Green Task Force

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Mission & Goals

The mission of the Green Task Force is to educate and inform the City of Downey to foster greater environmental awareness and to ensure the continued implementation of sustainable practices throughout the City.

The goals of the Green Task Force are to:

Improve public and business community knowledge of environmental issues and priorities
Encourage more sustainable practices to protect the environment and public health
Address community environmental concerns and advise City Council on potential courses of action
Focus on both short-term and long-term approaches to greater sustainability in the Downey community

Meetings

The Green Task Force meets every fourth Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. at Downey City Hall, 2nd Floor Training Room. For more information, please call the Public Works Department at 562-904-7102.

View the Green Task Force Meeting Agendas and Minutes

Energy Conservation & Production

Primary sources of energy in the Downey community are electricity, provided chiefly by Southern California Edison, and natural gas, supplied by Southern California Gas Company. As regulated utilities, both are mandated to provide services and information to the community. Therefore, money and energy saving tips and services are available through both companies and can be found on their websites. Below are links to energy and money saving web pages:

California Energy Commission - Energy Efficiency
U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Saving Tips
Southern California Edison - Rebates & Incentives
SoCal Gas Company - Save Money & Energy

Recycling & Waste Reduction

The City of Downey, through Athens Services, Inc., provides the community with one of the longest established curbside recycling services in the United States. In addition to weekly trash, recycling, and green waste pickup, Athens offers numerous recycling services to the residential and business community. There are also many other online resources with money saving tips designed to help residents and businesses REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE. Links to some of these sites are provided below.

U.S. EPA - Wastes
CalRecycle - Where Do I Recycle
Tree Hugger - Recycling Tips

Water Conservation

The City relies on groundwater pumped from City owned wells to meet 100% of its potable water demands, with the balance of its overall water demands met with eco-friendly recycled water. Nevertheless, our Mediterranean semi-arid climate experiences droughts regularly, making water conservation a priority for Southern California residents.

The below links provide helpful information to conserve water:

City of Downey - Water Conservation Tips
Central Basin Municipal Water District - Water Saving Tips
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - Be Water Wise

Green Building

As sustainable building standards gain importance in the global and local community, the City of Downey looks to update its building codes in accordance with these evolving standards of sustainable practice. Here are links to sites that offer information regarding Green Building:

City of Downey - Green Building Code Requirements
Build It Green - Checklists, Guidelines and Manuals

Green Space: Landscaping & Nature

Landscaping for public spaces, businesses, and residences is a vital part of the total panorama of sustainable living. Did you know that 60% to 70% of water use in Southern California is for landscaping irrigation?

One of the fastest developing and most desirable Southern California trends is drought-tolerant landscaping. Drought-tolerant landscaping is desirable not only because the region is semi-arid, to begin with but because imported water supplies are always in jeopardy. Aesthetics are important when considering sustainable practices in both public and private green spaces. Finally, conserving the beauty and integrity of natural areas, such as parks, forests, and perhaps most important bodies of water is a high priority for all who want to live sustainably in Southern California. Here are links to green landscaping and conservation ideas for open spaces:

U.S. EPA - Environmental Topics
Los Angeles County Public Works - Smart Gardening
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - Conservation Programs
CalReycle - Landscaping Waste Prevention

Transportation

The cost and environmental impact of fuels for transportation, both public and private, has gained perhaps the highest profile of all sustainability issues on the global stage. Public interest requires both fuel economy and decreasing emissions in transportation. Owners of older vehicles also seek to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize emissions. Links to sustainable transportation related sites are provided below:

U.S. Department of Energy - Fuel Economy
City of Downey - Downey Transit Services
Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Getting Started on Metro, Bike Metro and Commute Services
Tree Hugger - Sustainability for All

Environmental Health

A clean environment is critical to the health and well-being of a community's citizens. Of interest are air and water quality, pollution control, toxic cleanup, and containment of communicable diseases. Following are links that relate to environmental health:

U.S. EPA - Air and Radiation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Public Health Focus
South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) - Smog and Climate Change
Los Angeles County Public Health - Environmental Health

Environmental Links

Green Task Force Report over City of Downy logo The Green Task Force recommends the following websites in an effort to promote environmental awareness and resources for the community.