water supply for the South Bay.  

As a key part of WRD’s Brackish Groundwater Reclamation Program, the project expands the Robert W. Goldsworthy Desalter and increases options for sustainable groundwater replenishment within the West Coast Basin. Upon project completion, the TGDEP will purify up to 7,100 acre-feet, or 2.3 billion gallons, of high-quality drinking water each year, contributing to a significant portion of the municipal supply for South Bay residents. 

Read more. 

Learn about West Basin’s Public Programs

Whether you're curious about where your water comes from, looking for ways to protect your home from fire, or learning about grass replacement rebates or garden design, West Basin makes all these things easy and accessible with their upcoming classes and events! 

Water Lab is your go-to program for learning about the region’s water sources, what West Basin is doing to meet future needs and how you can get involved. Take a public tour of the Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility (ECLWRF), join a free in-person “Know Your H2O” class, or hop into a virtual chat focused on grass replacement rebates.

Upcoming Water Lab Events: 

• Tours: August 8, 2026 
• Classes: September 9, 2026 
• Virtual Chats: Coming in 2027 

Sign Up! 

Firescaping workshops will show you how to reduce wildfire risk around your home through potentially life-saving information and property protection with an emphasis on proactive prevention. Read about the most recent firescaping class. Once event dates are determined, a registration link will be posted on the West Basin website.

School Field Trips start this September, West Basin will open its doors to students in grades 3–12 for engaging behind-the-scenes field trips at ECLWRF. Teachers can visit this link to be placed on the priority list for 2026-27 tours.

Rain Barrel Program returns this October and runs through March of 2027. This free giveaway program is part of West Basin’s district-wide water efficiency program that aims to reduce demand on imported water supplies by making conservation and water-efficient practices a “California Way of Life."

Last year, West Basin gave away more than 1,000 free 50-gallon barrels that helped residents collect rainwater and cut outdoor water use, with one rain barrel capable of saving up to 620 gallons of water per year. If you want one (or two) and live in the West Basin service area, join the interest list now.

The Grass Replacement program offers rebates of $5 per square foot of grass removed, up to $50,000 per project! Plus, West Basin offers free landscape designs AND a $100 per tree rebate for up to five trees planted when switching to drought-tolerant landscaping. Residents in the West Basin service area can sign up to be placed on the interest list for rebates  here. 

Check westbasinca.gov/events for updates and registration info.  

Regular fare riders on Metro can now pay fare simply by tapping a credit or debit card — plastic or digital — at TAP validators on buses and Metro Rail stations. Credit and debit cards also now work to pay bus fare on 25 local transit agencies that participate in TAP (LADOT will have this feature at a later date).

This new option is part of Metro’s work to make riding transit more convenient for regular riders, new riders and visitors to the region. Paying fare with a credit or debit card has proven very popular in other cities across the globe, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

Read more.

Learn About the Impact of SoCalGas Energy

Efficiency Programs on Customers and the Region

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), announced today that its energy efficiency programs helped customers save more than $106 million on their utility bills in 2025—reducing energy use by approximately 54 million net therms, enough to serve about 38,000 homes annually. 

These efforts also helped avoid approximately 286,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2025, or the equivalent of removing more than 66,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road for a year. 

Learn more about SoCalGas’ energy efficiency programs and ways to save at socalgas.com/savings. Read the full Energy Efficiency Programs 2025 Annual Report. 

Join the Green Business Community!

Learn practical, cost-effective strategies to improve energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction for your business! SBCCOG staff are meeting with businesses to provide resources, guidance and to support the implementation of sustainable strategies. This work can lead to certification through the California Green Business Network (CAGBN), which provides resources and technical assistance to California businesses. Learn more about the CAGBN. 

Small to medium businesses in the following cities can participate: Carson, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills Estates and Torrance.  

For more information on all these programs, please contact Martha Segovia at martha@southbaycities.org or call us at 310-371-7222.  

Visit our booth at these upcoming South Bay events

where we will be providing information about local water- and energy-saving programs, and other opportunities to help the residents of our subregion.

Job Opportunities

Metro is seeking qualified candidates to join one of the nation’s largest and most innovative transportation systems.

• Facilities Systems Technician
• Contract and Administration Manager
• Rail Traction Supervisor
• Bus Operator

For a full list of Metro job openings, visit their career page.

Become a SBESC Volunteer

Learn more about the

South Bay Environmental Service Center (SBESC),

Contact Martha Segovia

310-371-7222 or

martha@southbaycities.org

 Links to Partner Resources En Español:

• Metro - "El Pasajero"

Disclaimer

This newsletter is a collaboration of articles written by the partners of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) and is published as provided.