Mckenna Beery
Theme Editor
Show you care; do your share. The city of Manhattan Beach is showing that it cares by initiating various programs in order to keep our ocean and beach community clean.
Manhattan Beach has been working toward building a more environmentally responsible city. Manhattan Beach City Council has made going green a priority when it comes to new legislation.
“The city has had a strong commitment to its environmental programs for several years, as well as a very strong sustainability program,” Environmental Programs Manager Sona Coffee said.
The city started creating a successful environmental plan by writing a report on eco-friendly initiatives. This report, titled “Working Toward A Greater, Greener Manhattan Beach,” identifies the city’s eco-friendly actions and suggests ways the city can improve the quality of its environmental programs. As a result of the findings of the report, an environmental programs manager was hired in order to facilitate new environmental policies. In addition, a community environmental task force comprised of 10 residents and two student liaisons was created to review policies that will lead the city in developing environmental strategies.
“I think the task force is a really good idea,” senior Emma Zimmerman said. “It helps make sure that being environmentally friendly is a top priority for the city council.”
Some of the major changes being made include making sure all city-owned storm catch basins are cleaned at least twice each year and using wastewater clarifiers at the city yard’s vehicle washing and fueling areas. The Manhattan Beach City Council has sustainability measures that cover a wide range of issues, including climate action, food waste composting, green building, recycling, water conservation, reduction of plastic waste and sustainable landscaping.
“I respect the fact that the council is addressing all of these different issues instead of just focusing on one,” community member Molly Sugimoto said. “I feel like they are all equally important, and I hope the residents of Manhattan Beach feel the same.”
One key program that the council is working on right now is called Community Choice, which offers renewable energy to the community as an alternative method to meet energy demands. The city council just approved a resolution to begin exploring the feasibility of this type of program on Oct. 21. The city also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of the United States Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, which sets specific sustainability goals. This resulted in the city conducting an assessment of its environmental initiatives, and making recommendations for new sustainability methods.
“It’s awesome that the city is looking at big changes, like alternative energy, instead of just telling people to recycle,” senior Hailey Kay said.
Manhattan Beach was also one of the first cities to adopt a plastic bag ban in 2008. The city was then sued and fought the case to the California Supreme Court, where the court found the city was able to implement its plastic bag ordinance.
Additionally, the city must adhere to specific rules, such as storm water regulations, through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit. The city also has commitments to other goals, such as reducing water consumption 20% by 2020 through regulations for both the city and residents. Other improvements include adopting a storm water pollution prevention ordinance and the implementation of best management practices, which are mitigation measures applied to oil and natural gas drilling and production to help ensure that energy development is conducted in an environmentally responsible manner. In addition, improvements on city construction, maintenance, and employee training programs have been implemented in order to ensure consistent environmental awareness for all city employees.
“Since California is in a drought, I think that it is really important for everyone to focus on saving water,” sophomore Jonathan Arendsen said. “It’s good that the city has started to focus more on these pressing issues because they are very relevant today, and people are more likely to take action if the city promotes awareness.”
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