A community orchard in Paramount, carbon-capturing landscaping at Long Beach parks, and several solar power projects were among the projects awarded more than US$2.7 million in funding from the Port of Long Beach Community Grants Program in 2021, according to a port’s statement.
“We are proud to have the nation’s largest seaport environmental mitigation effort, the Port of Long Beach Community Grants Program,” said Long Beach harbor commission president Sharon L. Weissman.
“One project at a time, we are reducing the health effects of our operations in neighborhoods close to goods movement corridors and cutting greenhouse gases,” she added.
Three parks and open space projects, totaling US$837,645, were approved by the Harbor Commission last year. Projects include fruit trees, security lighting, fencing, bioswales, landscaping and irrigation.
The purpose of the projects is to provide buffers between the sources of impacts associated with ports and surrounding communities, according to the announcement. In addition, five solar power generation projects and two solar water heating projects were approved, totaling nearly US$1.9 million.
Award-winning projects include the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems, canopy solar photovoltaic systems, and solar water heaters at facilities that serve sensitive populations.
“Cleaning the environment for our communities takes many forms,” pointed out Port of Long Beach (POLB) executive director Mario Cordero, who went on to add, “It can be as large as our goal of becoming a zero emissions port by 2035 or as targeted as a bioswale project at a local park that filters pollution in stormwater.”
POLB said the community grants program is a more than US$46 million effort designed to help those in the community most vulnerable to port-related impacts. Along with a previous program that began in 2009, the Californian port has allocated more than US$65 million. To date, US$36.5 million has been committed.
