Ask your local nursery about native and draught-tolerant plants. Native plants not only provide food and habitat for resident birds, bees, and butterflies, but they thrive without irrigation after some initial watering to establish the plants. Also, flowering shrubs and grasses that don’t have to be trimmed or mowed won’t produce as much plant waste as grass clippings that may find their way into the storm drains and, eventually, the ocean.
The Port of Long Beach uses native plant landscaping to manage storm water runoff and control dust in many vacant, unpaved areas.
Buy products with less packaging. One-third of the trash generated in California is packaging material. By choosing products with less packaging you will not only save landfill capacity, but you’ll allow manufacturers and retailers to cut costs; these savings will be passed along to consumers.
Buying products with less packaging also helps the Port of Long Beach and its shippers minimize traffic and pollution by ensuring that each container is packed as efficiently as possible.
Plant a tree. Trees are one of our greatest allies in the fight against global warming. In addition to absorbing greenhouse gases, trees help reduce cooling costs, provide food and habitat for wildlife, reduce noise pollution and storm water runoff, and increase the value of your home by beautifying your neighborhood.
The Port of Long Beach participates in the City’s Urban Landscape Program, in addition to other neighborhood tree-planting and greenbelt activities.
Recycle unwanted items. We all know that Goodwill Industries and Salvation Army will accept donations of used and unwanted items, but there’s also a chapter of the Freecycle Network ™ in Long Beach. Over 5 million people in 75 countries use the Freecycle to give — and request — stuff and usually the recipient will pick the item up. Freecycle is a non-profit, grassroots movement with the slogan, "changing the world one gift at a time." For more information, go to http://www.freecycle.org.
The Port of Long Beach recycles nearly all of the concrete and asphalt demolished during remodeling, repair or redevelopment projects. The material is crushed and reused for new paving projects.
Turn your computer off at night. Typical home computer systems use at least 150 watts per hour. Turning your computer off at night or at least setting it to "sleep mode" saves money and reduces greenhouse gases.
Port of Long Beach employees save over 300,000 kilowatt hours per year by turning their computers off at night and on weekends. Not only does that save $46,000 in energy costs every year, but it prevents about 110 tons of greenhouse gas from being generated.
Keep medicines out of the ocean. Many people are not aware that prescription and over-the-counter drugs that are flushed or put down a drain cannot be neutralized by municipal wastewater treatment plants. These drugs are getting into rivers and oceans and causing serious impacts to aquatic organisms. Medicines, along with paints, pesticides and other hazardous wastes, can be brought to any of the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection centers in our area. Locations can be found on the City’s Environmental Services Bureau’s website: http://www.longbeach-recycles.org/home/index.htm. If you can’t visit a HHW center, crush your medicines, put them into a sealed container that you wouldn’t otherwise recycle, and throw the container in the trash can.
Most of the hazardous wastes generated by Port of Long Beach operations are exactly the same as those generated at home: paints, solvents, and oils. Containerized shipping has greatly reduced the potential for hazardous materials to leak or spill into the ocean as compared with bulk shipping.
Remember to bring your reusable shopping bag into the store. Most of us have several bags that can be used for shopping hidden away in closets and cabinets at home. The problem, for many people, is getting into the habit of bringing them into the stores. Keep them in a visible place in your car or hang them over your front door knob when you’ve emptied them. It may take a few weeks to get in the habit, but the collective environmental benefits of reducing paper and plastic bag use are enormous.
The Port of Long Beach has distributed thousands of reusable shopping bags at its annual Green Port Fest and other community events. If you don’t already have one and would like to request one, send an email to info@polb.com.
When you replace your holiday lights, buy LEDs. Light emitting diode (LED) lights are an energy-efficient, safe, and cost-effective alternative to traditional holiday lights. They have a much longer life span than incandescent bulbs and, because the lenses are made of epoxy, they are much more durable. Some companies even sell LED replacement bulbs that will fit into traditional holiday strings.
Safety and security are the main considerations for lighting on a marine terminal. While LED traffic signals are common and LED street lighting is being tested in several municipalities, there aren’t any LED products available, to date, that would illuminate the ground surface of a terminal with the required intensity. However, the technology holds promise for the future, particularly because LED lighting is extremely directional. Its use may be able to reduce regional light pollution which is known to have an adverse impact on migrating birds.
