Commission asks staff to advance public-awareness steps for sustainability initiatives

City staff asked commissioners to review additional environmental and sustainability information from the strategic-planning retreat and to authorize next steps focused on public awareness and outreach.

At the May 21 workshop, a commissioner outlined a staff recommendation to prioritize awareness, communication and education on the "4 R's" — reduce, reuse, recycle and recover — and to involve the Community Advisory Board and other volunteers in outreach. "What I what we talked about, staff, you know, Nancy and staff in my briefing is to start with the whole awareness, communication, and education on the 4 r's," the commissioner said.

Why it matters: Education and outreach on waste reduction and recycling can affect municipal waste streams and resident behavior; commissioners noted that recycling services have become more difficult and that the city needs to adapt messaging accordingly.

Staff said materials containing links and guidance will be provided to commissioners electronically (not distributed as printed copies to reduce paper use), and suggested using city ambassadors and the community advisory board for implementation. The commission suggested the item could also be appropriate for a future workshop or for the community advisory board to take up in the fall.

Ending: Staff will circulate the environmental materials to commissioners and work with advisory groups on outreach and awareness plans for later in the year.